1. Focus on making a difference.
One of the hardest things to understand as a seller is that no one is interested in their products, solutions or services. The only thing that makes a difference is what you can do for them and their organization
Today I am selling sales training. If I were to call up the VP of Sales at ABC Company and let them know this, they couldn’t care less. But, if I change my message from my activities to the value that specific tangible outcomes can have for their organization, the connection was made. But of course, who isn’t interested in shortening their sales cycles, driving revenue growth and reducing the ramp up time for new hire sales reps. It is the same principle whether you are selling a service, plumbing and heating or used cars.
2. Slow down to speed up your sales.
This was one of the most important tricks I learned and it took me some time too. When I first started in sales, I was so focused on being a success. I took every opportunity to blow my prospects away with my intricate knowledge of the product at hand. I closed often and I closed early. But, I soon found that the more I tried to rush the sales, the more the prospects would become closed off. They would respond by throwing out obstacles and objections that I had no answer for. This all changed when I learned that there is no rush to these kinds of things. So, I took the time to slow down, I segmented the information over several meetings and allowed myself to advance at my own pace. Soon my sales were increasing.
When you are scared and nervous that you are not making a successful impression on your prospect, they will feel this. One of the major symptoms of this lack of confidence
3. Pay the price of admission. Do pre call research!
Getting into a big company will take much more than making 100 cold calls and giving everyone the exact same message. Several years back some of the biggest corporate big wigs all decided that they will not even answer calls anymore and began rolling their calls to voicemail. They delete many of these voicemails within just a few seconds because they sound like a salesperson making a sales pitch.
I found the best way to make an impact with these corporate decision makers would be to create a very personalized message based on a deep understanding of them and their company. Once I began doing this, my clients became suddenly more interested in my services.
4. Create an account entry campaign.
It takes about 7 – 10 contacts to gain access to corporate accounts these days The problem is that many people quit within their first 3 – 5 attempts. If you want to reach corporate you will need to set up a meeting with their top decision maker and this can take several attempts. It will take a while to break through their typical run of business and make an impact on their Richter scale.
You can use multiple formats to make these communications as well, emails, voice mails, direct messages and invitations to teleseminars.
5. Analyze your sales approach
It is really not as important what you say as much as what your customers hear. For example, to shake things up, I chose to listen to the voicemails I was leaving to my clients and I was appalled to hear what I heard. I immediately took to smiling when speaking, scripting my message carefully and considering how I would respond if I was given this message.
