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Salespeople shouldn’t send “just checking in” emails for one very simple reason: They don’t work. Buyers feel like the rep is virtually poking them, making them reluctant to answer. Not only do “checking in” messages rarely garner responses, they can even turn prospects against their senders. But reps still need a way to get in touch with buyers who’ve gone dark. Enter these 23 email templates. These “just checking in” alternatives simultaneously add value to the prospect while putting the salesperson back on her radar. She’ll want to restart the sales conversation -- so it’s a win-win....
The Harvard Business Review reported cold calling is ineffective 90% of the time, and more recent research shows that less than 2% of cold calls actually result in a meeting. Assuming a 0.3% appointment-booking rate and a 20% win rate, it would take 6,264 cold calls to make just four sales. 15 Lead Generation Alternatives to Cold Calling What can the modern business do to protect its future and get new leads without cold calling? The good news is that it doesn’t involve a circus act or shameless begging of any sort. The bad news is that it requires a completely different way of thinking and some serious energy and hard work. Here are 15 alternatives to cold calling salespeople can use to generate leads....
According to a 2016 study from HubSpot Research, “Buyers Speak Out: How Sales Needs to Evolve,” prospects want to work with salespeople who can offer advice and expertise beyond just a description of product features. Sixty-one percent of buyers say reps can provide a positive experience by providing relevant information. Roughly half of buyers appreciate when salespeople recommend multiple strategies beyond their business offering, and 45% want salespeople to be invested in their goals.In other words, prospects want to work with reps who understand their unique priorities, challenges, and industry landscape. You can learn some of this information through traditional methods, such as asking your prospects directly and reading their company websites and blogs. But these sources won’t lead to all the answers you need. In addition, you can earn trust by beginning the sales conversation with an intimate understanding of the buyer’s business -- rather than relying on your meeting to get the facts. These five unexpected places you can research prospects will clue you in....
How often do you get a call from a prospect you’ve never spoken to before who says, “I love your service and it’s the perfect fit for my business. Where do I sign?”
Probably not that often.
That’s where persuasion comes in. Some deals are easier to close than others, but all sales conversations will involve some degree of persuasion -- even if both salesperson and buyer know your offering is the best choice.
It’s not easy -- if persuasion were simple, far more than one-third of all salespeople would make quota. But adopting the techniques below can make you more convincing, and influence prospects to buy....
Are you looking for more business?
Wondering how social media can shorten the sales process?
Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook make it easy to develop relationships with potential customers before you ask for a meeting.
In this article you’ll discover how to connect with prospects on social media....
I delved into six of the best books on neuromarketing, psychology, and discount phenomena to unearth the science behind why we mortals are slaves to a sale. What I found was a lot of chemicals whizzing around, an explanation for why I’m so great at the 5 and 10 times tables (but none of the others), and a healthy dose of FOMO.
Read on to understand the science behind why you can’t resist a sale....
In my work as a web psychologist, I’m exposed to many different types of user behavior and online decision-making processesu. Although each person is different and has an individual style, I have identified six recurring patterns of behavior that I identify as specific “online personality types.”
In this piece, I’ll discuss the six pattern types, explain the psychological drivers of their behavior, and provide site optimization tips that online businesses can use to leverage each type’s unique desires....
Tips to trounce your competitors at social media marketing
The basic fact of commercial life today is that customers go online to buy products and services. And social media plays a part in their purchasing.
But how do you beat your competitors at social media marketing? How can you be found more often than others in your industry? What methods can you utilise to ensure that your products and services are front-of-mind with your target audience online?
Here’s my top three tips to win more awareness, more attention, and more sales than your competitors via social media...
The most effective way to open a conversation is to connect your call to one of these trigger events. Here's how.
...The trick to using trigger events is creating a reasonable link between the event and what you're selling. The more logical the link, the more likely that bringing up the trigger will result in a conversation....
There are eight (and only eight) reasons that companies buy things from other companies. You ability to sell B2B is directly dependent upon your ability to appeal to one or more (or all) of these reasons: 1. Revenue improvement. 2. Cost reduction. 3. Market share....
The buyer is in control of their own purchase journey. The strategic online marketer is winning business with trust, built on engagement, driving business decisions.... Once upon a time, ad agencies ruled the roost. You already know this. It’s why we have shows like Mad Men, where what it took to sell things was just some really smart, gorgeous advertising. It was all about creative campaigns. It was about talking to your customers. It was, essentially, a one-step sales funnel. Advertising got them in the door, and then it was up to the sales team. No longer, friends. You probably already know this, too. But the days of the simple sales funnel (customer sees ad, customer comes to store, salesperson sales product) are over. Kaput. Done for. (And don’t think I’m just talking B2C; B2B customers are even less likely to see an ad and buy on the spot.) Now, it’s the strategic online marketer who is winning the majority of business. It’s trust, built on engagement, that is driving business decisions. And that shift that’s already happening? It’s going to keep happening—and in an even bigger way in the coming years. So, today I’d like to talk about that shift....
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If you’re a B2B salesperson, you’ve probably heard about SPIN Sales. It’s one of the most well-known -- not to mention oldest -- selling systems. SPIN gives reps a research-backed framework for working and closing complex deals with extended sales processes. You can use SPIN principles along with your current sales methodology. The strategy focuses on asking good questions in the right order, using active listening, and translating the prospect’s needs into your product’s features. (Many of SPIN’s principles align well with inbound sales.) To help you implement the most useful tips, aspects, and templates from SPIN Selling, we’ve put together the following guide:...
Trying to better understand your competitors has always had a negative stigma. “Isn’t spying on them considered corporate espionage?” someone recently asked me. But in today’s online and interconnected world, there are plenty of tools that allow you to legally gain important insights on industry players. These platforms can help you better understand how your industry operates, who the relevant players are, how you can gather leads, and what the ecosystem comprises of. In today’s corporate climate, the usage of these tools is widely accepted and even encouraged within mainstream industries. Let’s look into five strategies that will help you to better understand your competition and explain how you can gain a competitive edge....
When reps need to connect with particularly important or hard-to-reach prospects, normal research methods usually won’t suffice. To grab these buyers’ attention, earn their respect, and provide them value, salespeople must go deeper than a basic LinkedIn skim. These five methods will surface extremely helpful details about an organization, its strategy, and its individual leaders....
Most prospects have tens (or even hundreds) of pending LinkedIn invites to respond to -- which means that when they finally get to yours, it’s only getting mere seconds of attention. And in such a short span of time, a single bad line can condemn your invite to the “ignore” pile. If you want your invites to get accepted, check out nine clunkers to never use again...
If you can improve your pricing page, you can make more sales. It’s that simple.In other places, I’ve explained some powerful tips that will make your pricing page absolutely irresistible. Here, I want to compile some of the industry’s best tips for optimizing your pricing page.Most of my experience with pricing pages is in the SaaS industry. Although most of the tips below deal with SaaS products, you can apply the information to other ecommerce sites as well....
It’s incredibly rare that a prospect responds to a salesperson’s first outreach attempt. This necessitates following up … and following up on your follow ups.
But how many prospecting touchpoints should salespeople make before they call it quits? When should they send these messages? And should they email, call, or reach out in another way? The “how,” “when,” and “what” of following up is important to get right if a rep hopes to snag the buyer’s attention and make a sale.
Here’s a guide that can help you optimize your prospecting process and significantly improve your response and connect rates, even with no changes to the content of your messaging.
Windows Free parking A full array of open registers Obamacare But no $12.50anhour pay. Lessons in bigbox evolution from inside store 5968 on opening...
During 10 years of reporting and writing about Walmart, I’ve been to Walmart stores in 30 states, in four countries. I’ve walked the aisles of more than 200 stores, including one in Hawaii. During the last two years, when I lived in Mexico City, our front door was 103 steps from a Walmart, and I confess, I averaged seven visits a week.But there are still new Walmart experiences to be had, and Wednesday, I had one: I went to a Walmart on grand-opening day....
What will the future bring for sales professionals? Sales expert Tom Searcy looks into his crystal ball to share his predictions for what trends will dominate the market in 2018.
One of the responsibilities of leaders is to help their teams not only plan for the future, but anticipate it. I spend a great deal of my time helping business leaders see that future in the larger market context beyond just their own industry. Here's a small glimpse into what I believe the next five years will look like in the world of selling....
...Calling somebody cold.Out of the blue. No referral. No information. No relationship. No trust. No credibility. No rapport. No introduction. No qualification. Just cold.
Why would anybody with half a brain and bills to pay ever do that?
Then I read more of his article and found he made some pretty good points and I cooled down a bit....
When buyers find what they like we buy it – no selling is necessary. This often keeps us loyal to the same vendors and stores for a long time, and certainly explains the success of Amazon Prime for everyday purchases. However, when buying decisions are heavily influenced by factors such as style, comfort, and fit, then buying necessarily leads to shopping, and that means the counsel of a skilled sales professional is also an influential factor. If your products and services are sold, rather than bought, then it may be time to consider how social media is dramatically changing the shopping experience, and therefore, what your business needs to do to adapt its sales process. Let’s take a look at three...
Best tip for how to pitch a client? Don't make them feel defensive. They may want better online marketing, but criticism of their website can feel personal. ... And now some kid tells you that your website has serious problems? And you have to fix them right away? And it’s going to cost you how much money? Does he really think he knows more about your business than you do? It really can’t be that bad or you would have noticed. You’re doing just fine, thank you very much. That’s exactly how business owners and stakeholders can feel when you’re pitching your services. Defensive. As an online marketer, you know that your work on their website can improve their business and help them make money. You even have proof in the form of research and reports about their website and their competitors’ websites. But if you put your potential client on the defensive, chances are that you’ll be escorted politely to the door even if they’re the ones who asked for a proposal in the first place. Instead, when you’re thinking of how to pitch a client, anticipate the reasons that they might feel defensive and try to prevent it. Here’s how....
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With these handy sales email templates, you'll never need to "check in" again. HubSpot's email advice is spot on! Recommended reading! 9/10