Kurt Sima, on September 10, 2018
Getting that first appointment with a new business prospect is difficult because most sellers do not take the time to establish trust and create value in the mind of the prospect.
Unknown salespeople do not have the best reputation in the minds of new business prospects because of the less than honest actions of some sellers. An essential element to overcoming this hurdle is establishing trust and creating value—one way to do this is to think like an owner.
Brad Ramsey, on July 3, 2017
If you follow the stock market you know McDonald’s stock has been on fire of late! Maybe the secret to their success is hiring people who can open and close!
Closing gets all the love, and all the headlines. The big closes lead to high fives and mentions in the company newsletter, and keep you coming back for more! If you can’t close, you can’t sell. “Coffee is for closers!”
But can you OPEN? Not open the conversation, open the door to the opportunity. One sure fire way to close more deals is to get more, higher-quality appointments. It’s tougher than ever to get attention and establish credibility, and you need to do both to get the first appointment with the very best prospects. It’s no longer sufficient to pick up the phone and leave a “get to know you and your business” voicemail, or pop in for a cold call with confidence. To be a great “opener” you have to do your homework, and your homework has to result in a valid business reason for the prospect to meet with you.
A great valid business reason should express why the prospect would want to meet with you (not the other way around) and has three core elements:
Jim Hopes, on May 25, 2017
Will that “moment of truth” be looming in the next meeting with your prospect – the meeting where you look him or her in the eye and ask for the order? Or, will the next meeting be the one where you confirm the details to implement your plan... because, the prospect already knows most of what is in your proposal (they helped you build it), the price range, and most of what it’s going to take to buy your solution? I hope it’s the latter.
Loretta Lage & Patti Cochran, on February 24, 2016
Salespeople who have mastered the art of “Big Game Hunting” start at the perceived top of the mountain. Too many salespeople start at the bottom—and stay there. Why can’t you call or email a CEO or CMO with a very Valid Business Reason? Why don’t you suggest a time to meet to pursue ideas that may possibly help their company/organization/mission achieve their current marketing objectives? You can!
What stops most salespeople is the start. They limit their own opportunities by being ill-prepared with a truly Valid Business Reason and with lack of confidence to reach higher. Unpreparedness has that effect. Let’s look at the Valid Business Reason which is the key to engaging your prospect: the reason that gets the target’s attention on why they should want to meet with you—not why you want to meet with them. See the difference?
The other day, I was writing what seemed like a pretty smart piece for The Marketing Mind blog. That’s the site where we capture a wide variety of consumer and industry trends.
Our goal is to convert topical issues into valid business reasons to help sellers get appointments, and needs analysis questions that lead to meaningful challenges they can help their clients solve.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on July 8, 2013
Some say that salespeople are a dime a dozen. Basically, they have very little value. On the contrary! In b2b sales, great salespeople can literally be worth millions of dollars to their clients’ business.
Greg Giersch, on March 13, 2013
Your friend calls and ask you to meet him on Saturday night. Do you say yes? Maybe he just needs you to drive again, but maybe he has tickets to the sold out concert. Even with a trusted friend, you would want to know why his offer is better than what you already have planned.
