During the COVID-19 lockdown, I chatted with the CEO of a professional services firm.
He had been networking heavily on #Linkedin to generate business virtually. And he was having a lot of success connecting with people who could use his services. But he had a problem keeping track of them. He felt he had missed out on excellent business opportunities. I asked him how he was keeping track of his sales discussions and following up. He said he checked his Linkedin threads or #Google Meets conversation notes. He also relied on his memory. "Wow, you need a CRM system to manage your entire sales process," I told. He agreed and opted for my #business development consultation and services. I helped him pick the right CRM for his business. Now, he can follow up on his leads. The time spent on operational workflows across his business has been reduced. By centralizing all #sales & #marketing activities into a CRM system, he can now see where all his leads are in the #buyers journey. By the end of 2020, his company revenue had increased by 40%. I am so happy to help elevate his business to the next level. Many business owners don't know where their leads are, or how to engage them. Are you in this category?
1 Comment
Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a time when you got severely hurt. Or felt sick. The pain was tolerable at first. You were able to carry on for a few days. But then it became unbearable. You began to realize the pain would not go away on its own. So, you went to the doctor. You limped into her office, hopeful that she could finally determine what was wrong and make your pain go away. After waiting a bit, the doctor is finally ready to see you. She takes a quick look at your chart. Maybe you had X-rays taken, and she glances at those. After about 5 minutes, she says she recommends surgery and for you to report to the front desk to book a slot with her admin. The door closes behind her. How do you feel? I know how I felt because the patient in this story was me. I promptly walked out and found a different doctor. Experiences like these have illuminated my responsibility of asking questions as a #businessdevelopment consultant. Too often, when #businessdevelopment or #sales teams engage a lead, they eagerly launch into a “pitch.” They “prescribe” their capabilities, services, and demo SaaS platforms without taking the time to ask, “What hurts?” When you seek to prescribe before thoroughly diagnosing, it leads to lost opportunities. Would you agree? I read a #Linkedin post this past weekend that said cold calling is dead. The writer said it is expensive. And a waste of time. I agree. It can be. That is, if you do not put forth the effort to do it right. My most extraordinary #businessdevelopment successes resulted from thousands of hours spent cold calling. And these successes were not with small companies. They are some of the largest brands in the world. 57% of C-level buyers prefer that salespeople call them. (According to a comprehensive Rain Group study as cited by Michele McGovern in her Resource Selling article) Before making a single dial, be confident that the solutions you offer will benefit the companies you want to help. Do homework on each industry, company, and individual stakeholders you intend to contact. Remember: Rejection is not personal. But a natural path to victory. Learn to embrace voicemail as a means to build a relationship, not an obstacle. If you do, you will build great business relationships, add value, provide solutions to real problems and achieve remarkable outcomes. Cold calling is a vital component of any successful business development #salesstrategy. In my experience, it pays off handsomely if you commit to doing it right. #businessdevelopment #sales #hunter #coldcalling #salesstrategy Are you struggling to qualify the best leads for your business during all those back to back Zoom conversations?
Online #videoconferencing discussions can be incredibly distracting. And it is easy to forget your original #salesgoals for those meetings. Make it your goal to get these 4 questions answered in an initial conversation with a lead. If you do, you will quickly know whether a lead is a fit for your #business. And, if your product and service solutions are the ideal answer to solving their problem. |
AuthorStephanie Taylor helps organizations grow by providing fractional strategic sales, marketing & business development consultation coupled with highly effective roll-up-your-sleeves execution. Archives
April 2021
Categories
All
|