“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” –Leo Tolstoy.
The sales patterns of consumers change as the seasons come and go. Spring time is a time to clean out and re-frame your sales strategies. Given, there are some products that are seasonal, like the obvious swimwear or boots and jackets. In the food industry healthier foods fly off the shelves during springtime and food for braais and outdoors escalate during the summer times; soups and higher calorie-intake foods increase during winter times.
However, even general sales like car sales, real estate or house hold retail items are influenced by seasons because seasons influence the consumer’s buying mood. Your sales techniques and strategies should change with the season.
Consider these tips:
- Use this season strategically to your advantage. Your specific consumer will have different buying patterns throughout the year depending on seasonal changes, different products, needs and economic influences. It is important for you to know what they are and then re-look and revamp the content of your sales material or sales pitch. Communicate how you can make the product fulfill a need within the season and read the response and feedback from the buyer. Learn as much as you can about your consumers buying patterns.
- Think like your customers and then think out of the box. Put yourself in your consumers shoes and think what would be most appealing of the product to them during this season. If your products are for example winter specific, then have a sales strategy alignment where you and your team can brainstorm ideas to re-look how you sell. Look at different ways your products could fit in with Spring/Summer time.
- Sell in the way the brain is wired. With marketing mediums becoming more resourceful with statistics and analysis you can streamline your sales efforts with that of the consumers’ reactions and engagements. Competition is high and consumers are constantly flooded with information. Stand out and talk directly and specifically to your consumer’s brain and emotions.
- Evaluate your generations buying power. Millennials are currently seen as specifically retailers’ biggest buying power. They want instant feedback and instant gratification. They don’t want to wait a day for a price on a product or service. They want it now. Don’t wait to follow-up on your leads. Numerous articles mention that the quicker the leads are dealt with, the bigger the sales closing rate. Look out for Generation Z (people born mid 1990s and mid 2000s). They are a generation who don’t know a world without internet, online research, on-line shopping, gaming etc. They are starting to take over some of the demographic buying power of Millennials…be prepared.
- Take advantage of your confidence and optimism in the spring time. Moods lighten up during spring time. People feel fresher and more optimistic. They self-motivate themselves during this time and revisit their personal goals. Do that with your sales teams. The outdoor team building sessions are ideal to get the blood pumping, the mind racing and the motivation going.
Traditional sales representative shifted to a combination of being an expert and a consultant. Sales techniques vary from product, to service, to industry to season. There are also things like demographics and income to consider. Be that as it may, going into a new season of spring, should be your chance to re-look your techniques and approaches. Motivate your team. Now is the time to regroup.
The Mindspa Institute is a soft skills training provider who offers a variety of sales training, team building and team alignment courses, to name but a few, in Cape Town, Gauteng and Durban.