If Customers Are Not Calling You, Why Not?

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Sometimes I wonder if we don’t unintentionally make our businesses too hard.  We sales types lament a lot about prospecting and the behavior required to generate new discussions and meetings as if that were the only way to grow our business.

But that’s the way it will always be as long as we have our “sales hat” on.  Because when that hat is on we are always thinking prospecting, cold calling, closing, handling objections, etc.

Sales people must learn to put their “marketing hat” on and that hat should cause you to ask the question:

“What can I put out into the marketplace to make my phone ring with interested and qualified prospects?”

Not possible in your world you’re probably saying?

Heck yeah it is, but not if you continue to think like a one at a time sales person who is stuck in an office making cold calls to generate appointments.  You’re better than that and you should find a better way to execute.

Cold Calling In A Modern World

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As sales trainers, we get frequent questions centered around cold calling:

  • “What should my cold call sound like?”
  • “Should I even make cold calls anymore?”

Even on Twitter recently, where we asked the question, “What is your biggest sales problem?” the answer came back, “How do I get the motivation to pick up the phone and call people who don’t know me?” @laurenkriner

So in this episode, Bill and Brooke disagree on the answer, but still offer advice in a Point-Counterpoint style on cold calling.

Evolution of a Salesperson [INFOGRAPHIC]

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In problem-solving terms, the rule is when you are confused about the next course of action you always start with, “How did we get here?” As we look at sales forces all over the world, we see problems like:

  • Closing percentages are low
  • Difficulty finding and getting in touch with buyers
  • Every part of the sales process gets commoditized
  • The sales process lasts way too long.

So, the first question we had was: How did we get here? The infographic below gives you some insight into how we see the world of professional selling today and helps you rethink your role as a salesperson.

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You Less. Them More.

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“A great man is always willing to be little.” Not sure where I heard that first but it makes sense in sales.

Rather than playing the game of ‘impressing‘ the prospect (which we all do, albeit unintentionally), why don’t you aim to be “insignificant.”

Let their pains and dreams take center stage, instead of yours. It just might be that they develop so much rapport with you from being heard, they actually buy something.

The Monetary Benefit of One Idea

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I have a client who is in one of our training programs, and once a quarter we’ll get together and talk about his business. You might call it “personal coaching,” but it’s really just me hearing what his struggles are and giving some advice and tips and ideas on how he might be able to alleviate them.

The thing I love about his approach is that he always tells me what each idea I give him could be worth.

About two months ago, I suggested to him that in his sales process he put in a “diagnostic assessment” that allowed him to assess the customer’s business in a way that would help him determine if he even wanted to spend any time with that customer. And, of course, it would help the customer know if he/she had pain that was worth spending any time to fix.

Prior to this he had only asked questions and taken opinions from prospects. He had never put in any kind of a process/assessment. That idea just earned him a $1.3 million sale, which will generate about $300,000 of net profit in his business—one idea, $300,000.

But That’s Not Typical

What’s more typical is that ideas that we toss around in training meetings and coaching sessions go unused. They go unused because most of us have no way of executing anything new. We get so rigid in how we’ve done things that a new idea goes in one ear and out the other.

The Challenge

In 2011 I have a challenge for you: Make this the big idea year. And big ideas don’t mean earthshaking new ways to do business. It could be a very small idea that becomes a big idea because it leads to a windfall of economic benefit.

So the next time you ask someone for advice, and they give you something, don’t let it pass through your brain without filtering it through to see what that one idea could be worth. New ideas are the coin of today’s realm, but they’re worthless if no time is spent understanding them and deciding how they can be of economic benefit.

Deals That Won’t Move Through the Sales Funnel

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Every sales professional we know is always in prospecting mode, which is why we devote a fair amount of time in this week’s episode in sales prospecting, sales development, and moving people through the pipeline.

In this episode’s Rant, Bill Caskey addresses the initial call and how sometimes the failure in the overall sales cycle begins on call number one. He offers tips on how to improve your language on the first call.

Bryan Neale busts the myth of “Enthusiasm is Contagious”. He tells you what really happens when a sales person exhibits too much enthusiasm.

Finally Bill and Bryan address moving deals through the pipeline in a way that is practical and virtually for any sales cycle.

 

In the Sales Process, Slow Down To Speed Up

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Ever wonder whether your buyer knows what you’re going to ask them before you ask?

In this episode, Bill, Bryan and Brooke deal with the issues of how you find the customer problem…and the realization that if you slow down and ask the “right” questions, you can actually speed up the sales cycle.

In the “Mailbag” segment, Bryan tackles an email we get often, “How do I handle being a new sales rep? Can you give me some advice on getting a quick start?”

Do You Understand Your Sales Funnel?

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The proverbial sales funnel seems to be the ‘defacto’ way to measure results. No, it’s not always ‘revenue in’…it’s “what’s in your pipeline?” (Do you wake up in the of a nightmare hearing your sales leader shouting that question to you?)

Not sure how we got to this point, but this short video blows up a little of our preoccupation with “funnel” because it highlights an important part–not all people in your sales funnel are equal. Nor should they be treated that way.

Is Business Networking Still a “Must”?

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Recently got a call from Josh Hinds, a blogger-business networking specialist. He asked me to comment on some questions he’s posing to industry experts about networking. It caused me to think a little about business networking — and how I used to feel something was wrong with me because I didn’t like it. And wasn’t good at it.

In his interview, I give you a few ideas you can try if networking is a ‘must-do’ for you in growing your business.

Here are my responses on Josh’s blog.