Social media networking/marketing:
November 1, 2011
October 21, 2011
I don’t care!!
In an ideal world it shouldn’t be necessary to cold call a Director (or senior management), ever!
The reasons why we do have to:
- Unfortunately employees at the front-line of most companies these days have too big a work load to handle a cold call with any courtesy, respect or awareness of how that cold call could maybe impact the bigger picture of the organisation.
- It is likely that the person on the receiving end of the call doesn’t have enough clout within the organisations to make an informed decision. Usually – Yes, I said usually…
- They are not committed to their company so have no interest in taking care of your question, concerns or suggestions quickly.
They simply do not care!
Don’t take it personally, and don’t let it get to you. Do allow it to change the way you behave though… The reason for this post is to make you aware of why you are getting the responses you are getting (especially on a Friday). Keep smiling, keep plugging away and possibly, consider how those guys feel when they pick up the phone to you/ You’re the 15th cold caller already this morning asking exactly the same thing, probably the same questions and more than likely in the same tone because the majority of you will be feeling dejected already at 10:30 in the morning.
Now, I’m not saying call with a cheery, fake voice and ask about their plans for the weekend. What you could do is go and get a coffee and think carefully about how you sound to these people when they pick up their phone. ..
Have a fab Friday and make it count :0)
October 10, 2011
Quotes that go cold?
Most companies send out a quote especially if the buying process means going through a procurement system. How many of you send out your quotes without asking the questions:
- “How many other companies have you asked to provide a quote?”
- “What is your decision making time-scale?”
- “Who else is involved in your decision making?”
The answers to these questions should give you an indication as to when your quote needs to be followed up. You are taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide this information to them and they will respect you more for asking when it should be followed up.
The second thing I’d like to know is what happens next?…
- Do you fire over an email?
- Do you pick up the phone? if so, how many times?
The inspiration to this quick message is that I have spent this morning re-igniting cold quotes for my client. They had quotes going back to the end of 2010 which hadn’t got an outcome against them but these were sat in their pipeline – Obviously this is not a true pipeline and needed addressing.
The calls this morning have had varying outcomes but there is a pattern forming…
Mr/Mrs/Ms is no longer with the company!!!
Perfect opportunity! The person that has taken over from the vanishing prospect now has some degree of responsibility to you. They feel that you have been abandoned and want to clarify things quickly. Out of the 7 this morning that have a new contact they have all requested a copy of the quote – DO NOT re-send!!!!! At this point you should be saying:
“I would be happy to provide that information to you again but don’t you feel it would be better for us both to meet to ensure your requirements haven’t changed, budgets haven’t been cut and most importantly to make sure we are going to like each other enough to be able to do business?”
A quote without some sort of a relationship would probably not even be read and if you ask the above question they are highly unlikely to say NO!
September 30, 2011
How to Turbo-Charge Your Sales
How to Turbo-Charge Your Sales
By Mike Schultz
76% of leaders at small and medium sized businesses cited sales growth as their greatest challenge in 2011.
Having been through the process of founding RAIN Group with my business partner, John Doerr, I know just how difficult it can be for a young, growing business to get off the ground.
You’ve got a great idea that people have told you will succeed, outstanding content, and the people in place to make it all come together. Problem is, when it comes time to launch, you’re just not generating the business you thought you would.
More often than not, this is a direct result of the fact that many entrepreneurs simply have not been taught how to sell. And even experienced salespeople struggle to sell in an entrepreneurial environment where there are unique challenges to selling new ideas or selling against big, well-branded competitors.
As good as your business idea might be, it’s not going anywhere if you can’t sell it.
Fortunately, it’s never too late to learn.
To help you out, I’ve made a series of video training lessons specifically for entrepreneurs and sellers in growing businesses. They’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to make the sales that will help your business achieve the growth you’re looking for.
Specifically, you’ll learn:
- The most common sales mistakes entrepreneurs sellers at growing businesses make
- How to avoid these mistakes
- The unique challenges of selling in an entrepreneurship and how you can overcome them
- A step-by-step guide on how to communicate your value
- How to lead masterful sales conversations that result in new business
- The simple formula to make millions of dollars (or pounds) in sales
The first video in the series is available now. And the best part is, I’ve made the series available to you for free! Note that these are not quick-tease videos. This series contains 60 minutes of value-packed RAIN Selling content.
So head over and check it out. I guarantee it’ll be worth your while.
September 18, 2011
Government financial support for new business…
Starter pistol at the ready…
Government financial support for new business
With this in mind, throughout the month of October and for the remainder of September 2011 Approach Sales Services are in a position to offer start up business support for their new business sales strategy.
“If you are on target to reach your business plan but are finding it a struggle then maybe a conversation is in order… We can operate within your business, taking time to meet your customers, attend appointments with your sales team, look at your KPI’s, targets, reporting methods and customer service processes. By breaking down the sales process into its component parts you can start to take action, waiting only increases your deficit”
We are often asked to manage the whole sales process on a part-time or interim basis. This can include reviewing all sales processes within your organisation and the day to day management of your current sales team. This is ideal when it does not make financial sense to have a full-time Sales Director as a new business or where a Managing Director gets caught up in the day to day growth of the company and can no longer dedicate the time required to performance manage the sales function. Our clients range from large blue chip operations right through to the smallest business, either way they each have the same director level contact and customer first approach. This package is designed specifically for new (or under a year old) companies in the North West of England only at this stage.
The full package includes:
Campaign Strategy & Planning
Many companies have a product or service that is of value to someone (or they possibly should never have set up in business). The question is: What is the most effective way of taking it to market?
Critical sales interactions assessed and addressed
There are some things that are missed after a company has been registered and launched. We will ensure that throughout our consultation time with you these (usually missed) areas are addressed.
Target/Prospect identification
There are systems that can be utilised to identify your new business potential but these are costly. Because we do this for a living we have access to a great many of these systems so before you invest thousands of pounds let’s have a conversation.
Base level marketing
If your time is taken up on the day to day running and delivery of your new business there is potentially some marketing tips you may be missing. These are relatively simple but time consuming to impliment in the first instance. We can relieve some of that pressure.
Elevator pitch & Impact statements
When you first launch your business or preferably before you announce yourself to the world we should be having a conversation about how you are to introduce yourself to your potential clients. Networking is key to the success of a new business and how you introduce yourself IS a make or break situation.
Approach Sales Services are effectively your SALES TEAM to coach you or your sales people in the art of prospecting. Companies come to us when they need to raise their profile but are unsure of that ‘next step’. Developing the new business campaign, collateral development, CRM set-up and reporting are all included with Pipeline Management – Ongoing demand generation, lead nurturing and multi-touch campaigns to manage new business opportunities effectively through the sales pipeline.
This service is offered at a rate of £372.50 during this time only for start-up or businesses with under 12 months trading.
Call Rachel on: 0333 2000 113 or contact us here NOW!
