Here’s what you might have missed from No More Cold Calling this month.
Winter is right around the bend, and while the colder temperatures might be a welcome change of pace for some, cold calls are still the bane of every salesperson’s existence. End the year with a bang using the only prospecting strategy that converts prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time.
Referral selling is by far the most effective sales strategy out there. So be sure to check out the latest from No More Cold Calling and turn practice into profit:
[Webinar] Generation Huh? Why Social Sellers Need to Focus on Relationships, Not Networks
Social selling isn’t a new concept. Sales has always been social. It’s just that some of the tools have changed in the digital age. But too many salespeople forget it’s the quality of your relationships, and not the quantity of your connections, that really counts. You can collect LinkedIn connections like baseball cards and get nowhere. Or you can make the connections you already have stronger—a strategy that’s much more likely to grow your referral network and fill your sales pipeline with hot leads. Join me and Barb Giamanco for a Top Sales World webinar you won’t want to miss. (Learn more.)
You Don’t Have to Be a Millennial to Top the Social Media Charts
As a Boomer, I will never use technology like a Millennial. I didn’t grow up with a cell phone as an appendage. But I still manage to leverage technology (very successfully) in my sales process. There’s a common misconception that people born before 1980 are not good with technology and don’t excel on social platforms. Not true! And I have a message for other Boomers: We can’t afford to let Gen Y have the social selling advantage. (Read more.)
Why You Can’t Automate High-Stakes Selling
Computers can do many things more effectively and efficiently than humans can, but outside of a few terrifying science-fiction movies, there’s still one thing they can’t do: think for themselves. They can’t have conversations, ask insightful questions, or draw wisdom from experience…at least not yet. That’s why all the sales and marketing automation tools in the world will never replace the power of a knowledgeable, experienced salesperson with a great referral network. (Read more.)
[Message to Management]: How Much Time Should You Spend with Direct Reports?
Not too long ago, new sales recruits were given a desk, a phone, a phonebook, an overview of benefits, and instructions for how to complete time sheets. Then they were told to get to it. The process hasn’t changed much over the years, but the tools sure have. Today newbies receive a desk, a phone, and a password—and maybe a cold calling list. Companies that want productive employees know this nonsensical process has to change. In this guest post, Tris Brown, president and CEO of LSA Global, shares some surprising data about how much time sales leaders should spend actually leading. (Read more.)
What Salespeople Can Learn from Sandcastles
We can’t depend on a regular schedule of tides in our work lives. And no one enjoys seeing carefully constructed business deals ebb away before their very eyes. But what if you thought of lost deals like sandcastles? Instead of taking the loss to heart, maybe you’d think about what the experience has taught you, dust the sand off your britches, and come back to work the next day prepared to build a bigger, better deal. (Read more.)
Do You Believe Everything You Hear? Challenging the 57% Myth
Between 57 and 87 percent of the buying process is complete before a buyer ever contacts a company—at least that’s the case if you believe the widely quoted but ill-advised statistics floating around sales circles. The truth is that our prospects still need us just as much as they did before. But their needs have changed. (Read more.)
Do Your Connections Count?
I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn. Click through to my LinkedIn profile. Am I the type of professional connection that makes sense for your business? Can we help each other? If you answered “yes” to both questions, send me a personal invitation to join your network. But please don’t use the standard LinkedIn invite. Let’s start a conversation!
