Bad News:
According to Jill Konrath, founder of SellingtoBigCompanies.com, in today’s business environment, you should expect to contact corporate decision makers at least eight to 10 times. If you’re trying to reach C-level executives, expect to make 12 to 14 contacts before you give up. (Source: http://www.success.com/articles/570-selling-to-big-companies) Read more
When companies inquire about our services, they sometimes ask if Connect 5000 gets compensated by the sales meeting or on a monthly retainer.
There’s a formidable competitor of mine out on the East Coast who charges by the appointment. I believe like $700 a meeting. There’s no upfront fees and they only get paid if it’s a “qualified” meeting. Read more
Happy 4th of July to you!
Can you believe how fast the 1st half of 2012 came and left?
I met with a VP of Sales of a large health benefits organization here in town this week.
She and I discussed whether the first sales meeting should be face to face or by phone. She wanted to target the state of Iowa which can be a 3 hour drive. She’s had success both ways and wanted my opinion. Read more
Here’s a great post from insideview.com, a great resource for sales folks!
In sales, money is made when a salesperson goes beyond the initial cold call. In fact, about 80 percent of all sales are made after five to 12 contacts between the sales person and prospect. The sales person, when pinpointing a potential sale, must dig in. The rep must engage the prospect in a variety of ways, whether it’s through social media or customer referrals, and through several contacts and interactions.
They have to go beyond the age-old art (or archaic practice, depending on who you ask) of the ever-waning cold call. Because sales people have to be constantly chasing a prospect for a sale, they leave themselves room for error. They might get cranky after a prospect won’t bite initially, or they might chase a prospect not worth chasing. Worse, a sales rep might drop a prospect who would’ve bought if the sales rep were more persistent. Read more
You can’t track what you don’t measure.
You can’t improve an area if you don’t know your numbers. Plain and simple.
If you want to improve your free throw percentage, shouldn’t you track the number of made free throws divided by total number of attempts?
Of course. Read more
“Can you help me please?”
You may have been expecting some thing more complex and deeper, but I’m just a simple guy.
Most people like to help other human beings out. If you’re nice, polite, and professional. Read more
The past few weeks I’ve met up with or had lunch with a social media coach, a sales vice president for an employee benefits company, a financial adviser, and a sales representative for a data and storage solutions company.
Guess what challenges they all have in common? Read more
The answer is:
A. It depends.
B. Some of the time.
C. Yes, if you have something relevant to say that arouses curiosity.
D. All of the above. Read more
Last week I did some heavy sales and marketing for Connect 5000. My employees and I play a dual role: filling our client’s sales pipelines as well as our internal one. We know that clients do not last forever. We always need to keep our pipeline full because the harsh reality is that clients leave you for a variety of reasons and it may not be your fault at all. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t.
For 3 days, I did some marketing activities and got zero positive responses. 3 days felt like an eternity. It isn’t. We all know that you have to plant a ton of sales seeds for the future. Some sprout up quickly. Others take months.
I felt a little discouraged due to my instant gratification nature and wanted results like NOW. Read more
1. The goal of cold calling or sales prospecting is to secure a meeting or appointment. (It’s not to sell.)
2. The goal of leaving a voicemail is to get the prospect to return your call by arousing curiosity. (It’s not to sell.)
3. The goal of the sales meeting is to qualify the prospect to see if there’s an opportunity and to uncover pain and problems. (It’s to sell and solve problems!)
Keep it simple!
