Friday, September 18, 2009

The Power of one Tweet

Still wondering why you should be on Twitter? This story from Miles Austin, CEO of Fill the Funnel Inc., will make a believer out of you! Read on, and then sign up on Twitter to follow your favorite sales resources - including SalesDog.com!

Early yesterday morning I saw a Tweet come across my screen from one of my most respected authors in the world of sales, Jill Konrath. Jill is the author of the #1 best-selling book, Selling to Big Companies , is in the highest demand as a speaker and sales trainer, and is the creator of Sales shebang - the premier professional development resource for women in sales. In other words, she is at the top of the heap. I have read her book, subscribe to her blog, connected to her on LinkedIn, and follow her tweets. Here is the tweet that she sent:

"Looking forward to @milesaustin upcoming series on web tools for sellers http://su.pr/2Vh3OQ"

With that one tweet from Jill, I began two business relationships that are providing tremendous opportunity for me.

First I received an email from David Frey, founder of Marketing Best Practices and Telesummit Events. David saw Jill's tweet, checked out the blog and wanted to do an interview with me to feature as a bonus for the 4,000 plus registrants that are participating in his Sales Telesummit that is going on this week. I encourage you to sign up to hear some terrific sales speakers for FREE. I completed a 60 minute interview with Dave titled "15 Must Have Web Tools for Salespeople" yesterday afternoon. David is a sharp guy that has some tremendous experience and he shared a web tool with me that was new to me and that I am in the process of implementing today. There is terrific upside based on this relationship.

While doing the interview with David, I received a voicemail from someone else that had noticed the tweet. Silvia Quintanilla runs Industry Gems Sales Intelligence, providing B2B sales professionals with information and valuable insight. Sylvia said that she is a reader of Fill the Funnel, likes what she reads and wondered if I would be willing to write an article for her blog. We also started to explore other business opportunities.

Since that first unsolicited tweet from Jill, the tweets, emails, phone calls and registrations have all been impacted in a very positive way. All of this to make the point, Never Underestimate the Power of One Tweet!

Learn more about Miles Autin and Fill the Funnel Inc. at www.fillthefunnel.com

Thursday, September 17, 2009

How to Build Relevant Rapport

We all know we need to build rapport with our clients, especially when selling over the phone. But did you know that the typical schmoozing and small talk we're all told to use really isn't the best way to go about it? Today sales trainer Mike Brooks shows us how to build relevant rapport.

"If you want to truly connect to your prospect and build the kind of rapport that will actually influence and lead to a closed deal, then you need to learn how to build what I call, 'Relevant Rapport,'" says Brooks. "Relevant rapport means taking the time to talk about the issues your prospect is going through or what they're trying to solve, and then expanding on these relevant issues and letting them know you understand exactly what they're trying to accomplish and explaining how you are uniquely qualified to help them."

Remember, your prospects have a need they are looking to you to help them fulfill, and the more they feel you understand their needs and can help them, the more likely it is they will do business with you. So, how do you build relevant rapport? You start by asking questions related to their specific work related situation.

For example, instead of asking:

"So where did you go on vacation?"

Ask:

"Now that you're back from vacation, I'll bet you've got lots to catch up on. How can I help you?" Or,

"You're probably buried now that you're back on vacation. I'd be happy to refill your normal order from last month and take that bit of business off your plate. Would that help you?"

Instead of asking:

"Are you excited about the upcoming football season?"

Ask:

"As we head into the fall, what are your top three priorities for increasing revenue?"

Then layer by asking:

"You know _________, I'm working with another client who is facing the same challenge this quarter. What I proposed for him is to (then explain your solution). Do you think that might help you as well?"

The point of relevant rapport is that your prospect will like you more and trust you more if you show an interest in their problems related to business, rather than their problems outside of business. Just remember that your prospect is under just as much pressure to do their job as you are to do yours. Who would you be more interested in talking to - a prospect who wants to talk about the latest diet, or a prospect who wants to place an order? Thought so.

I challenge you this week to go out and begin connecting with your prospects on issues related to what they are doing for 8 to 9 hours a day - trying to get their jobs done. When you can show them how to do that better, faster or easier, then you will have truly made the connection with them that counts the most. That's what building relevant rapport is all about.

Mike Brooks, MrInsideSales.com, is creator and publisher of the "Top 20% Inside Sales Tips" weekly Ezine. If you're ready to double your income selling over the phone, then sign up to receive your free tips now at: www.MrInsideSales.com.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Target Your Prospecting

A common mistake made by even the most seasoned salesperson is to use a shotgun approach when prospecting; in other words, trying to target dozens or hundreds of different companies. According to sales trainer Kelley Robertson, "This massive blitz works if you cold call for a living and need a large number of prospects in your pipeline. However, in most cases, this approach is not as effective as it used to be, especially in today's challenging economy."

"A more effective way to prospect is to create a list of 100 companies that could benefit from your product, service, or solution," continues Robertson. "Once this is completed narrow your list to a maximum of two dozen organizations and focus your prospecting efforts on that short list."

"The key to using this approach is to carefully research each company and learn as much about them as you can. Find out who the key decision makers are and the names of their executive assistants. Then use a variety of methods to make contact with your prospect including: email, voice mail, fax, snail mail, and face-to-face contact at conferences, trade shows, and networking events."

"During each contact, demonstrate your expertise and knowledge of their industry, potential business challenges and areas of opportunity. Give them insights to improve their business or solve a particular challenge. Do this on a regular basis: every 3-5 business days for the first two-three weeks, weekly for the next month, every other week for the following two months, and at least monthly after that. If you discover that a particular company has no interest or need for your offering strike them off your list and replace them with another company."

"This is a challenging strategy and it requires planning before you execute," says Robertson. "However, you will the results are typically much better because you quickly differentiate yourself from your competition."

As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Seven Ways to Name the Decision Maker

How many times have you gotten the run-around when calling a new company to reach the decision maker? Either people don't know who the decision maker is, so you're stuck leaving messages and calling people who don't have any buying power, or they're reluctant to give you the correct name, so you have to do a lot of digging to get the right contact info. Today tele-sales expert Wendy Weiss gives us the tips we need to easily reach the decision maker.

The first rule in "Naming Your Prospect" is to ask for a title not an activity. Do not ask for "the person who makes the decision to purchase..." Making the "decision to purchase..." is an activity and may get you a name, however, it will most likely be the name of someone who is involved but not in a decision-making capacity.

A better approach is to figure out what department the decision is likely made in and then find out who is the head of that department. If, for example, you know that the decision to purchase whatever you are selling is made in the Marketing Department ask for the head of the Marketing Department. This could be the senior vice president, or vice president or director. If you are calling small companies the person you want to reach is most likely the Owner.

Once you have identified the appropriate title or titles (there may be variations from company to company):


1. Check the prospect company's web site. This is the easiest way to find your prospect's name. Thanks to the Internet, many companies today list executive and/or senior management on their web sites.

2. Ask the receptionist. Dial the company's main number and ask the front line person who answers the line for the name of the person who has the appropriate title. Be prepared to throw out variations of that title as different companies may use different titles for the same type of position. When you are calling large companies receptionists do not screen calls. That question, "What is this in reference to?" is actually a request for information. Keep suggesting titles until one sounds familiar to that receptionist.

3. Call the Chief Executive Officer. The theory here is that Executive Assistants know everything. Call the CEO's office and ask the Executive Assistant for some help, "I'm wondering if you can help me." Tell the Executive Assistant exactly what you need and she will more than likely point you in the right direction.

4. Randomly change the general switchboard number extensions. If the switchboard number is 5000, call 5001, 5002... until you reach a human being. It won't be the right human being, but that's ok. Once you reach a human being ask that person to help you, "I'm wondering if you can help me." Ask, "Do you have a company directory?" When asked, most people are very happy to help.

5. The made-up name. Sometimes companies will not give out information unless you have a name. In this case, make up a name and then ask for that person. The switchboard operator will tell you there is no one there by that name. You then say, "Oh, (Made up Name) used to be the (Title). Who has taken over for her?" Many times this will work to get you the right name.

6. Ask a sales person. Call the sales department and speak with a sales person. Say, "I'm wondering if you can help me." Sales people will understand and if they can they will help you. Tell the sales person exactly who you are trying to reach. If they do not know the correct name ask, "Do you have a directory handy? Could you look that up for me?"

7. Ask Customer Service. Customer Service is there to help. Call them and ask for help, "I'm wondering if you can help me." Many times Customer Service can give you the information that you require. Again, if the Customer Service representative does not know the correct name ask, "Do you have a directory handy? Could you look that up for me?"

With these seven ways of naming your prospect, finding the decision-maker should never again be an issue.

Wendy Weiss is known as "The Queen of Cold Calling." She's written a bestselling e-book called "101 Cold Calling Tips for Developing New Business in a Downturn." Find out how it can help you sell more by phone here.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Quote of the Week

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you're thinking about yesterday." -- Charles Kettering

Doing your best in sales means staying focused on the here and now. What can you do right now to seal the deal with a client? What can you do to reach a new prospect? These are the things that make you money.

If you're still thinking about the deal you lost last week, you're not doing anything productive. When this happens, give yourself half an hour to go over what happened and what might have gone wrong - if you think there's something you can do to change the situation, then do it. If not, move on to more productive behaviors in the here and now.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Avoiding Self-Sabotage

Sales expert Art Sobczak gives great advice that gets right to the point. So you know when he got this email from a reader he had a few things to say. Check out his response below!

"Art, an email I received from a vendor, in response to a question we asked about a policy issue, started out with, 'You're not going to like this, but ...'

"I continued reading, now feeling bitter. However, what was said was really nothing more than what we already knew and expected.

"I would love to see your take on something like this. A piece on the things we do to sabotage ourselves when all we were intending to do was soften the cold hard reality."


Pointing Out Negatives They Probably Wouldn't Notice
I was talking to a guy about some training for his small business and mentioned I visited his website. He immediately apologized for some things (which he perceived as negatives) on the site that I hadn't even noticed. After he mentioned them, I guess I did recall them, but really didn't feel they were negatives at the time.

Some people obsess about things that no one other than them would ever see. But, when they're highlighted for us, then we tend to see them. For example, red cars in the parking lot outside your building. There. Now I bet that you'll look for them.

It's All in the Positioning
I remember years ago when my kids were little, my wife made the comment, "I'll let the kids know that they have to stay at Grandma's house tonight since we're going out."

Of course she didn't intend that to sound negative, but sometimes we say things that can be interpreted differently than we intend (to say the least!). Leaving nothing to chance, I told her that I would tell them.

So, I put a different spin on it: "Kids! Guess what? You GET to go spend the night at Grandma's!" "Yay!", they screamed.

Giving TMI (Too Much Info)
I've heard many a sales rep talk too much about facts irrelevant to what the prospect/customer cared about. The danger here is creating objections.

A sales rep handled an incoming call where the buyer asked for information on a new calculator model he was looking to carry in his catalog since he had heard good things about it. Understand now, that the inquirer was interested in placing a large order right then and there for an initial shipment. Things were progressing smoothly until the rep added, "Now of course, these don't come with the AC adapter."

The prospect immediately changed his tone and said, "Hmmm, I didn't really expect them to, but now I'll have to think about this a bit." Lost sale.

Here are a few others:

Instead of,
"So you probably don't want to buy?", try,

"Shall we move forward with the delivery?"

Instead of,
"I imagine you're not looking for another vendor?", try,

"What plans do you have for a backup vendor in case you need something and your present source doesn't have what you need, when you need it?"

Instead of,
"I'll have to check on that for you.", try,

"I'll be happy to research that for you."

Art Sobczak, President of Business by Phone, Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople - both inside and outside - designing and delivering content-rich programs that begin showing results from the very next time participants get on the phone. Learn more at www.businessbyphone.com

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Crossing the Cultural Divide

Selling often means dealing with people around the globe, which can mean cultural differences come into play. Isn't selling hard enough already? Luckily, sales trainer Renee Walkup is working on a new book, and did some excellent research about cultural differences to help you when selling to people in other countries. Of course, these are generalities - keep them in mind, but still be yourself.

"Selling is difficult enough sometimes, without having an additional layer of challenges to our bag of obstacles," says Walkup. "However, the good news is, people are people. Customers want to buy from you (we hope). Part of the key to success in dealing with Internationals is to understand how they communicate and how they want to conduct business with YOU."

According the US International Department of Trade Commission, the top ten countries the US trades with are:

Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, France, and Korea. Instead of going through each of these countries' business protocol, I'll just provide you with a few tips and hints you can use immediately to improve your closing ratio.

Canadian Customers:
Culturally diverse, community-oriented. Disagree with tact and have a pragmatic communication style. Avoid asking personal questions, being too aggressive and using exaggerated claims when selling to Canadians.

German Customers:
They plan, plan, and plan! They have a rigid protocol and once a decision is made, don't change their plan. They are impressed with academic credentials and protocol. Avoid too much emotion with them and remember to use lots of written documentation.

Chinese Customers:
They are all about making group decisions and not being singled out. Rank is important to them and bureaucracy is critical in their decision-making. Make sure you are extremely punctual in that if you are late, you have insulted your customer. Because seniority is important to them, you may want to have an executive or higher level manager involved in the deal. However, warn him/her not to be confrontational - it will backfire. A lower-key approach is best.

Korean Customers:
With Korean customers you might say that "less is more". They prefer a direct and concise communication style. However, if asked a closed-ended question, they will most certainly say "yes", even if the answer is "no". Instead, ask open-ended questions and wait for a more accurate answer.

Mexican Customers:
These customers enjoy using the hierarchy in their organizations, as well as in yours. This is important to them. Deadlines are fluid and they are often late to meetings, but you will make many friends through your Mexican connections. These customers love to network and connect!

Hope this helps you as you navigate through dealing on the phone and in person with those from other countries. Want to know more? There are thousands of resources on the web and many books out there which can help you. Happy Selling!

Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK, a national sales performance company, as well as a well-recognized keynote speaker, sales coach, and author, with a 25-year background in sales, sales team management and training. Learn more at www.salespeak.com