Sales 2.0

Dust off some CRM records

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This post is about an interesting place you can look for “suspects” when you are prospecting.

This is a place that is super-obvious, but as with many real world things, often not utilized: your company’s own CRM/old contact lists.

I’ve seen the scenario umpteen times. A rep has a quota to make and feels under-the-gun. The first place they go for a “suspect”/”lead” list is Linkedin or another third-party list (InsideView, Zoominfo etc. etc.) Where they don’t go is their company’s own CRM.

This is odd because the people in your CRM have presumably had some thought put into selecting them. Someone at your firm may even once have talked to those people. [Read more…]

Prospecting goggles

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Don’t sell to anybody.

OK, I mean don’t sell to just anybody.

You really should be careful who you invite to give you their money. The problem is every deal seems great until you actually “get married” to your prospect and they become your client. As you know many such “marriages” end up in unhappy breakups. [Read more…]

Prospecting idea: have an idea

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It’s uninspiring (and ineffective) for a sales person to email or call a prospect to “just touch base”.

On the other hand, I’m all for sales people staying in touch.

So what’s the solution? If you must email or call, what do you say?

Here’s one idea: have an idea. [Read more…]

Talk to grandma in an elevator

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It can happen in an elevator or at a networking event or at the weekend barbecue. Most often these days it happens when you write a prospecting email. You need to say what you do.

Unfortunately what most people say, especially if they work for tech companies, does not mean much to the listener, or it sends the other person into a mild snooze.

Here are some tips to change that.

[Read more…]

Walking in your prospect’s shoes

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You’ve heard this before but how much do you “walk the talk” when it comes to knowing your prospects?

Information is power in sales. The more you know about your prospect and their situation, the more likely you are to make a sale. If you’re in the dark, you’re not likely to bring up the right topics at the right time, and you’re way more likely to get a stack of objections.

[Read more…]