From the Crow’s Nest: What does the modern salesperson look like?

We have been so busy with the legislative changes that we seem to have neglected the changes in the sales landscape and the ability of our sales force to adapt.

The salesperson of yesteryear and the one of today are miles apart. Their source of leads and enquiries have changed drastically. Gone are the days of a tickler box and the little black book. This is the electronic and social media era.

Words like SEO, Facebook, Twitter and Target Marketing should be part of their daily vocabulary. They should understand the modern customer and be able to adapt to this new environment.

The modern salesperson understands that the buyer is in control

Customers come armed with all the information and look for the solution that best suits their needs. As a salesperson, the funny thing about needs is that you can’t fully understand them unless you listen.

Successful salespeople know their customers and their online and social media usage. They are able to use this information to cater for their customers' specific needs.

The modern salesperson is transparent

Great salespeople eliminate the fine print. This doesn’t mean that they give things away and override company policies. Instead, they make everything perfectly clear upfront so there are no surprises when the time comes to sign the deal.

Great salespeople are honest, because they know customers make informed purchasing decisions. They acknowledge that it’s entirely possible that the customer knows as much – or more – about the product than they do.

The modern salesperson is accessible

Sales are no longer a one-way street. It’s much more relationship-driven. Make it personal.

The modern salesperson is plugged in socially

They are not only adept at monitoring prospects’ behaviour in an effort to provide further context, but also to remain accessible and engaging should there be any questions on the part of the prospect.

The modern salesperson can be classified as ambivert

The modern salesperson is the perfect blend between extrovert and introvert. They’re not pushing for the sale, but rather working with the customer to find a solution that makes sense given the customers’ unique needs and challenges.

We wish them well!


March 2017 Sales in a Nutshell

We share the best used car sales for March 2017  (only IDA dealers on the Signio platform).

FORD
VOLKSWAGEN
TOYOTA
BMW
NISSAN

The top three used commercial vehicle sales per manufacturer (bakkies)

RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL A/T P/U D/C
RANGER 2.2TDCI XLT P/U D/C

Top 10 derivatives used car sales

RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
ECOSPORT 1.5TIVCT AMBIENTE
FIGO 1.4 AMBIENTE
POLO VIVO 1.4 TRENDLINE 5DR
POLO 1.4 COMFORTLINE 5DR
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL A/T P/U D/C
RANGER 2.2TDCI XLT P/U D/C
EVEREST 2.2 TDCI XLT A/T
RANGER 3.2TDCI XLT A/T P/U D/C
POLO 1.6 COMFORTLINE 5DR

The average age of used vehicles sold in March was 4.68 years.

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