Problem: Jason was new to the company and was trying to develop his territory. He didn't lack enthusiasm and was making his objective of 100 cold phone calls a day. He felt pretty good about that since he saw others make far less. But still, he was not making nearly enough appointments to keep his pipeline filled and wondered how he was ever going to achieve his income goals if things didn't change.
Diagnosis: Unfortunately, Jason was committing an error common to most salespeople. His cold calling approach sounded like every other salesperson. You know, something like this "Ms. Smith, this is Jason Jones with ABC Company. Were a leading provider of software solutions and Id like to tell you how our products can help you save time and money." CLICK! The ugly sound of rejection. Most salespeople's approach is so familiar that the prospect simply goes on automatic pilot, tunes the salesperson out and looks for an opportunity to end the call.
Prescription: Try to keep the prospect off balance. If they don't know where you're coming from or where you're going, its difficult for them to control the situation. Since the first 7-10 seconds of the call are critical, a more effective approach would be to start by saying something like this, Hi, Sue, this is Jason Jones. You re probably not familiar with my name. Prospect will say she is not, but wonders if she should be, so is not thinking about how to get rid of you. You then continue with, That's okay, I didn't think you would be. Listen, I've got to tell you. This is a sales call. Ill bet you're filled with excitement and anticipation. And you probably want to hang up. (She wont.) Then instead of pitching your features and benefits, tell the prospect the kinds of pains you solve for your customers and begin qualifying, and always remember to tell the prospect its okay to say no.
You could keep making your cold calls the same way you've always done; just don't expect the results to be any different. Try this approach for a change of pace and see if your results are any different. Well bet they are.
Good Selling!
About
The Authors
The creators
of the Common Sense Selling® process are two
not-so-common sales professionals and trainers, Jim Dunn and John
Schumann. They saw the lack of results and frustration that most
salespeople experienced using the old “feature, advantage,
and benefit” selling approach in today’s more complex
selling environment.
Using their
combined 65 plus years of sales experience, they developed a new,
common sense approach to selling that is unconventional, by most
standards…and it works!
Visit them at http://www.whetstonegroup.com/
I'll Get Back To You . . . How often do you hear this?
How big is your "Pending File?"
You work with sales prospects and follow up on leads
provided by your company.
The process usually begins with a telephone call to set up
the first appointment.
You personally visit these prospects. You attempt to build
credibility and establish rapport. You feel good about the
first sales call.
You show interest by asking good questions and taking
notes.
You try to set up the second appointment and your sales
prospect won't commit right now.
He may say, "Call me in a couple of weeks and we'll talk
about scheduling the next meeting."
Or he might say, "I'll get back to you . . ."
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
This can happen during your first sales call, second sales
call, fourth sales call, or your seventh sales call.
Your prospect doesn't have the guts to say no, so he may
string you along - don't you just love when that happens?
Meanwhile your pending file gets bigger and bigger. But of
course you realize you can't pay the mortgage, buy groceries
or even pay for a vacation with your pending file.
Your pending file is actually a huge distraction for you
because it gives you an artificial and inflated sense of
your existing sales opportunities.
I believe it's important to get your sales prospects to say "Yes" or "No" as soon as you can and in spite of your sales
prospects delaying tactics.
So at some point you should follow up and clean up your "Pending file."
My business is of course different from your business, but
what we have in common is the dreaded "Pending File."
I can't stand seeing a bloated "Pending File."
So here's what I do every 3 - 4 months.
I send the sales prospects in my "Pending File" the
following e-mail:
Subject line: a quick follow-up
XXXXXXXXXXXXX Body content XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Please advise if I should be putting my notes from our
conversations and e-mails about (Sales Training -insert
your product and/or service here) into the - No Longer
Interested File.
or
Please call if I can answer any questions or when you're
ready to take the next step."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX End Body content XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
You will be amazed at the results and the responses you'll
get after you send this e-mail.
One thing's for sure - you'll get a response.
This one very short and powerful e-mail grabs their attention,
which is of course exactly what you want this e-mail to do.
I usually send out a bunch of these e-mails the same day.
I get a response from 80% of the sales prospects within
72 hours.
They call and say things like . . .
"Jim - sorry I haven't gotten back to you on this, but we
have decided not to do any sales training at our next
national sales meeting."
"Hey Jim - we're still definitely interested and in fact
we'll be making a decision next Wednesday. Don't give
up on us."
"Jim - my boss put this on the back burner for the next
60 days. Let's schedule a phone call right now so we can
reconnect in 60 days - sorry for the dillydallying."
"Jim - since our last conversation our priorities have
shifted dramatically. We are now being acquired and so
all sales training programs have been put on hold for at
least six months. I really do apologize for not following
up with you."
This allows you to shuffle the deck and reprioritize your "Pending File." It also allows you to remove any prospects
who are no longer qualified as a viable sales prospects
for you.
It also allows you to send your sales prospect a personalized
hand written note following up on their response to your e-mail.
There are two words you should never buy into. These words
are "Hopeless" and "Helpless." You should never feel hopeless
and helpless.
There are always solutions. There is always a way to deal
with every situation you face - including your "Pending File."
This e-mail follow-up strategy works for me.
I'm sure it will work for you too.
About
The Author: Jim is a
Sales Strategist and is the creator of No-Brainer Selling Skills.
He shows salespeople and entrepreneurs how to increase sales,
earn more money, have more fun, and how to do it all in less
time. His focus is on practical ideas that get immediate results.
He offers Advanced Sales Management Workshops, Sales Coaching,
Consulting, In-house Sales Training Programs, and a wide variety
of Learning Tools i.e. books, special reports, sales manuals,
and CDs.Jim Meisenheimer
is a member of The National Speakers Association, where he earned
the C.S.P. designation, Certified Speaking Professional. He
has authored five books including, "The 12 Best Questions
To Ask Customers," and the recently published “57
Ways To Take Control Of Your Time And Your Life”.
Websites: http://www.startsellingmore.com/
http://www.meisenheimer.com/
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