The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Is your telephone approach to new prospects sounding a little “ordinary” these days? The purpose of your call may be to “find out more about the prospect's current needs,” but the prospect has heard it all before. 

Okay, so you're sitting down face-to-face with your prospect and you are ready to begin what you hope will be a productive conversation about their specific needs and challenges.

A CMO wanted a PR firm that can get to the point. So they sent out an RFP via Twitter. Asked for responses via Twitter.  

What if every time your prospect or customer felt like you were pushing your products, rather than focusing on his business, he transformed into a Hollywood Director and screamed, “Cut. Boring! Let’s talk about MY business!” Assessing your approach to sales, how many times do you think you’d hear that? 

I recently visited my daughter’s kindergarten class as a volunteer. There were many routines the children followed including putting book bags away, sitting crisscross applesauce in circle time, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. But one part of the daily morning routine really hit home. It was called “The Daily Itinerary.”

B2B sellers fall into one of three categories. Take a look at the description of each category or level to see where you reside:

Think of the last family wedding you attended. Did you sit at a table with Aunt Nelda, picking at your salad? Or did you get up and mingle and dance? Did you do the funky chicken?

Imagine if a Pro Football QB had their most effective off season of their career from a training and conditioning standpoint, but wore no equipment in the first game of the season. It would take one hit, and they could be out for the season!