I recently was referred to a VP of Sales for a technology company based in Iowa but had a local presence here in Kansas City.

There have been several clients I’ve never met in person before.

This was different. We chatted by phone, had lunch when he was in town and exchanged several emails and his name and signature were in his emails.

I placed a “K” instead of a “G” in his last name and emailed over the proposal.

He noticed it immediately just like I would if someone misspelled my name. He pointed it out and fairly asked if he should be concerned about my question to detail.

Ironically I’m really good with remembering names and spellings. I blew this time.

I apologized profusely and corrected it and he signed up to become a client.

2 takeaways which I know I’m stating the obvious:

1. Take extra time and proofread and double check every proposal that goes out.

2. When you make a mistake, apologize profusely and immediately.

Thankfully he was gracious enough to point it out and not let my mistake kill the deal.

No matter how long we’ve been in sales, it’s the little things that count and make the difference.

I have a confession to make.

I am bald.

BUT, I’m bald voluntarily. I started shaving my head in 2000 and am thankful I have a decently shaped head with no scars or nicks anywhere. I give credit to Bruce Willis who made being bald cool and in fashion.

Typically I get my head shaved every 10 days. I usually go to Great Clips and it cost between $5 – $14 depending on if I have a coupon or not. They serve the masses and Great Clips is not for everyone. My hairdresser, Carol, rocks and I request her every time I visit. She does excellent work and is a pro. After I get my head shaved, I go home and shower and get all the little hairs out and it’s highly convenient since it’s about 2 miles away. It’s very obvious who Great Clips targets as their customer.

Recently I received a complimentary hair cut coupon and decided to use it at The Gents Place in Leawood Town Center. I made an appointment and showed up. I get there, check in and the gal behind the desk offers me something to drink. Then she comes around and takes my jacket and puts in a locker and hands me the key. I finally get called to my hairdresser and as you may tell, this place caters to Leawood middle to upper class business men. It has a pool table and spa rooms and locker rooms and even a bar for members. Top notch and it definitely caters to a high end clientele.

I got my head shaved, massaged, rinsed, washed and completed with a hot towel service. I’ve never had that before and it felt great. Normal cost was $45 or so and I tipped my hairdresser and left.

So as a sales organization, who do you cater to? Who’s your ideal client?

Is it targeted towards anyone or do you have someone specific in mind?

Target everyone and you sell to nobody.

Is your product or service targeted to the masses out there like Great Clips?

OR

Do you have someone specific in mind with a certain income level, profession, geography, or type of business?

Take a few minutes and reflect on your ideal client. Do you have several transactions with small dollar amounts or fewer transactions with higher dollar amounts.

Happy Monday!

Hello everyone!

Back in December of last year, I called on a $100M plus publicly traded software company in California near San Francisco.

I called the CEOs office and his assistant directed me to a certain Senior VP. I referenced the assistant’s name and proceeded to call the SVP.

I left 5 voicemails and 5 emails over 5 weeks and closed the task in Salesforce.com. The next day he called me back and we had a short discussion. They have an inside sales team but were interested in training and that my timing was good. He asked when I was available and asked if I could come out in the next 2 weeks. I said yes and he said to call him in 2 days.

2 days later I called him back and got his assistant. She explained that it was a no go for the next 2 weeks after I told her why I was calling. There also was a reorganization going on and it was being tabled. And the SVP’s wife was having a baby any day.

Boo I thought! So she said to call in March. I thought I was being blown off. I figured I have nothing to lose by following up. Q2 got moved to Q3.  When I finally connected live with the SVP’s assistant, she said that it was no longer her boss’s decision and to call the CMO. She mentioned that the CMO had requested info from the SVP that I sent by snail mail earlier that year.

So I reached out to the CMO a few times and referenced the SVPs name. He finally responded and we finally spoke by phone and I gave an overview of my training  workshops I conduct for companies nationwide.

Long story short, we agreed t o terms and I flew out last Wednesday, conducted the workshop with 9 of the inside sales reps on how to make outbound prospecting calls and put a system in place for future use. And I also got paid 4 figures for the day.

I share this not to brag but to encourage you.  It was an 8 month sales cycle total. Can you relate? Half the battle of sales is persistence and follow up.

If your sales team needs training on how to effectively prospect and make outbound calls, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I’m Ray Ruecker with Connect 5000.

Here’s sample #4 for your use to tailor for your own company:

“Hello _____, Ray Ruecker with Connect 5000. I’m following up on an email I sent your recently. We generated over 120 meetings in 6 months for a company like yours. If your sales reps struggle setting up meetings with new prospects, please call me back at _____. Again my phone number is _____.”

For your company, explain what your accomplished in 1 sentence. If you can’t you need to refine your message.

Other samples:

“We lowered a company’s turnover rate by 5.6% in 7 months for a company like yours. If this is a current challenge and priority for you, please call me back at _____.”

“We reduced a company’s inventory expenses by 8.9% over 9 months for a company like yours. I don’t know if you’re currently evaluating services like this, but if you are, please call me back at _____.”

Don’t use round numbers. It’s too salesy and too slick. Use real metrics. They come across as more believable!

Hope this helps folks!