Your sales processes need an overhaul. Now is the time to do it.
There’s an old story about a young girl whose mother always cut the ends off of a ham before putting it in the roasting pan. One day the little girl asked her mother why she did this. The mother thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know. My mother did it that way. Why don’t you ask your grandmother?”
So the little girl asked her grandmother why she cut off the ends of the ham. The grandmother said, “That’s simple. My pan wasn’t big enough.”
Moral of the story: Just because others have always done something one way, that doesn’t mean you have to do it. Especially if there’s a better way. This is as true in selling as it is in cooking.
Are you selling the way you’ve always been selling and not getting the results you want with those stale sales processes you learned from someone else? Then now is the time to finally get rid of your “sacred cows.” Toss the sales processes and prospecting strategies that aren’t driving revenue and do what works.
While you’re at it, check out what you might have missed from No More Cold Calling in Q1—from winning sales processes, to top sales trends, to the importance of diversity.
How to Remove the Sales Discomfort of Asking for Referrals
I used to think it was just sales newbies who struggled with asking for referrals. They simply hadn’t built their networks or their confidence. When seasoned reps admitted they needed to get over their sales discomfort around asking for referrals, I was shocked. I wondered about those in non-traditional sales roles like customer success, CPAs, attorneys, architects, engineers, and consultants—who are now being asked to sell. If sales pros can’t muster the courage needed to be asking for referrals, I doubt anyone outside the sales team is asking with any regularity. It doesn’t matter your gender, age, industry experience, or culture. Asking for referrals is hard for us all, because it’s the most personal kind of selling. It’s also the most effective prospecting method and should be part of every company’s sales processes. Personal sales discomfort is the elephant in the room. But the truth is, your clients and trusted colleagues would be happy to give you referrals if you’ve done a good job for them. After all, referrals are how most people prefer to do business. (Read “How to Remove the Shttps://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/cold-calling-reps-hate-asking-referrals/ales Discomfort of Asking for Referrals”)
What LinkedIn Invitations Are You Accepting?
LinkedIn is supposed to be the place to begin conversations and begin relationships. That’s why it’s called a “social network.” But many salespeople don’t use it to socialize; they use it for prospecting (translation: annoying strangers with unsolicited sales pitches). I’m seriously considering only accepting invitations from people who’ve sent me a genuine, personal invitation—people who’ve explained why they want to connect with me and attempt to start an actual conversation. I’m tired of automated LinkedIn invitations and boilerplate messages that just scream, “The next message you receive from me will be a sales pitch.” If you want to connect with me, introduce yourself, tell me why you’re reaching out, and get the conversation started. Then I’m happy to keep it going. (Read “What LinkedIn Invitations Are You Accepting?”)
Research-Backed Benefits of Diversity on Sales Teams
It’s true. Diverse sales teams can make more meaningful connections with your increasingly diverse customer base. They bring different experiences to the table, learn from one another, and help you understand how to target harder-than-ever-to-reach buyers. Thus, they win deals more often. Research on the benefits of diversity in the workplace prove it isn’t just a nice-to-have; for modern sales teams, it’s a must-have. While some sales leaders are already experiencing these benefits, others claim they can’t find diverse sales reps. The message is loud and clear: It’s time to get serious about building a culture where diverse teams want to work, and sales processes that make them successful. (Read “Research-Backed Benefits of Diversity on Sales Teams”)
Headline, Headline, Read All About It: Women on the Quarters
I was over-the-top excited to learn that the U.S. Mint is releasing five new coins a year between 2022 and 2025—all with women on the quarters. The American Women Quarters Program will celebrate the accomplishments and contributions made by women to the development and history of the United States. The obverse (“head” side) will still feature the likeness of George Washington, which was originally sculpted by a woman, Laura Gardin Fraser. The reverse (“tail” side) will feature the likeness of one of each of the women celebrated. These women will be from diverse backgrounds and a variety of fields. The 2022 set features Maya Angelou, Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong. (Read “Headline, Headline, Read All About It: Women on the Quarters”)
Celebrating 8 Trailblazers on International Women’s Day
In the late 18th century, women had a 1 in 20 chance of dying in childbirth, and one-third of their children died before age 3. Wealthy women spent their days in nurseries and drawing rooms, and poor women did whatever menial work they could find to help support their families. The only women with a public reputation were prostitutes. If women were famous, it was because of their husbands. (Think Marie Antoinette and Josephine Bonaparte.) But women have always been capable of far more creativity and ingenuity than they were given credit for, whether they were finding new ways to make ends meet or starting businesses and transforming industries. This year, I celebrated International Women’s Day by honoring eight of the many women who paved the way for modern women—earning us not just the right to vote, but the right to be heard, to own our own businesses, to enter politics, to lead a country, and to choose a profession previously only available to men. (Read “Celebrating 8 Trailblazers on International Women’s Day”)
