Much has been written about sales, funnels, scripts, and other tips and tools to successfully nail deals. However, not very much has been said about the action items that should conclude every sales call, no matter where it lies along the funnel.
How can you ensure any sales call will move you towards closing a deal? Action items.
Action items are crucial. They ensure more engagements – engagements that are customized to your prospects needs and state of mind. As a result, these action items move your prospect further down the funnel and drive higher sales probability scores.
Action items help ensure that you and your potential customer are in full alignment in words, actions, thoughts, and beliefs. And why is alignment so important? When a user or potential customer is aligned with your values and value proposition, most of the friction that could hinder a deal are eliminated.
How can you make sure your champion will end up even more engaged and supportive of your sales process? With the following 3 action items.
The 3 action items that would turn any lead into your champion
There are three action items that you need to address when you summarize your sales call:
- One that has nothing to do with your business
- One that helps your customer bring your value offer to their team
- One that you need to move the deal forward
1. An action that has nothing to do with your business
The first action item you offer your lead should be unconnected with your company and your product. It should be something that gives value to your user on a personal or professional level. It could be a quote, a link to a useful article, a blog post, a video, or an introductory email to someone who can help them. It could even be a link to a product they may need personally (like a link to a costume outlet since they mentioned they need one for their kids’ Halloween party).
This action item should use only a small effort on your part, but create a disproportionate amount of value for the user. It should be something that makes the user feel like more than a potential customer. It creates a personal acknowledgment of the person behind the call.
2. An action that enables your lead to bring more value to their team
This action item should help your potential customer to shine in front of their team by enabling them to bring more value to their peers. After all, you’re here to grow your customers’ success. What could be better than helping them gain the appreciation of their colleagues?
For example, you could offer a group call to present best practices that are connected to your solution yet not fully dependent on it. You could send case studies that you haven’t published, or facilitate a customer success session to help your potential customers’ team find new ways to overcome their challenges.
You want your potential customer to get their team to board a call or join a meeting, right? Your customer will agree to this if there is something in it for them – both the individual and the team as a whole. The content of your call or meeting must offer value towards that end – a product demo, walkthrough, or simple video or recording could be a good way to go at this point. Don’t just push features, though, but use cases that show how other teams have accomplished great things. Put your product in the background but make it obvious that the product is needed in order for the team members to shine and achieve their goals.
3. An action that moves your lead further down the sales funnel
Your final action item should move your lead further along the sales funnel. For example, try asking yourself, “What action does this user need to take to raise their sales potential score?”
Actions could include:
- Hands-on experience of the product
- Increasing usage of your platform or product
- Connecting you to the employee who has responsibility for signing the checks
- Adding their credit card details
- Getting the lead to share their data sets with you
- Setting a meeting with decision makers
- Purchasing credits
Bear in mind that the ideal action for the user to take depends on their current position in the sales funnel. If the user is still near the top of the funnel, the relevant action could be as simple as clicking on the link of a follow-up email.
Why are these the 3 most important action items to create?
These three action items serve to align your audience with your brand and your product.
Just like in the personal sphere, alignment comes when thoughts and beliefs, words, and actions are all in sync. The first two action items serve to align the user’s thoughts and words with your brand. The second and third items also align the user’s actions and beliefs (they wouldn’t get other team members to spend their time on you unless they truly believe it could be valuable).
In addition, these action items create:
- A deeper personal connection with your lead
- A way to raise your lead’s status within their organization
- A measurable outcome that moves the lead further along the sales funnel
Together, these three action items produce a 360-degree experience for your lead, together with a deeper alignment between your lead’s thoughts, words, and actions, and your brand.
Try and incorporate these three types of action items in your sales touchpoints, both online and offline, and see how the appreciation to your team, brand, and value grow and convert.
