Eyesonsales.com has a short article that lays out 14 steps in making successful cold calls. With the lengthening of the sales cycle in regards to the economy, it is important to make sure that your salespeople stay on top of their pipelines. This article has 14 points that can be used as a refresher for your experienced salespeople or as a starting point for your new salespeople. Have a dedicated time each day to prospect. Know the reason for calling before you call: customer benefits, not product features. Leave short voice mail messages. Assume your voice mail messages will never be returned. Always call one level higher in an organization… Read More
Continue ReadingProper Pipelines
Here is a terrific article from Selling Power titled Pare Down Your Pipeline. Let me give you the opening paragraphs: One key differentiator between your top 20 percent of performers and everyone else on your team is the way the superstars find and qualify leads. Let’s be honest: most of your reps – especially these days when business is agonizingly slow – are working feverishly to fill their pipelines. Their goal is to cram in as many leads as possible, knowing that a certain percentage of them are bound to come out the bottom as closed deals. Top producers, on the other hand, “are more interested in disqualifying prospects than… Read More
Continue ReadingPipeline Or Pipe Dream
One of the tenets of successful sales management is effective pipeline management. Sales managers have to have an accurate read on their team’s opportunities and a good understanding of when they will close. This truth is never more important than in a capital equipment sale. If a product has a long lead time or a highly customized build, the sales pipeline is even more critical. ManageSmarter.com discusses this topic in their article Pipeline = Lifeline (great title): “Pipeline management is a critical issue,” Stein says. “Few companies have it figured out.” For those that do, they will reap a myriad of benefits, including better forecasting the length of the sales… Read More
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