You can engage in traditional sales — or you can explore deep sales. The latter requires moving beyond a surface-level knowledge of your prospect to a deeper understanding of their needs and circumstances. When you embrace a deep sales approach, you’re committed to the sales relationship for the long haul.

Sean Callahan, the senior manager, content marketing at LinkedIn, says a deep sales culture is a living, breathing, evolving approach to sales that is rooted in conducting research and deploying a data-driven approach to selling. According to LinkedIn research, salespeople who immerse themselves in deep sales end up building pipelines that are 56% stronger and closing deals that are twice as big.

Want to get better at deep sales? Keep reading this issue of PromoPro Daily, where we share Callahan’s thoughts on three habits to master.

Habit No. 1: Prioritize accounts most likely to buy. The most effective salespeople ruthlessly qualify the accounts they target, Callahan says. They do this by taking a research- and data-driven approach to focus on the accounts with the most whitespace. He points out LinkedIn research that finds that more than four in five (82%) high-performing sellers (defined as those reaching 150% or more of quota) say they do research “all the time” before reaching out to prospects. Fewer than 50% of other sellers say they take the same approach.

Habit No. 2: Identify the buyers who are in the market right now. Salespeople who practice this deep sales habit know which accounts to call now and which to save until later. Callahan says sales teams may use a variety of tools to determine buyer intent. Whatever tool they use, they can analyze the data and insight to pinpoint the prospects who are ready to engage now.

Habit No. 3: Find hidden allies. Effective salespeople don’t just communicate with a single person — they engage with an entire buying committee. They communicate with people from different departments and connect with numerous decision-makers at each company on their prospect list, Callahan says. They look for the “hidden allies” who can help them upsell, cross-sell and keep accounts even when key contacts change roles.

You can engage in the practice of deep sales by using research and data to get a deeper understanding of your prospects and their needs. This can help you approach potential buyers in a more authentic way and help you develop deeper, long-term sales relationships.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Sean Callahan is the senior manager, content marketing at LinkedIn.