Keep prospecting. You’ve heard of the ABCs of selling: Always Be Closing. There’s also ABN: Always Be Networking. And the 3 B’s: Be Bright. Be Brief. Be Gone.
Just as important is ABP: Always Be Prospecting. Write a letter, shake someone’s hand, or pick up the phone. Prospecting is to successful selling as breathing is to living. The best way to get over a lost sale is to move onto the next sale in your pipeline. Top performers are always working to fill the front end of their pipelines by creating new conversations every day.
Examples: We log phone numbers of all inbound calls, convert to snail mail addresses, and send over 250 direct mail letters every even month. We also collect email addresses from on-line inquiries, combine those with industry referral partners and send an email-blast to 850 contacts every odd month. Both tactics have contributed to our best results since March 2020.
Give referrals to your customers. Show your customers where they might be able to get new business. But do it in a way that lets them know that you don’t necessarily expect anything in return.
Keep trying. It takes more attempts than most people think to get through to top prospects. Sometimes you need to reach out seven, eight, nine, or more times to get through to someone. One thing is true: it takes more attempts to get through to your buyers than you think. Most sales reps quit after two attempts. Keep trying.
Be prepared. There’s no excuse for not doing your research before a sales meeting. Review their LinkedIn profile, read news articles about the company, or scan their annual report.
Remember they probably have a similar product to yours and it works fine. Your biggest competitor is the status quo. She must have a reason to change suppliers. Bring enthusiasm and excitement and prove how your program will help them achieve better results. If you’re doing a demo, make arrangements to use a conference room or the kitchen and have a demonstration of how your program will be used by the end user. By doing your research and asking the right questions ahead of time, you can deliver a high-impact experience.
Become friends with your customers. Meet them socially, at business networking events, on the golf course or driving range, at informal lunches, or anything else that’s not strictly business. Customers who are your friends are people that know, like, and trust you, and instinctively want to do business with you.
Maximize sales to existing accounts. Nobody knows the full capabilities of your organization better than you. It’s your responsibility to ensure each customer buys all your best-selling items. Have some fun and bring new ideas to your customers to help them drive their priorities forward, including improved results.
Congratulations! You made it to June; the end of Q2. Are you at 50% of your annual plan? If yes, keep doing what you are doing. If not, change your tactics and stop doing what is not working. Incorporate these six sales tips into your sales process and Heat Up Your Sales!
