{"id":2891,"date":"2017-08-14T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2891"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:48","slug":"use-data-to-fix-sales-teams-happy-ears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/use-data-to-fix-sales-teams-happy-ears\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Data To Fix Your Sales Team\u2019s \u201cHappy Ears\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sales professionals often have to appear more confident than they might actually feel, which means adopting a \u201cfake it \u2018til you make it\u201d approach often seems like a great idea. The problem is when they project that same positivity onto their customers and prospects \u2014 a mistake experienced reps will describe as \u201chappy ears\u201d syndrome.<\/p>\n

When you have your \u201chappy ears\u201d on, for example, sales teams will be filtering out all the potential reasons why a customer or prospect will pass on a product or service. Instead, they hone in on the most encouraging aspects of a client phone call, meeting or e-mail exchange. Those with \u201chappy ears\u201d can turn even the vaguest of \u201cmaybes\u201d into \u201cmost likely.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s dangerous for a number of reasons. When reps aren\u2019t getting a proper read on buyer intent, they may be putting their company\u2019s entire sales forecast at risk. They\u2019re also limiting their opportunity to learn and grow from each customer interaction by failing to pick up on the signals they\u2019re getting. In some cases they might even jeopardize customer relationships by making assumptions about their plans that just aren\u2019t true.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy ears\u201d syndrome existed long before the advent of technology, but with tools such as Sales Cloud<\/a>, there\u2019s one sure way to cure it: Data. Listen up:<\/p>\n

\u201cListen\u201d For Their Intent In The Information They Consume<\/h3>\n

Before getting too far into a pitch, it\u2019s not uncommon for reps to ask customers and prospects how much they know about the firm\u2019s products, services, value proposition or even their pricing models. The customer or prospect \u2014 perhaps not wanting to look out of touch or as though they haven\u2019t done their homework \u2014 might nod affirmatively with a slight smile, suggesting they like what they\u2019ve seen and heard so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy ears\u201d might take this as evidence that they are pitching to an open-minded and even eager audience. That only sets them up for disappointment later, though, if it turns out the customer or prospect comes back with questions or concerns that could have been addressed a lot earlier in the sales process.<\/p>\n

Rather than taking their word at face value, why not look at data in your CRM solution<\/a> that integrates with marketing automation such as Marketing Cloud<\/a> to get a better sense of how they\u2019ve engaged with your brand digitally? Some of the data you might want to look for includes:<\/p>\n