We’re big fans of Hidden Business Treasures and the great insights they provide. Their latest post provides a tool for searching corporate websites that I was unaware of. Now, I’m no expert when it comes to researching the web, but perhaps you were unaware of this technique: Here€™s the secret. DON€™T wander around the web site €“ instead, search the web site. Atlantic Trust does not have a search tool on their site €“ but Google (and Yahoo and Live.com) do €“ for every web site in the world. For this exercise, go to Google and type in the following: €œhuman resources€ site:www.atlantictrust.com Read the entire post to understand how… Read More
Continue ReadingSales People Are Buyers Too!
I enjoy selling and I enjoy buying. Selling more than buying, most days! I find the buyer side of me stopping to observe the seller’s technique and approach when I’m attempting to buy something. In the past week, I have seen the opposite ends of the sales spectrum. Two recent “buy” decisions involved VERY different sales approaches. As you might expect, both situations involved retail sales. The first situation involved a sales person performing a knowledge dump of all the COOL, VERY COOL technology I would be getting. The sales person had NO idea what I was looking for, how I would use the technology or why I came through… Read More
Continue ReadingAre Leads Dying On The Vine?
There is an interesting article in the recent Career Concepts USA newsletter (sorry, no newsletter link). Career Concepts USA offers recruiting solutions through Career Fairs, Sourcing, and Partnership Services. They have an article on research done by Salesnet.com which found that 87% of all leads are not pursued by salespeople. Boy is that a frightening statistic, think about all the money that is spent to develop leads and then they are never pursued. We often hear from salespeople that their company doesn’t do enough lead production. Here are the main reasons why leads are not pursued as stated in the article: -Lag time between prospect interest and sales contact. -Lack… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Barf Factor
I started laughing out loud when I read this title for an article in Sales Vault’s weekly newsletter. I just got off the phone with a persistent telemarketer who did it to me. So what is this “Barf Factor?” The author, Kelly Roberston, describes it as: Too many sales people mistakenly believe that they should open their conversation with a background and history of their company. Or, a complete description of their products, services, or solutions. It’s seems like they can’t control what comes out of their mouth once they open it. They puke. They barf. They spew all over themselves. Exactly what the telemarketer had just done to me.… Read More
Continue ReadingDoes Your Website Help Your Salespeople?
Our website is a constant topic of discussion for us – one of the subjects is how much information should we be publishing. I came across a post relating to this topic on the B2B Lead Generation Blog. There are a number of very good points made in this entry, but a couple really stand out. People use the web for research; they are looking for fresh ideas, insight and actionable information. Intellectual property is difficult to protect and is quickly commoditized by the market. Why not leverage some of your IP to your advantage? Leverage it and demonstrate your thought leadership. I have read numerous articles in the past… Read More
Continue ReadingQualifying or Responding
Managesmarter.com offers a short article regarding Best Sales Practices of 2007 that contains a stellar piece of sales advice: “The dictum of ‘No RFP shall go unanswered’ is not a good idea,” says Sam Reese, CEO of sales training firm Miller Heiman. Because of the time, energy and money involved in responding to an RFP, “If you didn’t spec it,” says Reese, “don’t bid it.” Salespeople have a hard time walking away from any deal whether it be a good deal or not. RFP’s tend to be bad deals unless you helped author it. Main point – people can be qualified, RFP’s generally cannot. We’ve seen many sales managers struggle… Read More
Continue ReadingDon’t Wing It
Selling Power published How to Manage Customer Meetings Effectively which offers some sound advice for running an effective sales meeting. There are many salespeople who believe they can wing it through a sales call by simply talking loquaciously. Mistake. Here is some advice found within the article: Hoffman suggests that you begin by clearly defining a personal goal for the outcome of the meeting. Don’t define a weak goal such as, “I want to establish next steps or action items.” Instead he suggests identifying a specific goal €“ is it an order? A trial for your software? Expansion into new markets? Referrals? And yes, says Hoffman, you can have more… Read More
Continue ReadingAnecdote – What Not To Do When Prospecting
We are presently running multiple processes and I received an email in response to one of our ads. The respondent listed the job title in the subject line and this in the body: Good morning: If I could show you the following: How to generate more leads How to increase company revenue and referral business How to be one step up on your competition A marketing program that will separate you from your competition Would you be open to look at information? John Doe 123-456-7890 I admire him for trying to create interest in his services, but this approach is insulting. Who wouldn’t want to increase company revenue? The implication… Read More
Continue ReadingCold-Calling Numbers Game
Is it me or is the saying “it’s a numbers game” an overly-simplistic statement regarding a grossly inefficient tactic? Weight lifting is a numbers game. Sales and marketing is not. Some instances where this statement is applied: cold-calling networking job searching mailers invitations I’m sure there are other examples but those stand out in my mind. There is a modicum of truth to the statement. Yet, it lacks the strategic aspect needed in today’s market. This throw away line is often the dismissive final comment from a person whom lacks a formal strategy and/or has reached the end of his or her tactical moves. What about adjusting the approach, shifting tactics… Read More
Continue ReadingProfit Over Market Share
Selling Power offers up Forget Market Share; Go for the Profits in their sales management newsletter and it is a compelling read. The problem with going after market share as a primary goal is that companies wind up sacrificing profitability in the process. When your whole marketing strategy is about preserving or increasing market share, it€™s easy to get wrapped up in aggressive bidding wars. And it€™s a downward spiral: customers learn to take advantage of that aggressiveness, demanding lower prices, which further erodes profits. It is a slippery slope because in essence a discount in price immediately discounts your value distinction. Businesses that not only articulate their value differentiation… Read More
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