You Can't 'Control' the Prospect, so Manage Presale Activities to Increase Performance

Costs can be lowered and productivity boosted for sales personnel by focusing on activities leading up to sales rather than on the sales themselves. Buying behavior is controlled by psychological and physiological needs, so trying to control the behavior of sales prospects in the sales situation is ineffective in making a sale. Certain controllable activities, such as interviews and product demonstrations, precede sales. Usually, a certain ratio exists between these activities and the sale itself. Once this ratio is known, the focus of selling can be shifted to controllable presale activities. This tactic can be used to plan presale activities and to record, measure, and analyze sales activities and view them against objectives. Analysis from this feedback system also can highlight sales skill deficiencies and suggest corrective measures.