The journey from prospect to client can be a long and arduous one. We, as outsourced sales and marketing experts know this all to well. Sometimes it can take hours or even minutes, depending your sales cycle and product, but oftentimes it takes weeks, months or even years. We work with so many different clients with so many different cycles and each one is unique. We have learned that even the best sales people can burn out of a long sales cycle – but if you are focusing on setting new sales appointments and keeping the pipeline full, this can help you to keep your eye on the prize. The goal is to shorten the sales cycle and get more out of less sales appointments.
There is always a high that follows setting your first sales appointment with your prospect. However, deals are rarely closed on the first meeting. Sales appointment setting is only the first step and sales appointments can seem to pile up like old magazines after a while. When will this prospect convert to a client?! It can seem like a never ending cycle. We know, we’ve been there.
First and foremost – when you are setting your initial sales appointment, you want to make sure you have all the information you need. This means learning who the decision-maker is. Typically, this is not one person. You can help cut down on subsequent sales appointments by finding out ALL of the neccessary people upfront when you set your first sales appointment.
If you are looking for sales help and want to convert more prospects to client – you might take the approach that some use – which is to treat the prospect like a client from the get go. Imagine how different your sales approach would be if, on your first sales call, you treated your prospect like a client. Everytime you contact your “client” you offer them an article they might be interested in, an event they might like or an introduction to someone they might find beneficial. Taking this approach from the very first sales appointment might just take some of the pressure and you may find you learn something.
Also – make sure you are listening to what your prospect/client needs. When sales appointment setting you must be sure to listen to everything the client says. Take adequate notes and make sure to adequately and efficiently follow up with any questions that were asked or buisness that was discussed. If you are listening actively – you might be able to cut in half your sales appointments by getting more out of less.
By utilizing the help of an outsourced sales and marketing force, you will be getting the competitve edge. We are familiar with the sales cycle blues and have worked with sales cycles from one day to two years. Over the years we have refined the art of shortening the sales cycle by utilizing efficient sales appointment setting skills. If you are looking for sales help – or just want to see what you could be doing better. Give us a call!
Happy selling!
