The field of sales is filled with opportunities for newcomers and veterans to convert prospective leads into clients. Unfortunately, while trying to make use of these opportunities, many people run into sales roadblocks.
Such challenges impede salesmen from achieving their sales targets and reflect poorly on their overall performance.
Also Read: 2 Common Hurdles with Sales Technology Adoption
Discover some sales roadblocks you might encounter and how to work around them.
Identifying these sales hurdles is the first step towards achieving success in sales. The next step is to recognize the strategies that can help leap each hurdle.
Lack of Access to Qualified Leads
Perhaps the most critical hindrance for an aspiring salesman is not having access to qualified leads. Unqualified leads are a result of a lack of research before contacting a prospect.
Every second spent trying to convert one of these prospects is equivalent to pouring valuable company resources down the drain.
How to Overcome This Roadblock
A well-planned and appropriately carried out lead qualification process is a must for every serious sales firm looking to sell products or services. It can start with a simple BANT (budget, authority, need, and timeline) framework to segregate different prospects.
Secondly, attracting the right customer base is always a great strategy for ensuring the selection of qualified leads from the start. This occurs by developing target marketing campaigns.
Inability to Handle Rejections
Picking up the phone to reach out to a prospect and immediately being hung up on is a common aspect of sales. Salesmen will experience rejections and objections on a daily basis.
This sales roadblock is particularly challenging for fresh salesmen to overcome. They can have one of two responses to this: become afraid of being rejected or develop a strategy to overcome this fear.
How to Overcome This Roadblock
Being prepared for objections and rejections by conducting thorough research beforehand is the way to go. Look into what the pain points of your customers are and create a repository of responses to them.
However, generating responses and applying them are separate. Conduct role-playing exercises to develop resilience and adaptability.
Limited Knowledge (of Product, Industry, etc.)
Having communication and interpersonal skills can only be applied properly if the knowledge base of the salesmen is solid. Inadequate product or industry knowledge shows lack of preparation and seriousness. This can lead to missed opportunities while closing deals.
How to Overcome This Roadblock
A culture of continuous learning is a must in every firm, and in sales organizations it is carried out through frequent training and workshops.
Customer demand and industry trends are volatile. Salesmen must be updated and well-read on every detail necessary to close a sale. An array of (free) resources, such as blogs, articles, webinars, and more available online can transform your next sales call.
Closing Thoughts
Sales roadblocks are a part and parcel of the industry. Every salesman will experience them. Gaining qualified leads, handling rejections better, and honing better product knowledge are three of many.
It is up to them (and their firm) to either be stopped by them or learn to overcome them. Thorough research and proper planning construct the path to addressing each of them.
By implementing the above-mentioned strategies, individual performance and that of the sales team can improve over time.