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This article distinguishes proactive selling from reactive selling and illustrates the technique and benefits associated with proactive selling.
sales, selling, customers, customer service, communication, value
This article distinguishes proactive selling from reactive selling and illustrates the technique and benefits associated with proactive selling.
Are you getting nos bleed from customers saying no too often? Try asking questions that cant be answered with a no. Try proactive selling.
Reactive Selling
Much of the time, we adopt a reactive posture with our customers. We lob a statement or benefit over the fence and wait for the customers to respond to the statement or benefit. Then we react to their response. Reactive statements include:
Im calling to see if theres anything we can help you out with today. lob wait The response usually is No, not today. Thank you. Our reaction is Well, if something comes up.
Last week I sent you our line card and Im following up to see if youve received it. lob...wait... The response usually is Yep. But I dont need anything... or I dont remember. Our reaction is, Well, if something comes up...
At the very best, many reactive sales calls end with the rep not the customer doing something. Reactive sales calls result in the rep sending literature or setting up another phone call.
With reactive sales calls, you give up control of the conversation and reduce the possibility of making something happen.
Proactive Selling
Bring the customer into the conversation with an open-ended but specific question:
How familiar are you with our Pro-Act registry service?
How familiar are you with our Inventory Elimination service?
How familiar are you with the depth of inventory we stock?
This question should be targeted towards the customer needs but can be very effective for cold-calling as well. You retain control over the conversation and build the opportunity to qualify the customer.
In General
Also dont forget to:
Begin each call with a specific Initial Value Statement.
Confirm that youre speaking with the decision-maker. Are you the one who makes the decision to buy/sell
Ask if this is a good time to talk for a few minutes.
If the customer has done business with your company, thank them for their business.
And Finally
Proactive selling wont work for everyone and wont work all the time. But when youre feeling like youre getting nos bleed, try proactive selling.
(This information comes from Planning for Success, a module in Entelechys High Performance Sales program. Check out this module as well as our 40 other modules, training tools, and eGuides at www.unlockit.com.)
Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a high-converting lead generation funnel?
A lead generation funnel is a step-by-step pathway that guides cold prospects to buy. It starts with a hook (lead magnet or ad), captures contact details through an optimized landing page, and nurtures them through dynamic email/WhatsApp flows.
How do we improve our website's conversion rate (CRO)?
You can improve CRO by simplifying your forms, adding high-trust social proof (testimonials, case studies), using clear action-driven CTAs, and ensuring your site loads in under 2 seconds.
What is the average conversion rate for Indian B2B websites?
The average B2B conversion rate in India hovers around 1.5% to 3%. Highly optimized campaigns and personalized lead funnels engineered by experts like Social Stardom can push this rate to 5% or more.
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