5 Sales Tips to Turn Cold Calls into Hot Leads

Jun 17 2013 By Amanda Nelson 

Let’s face it, most sales people dread making the cold call. Who wouldn’t? Essentially, you’re interrupting someone’s day to get something you need out of them: information, a meeting, a new sale, you name it.

But at salesforce.com, picking up the phone is not only one of the best ways to connect with customers, it’s one of the best prospecting tools in the salesforce.com arsenal.

Created from the best teachings from the best front line salesforce.com managers, here are five tips to get the sales job done.

1. Organize by Skill

To create new opportunities and sales pipeline, understanding everyone’s skills is essential to playing the right people, at the right time. Identify four essential areas to success: in-bound lead qualification, out-bound prospecting, deal closing, and account management.

Identifying these skills needed for each role will create the right incentives to deliver the best results. For example, people who qualify leads are rewarded on volume whereas closers and account executives are rewarded on total dollars sold. Meanwhile, the team in charge of prospecting, business development reps, are rewarded on the pipeline generated (total dollar value of sales opportunities).

2. Know Thy Target

Though most sales people know this, many still make cold calls without enough preparation to turn even a short conversation into something more.

The best prospecting teams work with marketing and product teams to build extensive “personas” to discover who may be the best fit for the product. While prospecting tools can be a foundation for these with insights into title, company hierarchy and industry overviews, you need to go much further and deeper for a complete picture. A good “persona” details a prospect’s motivations, outlines day-to-day job functionality, mentality, and most importantly, the biggest business pains they may have.

Working out these things before you call will shape everything that happens after the first hello, putting you on much better footing to develop a selling relationship.

3. Always have a reason for calling

At the basic level, know the prospect’s title, info about the company and how the company is organized. Even a little information about your prospect can help you learn more and develop a vision about how you can help them. Research their company’s current marketing campaigns. Dig into business news articles that might mention them.

Using what you know, show them you have a vision for their business. You can do this by developing or choosing a pre-existing offer for them. Webinars, ebooks an ROI calculator, a white paper or analyst report can all make it clear that you understand their business.

4. Always have a referral

The first goal of cold calling might be to close on an in-depth meeting, but its unrealistic to think that will happen with every call you make. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get something out of the call, namely the next best thing: a referral.

Why? For one, it means the door hasn’t been shut. And two, a referral gives you a new name to talk to, maybe someone you didn’t even have on your radar. Even better, because you’ve been referred, your call to that referral gives you credibility you can’t get anywhere else. In fact, when you connect with someone based upon a referral, the likelihood they accept a meeting goes up.

5. Measure. Then measure again.

Think about anything you ever cared about getting better at: running, losing weight, or how much you make. Those are all measurable. It’s no different when it comes to prospecting. With knowledge you can then adjust and improve.

Once you start tracking, the key isn’t the number itself, it’s to focus on how you can make the number better.

• How many calls do you make?
• What time of day works best?
• How many quality discussions do you have (not with gatekeepers)?
• How many referrals do you get?
• How many meetings do you set up?

(from: http://blogs.salesforce.com/company/2013/06/sales-cold-calls.html?d=70130000000tP4G&app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%2244245_1386715986_13570539%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22twitter%22%7D)

The 5 Character Traits of Great Salespeople

Sep 26 2013 By Geoffrey James

Buyers and sellers are emotional human beings, which is why great salespeople are always masters at managing their own emotions. To accomplish this, the very best salespeople cultivate the following five emotional traits:

1. Assertiveness

This allows you to move a sales situation forward without offending or frustrating the customer. Think of it as being located halfway between passivity and aggressiveness. For example, suppose a customer is delaying a decision. There are three basic responses:

1. Passive: "Could you give me a call when you've made a decision?"
2. Aggressive: "If you don't buy right now, the offer is off the table."
3. Assertive: "Can you give me a specific time and date when you'll make your final decision?"

The passive response puts the sale on hold indefinitely (or give your competitor the opening to outsell you). The aggressive response creates pressure and resentment: Even if it works, you'll be seen as a typical pushy salesman. The assertive approach sets up the specific conditions for the close, without forcing the customer's pace.

2. Self-Awareness

You need to be able to identify your own emotions, understand how they work, and then use them to help you build stronger customer relationships. This is a four-step process:

1. Identify the emotions that you're feeling,
2. Based on experience, predict how those emotions will affect your sales effort.
3. Compensate for negative emotions that might hinder the sale.
4. Expand your positive emotions that might help you make the sale.

For example, suppose you feel furious that an important customer stood you up. You might take a break before your next meeting in order to remind yourself of all the times you've succeeded in the face of challenges. Or you might, as an ice-breaker, tell your second customer that you're having a tough day and why.

3. Empathy

This entails adapting your behavior to the customer's moods and emotions. It begins with listening and observing, but simply knowing what the customer might be feeling is not enough. You must be able to feel what the customer is likely to be feeling.

Suppose, during a sales call, you discover that the customer's firm just announced major layoffs. You could ignore the news and proceed with the sales call as if nothing had changed, or you could focus on your own desire to make the sale and ask your contact who will have buying authority after the layoffs are over.

Both responses to the event make business sense–but if you want to build a better relationship, you'll be empathetic and imagine your contact's sense of fear and confusion. Then, depending on your emotional reading of the customer, decide whether the customer would prefer to commiserate, complain or (alternatively) be distracted from the situation.

4. Problem Solving

The desire to solve a problem helps you create new ways to satisfy the customer's needs, both financial (the ROI of your offering) and emotional–such as the customer's need to be convinced that your and your firm are reputable and reliable. Problem solving is a four step process:

1. See the customer situation as it really is. (Never try to solve a problem before you fully understand it.)
2. Help the customer visualize a more desirable situation.
3. Devise a way to move the customer from the ways things are today to the way the customer would like them to be.
4. Communicate that solution in a way that makes it easy for the customer to make a decision.

While those steps might seem obvious, they're the exact opposite of old-school salesmanship, where selling entails "giving a great sales pitch."

5. Optimism

Optimism helps you maintain a sense of balance when things go awry. It proceeds directly from the (often unspoken) rules that you use to interpret daily events.

For example, if the first sales call of the day goes poorly, your performance for the rest of the day will be different if you have this rule...

• "A bad first call means that I'm off my game this will be a bad day."

... rather than this rule:

• "Every sales call is different, so the next will probably be better."

Note that both rules are arbitrary responses to the same event, and neither is more "realistic" than the other. Even so, if you automatically jump to the first rule, rather than the second, it will be difficult for you to remain happy.

(FROM: http://blogs.salesforce.com/company/2013/09/the-5-character-traits-of-great-salespeople.html?d=70130000000tP4G&app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%2244245_1386715966_1845477128%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22twitter%22%7D)

6 Things to Do Now for a Strong 2014

DECEMBER 9, 2013 BY MARK HUNTER

Here is a quick checklist of things you can do now:

1.  Identify your best 5 customers and what you can do to increase your level of business with them next year.

Take the time to develop the plan. Start with the people with whom you need to develop a better relationship and follow that by focusing on the outcomes they are desiring.

Doing these two things will put you in position to be able to serve these customers at an even higher level than you’re currently doing.

2.  Identify 5 new large customers that will take a several months of prospecting work to put you in a position to sell to them.

You want to start this process as early in the year as possible to ensure you can close them well before the end of the year

3.  Identify 3 new products or services you can leverage hard with both your existing customer base and with new customers.

Key is to not be focused on the actual product or service, but to be focused on the outcome and benefit the customer will gain from using it.

4.  Identify the 2 big things you know if you change in your sales process will make a significant difference in your results.

Break these items down into small pieces you can begin working on immediately.  If the items are big, you will never attack them, but by going after them in small chunks they become very doable.

Just as with the large prospects you intend to go after right away, you want to start on these too without delay.

5.  Identify 3 customers/prospects you need to walk away from.

That’s right! You need to purge your list.  It sounds counter-intuitive, but there are people you’re spending time with who are doing nothing but taking up your valuable time.

They might be customers or prospects or both. Either way you have to get rid of them.  Doing so will give you more time to spend on the other customers/prospects you identified that are going to bring you the business you need.

6.  Assess your attitude/motivation and allocation of time.

In the end, it comes down to you. Take some time to list out how you spend your time and what factors in your life either contribute positively or negatively to it.

What adjustments do you need to make?  Who is going to hold you accountable?

As I’ve said many times before, top performers are those who are 100% responsible for their own actions and are not willing to allow the environment around them to impact them negatively.

 

(FROM: http://topsalesworld.com/blog/resources/6-things-to-do-now-for-a-strong-2014/)

4 Things All Decision-Makers Want

By Geoffrey James

When it comes right down to it, decision-makers--regardless of job title or where they work--all want the same four things from you:

1. Save me time. I could dig around on the web and learn all about your product area, and make a decision based upon that research. However, I've got other demands on my time that require my specific expertise, so don't burden me with information.

2. Provide the best value.  Don't bother asking me what I want from a vendor.  I want the best product at the lowest price delivered immediately with instantaneous customer service.  Is that so difficult to understand?

3. Make it convenient.  I decide to work with you because you make my life easier.  I want you to take responsibility for a part of my business; your products or services are just the delivery vehicle.

4. Answer your phone. If I call you, answer.  If you can't for a good reason (like you're at your mother's funeral), have another human being take the call.  Make sure it's somebody who will take responsibility for handling my problem.

If the above sounds, well, a bit demanding, it's because decision makers ARE demanding.  They have more choices than ever, so you'd best concentrate on giving them what they want.

(from: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/4-things-all-decision-makers-want.html)

The Secret to Closing More Sales: Talk Less

Most salespeople talk way too much. In today’s market, chatty salespeople are champing at the bit to swamp prospects with information. My research shows that the average salesperson talks over 81 percent of the time in a selling situation.
Not only is that approach ineffective, it’s losing you sales. You can close more sales, simply by talking less. Here are seven ways to do it:
1. Be distinct from the competition. When prospects perceive you as similar to other salespeople, you are in trouble. As a result, your goal is to be perceived as totally distinct from the competition. The next time a prospect asks you why he should do business with you, you should reply, “I’m not sure that you should. Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions to better understand your situation?”
This approach is different, more credible, and immediately separates you from other salespeople.
Related: 5 Ways to Close The Sale With Indecisive Customers
2. Understand your prospect’s challenges. Most salespeople spend their time trying to persuade prospects rather than taking the time to understand the problem that the prospect is facing. Remember: Prospects are looking to solve certain challenges; they are not looking to be sold. Take the time to learn about their key problems first.
3. Understand their goals. When a prospect solves his challenges, he can then achieve his goals. Once you’ve fully understood the prospect’s challenges, it’s time to understand what he’s looking to accomplish. Whether you sell to consumers or businesses, all prospects are looking to accomplish specific goals with your product or service. Understand what those goals are.
4. Develop a workable budget. Many salespeople simply quote a price to their prospect without ever having a good conversation about money conversation. This approach is costing you thousands -- maybe even millions -- of dollars in lost sales. From now on, help prospective customers develop a budget to solve their challenges and accomplish their goals. It doesn’t have to be an exact number. A range will do. This will help you determine whether someone is qualified for your service or product before you present your solution.
Related: Want to Turn Huge Startup Profits? Here's Why You Need to Be Patient
5. Understand their decision-making process. Many entrepreneurs and sales people feel stuck when potential customers tell them they need to "run it by a committee” before committing to anything. In most cases, the salespeople had no idea that a committee was even involved in making the decision. Well, whose fault is that? Salespeople rarely ask what the prospect’s decision making process is -- but they should. Here are two examples of good questions to ask: “Who else is involved in this decision?” and “How do you typically make decisions like this?”
6. Make sure they're committed to their goals. Before you get to a presentation of your product or service, you want to be sure that the prospect is committed to solving her challenges and achieving her goals. If they aren't, you're wasting your time by even presenting a solution. Your time will be better spent with other prospects who are committed to solving their challenges and achieving their goals. Before you present your solution, ask, “How committed are you to actually solving these challenges right now?”
7. Keep it short. Most salespeople spend most of their sales meetings presenting. That’s why they’re doing all of the talking in the first place. Rather than spending most of your time presenting, spend the majority of your time doing steps one through six. Get to really understand the prospect’s situation and decide whether he's invested in finding a solution. Then give a presentation based on solving his challenges and achieving his goals. Don’t present anything else. The prospect doesn’t care about every single feature and benefit of your product or service. He only cares about accomplishing his goals. So keep it short.
Putting all of these ideas into practice requires that you actually talk less. A great salesperson will talk no more than 20 percent of the time in a selling situation. Close your mouth a little more and you might just find you'll close many more deals as a result.


Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229577#ixzz2mNKjfVzT

DIFFICULT QUESTIONS: WHEN AND HOW TO ASK THEM

Difficult questions: when and how to ask them

Only journalists and police like asking difficult questions. Everywhere else in the UK there is a polite ‘British sensibility’ of not wanting to make important inquiries. It’s felt to be rude, even though it isn’t.

 

In life and in sales, people feel they are being too intrusive by asking direct questions. They are often hesitant to ask too much in case they appear either stupid or nosy.

These attitudes are counter-productive in business. Good business practice requires the ability to uncover the needs of a customer; otherwise, how can their needs be met? Questioning is also needed to ensure that the seller’s time is not wasted on a company who cannot afford their service. Unfortunately, until telepathy becomes a reality for humans, sales teams will be losing out until they master the skill of questioning.

Within the traditional sales script, the line “do you have any questions?” usually belongs to the seller. However, before this point, which often comes towards the end of a sale, the buyer has already been expecting the salesperson to inquire about details.

Questions uncover needs, desires and also valuable background information to be able to put together the right solution; by creating a full profile of a customer, a sales person can be best prepared for every stage of the sales process, through to negotiation. However, the most valuable function of questions is that the asker can demonstrate an interest in and create a rapport with the client.

People buy people, not products

The most successful sales people are often highly skilled in making conversation. Personalities ultimately give the best chance of concluding a sale, and sales people are often not short of this. Sociable creatures, the best sales people often, trade in academic merit on their CV for an interest in socializing with friends. With personality, the right tone and approach, deep questions that really a probe a customer’s interests and preferences bring high rewards.

A way to set the scene for a difficult question is to say it in a calm tone of voice, maybe with a smile and definitely with eye contact. This level of engagement will put people at ease, and it’s a good way to get to the bottom of issues that need to be resolved. Psychologically, sellers must remind themselves that neither they nor the client have time to waste, and getting difficult questions out of the way clears the picture and can minimize any losses in the long term. By asking these difficult questions, sellers are providing a service for both parties.

There is never going to be a ‘good’ time to ask difficult sales questions, but the general rule is sooner rather than later. Getting questions out of the way allows the seller to map out the relationship with the client from the start, ensuring that there is no confusion or miscommunication. In the age of technology, this is the most straightforward way (although not the easiest) to communicate wants, needs and future plans. Without it, there is much more than a little shuffling around in seats at risk.

 

http://www.tlsasalestraining.com/content/difficult-questions-when-and-how-ask-them

What Are Strong Sales Words?

 November 13th, 2013 |  Author: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Do certain words in sales have greater strength than others?

Probably and that strength can be in your advantage or disadvantage.

For example strong sales words such as need or think may be so strong they turn off potential sales leads because these words imply a potential negative judgement.

Then there are those all too common questions such as “What is keeping you up at night?” which may reveal what sales training program you just completed.

So what is the purpose of strong sales words?

• To convince?

• To negotiate?

• To reassure?

From my perspective, any phrases that attract positive attention, work to continue to build the relationship and differentiate me from all those other gray suits are strong sales words.  Agreement is one of those words.  Another two are “How can I support you?” and “How can I make your day a little easier?”

By displaying emotional intelligence in the word selection I speak and write, I attempt to embed some emotional connection so that the other person believes I care about them as an individual. Now this may not work for all ideal customer profiles because there are some buyers who are more focused on what you can do for their companies.

And possibly my most favorite strong sales words are no words at all, just silence with a quiet smile.

If you truly want to increase sales, then scheduled a no risk 20 minute Business Growth Accelerator Session with Leanne Hoagland-Smith at 219.759.5601 CST where you will receive:

#1 – Quick assessment of your current sales process

#2 – One business growth strategy to increase results by 20% in 60 days

Consider giving her a call especially if what you have tried has not worked and you are ready to challenge and then change the current status quo.

 

(from: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://processspecialist.com/increasesales/sales/strong-sales-words/)