Stop us if you’ve heard this already:
“We’ve got the newest tech that will take your sales process to the next level and kickstart revenue growth!”
In spite of these grand promises, sales innovation techniques somehow leave sales teams in the same position each time: data overload causes more problems than it solves, and sales reps are just as disconnected from prospects as before.
This cycle is frustrating. So let's break it.
There's a way to innovate your sales process that layers on top of your existing tools and practices, inspires your sales reps and boosts revenue growth. And this time, it's not just empty sales talk. Here are three actionable sales innovation strategies that are guaranteed to boost your revenue growth.
1. Your cold leads aren’t dead. Your discovery is.
Picture this: you get a new lead, and the data tells you it’s perfect — it’s the right industry, the right size and the right fit for your product or service. So why do these “perfect” leads still turn cold, leaving their potential revenue frozen in your pipeline?
Well, we don’t know the answer to that. But we do know how you can find out: the answer lies in your discovery. If you really want to get to know your prospects, you’re going to have to dig deeper than the data. You'll have to approach discovery with genuine curiosity.
To be genuinely curious, you’ll want to listen for:
- Details that surprise you
- Ideas that your customer cares about
- Workarounds your customers are using to "hack" their current solution
- Systems that are inconsistent or contradict themselves
Innovative discovery techniques
At the end of the day, you want your sales reps to notice things about your customers that other people don’t. Sometimes this means gathering data from unusual sources, or taking steps to identify problems your customer might not even be aware of. You can also flip your discovery process on its head by thinking about your customer's customer first, and working backwards from there. For example:
- You can go “undercover” and observe how your prospect’s product or service operates in real-time. Then, you can use this info to identify potential inefficiencies and present an innovative, customized solution.
- You can call up a customer of your prospect and a non-customer of your prospect to gather information on how well their product or service is actually delivering on its promises. With this leverage, you can present your solution as an opportunity to help your customer serve their customers better.
So, before you give up the cold leads in your pipeline, ask yourself if you’ve been genuinely curious about investigating their problems. If the answer is no, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and get creative about your approach.
2. Remember: your sales reps are human.
Sales reps spend all day talking to prospects, but they never get to make any real connections. Instead, they grind through their days just trying to meet quotas through repetitive, cold techniques. This explains why many companies see a high turnover rate in their sales department — even if their team is crushing its goals.
To re-engage your sales team, you’ll want to implement a human-centric sales approach. Instead of investigating leads as a means to an end, you should encourage your sales reps to prioritize empathy and problem-solving during their conversations with prospects. This means taking the time to really listen to prospects' problems, and formulate suggestions that don't just deliver a tactical solution, but an emotional solution, too.
At first, this shift might feel foreign to your sales team. But these techniques lean into their natural human tendencies to be curious and empathetic, so they will soon become second nature. With consistent practice, your sales reps will become trusted advisors for your prospects — and revenue growth machines for your business. Why? Because as trusted advisors, your sales reps will be able to uncover bigger, more impactful selling opportunities than your current system could ever deliver. Talk about a win-win.
3. You can have your data and eat it too.
Nobody wants to reinvent the wheel. That's why the best sales innovation techniques are the ones that layer on top of the tools and practices you’ve already got.
If you currently rely on data to get the job done, don't worry. Implementing these techniques don't replace the need for data — it takes it to the next level by enhancing the human. Your customer data will point you in the right direction, and your human-centric selling techniques will take you across the finish line.
By tapping into the innate qualities we all share, human-centric selling fits into just about any sales process. That translates to more closed-won opportunities, happier customers, and more revenue growth for your business — no matter where you're starting from.
Putting it all together
At the end of the day, your people are the strongest asset your sales team has. By implementing genuine curiosity and a striving for a trusted advisor model, you’ll be leveraging the human qualities than your sales team already has.
These techniques empower your team to create deeper connections and stickier solutions — spurring revenue growth in ways you never thought possible. The best part? These methods play nicely with your current data-driven sales process, so you can start seeing results immediately.
Ready to transform the way your team sells? Get in touch to see how you can put the human element back in your sales strategy.
