Salespeople face a new reality. Buyer behaviour has changed and people aren’t purchasing in the same ways that they used to. That means, as a sales rep, you need to update your selling techniques to match the new way they buy, or risk perishing.

Old-school selling techniques just aren’t working anymore. If you don’t update your tactics, you’ll find it more and more difficult to successfully reach out to leads and close deals. You’ll struggle to bring in revenue and your pay cheques will reflect your challenges.

Here’s how to refresh your selling techniques to match the new buying process so you can get back to selling as best you can.

Understand Customer Independence

Customers are now taking control of the sales process. They’re going through the majority of the buyer’s journey on their own, without reaching out to salespeople. They’re using the internet to their advantage, to research brands and products, to read reviews, to compare prices, and to ask for advice and recommendations.

Unfortunately, this makes it even more difficult for you to influence a buyer’s thinking these days, particularly in the early stages when it’s most important. Buyers aren’t showing you direct signs that they’re active in the buying process until the late stages. And you’re presented with only very narrow openings to reach out.

You must learn to pinpoint and take advantage of these openings if you intend to differentiate yourself from the competition and win new business.

Communicate in New Ways

Communicating with buyers might seem easier these days—after all, you just have to connect via social media instead of making dreaded cold calls. But there are basic rules for communicating online, and you must follow them if you want to succeed in today’s sales environment. It’s great to have direct access to buyers, but use this access wisely. Don’t send out inappropriate, ill-timed, premature, or poorly focused messages. Buyers can still block and ignore you online, just as they can hang up on you during a cold call.

Build Trust through Personal Branding

Trust is vital in sales. People won’t buy from you if they don’t trust you. You need to help buyers better understand who you are, what you’re known for, who you work for, and what you’re good at before you can make initial contact and attempt to close deals.

Put some effort into your online profiles. You have a great opportunity to be a problem solver and a broker of valuable resources, so don’t waste it. Build your personal brand by sharing your knowledge and experience, by showcasing your expertise in your subject matter, and by ensuring your brand message is clear. You can’t rely solely on your company’s brand to gain trust—you must create it on your own.

Focus on Meeting the Buyer’s Desired Outcomes

You can no longer sell products and services. You must sell solutions. You have to completely understand a buyer’s desired business outcome if you want to close deals. This is how you’ll meet their needs by selling them the right products at the right time. Now, whether or not a customer succeeds or fails with his purchase is actually more important than the sale.

Be Patient   

Sales is a competitive industry. You’re constantly under pressure to bring in more business and close more sales. But you can’t let this pressure get the best of you. You can’t be pushy and aggressive to close the sale anymore. You must be patient. You must realize that what you have to say is only one small piece of the puzzle for the buyer. He seeks information from tons of different sources before acting to address a problem. Rarely will your word be the final word that makes a buyer act immediately.

In addition, you have to build trust, create relationships, boost your credibility, and nurture and educate prospects before you can expect a sale. And this takes time.

But when you’re patient and let customers go through the buyer’s journey at their own pace as you build all the necessary pieces to close deals, you’ll be rewarded handsomely.