S&MM SoundOff

How to Lose a Prospect's Attention in 5 Seconds or Less

When you make contact with a new prospect via the telephone you have an extremely short window of time to connect with them. If you fail to achieve this they will quickly tune you out. Here are five things you can do to lose their attention in the first five seconds of the conversation:

 

1.       Start a telephone conversation with, “Hi, how are you?”

2.       Open your conversation by introducing yourself, your company and what you do.

3.       Give them an overview of your products and services.

4.       Explain how your product or service will benefit them.

5.       Tell them what other companies you have worked with.

 

The instant your prospect senses that you are trying to sell them something that they don’t need or want they will tune you out and look for a way to disengage or disconnect from the call.

 

Here is how you can change that:

 

State a specific problem they are likely facing (based on your experience or research). For example, “Mr. Big, if you’re like other companies in ABC industry, I suspect that you are (fill in the blank). If so, call me at 800-555-1212 and I might be able to suggest a solution. By the way, it’s Kelley calling and once again my number is 800-555-1212.”

 

Keep it brief. Keep it focused. Keep it about them. And you will keep their attention.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

How to Keep Motivated

Many people in sales find it challenging to stay motivated. Here are four ideas consider.

Do something different. Most sales people I know do the same things every week. They make their quota of calls. They use the same tactics and techniques to generate business. Or they rely on orders from their existing customers to reach their targets. However, it is critical to do something different if you want to get better results. What can you do differently that will help you increase your sales? 

Join a mastermind group. A mastermind group can help you see what other like-minded people are doing which can stimulate your thinking and create new opportunities. The key is to associate with people who do similar work in different and non-competing industries.

Network. Effective networking is more than collecting business cards at a function. It’s about making contacts with people that you can help you and who can help you. In some cases, it is simply meeting with someone who experiences similar challenges and brainstorming ideas with them.

Make time for yourself. Working sixty hour weeks is the fastest way to lose your motivation. Everyone needs a break and an outlet for stress. Exercising, playing a recreational sport, or engaging in a hobby is a great way to recharge your batteries and revitalize your self-motivation.

What can you do to recharge yourself and capture your motivation?

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

How to Get more Referrals

Most sales professionals love to get referrals because they are often easy leads to close. However, the majority of sales people I work with don’t generate as many referrals as they would like. Here is a simple way to change that.

 

Ask!

 

Here are the most common reasons people don’t ask for referrals.

 

“I don’t want to sound like I’m begging.”

“I have tried asking but people don’t give me qualified leads.”

“I don’t want my prospects to know that I need business.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

 

Here are three ideas to consider.

 

Be clear. When people ask for a referral they often say something like, “If you know someone who could use my services have them call me.” The key is to tell your prospect or customer exactly the type of client you are looking for instead of making a vague request.

 

Be consistent. You cannot ask for a referral occasionally. You want need to consistently ask everyone you contact. This one step will make a difference in your results.

 

Set it up. During conversations with your prospects and customers tell them that your business is largely referral based and that you will be asking them to refer you to a colleague, friend or another company.

 

Apply these three concepts into your regular routine and you will notice an increase in your results.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Stay in the Game

After a great deal of effort you have finally made contact with a prospect. You meet with them and they express interest in your solution or offering. You send additional information and schedule a follow-up session. However, now you can’t seem to make contact with your prospect. You leave a few voice mails, send several emails all to no avail. A seemingly hot prospect has appeared to turn cold.

 

Virtually every person who sells a product or service encounters this, and lately, it seems to occur more frequently than in the past. The reason is simple. Decision makers are busier than they ever been. Their resources have been cut but they are still expected to deliver results and I suspect that you are under the same pressure. Here’s a solution.

 

Stay in the game by demonstrating your value. Do this by scouring newspapers, magazines and websites for information that will help them solve a particular business problem. Send them an article, a newspaper clipping, or other related information. This may sound easy but it is actually challenging to execute (I speak from personal experience). It requires effort and time and it needs planning.

 

A generic email or voice mail does not keep you in the game but showing your prospect that you are a quality resource does.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Social Media: Adoption Anxiety Still Reigns

It may seem like every company in the free world (and then some) has drunk the social media Kool-Aid, but in reality, no small number of them still harbor major trepidations about all thing Facebook and Twitter.

According to a new national survey of management, marketing, and human resource executives—courtesy of Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law—eight out of 10 businesses admitted to having concerns over social media.

The top fear (expressed by 51 percent of surveyed executives) is that social media usage will have a negative impact on employee productivity. Close behind, 49 percent say they’re concerned about social media use damaging their company’s reputation.

Out of those respondents who aren’t currently using social media on a corporate basis, 40 percent chalk up their lack of implementation to security issues. Thirty-seven percent cite the aforementioned productivity concerns, while 51 percent admit just not knowing enough about the subject.

All of that said, the vast majority of respondents readily acknowledged the strategic value of social networking. A whopping 81 percent said social media has the potential to enhance relationships with customers, and the same percentage of executives believe it can boost their brand’s reputation.

Size Doesn't Matter

Many people who sell products and services for small companies worry about competing with large competitors. They often stress over the fact that large companies sells products for less money thereby limiting their opportunities.

 

From my perspective, size does not matter. In fact, small companies (or sole proprietor) enjoy many advantages that their large competitors don’t. While they may not be able to compete on price, they often offer better service, more accurate knowledge, customized solutions, faster turnaround time and more.

 

One of the fatal mistakes smaller businesses make is to fall prey to the myth that most people want the lowest price. While a certain percentage of decision makers focus on getting the lowest, the vast majority simply want value for their dollar.

 

Here is what you do:

 

First, determine what separates you from your competition and figure out how to best position these differences to your customers and prospects. Next, when you talk to an existing customer or new prospect, find out what is most important to them in the buying decision. The key is to find this out BEFORE you present your solution. That will help you discover exactly how to differentiate yourself from your large competitors.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals reach their sales quotas and targets in any economy. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.