By Nick Hogren
You can find sales advice and information on the internet, twitter, Linkedin, podcasts, books and other resources.
There’s a lot of noise on the internet, here are 5 sales tips that I’ve found most applicable and relevant in my sales career.
5 TIPS YOU AREN’T HEARING NOW
1. Cold Calling is NOT dead
You can find lots of articles on Linkedin proclaiming cold calling is dead. However, cold calling is just as important as it was before we had social media.
The focus should not be on prospecting for cold leads vs. warm leads. Instead, sales reps should focus on efficiency.
- Are you asking the right questions when prospecting new business?
- When talking to a new prospect, what’s your goal and are you directing your conversation towards that goal?
- Are you converting cold calls to a closed sale?
These are the questions you should be asking when cold calling new business instead of debating whether you should be making cold calls.
2. Drill down on each question
You can learn a lot by asking more questions and the more you know the more you can help your customer. If you ask an open-ended question, drill down on that question and try to learn as much as possible. Don’t be reluctant to get specific with a customer. The more information you and your customer share the more you both benefit from the conversation. You will find this leads to better efficiency through qualification and uncovering benefits.
3. Research is great, but not too much
Are you spending a lot of time doing research prior to making a prospecting call, only to end up leaving a voicemail? Or are you finding that your productivity is down because you are doing too much research?
You will find many articles preaching that more research is better. I recommend to my sales reps that they do minimal research prior to making a first call. Qualify your prospect first and then do an appropriate amount of research. Once you understand more about your customer’s needs, do targeted research with a focus on what you learned in your first call. This will help you be more efficient on a daily basis.
4. Making phone calls is still the most efficient way to reach prospects
Sending emails, Linkedin in-mails, faxes, and mailers are all great ways to reach a customer or prospect, but I’ve found the most effective method to convey value is simply picking up the phone and having a conversation. Electronic communication should be used as an alternative only and should not be your first means to a reach a customer or prospect.
5. Marketing and sales should focus on the same end result
Marketing should support sales efforts and vice versa but the challenge is how to make this happen. When strategizing together the focus should always be a defined goal. Defining a goal and making it your focus helps the efficiency of your collaboration.
Every sale has its own unique challenges and direction depending on industry, sales cycle, and type of sale, but these tips can help most sales reps get the most out of their efforts. Use the past and integrate tools of the future. Don’t get lost in internet noise that ignores time tested methods!
Did you try any of the above sales tips? Leave us a message and provide your insight and of course, Good luck connecting with your customers!
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