Posts with Category "Sales Call Planning"

Sales Call Planning: What to Know Before Every Sales Call

Eighty percent of success is showing up. - Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s advice is pretty sound for salespeople as well, assuming you show up prepared.

We acknowledge that sometimes you do just show up (or—hallelujah—a prospect calls you out of the blue) and you haven't done any preparation for the sales call. It's reasonable to suggest that, on occasion, sales calls are appropriately deemed 'exploratory discussions'; the kind of discussion in which we just talk and 'see where it goes.'

Take this approach in most business development situations, however, and you'll lose more than your share of sales that you should have won. Interestingly, whether you have a two-thousand- or two-million-dollar price point, to increase your odds of winning new clients, you still need to do the same basic planning and know the same essential information before your sales calls.

Here are six sales call planning questions you can answer for yourself before every sales call that will help prepare you for business development success...

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3 Ways to Get Cold Prospects to Talk to You

By Erica Stritch

Use these 3 techniques, and you'll warm up cold prospects and fill your pipeline.

Cold prospecting – reaching out to targets you don’t know to generate an initial meeting – is one of the hardest parts of sales. Partly, it’s a numbers game. With decision makers more insulated than ever, it’s getting harder and harder to get past gatekeepers and beyond voicemail.

But what happens when you do get a cold prospect to pay attention – whether it’s because they picked up the phone, or responded to an email or a direct mail piece? Do you feel like you nail it every time?

Much prospecting success is determined in this first interaction. Many opportunities die here before you have a chance to engage.

What can you do to get cold prospects to shift from “go away” to “sounds good, let’s talk?”

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Are Sales Objections Driving You NUT$? Keys to Overcoming the 4 Types of Objections

By Bob Croston

Master the 4 types of sales objections, and you'll be on the road to much greater sales success.

An objection is not a rejection; it is simply a request for more information.

- Bo Bennett

Are you the type of person who quickly deals with sales objections, providing answers immediately, trying to overcome them as quickly as possible and move towards the close?

If so, you are probably not:

Taking the time to fully understand the objection and what’s behind it by asking clarifying questions

Dealing with the issue thoroughly enough and to the level of satisfaction the prospect desires

Presenting a compelling enough argument to overcome the objection and ultimately win the business

Imagine you have a $450,000 deal on the line. You are at the altar. Six months have gone into this deal and uncountable hours. You can see the finish line… you just have to overcome the last few objections. All too many sales fall apart late in the game because sellers are so anxious to rush through this crucial phase in the sales process. I have consistently seen objections mishandled because sellers simply do not understand the basis for the actual objection.

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10 Ways to Boost Your Sales Success

By Erica Stritch

Is there a silver bullet key to sales success?

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a silver bullet that would make you more successful in your sales efforts? One thing you could do to really boost your sales success?

I hate to disappoint, but the reality is, there is no silver bullet. Sales success takes hard work and commitment along with skill and savvy.

While there is no one thing that will work for you, there are a number of things you can do to help boost your overall success. You can start by following these 10 sales tips...

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Dear Seller, Here’s Why I Don’t Buy from You (Avoid these Sales Mistakes and Adjust your Sales Process)

By Erica Stritch

I write to you today, seller, because I want you to succeed.

Dear Seller,

Sorry it didn’t work out this time, but I have to say “no.”

I tried to buy from you, but too many things got in the way. You made too many sales mistakes that ended up losing you the sale. This has happened to me more times than I’d like to admit in the last few months. If you’re trying to sell to me, and you’re willing to change a few things in your sales process, we have a good shot at making it happen next time.

Reading this letter is a great start. If you want the next time to turn out differently, here are a few things you can do to tip the scales in your favor:

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