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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.

A Great Example of Accountability

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Cold-Calling

My friend Dan runs a restaurant equipment company. As you can imagine, they’ve gone through some tough times recently and he has had to lay off several people in his firm.

But his heart really broke when he had to lay off Marvin, a 26-year employee who had battled prostate cancer and other illness over the last few years. But there was just no place in the company for Marvin anymore. A few days after he let Marvin go, he got a phone call—Marvin asking to schedule some time with him sometime in the next couple of days. Dan agreed, and Marvin came in with a proposition.

Let Me Make Cold Calls

At that meeting, Marvin talked about his tremendous commitment to the company and how he loved the business and knew a lot of customers. He wanted to cold call past clients, inactive clients and new prospects to see if they were interested in buying equipment. But there was a catch.

Marvin didn’t want any money for it; all he wanted was the commission that came from the sales if he made any.

Now think about this. Marvin is a guy who’s never been in sales, never made one cold call, never went on one appointment, but willing to work for performance only.

Sitting around tonight complaining about the economy and how you’re going to have to bail out the at-leasters, think about Marvin. If we had three million Marvins, we just might not have the unemployment problem.

Should Sales Hurt?

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By Brooke Green

I was having coffee with a friend of mine today.  He’s a bright, strategically-minded guy, however, he made the oddest comment.  He is an owner of his company and is in front of prospects and clients on a regular basis.  He also happens to know a lot of high level people in the business world. 

We were talking about his sales process, and he said, “I don’t do a great job of getting in front of people, but once I’m with them, they want to buy.”  I asked him how he targets his accounts and he said “cold calls.”  WHAT!!!?  Here’s a guy with a rolodex full of people that respect him and would love to help him – so why is he making cold calls?

Should it Hurt to Grow Your Revenue?
I talk to business development people everyday that feel that it should “hurt” to grow your revenue. Why is that? Is the money worth more if you have to cold call, get lied to, chase someone forever and finally land a piece of business? 

Wouldn’t we rather use our rolodex, ask for referrals, and work with people that want our help? Ahhh–quick and painless and just as (or even more) valuable. When I asked my friend this, he kind of chuckled and said, “I guess so.” 

Is Revenue Growth Right Under Your Nose?
Think about the people that you know and the clients that you are already working with. Instead of working on a cold call script, work on a referral process. My experience is that people will gladly refer you, they just need to know how to do it.  Lay it out for them.

Don’t reinvent the wheel – roll with what you have.