Sales Prospecting Perspectives

If you are as big a fan of NBC’s Thursday night comedy lineup as I am then you know that tonight is the series finale of The Office. If you watch the show (who hasn’t watched this show?) then you know that Dwight Schrute is absolutely insane. However, he is also Dunder Mifflin’s top salesman, so he is obviously doing something right. NBC.com put together a collection of Dwight’s top sales tips, which are, like Dwight, insane. I’ve selected a few of my favorites to tone down and translate into language the everyday sales rep could grasp.

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a guest post from James Hutto, co-founder of Valeo Marketing.

In an ideal world, we’d all have 100% email open rates. After all, they signed up, so they want to see what we have to say, right? If only things were that simple... Even if you’ve crafted the perfect squeeze page, written amazing content, and gently encouraged your readers to sign up via email... It’s all for nothing if they don’t read those emails. What must be done next—and arguably just as difficult, might I add—is to write subject lines that get your subscribers to actually open your emails. But don’t fret! With the right approach, you can craft email subject lines that will leave your readers hungry to discover what’s inside.

A nice benefit of working with a wide range of clients over the years has been the exposure we've had to the unique approaches in presenting a service or technology. Working with some of the brightest sales and marketing minds out there has helped to provide us fresh perspective on how to differentiate your product from the masses.

It has been almost one year since I started as a Business Development Representative at AG Salesworks and I have learned so much about the software and technology industry, sales, and communicating with people at all the various levels of an organization. My next endeavor has been in the works without me even realizing it: I’m becoming somewhat of a mentor. It’s not in my title, or written on my business card, and it’s not something I think about; but as someone who has been in this role for eleven months, I have become someone that new BDRs can come to with questions.

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a guest post from Helen Nesterenko, founder of Writtent.com.

One of the biggest reasons that companies fail is that entrepreneurs don’t ask for help. This concept is so well-known, it inspired the best-selling book The E-Myth. CEOs shouldn’t spend their days acting as a “technician,” when they need to focus on innovation and orchestration. If you’re spending your days  immersed in the nitty-gritty of deliverables it’s time to take a few steps back and learn how to ask for help:

I’m a big fan of the blogs and articles that are published on Forbes.com and this morning our COO, Pete Gracey, coincidentally shared an article with the team written by Carmine Gallo, a contributor to Forbes, regarding how to pitch anything in 15 seconds.  At first glance the title set my expectations toward some cheesy, outdated methodology, but what I discovered really resonated with the process our company has been working to put in play.

About a year ago as I was frantically running through the office looking overwhelmingly stressed from my workload, my boss said to me, “Not to be mean, but you are bringing this on yourself.” At first I was completely thrown off by his comment. I thought – the nerve! Here I was running around for the good of the company and he makes a comment like that. It wasn’t until I sat down with him to express my frustration when I realized…he was right. After talking about it, he made me realize that I had a problem delegating and I was trying to do everything on my own – partly because I felt I wanted to do it my way and also because I didn’t want to add more to anyone else’s plate. I felt like I would rather deal with the stress of it all and not impose on my reps or anyone else that could potentially help me out. Our talk really resonated with me and I haven’t been the same since. There are so many benefits to delegating to your team beyond just giving you more time to do the tasks you need to do.

Today, you can learn a lot about a person without ever meeting them, simply by checking out their various social media accounts. You can find out what someone’s favorite bands or films are from their Facebook, see pictures of what they had for lunch on their Instagram, and learn where they work and what they do from their Linkedin profile. 

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a guest post from Erica Bell, Marketing Management writer for business resource site Business.com.

Conflicts – all offices have them and all employees will encounter at least one during their working days. Economics and cultural differences between sales and marketing departments can cause conflicts in the workplace that ultimately hinder your profits and the performance of your business. Don’t let your business become a victim to the clash of the department titans. Get your sales and marketing teams working together effectively for greater success and a boost in your bottom line.

Those of us who have teleprospected in our day know that getting prospects to open up to inside sales person is no easy task. At times it can seem like pulling teeth for them to give us anything at all.