Sales: A Science or an Art?
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the nature of selling. With the rapid growth of social selling and the influx of all kinds of new networks where sales are taking place, the nature of the game has undergone quite a bit of change. So, in the modern world, is sales essentially an art or a science? The short answer is that it’s both.
There are aspects of sales that still boil down to simple science. You have to understand who your audience is and where to find them, as well as how best to reach them and to meet their needs. To be really good at selling something, you have to be able to talk about it confidently and also to have valuable information to offer your customers.
Charisma and that certain “je ne sais quoi” are part of the artistry of selling. These skills hearken back to the Mad Men days of advertising, where if you walk the walk and talk the talk you can pretty much put a price tag on anything and sell it. Having emotional intelligence and knowing how to relate to people and get them to like you is as important as ever–but it’s not everything.
That’s where the science of selling comes in. Science contributes to sales success by creating a consistent and effective process by which to target your customers and in playing the numbers game in order to increase lead response. This involves the use of sophisticated tools like a CRM, messaging automation, and sales analytics systems.
Successful selling is about finding the right balance of science and art. It’s helpful to think of it as science helping you get leads on the phone and art helping you coax them into a sale. It doesn’t matter how smooth you are at talking to customers if you can’t reach them, and if you can reach them but employ robots to talk to them, you’re not going to make a sale.
At the foundation of both science and art is the need for building relationships with customers. It takes repeated interactions and a consistent approach to get customers to trust you and become loyal. Do whatever it takes to increase the productivity of your team and ensure that they have the time and resources to follow up on leads and increase conversions. Using software that allows a sales team to combine science and art, such as setting up email reminders and connecting with potential customers more frequently, will help make a positive impact on your business.
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