| In Part 2 we discussed how to determine if a sales | | | | telephone call into a company and asks the question |
| action is a critical sales performance competency, and | | | | "Who handles your telecommunications needs?" |
| we determined the following:- It is an Action that is | | | | Guess where they are sent? If you said 'office |
| tied directly to the end result (Good or Bad)- It can | | | | manager' you guessed right. If you said 'Head Janitor' |
| be individually isolated and trained to for | | | | you weren't far off. Is there anything 'wrong' with |
| Improvement- It can be objectively 'Benchmarked' | | | | that? Not really; it's legal and a lot of folks out there |
| and MeasuredNext, we identified that the act of | | | | do it.But let's think through this option as a 'Business |
| communicating one-on-one to a 'Targeted' prospect | | | | person' would. Historically, a bottom-up approach |
| with the objective of setting an appointment as a | | | | promotes a:- Lower 1st appointment to Proposal |
| KEY Core Sales Competency, because nothing | | | | ratio- Lower Closing ratio- Higher Sales cycle- Lower |
| happens until you get in front of someone. | | | | Average revenue per saleThat being said, from a |
| And the measurement of that competency was | | | | Business person view, if we had our choice, we |
| determined to be your 'Conversation-to-Appointment' | | | | would choose a 'Top-down' approach; meeting with |
| ratio which nationally averages out to somewhere | | | | the highest appropriate level of contact for our |
| between 4%-18%.And if we choose to build a | | | | product/service. |
| 'Prospecting System' to support a sales performance | | | | And this is important. If our product/service is tied |
| training objective to improve that ratio it would | | | | to a measurable Return on Investment, in soft or |
| enable us to set more targeted 'Top-down' | | | | hard dollars over time, we need to be initially |
| appointments in less time. And achieving that would | | | | engaged with the correct title in our Prospect |
| allow us to obtain additional results and make us | | | | company. And that's the fiscal authority that can |
| more money. | | | | make a business decision in line with our business |
| Not an unworthy mission for sure.Additionally, we | | | | solution.Sales Prospecting Error #3We sell our 'product |
| listed (6) sales prospecting reasons why the national | | | | service' instead of selling the diagnostic steps in our |
| 'Conversation-to-Appointment' ratio is only 4%-18%. | | | | 'Evaluation' ProcessSo far we have decided to call on |
| Our mission for Part 3 is to isolate each of these | | | | the highest appropriate level of contact for our |
| reasons, understand why the majority of the sales | | | | service offering, someone that is tied to the P&L; |
| population lives by the 'Definition of Insanity' (Doing | | | | simply, they have some 'Skin in the Game'. And we |
| the same thing over and over again and expecting a | | | | know with a 'Top-down' strategy we need to |
| different result) and then develop alternative | | | | understand who our target Prospect is and what |
| strategies to raise our Conversation-to-appointment | | | | they're trying to accomplish as it relates to what we |
| ratio.Sales Prospecting Error #1We don't seek to first | | | | are selling. And that's BEFORE we pick up the |
| (Before we pick up the telephone) understand the | | | | telephone, right?Imagine now we make that |
| Prospect's internal business challenges parallel to our | | | | prospecting call and start to talk about our 'Widget'; |
| solutions offering, and then model our appointment | | | | meaning our Product's features and benefits, our |
| communication approach around it.How many times | | | | excellent customer service, how many years we've |
| have you received a solicitation call and listened to a | | | | been in business and our fantastic customer retention |
| stranger communicate nonspecifically about who they | | | | rate.Are you beginning to understand now why the |
| are and what they want. Let me say that | | | | average 'Conversation-to-appointment' ratio is |
| again..."Who THEY are and what THEY want."Just the | | | | 4-18%? You might as well read off your Marketing |
| other day I received a telephone call (I accept them | | | | Department's latest brochure. This is a major sales |
| ALL because they provide a great X2 training 'Lead | | | | prospecting mistake because it doesn't speak first to |
| source') and the nice lady on the other end of the | | | | the correlation between what your Prospects general |
| line started to tell me all about who she was and | | | | business challenges are (By industry and title of |
| what her company did. | | | | responsibility) and how your service has helped other |
| I let her go on for a while and then asked her a | | | | business people with the same titles and internal |
| specific, closed-ended question:"Do you understand | | | | challenges.The $100,000 question is how one goes |
| who I am and what I'm trying to accomplish as it | | | | about transitioning from a Product/service specific |
| relates to what you are selling?"Well, she did not. So I | | | | conversation to a 'Business Reason to Meet' |
| kindly left the door open to her if she decided to | | | | conversation.My answer to this question is to |
| check out my website and find out (first) "Who I am | | | | communicate your company's service solution as a |
| and what I want."Don't you think that's fair? After all, | | | | 'System'. One definition of a 'system' is a series of |
| aren't most business people (Business levels tied to | | | | Components and Elements that when working in |
| fiscal responsibility) open to learning about ways to | | | | unison affects a required result. It makes things |
| recover costs, improve productivity, decrease risk, | | | | better. It lowers that 'Business Challenge' wall. |
| increase profits or provide a measurable Return on | | | | Those ultimate business results could be cost |
| investment as long as it gets to the point and in line | | | | recovery, lower overhead, higher employee |
| with one's own 'Internal language'... not in a | | | | production, increase profit margin, more return on |
| nonspecific marketing language of product/service | | | | investment, faster time to market, etc. That |
| and feature-benefit.Instead of "Who you are and | | | | depends on your particular system's solutions and |
| what you want," try switching to "What you know | | | | what business challenges they are tied to.The |
| specifically about 'Me, Myself and I'; MY | | | | 'Components' of your system are sub-systems |
| responsibilities, MY business objectives and how you | | | | comprising a series of elements that deal with |
| think you can help ME meet them.The web is a great | | | | particular business issues. As an example, if you were |
| resource tool for investigating general business | | | | a Security Solution Provider your components might |
| objectives of a company; items like business web | | | | be themed Loss Prevention, Business Operations and |
| sites, 10K reports, annual reports, investor sections, | | | | Risk Management, each again dealing with a relevant |
| Press releases and published articles. Scanning those | | | | business challenge.The 'elements' of your 'System' are |
| items prior to picking about the telephone is your | | | | the individual products/services that you provide your |
| first winning step in the process; "Who they are".Now | | | | clients depending on their unique business challenges |
| for the second part; "What they want." Think of this | | | | and where they may have some 'leaks in the ship'. |
| in terms of title of responsibility and how your | | | | Communicating to individual elements specifically |
| offering (if the shoe fits) can help them meet their | | | | during a prospecting sales call will take you down the |
| personal business objectives or what I like to phrase | | | | 'Slippery slope' of low sales appointment conversion |
| 'Marching Orders'. If you don't know, go get some | | | | ratios and low sales commissions.In-between your |
| Business Acumen training around the title of | | | | Components and elements you have internal Business |
| responsibilities you choose to call on. Because you | | | | issues. In the same Security Solution Provider |
| want to be able to discuss specific business | | | | example, your prospect's business issues could be |
| challenges as it relates to their title of responsibility.Or | | | | Fire/Life Safety, Theft, Sweet-hearting, Vandalism, |
| if you are a self-directed person, do what I've done | | | | Sabotage, Robbery, and Harassment just to name a |
| for years. Interview each new client and ask them | | | | few.It's your responsibility for an 'effective' |
| what type of communication would make them sit | | | | prospecting sales call to sell the 'Diagnostic steps' in |
| up and take notice coming from a stranger's initial | | | | your evaluation process; to appraise if your 'System', |
| business contact. Develop a stock series of questions | | | | with its series of Components and elements can |
| to allow you to document what is important to them | | | | facilitate lowering your prospect's 'Business Challenge' |
| as it pertains to accepting business appointments and | | | | Wall; effectively gaining a Return on investment in a |
| outsourcing solution providers.You'd be amazed at the | | | | measurable way; because 'Business people' are |
| amount of valuable data you can collect just by | | | | accountable to ROI.In Part 4; How to Double Your |
| asking for 5 additional minutes after closing a new | | | | Sales Appointments in Half the Time, we will discuss |
| sale. 'Go to school' on your new clients and earn a | | | | the final 3 Sales Prospecting Errors and outline some |
| Masters degree in 'Business Title Insight'.Sales | | | | proven solutions that will head us toward our worthy |
| Prospecting Error #2We settle for a business level of | | | | goal of spending Less time to achieve more targeted |
| contact that has no direct fiscal authority.Your | | | | 'Top-down' sales appointments.Jeff Hardesty is |
| 'Playing Field' is who you decide to call on and why. | | | | President of JDH Group, Inc. and the Developer of |
| And there are basically (2) strategies in picking your | | | | the X2 Sales System(R), a blended training system |
| 'Playing Field'; a 'Bottom-up' approach or a 'Top-down' | | | | that teaches sales professionals the competency of |
| approach.The following is an example of a Bottom-up | | | | setting C-level business appointments. |
| approach. A Telecommunications rep initiates a | | | | |