We’ve entered the dog days of summer! Prospects are tough to reach as is. Now they’re going on vacation and even more challenging to reach.
It was a tough week for Connect 5000. We lost a large client on Monday. The VP of Sales called my cell phone. He usually doesn’t contact me unless he’s got really good or bad news. He typically doesn’t call just to chat.
To make a long story short, Autodesk, $2.22B software company, acquired Vela Systems, a provider of Field Management Software for construction firms nationwide last Friday. Read more
Trade Shows and Networking Events: Are they worth it?
/in Sales /by Ray RueckerA few weeks ago my wife and daughter spent some time her her mom and dad and it was just me for 6 days.
The first night they were gone, I attended a networking event for a non-profit here in Kansas City. They asked me to be serve on the board. It was pleasant and I had a good time. One of the guys there who I’ve met before asked me if I attended a lot of networking events like the Chamber of Commerce. I told him no because that CEO’s and VP of Sale’s of companies that I want to do business with typically don’t attend these events. Read more
The Harsh Realities of Gaining and Losing Clients
/in Sales /by Ray RueckerWe’ve entered the dog days of summer! Prospects are tough to reach as is. Now they’re going on vacation and even more challenging to reach.
It was a tough week for Connect 5000. We lost a large client on Monday. The VP of Sales called my cell phone. He usually doesn’t contact me unless he’s got really good or bad news. He typically doesn’t call just to chat.
To make a long story short, Autodesk, $2.22B software company, acquired Vela Systems, a provider of Field Management Software for construction firms nationwide last Friday. Read more
Control Freakness and Prospecting
/in Sales /by Ray RueckerI would consider myself a control freak. Or more politically correct speaking, I’m very “particular” on how certain things should be.
BUT
There are 3 things I can’t control:
1. The weather.
2. The economy
3. Other peoples and companies decision making process Read more
Books, Authors and Email Subscriptions I Recommend
/in Sales /by Ray RueckerMy family didn’t own a television set until I was in the 5th grade. What madness! Kidding.
Since we didn’t own a tv, I read a bit. Quite a bit. I’ve always been a voracious reading. Read more
5 Key Numbers Every Sales Rep Should Know
/in Cold Calls, Prospecting, Sales /by Ray RueckerYou 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
5 Words That Will Help You Successfully Set Sales Appointments While Prospecting
/in Cold Calls, Prospecting /by Ray Ruecker“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
A Simple Tool to Improve Sales Prospecting and Time Management
/in Cold Calls, Prospecting /by Ray RueckerThe 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
What does Michael Jordan have to do with prospecting?
/in Sales /by Ray RueckerMichael Jordan is arguably considered the best basketball player. Ever. 6 time NBA Champion. 5 time NBA MVP. 14 time NBA All-Star. I could go on and on about his accomplishments. But I won’t.
You may or may not know that Michael Jordan tried being a professional baseball player but was not successful at it.
Does that diminish Jordan’s basketball accomplishments? Absolutely not.
How does this apply to sales and prospecting? Read more
Do CEO’s respond to prospecting calls and emails?
/in Cold Calls, Prospecting, Sales /by Ray RueckerThe 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
Machine Guns, Shot Guns, and Prospecting
/in Cold Calls, Prospecting /by Ray RueckerLast 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