Five Steps to Streamlining Your Sales Process for Survey and Geospatial Professionals
Let’s face it, in surveying, winning new clients can feel like fighting your way through a massive forest – full of potential, but also tangled with challenges. The good news is that, in both these scenarios, with a little planning and the right tools, you can forge a clear path.
Step 1: Know Thy Client (Before You Pitch Them on That Fancy New Total Station)
Ever heard the saying, “When you’re selling to everyone, you’re selling to no one?” That’s especially true in surveying. The first step to sales success is understanding your ideal client – their needs, their challenges, and the language they speak (both literally and figuratively). Are you targeting residential developers, government agencies, or massive construction giants? And do you know who’ll be signing off on your proposal within these organisations? You should because each organisation — and each person within it — has unique priorities and pain points. By creating buyer personas, you can tailor your approach and speak directly to their needs.
What is a persona? It’s a profile of your potential customer, including their role, their responsibilities, and (most importantly) the challenges that keep them up at night. A residential developer will have vastly different needs than a municipality. Both of these potential customers will have different purchase criteria than a telecom company. You should know what the pain points and barriers to sale for each of these entities are.
(And if you don’t know how to create a customer persona — or if you’ve never seen one — there are some great resources here and here! or you can check out this webinar by our buyer persona superstar, Hannah.)
Step 2: Charting the Course: How Marketing Paves the Way for Sales
Think marketing and sales are separate islands? Not a chance! Marketing is the friendly cartographer, meticulously mapping the customer journey. By understanding the different stages – awareness, interest, desire, and action – or, the points along the customer decision journey, if you prefer — you can create targeted content that educates, engages, and ultimately positions you as the trusted surveying expert. Create blog posts that answer common questions, case studies showcasing your expertise, or even social media content that highlights the coolest surveying tech (because let’s face it, there’s some seriously cool tech out there!). Need some inspiration? Check out our recent blog to see what some of the industry’s top influencers are posting.
Step 3: Streamlining Your Sales Funnel: No More Dead Ends!
Let’s be honest, the sales process can get bogged down faster than your fully-loaded truck on a muddy side road. That’s why streamlining the funnel is key. Think checklists, automated workflows, and clear qualification criteria. This ensures you’re focusing on the most promising leads and frees up valuable time to close those deals.
We recommend using a CRM if your business has dedicated business development or sales reps. There are loads of great free and affordable options out there, and it’s easier than ever to find one that can grow (affordably) with your business. (G2 is a great tool for researching solutions, So is Capterra.)
Step 4: Closing the Deal with Confidence (and Maybe a Touch of Swagger)
Closing the deal is the ultimate goal, but it shouldn’t feel like arm wrestling. The secret lies in mastering the art of qualification – understanding their needs, identifying potential roadblocks, and demonstrating how your services are the perfect solution. Think of yourself as a translator, bridging the gap between their problems and your expertise. (Our resident expert, Paola, wrote a whole article on this.)
Step 5: Level Up Your Sales Team: Building a Dream Team of Surveying Superstars
Your sales team is your secret weapon. Equipping them with the right knowledge and skills is essential. Invest in training programs, encourage knowledge sharing within the team, and celebrate their successes. A motivated and well-equipped sales team is a powerful force that can propel your business to levels of growth you never dreamed possible.
So there you have it! It’s not a quick and easy solution, but building out and streamlining your sales process will be well worth the effort. With a deeper understanding of your buyers’ needs, a strategic marketing approach, a defined and seamless sales process, and a well-trained sales team, you’ll be closing more deals faster than you can say “photogrammetry!” (…which I can’t say quickly at all, but you get my meaning!)
Now get out there and conquer that forest!