Following a sales career spanning 3 years at SAAB, and 14 years in the IT industry, Ulrika Sandborg founded her own consultancy network Sandborg & Co, in 2005, to coach individuals from all fields to achieve success in sales and marketing through improved sales strategies and communication techniques.

We were lucky to absorb some wisdom from Ulrika’s 25 plus years of sales experience when she hosted our Business Lab last week. She commenced the session by drawing a picture on the whiteboard. It was a boat with a sail, an engine, and a radar. As Ulrika interpreted the boat’s anatomy for us, it quickly transformed into a metaphor for a company.

In order to steer a company to the desired shore and navigate around obstacles along the way, its team needs to have certain key mechanisms in place, in harmonious operation. For instance, when building your “sails” strategy, if you are waiting around for a client to call you, you will not succeed. The wind in the sail, (“your customers”) is vital to success. Allowing customers to let loose and run your company, on the other hand, isn’t viable either. It’s all about balance, and planning ahead.

So, what are Ulrika’s top 3 tips for Successful Sales?

1. Follow the 4-Step Sales Process:

1. Initiate contact with your prospects, the clients you want to sell to. Try to reach the Managing Director or other relevant decision maker. Send an email, and refer to a contact you share in common— this is your entrance into the company. Follow up with a phone call. Once you start calling your prospects be prepared that it might take a few calls to reach some people. Do not leave a message on the answering machine if you do not know the person. Instead, try to reach them again some other time.

2. Give your elevator pitch. Introduce yourself and the services you offer. Shortly present the benefits you are able to create for the client. Pick one thing that you can do for them. “I can help you be more efficient,” for example. Tell them right away what you want, before they shut their ears.

3. Be as direct as you can, and ask for the meeting. The meeting is where you can inform your prospect in more detail exactly what you can do for them.

4. Influence the closure. During the meeting, keep your end goal in mind: closing the deal. Steer the meeting towards that outcome.

2.  Lead Your Meetings for Success 

• Arrive on time and start asking questions. In Sweden, this means 5 minutes before the scheduled meeting. Establish with the client how long the meeting will be, and then start by asking questions that are useful to you: How many people sit at the office? How long have you been working here? Your mission is to discover the potential of your customer.
• Interview your client to find out why you are there. What is the problem they’re seeking to address? Is it in an area where your services could help? Look for at least 3 openings—you might even be able to sell additional services.
• Start selling. Selling doesn’t mean telling about all of your services. Focus on your client’s specific needs, and tell them as much as they need to know in order to make a decision in your favor.
• Lead your client to the next step. Conclude the meeting by proposing the solution you have prepared in advance, adjusted according to what you learned about your client’s needs during the meeting.

3. Keep Your Eyes on The Sales Funnel

You need to initiate more contacts than you ever close deals. In order to reach your budget or goal you need to measure and calculate how many leads you need to have, how many prospects, how many customers.

 Electrolux used to sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door and they had a saying: “30 knocks leads to 10 talks, which leads to 1 purchase.” Volume is essential to achieving successful sales. Set an annual target first. For example, 1 million SEK in sales per year. Consider that the selling year is 10 months (with no sales in July, and from mid December to mid January). In such case, your target is then 100 000 SEK in sales per month. If your average order is 25 000 SEK, you’ll need to close 4 deals every month. Count how many offers you need to make in order to close 4 deals— it could be that you need to call 100 prospects, book 25 meetings, and prepare 8 offers to get those 4 deals closed. After establishing your target, detail the actions you need to take in your schedule.

Join us next time!
Don’t miss the opportunity to attend our next Business Lab in person, where you’ll receive more expert tips and insights for running your business successfully. Our upcoming session on May 7th is all about sustainable business strategy, with Gabriella Silfwerbrand. Sign up here.
——————————————————————————————
What is Business Lab?
Each week, we invite a stand-out professional to join our community and share their topic-specific knowledge and tips in a 2-hour super session. Attendees have the chance to gain additional skills that help them accelerate their business and personal development! Read more here.

Author

Ekaterina Larsson is a freelancing Digital Communications Consultant and Marketing Manager who has worked with organisations including Stockholm International Water Institute and Greenpeace.