This is a guest post by Paul Archer

A few readers wrote to me just before Christmas asking for help. Both were struggling to get in front of new prospects to sell their services and products. Both had excellent propositions but found call reluctance to be as problem and prospects unwillingness to speak with them preferring to “weather the storm” and batten down the hatches.

Have you experienced this as well?

I think we all have to some degree and unless you’ve had your head in the sand, you’ll recognise that we are going through a downturn. Now I don’t sign up for the “business is better that it’s ever been, I’m busier than ever, what recession?” brigade; these people seem to be just massaging their egos when they print this stuff.

The plain fact is – we have to prospect more than ever before. Working harder and smarter at getting to speak with new customers, will help us succeed in this economy.

I think we’ve all got the skills but maybe haven’t had to use them so much over the last five to six years since there’s been plenty of business to go around.

So now’s the time to smarten up our prospecting tools, or client acquisition tools as this is now known as.

Here are some quick tips to help you.

• Examine your product and service and be crystal clear as to what problem it solves. Problems in recessions are all about saving costs and increasing revenue, getting invoices paid on time, preventing suppliers going bust and such like. Try to think like your customers and be totally clear as to what problems your product solves

• What is your customer segment? Be as precise as you can as to which type of customer has the problems that your product or service solves and then focus on these customers.

• Decide on your marketing to reach these customers. There are many routes to market that you can choose but the quickest and most decisive is still telephoning them to make an appointment to see them.

• Get over any call reluctance.

• Dedicate specific blocks of time in your diary to make calls to prospects.

• Aim simply for a face to face appointment nothing else. Don’t get into conversations, send out literature etc. These never work, although we think the do at the time, are easy to do, quite gratifying but divert your attention to the job of making appointments.

• Be up front with your prospect on the phone about the problem that your product solves and ask for an appointment.

• Don’t ask “if it’s convenient to call” you’ll lose sales if you do this. Instead say “if it’s convenient to speak right now I’d like to…” Subtle difference. And if you feel brave enough, don’t even ask, just launch into your opening.

• Learn how to politely persevere on objections twice and then leave the prospect alone. Keep coming back to the objective of asking for an appointment.

• Sticky tape the phone to your wrist and don’t put it down. Use the 60 second rule. This ensures you get onto the next call within 60 seconds, no longer.

• Spend a maximum of 60 minutes making appointment calls.

• Reward yourself when you.re done as making appointments is stressful, there’s no way around it. Yes alpha male macho types will tell you they enjoy it but you look at the burnout rate of call centre direct sales people.

It’s hard, full of rejection and people saying no, occasional rudeness and extremely easy to put off to-do another job.

We all need more prospects right now and making appointments via phone is the quickest and most effective method of doing so. Dig out all those customers that have connections to your company, old names and phone numbers. Those people who you never had the time to contact. Maybe buy some lists or leads and start to make those calls with the specific intention of making an appointment.

Paul Archer is an international sales speaker, sales trainer, author and coach based in the UK. He specializes in rapport selling and rapport coaching and can ignite his audiences large or small. For more information on Paul and his training courses, visit www.archertraining.co.uk or his sales  blog at www.paularcher.com

This is a guest post by Paul Archer.

On holiday in France last year we spent many an evening in the local cafes sucking up the atmosphere enjoying everything that is France. Next to us on one evening was a charming British couple and, as you do, we got chatting. The chap talked about life back at home and mentioned excitedly about coaching his local mini rugby team.

Now that’s exactly what I do on a Sunday morning so I began to tell him, with equal enthusiasm, all about my coaching. I told him all about it, never stopped, talked over him and dominated the conversation.

That’s not empathy and rapport building…I blew it.

They didn’t stay in the café very long making their excuses and disappeared into the night. Afterwards I realized what I’d done and knew that if I’d listened to him and allowed him to talk openly about his hobby…we would have got on better. Instead I just got talking about the same subject.

It’s easy to do this when the other person mentions something that you can say a lot about as well. Sometimes we all fall into this trap. I know, I did.

This is useful in sales, coaching and any communication situation where you need rapport and a trust before you can do your job.

Do people a favour and just let them talk.

Paul Archer is an international sales speaker, sales trainer, author and coach based in the UK. He specializes in rapport selling and rapport coaching and can ignite his audiences large or small. For more information on Paul and his training courses, visit www.archertraining.co.uk or his sales  blog at www.paularcher.com

This is a guest post by Mike Brooks.

Clients use all sorts of objections, but sometimes I think this is their favorite. I mean, how can you argue with someone who tells you they don’t need what you have to give them because they already have enough of it?

Well, let’s face it, nobody has TOO much of anything, especially business, and while 80% of your competition get blown off when they get this objection, the top 20% know what to say.

After you read and adapt the three closes below, YOU’LL know what to say, too!

Response #1:

“I know that feeling; I do too! But for some reason, my boss wants to keep it that way so he thinks it’s a good idea to continue to market and introduce others to our products and services. And it’s the same way for you as well. Momentum is great, but if you don’t keep it going, it will first slow down, then it will stop.

Here’s what I recommend: Let’s get you started with the (package/solution) as it is, since we both agree it will keep your business coming. And then after the 6 month trial period, we can reassess. All we need to do to get your started is…”

Response #2:

“And ________ I know that the reason you have so much business is because you have the foresight to invest in (your kind of solution). It’s actually a pleasure to work with clients like you because I know you already understand the need for this kind of (product or solution).

And because you already know the value of this, I’m going to recommend you start with us on the professional level that allows you to leverage your way into our top position. That’s only (X amount). How do you want to handle payment of that today?”

Response #3:

“That’s a nice position to be in. And to make sure you stay that way, I’d recommend starting with our mid-level position. That way you’ll get X amount of (leads/results) and so won’t overwhelm yourself. If you find your other (companies offering some similar solution) starting to slip, then you can simply transfer that part of your business into your account here.

What I recommend is that you start with (X amount/position) and then increase it over time as you need to. What is the best way for you to handle this start up account?”

If you found this article helpful, then you will love my, “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts” which is packed with word for word scripts just like this one that you can begin using today to make more appointments and more sales. You can read about it here:

http://www.mrinsidesales.com/scripts.htm

This is a guest post by Jill Konrath

This is a guest post by Mike Brooks, www.MrInsideSales.com

I don’t know about you, but my email open rate is going the way of voicemails – rarely listened to, and quickly deleted.  What I’ve found, however, is that there are some techniques that can give you the best chance of getting your emails read and even responded to, but you have to be very specific in the way you construct them.

Follow these six email secrets the next time you write and send an email, and you’ll be on your way to the kind of response you used to get – and the kind that will lead to more business:

Email Secret #1:  Use the prospect’s first name in the subject line.

Think about it: what is everyone’s favorite word?  Their first name!  Have you ever been in public before and heard someone call out your name?  You automatically turned around and were receptive and ready to respond until you saw they were calling someone they knew.

You can get your prospect’s attention the same way by putting their name in the subject line of your emails.  To start with, doing so will distinguish your email from the hundreds of others your prospect gets, and because we are all drawn to our own name, it will draw your prospect’s eyes to your email like a magnet.  This is the very best way to get their attention and a great way to get them to read more.

Email Secret #2:  Customize the first few lines of your email as much as possible.  Many people preview their emails by reading the first few sentences in their email program before deciding to read the whole thing, so concentrate on writing a short and value laden opening that is addressed right to them.  Something like:

“Hi Barbara, Mike Brooks here with HMS software.  I’ve got some ideas about your networking issues for your new office that’s opening in Houston next month.  I think you’ll find it useful if we talk.”

Again, keep it short, customize it to what you know they’re interested in and provide immediate, specific value to them.

Email Secret #3:  Keep your email short and easy to read!  Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs.

Their eyes will glaze over and they will hit the delete key faster than it took you to hit the send key!

Don’t let any of your paragraphs be more than three sentences, and if possible, make them just two sentences.  Recap the major ideas in short phrases, and make sure to engage your prospect by asking questions.  An example would be:

“Hi John, I was wondering if you were still having trouble recouping all the available cash from your current collection program?  If so, you’ll want to speak with me about our new itemized IT solution.

I’ve got some time next Tuesday or would later in the week work for you?

Please let me know either way.  You can see more info here (your website address).

If I don’t hear from you, I’ll follow up with a call next week.”

Email Secret #4:  Ask for a return response – whether they are interested or not.  This is a great way to end your email and a good way to get a response.  Just think about how nice it will be to finally take someone off your list who isn’t going to do business with you, and also how great it will be to find someone who is!

Simply thank them in advance for their consideration and let them know that you’re looking forward to their response on this – either a yes or a no.

Email Secret #5:  Promise to follow up by phone if they don’t respond.

Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that if you don’t hear from them, then you’ll follow up with a call in a day or two.

This really increases your response rate and you can be happy when you get a “not interested” response.  These prospects just disqualified themselves and saved you a lot of time and energy!

On the other hand, there will be others who don’t respond and they become your follow up leads.

Email Secret #6:  Proof read your emails before you hit the send key.

Because your prospect can’t see you, they only have your writing sample to judge you on, and if it’s filled with misspellings and poor grammar, what kind of impression do you think this makes?

It only takes a minute to proof read your emails, and I’ll tell you now I’m always glad I did.  I almost always make them better, and when I hit the send key I know I’ve sent out the best message possible.  Doing so allows me to make the best impression, and this once again separates me from my competition.

So there you have the six secrets to writing effective emails.  Believe me, following them will give you the best chance of getting through to decision makers and getting responses that will give you an understanding of where you stand.  That’s a whole lot better than chasing and wondering, isn’t it?

If you found this article helpful, then you will love Mike’s: “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts,” which is packed with word for word scripts and techniques that you can begin using today to make more appointments and more sales.  You can read about it by clicking here:

http://www.mrinsidesales.com/scripts.htm

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. If you’re looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

This is a Guest Post by Mark Hunter.

Have you ever been in a selling situation when you were not able to close the sale? Of course you have. Every salesperson has. If you are unable to close the sale, you must ensure you close on something.  This is true if you sell primarily face-to-face, and it is true if you sell primarily over the phone.

First of all, don’t skip on doing the leg work of making sure you have uncovered the customer’s true needs and wants.  Keep good records, because even if you can’t close the sale right now, you may still be able to make a connection with the customer in the future based on either new product lines you have or the customer’s ancillary needs that occur to you after the call.

If you cannot close the actual sale, one of the key areas where you can “close” is to establish yourself as an expert and trusted advisor.  When you do this, you build the customer’s confidence in you.  Make sure your voice tone conveys that even if the customer doesn’t buy from you right now, you still are available as a resource in the future.  Do not allow the customer’s rejection of your offer at that moment to impact your voice tone and enthusiasm at all.

With your words and your tone, express to the customer that you are available for any questions they may have, even questions general to your industry.  In addition, do not hesitate to alert the customer to information that will benefit them, even if such information doesn’t mean a sale for you.

Establish yourself as a trusted advisor upon whom the customer can rely, and you will be more likely to secure sales from that customer when they are ready to buy.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” helps individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. He is a consultative selling expert, specializing in custom-tailored sales programs. You can read his blog at http://thesaleshunter.com/blog.

This is a Guest Post by Mark Hunter.

Never view any two calls in the same way.  Instead, have different styles depending on the type of customer you’re calling and the outcome you expect to achieve.  Top performing salespeople will have a distinct calling strategy for each type of person they call.  The best way to do this is to break your customer list down into segments based on their size, their potential, and, if you know, the contact’s personality and approach to decision making.

Using the Inquisitive Approach

This is an excellent approach to use when dealing with a small customer and especially when contacting the person who owns the business.  The Inquisitive Approach is based on the strength of the question you’re asking.  It needs to create interest and a sense of ego-satisfaction with the small business person / owner.

Using the Assumptive Approach

If you use the Inquisitive Approach with large customers, you will be seen as somebody who hasn’t taken the time to research and appreciate the size of the customer you’re calling.

Big customers want to be treated as big customers, and they only like to do business with others who they believe are equally big. Big customers find safety in talking to their peers (others who understand how big companies work).

Your opening needs to be statement-focused and deal with an area of pain the customer is experiencing.  Don’t allow your statement to come across as if you’re asking a question about what the person does or, worse yet, what their customer does.  A large customer expects you to have done your homework prior to the call. Demonstrate that you value their time and company.

Whether you are prospecting or calling existing customers, make sure you are thoroughly prepared with an approach that fits that particular customer.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” helps individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. He is a consultative selling expert, specializing in custom-tailored sales programs. You can read his blog at http://thesaleshunter.com/blog.

This is a Guest post by Jill Konrath of Selling To Big Companies.

Thinking of steering your business into a new direction? Your biggest concern will be credibility. Companies don’t want to be your first client in a vertical market. They don’t want to waste their time showing you the ropes, training and teaching you. Despite being a good company, being inexperienced will increase the possibility of committing mistakes.

Here are a few things to remember:

1. Slowly but surely.

Study the industry that you’re joining. Do your homework and research important information such as industry terminology, rival companies, salable products and services, target clients and specific business processes and operations. Test the waters first. Don’t be too eager to move into the market.

2. Observe carefully.

Determine how they do things in relation to your business offering. Is there any difficulty in achieving certain business goals? What solutions can be suggested? What are the financial consequences of these problems?

Inform your prospective clients of the benefits and value of your products and services. Impart the business outcomes and results when using your offering.

3. Establish connections.

The more contacts you have, the easier it will be to make transactions. It is also better to establish connections between your present customers and your new ones.

4. Start with smaller opportunities first.

Smaller opportunities are easier to manage and the risks are lesser. Deliver an excellent performance on the tasks and assignments that you promised. Then start pursuing other available opportunities to expand your mark.

5. Train your employees on all of the above.

Teach your salespeople to do all these. They will fail if they don’t know how to apply these. Showing them powerpoint presentations aren’t enough. Not only do they have to learn the product/service details, they also need to be able to initiate smart business conversations with companies.

6. Equip your salespeople with easy-to-use and easy-to-understand tools.

Teach your salespeople how to leave effective phone calls, voicemails and emails. Then you can train them in setting up meetings with clients. Provide relevant papers, charts and studies that can be useful when they’re discussing your company’s products and services to prospective clients. Provide a “question matrix” that will serve as guide when making calls. Create customer-focused powerpoint presentations to be used on meetings.

7. Have faith.

Apply the suggestions above to increase your chances of success. Don’t be too eager to succeed. Plan things carefully before making business decisions.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.

This is a Guest Post by Mark Hunter.

It may sound odd to mention “phone sales tips” and “body language” in the same sentence. Do the two go together? Yes! In fact, you can even say when you add the two together, you get a third phenomenon:  Increased sales motivation. Your body language comes through loud and clear with every phone call you make.

I often tell salespeople to make sure they are standing up anytime they make an important phone call. In the instances when you do have to be sitting for a phone call, make sure you have good posture. It’s amazing how much stronger your voice will be when you’re standing up and/or maintaining good posture when you make a call. It is no surprise that when your voice is stronger, your confidence is stronger too.

Another reminder I offer is this: Make sure when you are on the phone, you are free of visual distractions. What are some common visual distractions? Email would possibly be the biggest one if you are at your computer. Other distractions include television, miscellaneous papers on your desk or anything else that can take away your focus. When you’re having a conversation with someone on the phone, it’s no different than speaking to them in person. They deserve your complete and undivided attention. If you have something else that may take away your focus, you are doing your customer a disservice. Simply move it out of site.

Finally, an item I love to do when talking to clients on the phone is to have something on my desk to remind me who I am talking to, including their name and their company. There is nothing more embarrassing than to suddenly forget who you’re talking to. No matter how good you think your memory is, this will happen to you at least a couple of times.  That’s all it takes for you to realize how important it is to have the person’s name and company in writing in front of you.

Selling on the telephone is a key part of anyone’s job, whether it be using the phone to establish an initial contact or using it to stay in touch with a loyal customer. Use extraordinary phone skills each time and you will see a positive difference in your results.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” helps individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. He is a consultative selling expert, specializing in custom-tailored sales programs. You can read his blog at http://thesaleshunter.com/blog.

This is a Guest post by Jill Konrath of Selling To Big Companies.

Currently, the economy is worrying a lot of people. Many sellers are extremely pressured to bring in more business. Recently,  someone contacted me, concerned with being pressured to do “whatever it takes” to get the deal.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s a method for disaster – and here’s why …

When I started my sales career at Xerox, it was clear that performing poorly was not okay. Every month, the regional offices would post stack rankings of all the representatives presenting their monthly numbers and their year-to-date results.

It was not only embarrassing to be at the bottom of those stack rankings , but it also meant that you’d likely need to look for another job. We all dream of being and staying at the top. The recognition, the money and position were huge – and vastly seductive.

I am divulging this because sellers at either end of those stack rankings (including me at the time), were likely to “cheat” a little in order to get ahead and upgrade their positions. Here’s how they do it:

• Doing business in other seller’s territories.
• Giving presents under the table to enhance the deal.
• Misrepresenting product/service potential, mostly through omission.
• Making rude and insulting remarks about their competition or even their colleagues.

Each of these unacceptable behaviors (and others that I haven’t mentioned) can have serious consequences.

It eats away at your personal integrity. Cheating once will make it easier for you to do it over and over again. Over time, you’ll have “sold your soul” in order to close the deal.

The minute your co-workers discover that you bend the rules to get ahead, this influences their ability to trust you. Professionally, you’ll become more isolated because they avoid  talking and sharing things with you.

Once your prospects sense or realize your self-serving behaviors, they may refuse to do business with you.  Unsatisfied customers will tell their friends and your reputation as an unethical seller or business will spread.  You’ll actually lose work in the long run.

If you’re tempted to be even the slightest bit unethical, don’t do it. Instead, do what’s right. You can live with yourself much better. And, it’s good for business.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.