by
harryharris
@ Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 - 12:09:03 pm
I'm thinking that your holy grail as a sales professional is to speak to as many clients as possible who have the money, authority, and need for what it is you have to offer. You are nodding your head (I know because after 12 years in sales you learn a thing or two). But here's the thing - we just might differ on how we achieve this. Are you cold-calling? Working through the usual lists (that everybody else has, including your competition) full of the usual suspects? (I know - I've been there).
Let me ask you a question; which is more important, to spend your time finding clients, or speaking to and engaging with qualified clients who have a need right now? Let's take this a step further. Which is more productive? Spending hours calling prospective clients – requesting time, (‘begging’ really - it's true, and you know it. If you doubt this just tell your manager you have no appointments this week – go on I dare you!) agreed then, begging for time to discuss a solution to a problem that you don't even know if they have or not, and if they have not identified it - what are they doing for 40+ hours a week?
Also, you and I know that timing is everything. How many times have you called through to a customer and (this is after having charmed your way through the gatekeeper and every other obstacle that is put in place to prevent you from speaking with the them) that you find out that they have just signed with your competition and are now in a contract, and they just don't see the need to revisit the issue for at least another year! Really how long did it take you to get to this answer? Days, weeks, months even?
You are now saying that, although this is true, you've had success connecting with individuals in organisations and have gone on to enjoy flourishing business relationships and financially rewarding success. I know. As a sales professional I too have done this and was known for my ability to make appointments from the coldest of cold calls. I soon realised however that it wasn't about how many appointments I made, but about how much time it consumed to do the bare minimum. It was really about how much business I closed and how easy or hard I was making that for myself - and to do that went way beyond the realms of just cold-calling. I was quickly learning that the type of buyer who accepts cold-calls were increasingly the type that had too much time (hence the appointment) and this carried through the sales process as the proposal continued to get passed around and timescales and deadlines reassigned. I wanted to speak with decision makers who were ready for what I had to offer - or at least felt they wanted to understand their options so that when they made their decision they could do it quickly.
Here’s what I mean. Let me ask you something -as a consumer- when you need something done, do you sit by the phone and wait for the sales person to call you? Think about this: It's January and your car needs servicing, what do you do? Do you wait in the vain hope that someone will call, set up an appointment, discuss the issues involved, offer a price and then you can get your car serviced? NO! You take action. You call them. You ask the questions - get the answers and then make a decision (and a quick one at that as it needs to be done). You did not start calling in July, saying: "Oh, it's okay I am just making enquiries. I don't need it done till January actually". You pre-qualified yourself! And even if a garage was to call you in July and your car needed a service in January - there is no way you are bringing it in to them any sooner!
You see my point. I realised that the quality of my prospects were diminished when I approached them in the cold-call. I learnt that the few times I got leads through the office I closed them far more quickly and effectively; the dynamics too were different - I didn't have the need - they did. What I wanted was more of those type of clients. So I set about finding a way to get them………….
Find out what I did to achieve this at www.topsalesprostrategies.com and get immediate access to the e-course that changed my career!
