Be Intentional Consider blocking out time in your calendar throughout the week for business development and “show up” just as you would with an actual meeting. Develop COIs (Centers of Influence) and leverage your professional network Tier 1 COIs – these are contacts within your network where you have built a relationship. Spend time with this [...]
Traditional cold calling results in about a 1% to 3% conversion rate for getting an initial appointment. So, is it any wonder that 53% of sales professionals give up too easily when cold calling and 48% are afraid to pick up the phone and make cold calls? When that same call (or email) is made with [...]
How many of you have sales goals for yourself, direct reports or for your company, but are unable to articulate the metrics needed to achieve those goals? For example: You have a new business annual sales goal of $250,000 The average sale is $2,000, therefore, you need 125 deals to hit this goal It typically takes [...]
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, about half of small businesses survive five years. A recent internet search for articles about the challenges small businesses face yields quite a few results. There are useful pieces on trends such as found in USA Today as well as articles like “The 6 Toughest Problems for Every Small Business [...]
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a great many salespeople and to hear their opinions of their sales managers. While some recounted the positive impact they had on them and others the negative, the best managers always seemed to strike a balance in their style. One notable manager believed that, to be [...]
With few exceptions, the best professional golfers employ coaches. And, they pay up to $20,000 per day for their advice so they clearly believe in the value of sound coaching. (This is Dave Pelz’s fee and 11 of his professional students have won a total of 21 Major golf championships.) There are numerous examples of coaches [...]
Your salespeople face greater challenges to winning new accounts than ever before. According to CEB, the buying decision process is 57% complete even before a prospective customer talks with a salesperson. This means that prospects are well informed about your company and your market so it is much more difficult for your sales person to establish [...]