Sales Prospecting Perspectives

Last week was my 10-year anniversary at AG. At times, 10 years seems like eons ago, but honestly most of the time it truly feels as if time has flown by. During this period, I bought a condo, got married, had a child (who is now 7), sold a condo, and bought a house... all while watching AG grow from an 8-person shop to the 60 folks we are today. 

Let’s face it: Not every cold call campaign is created equal. Data integrity and relevance vary with each purchased list, and these new lists are far from free. In a sales world that’s becoming more social, it’s more important to target and personalize your messages to prospects, setting yourself apart from the rest and refusing to provide "another sales pitch." Below are 4 ways to quickly find and engage more relevant contacts, building a warmer pipeline for prospecting. 

There is nothing better than a sales manager who can speak from real experience when providing advice. It can be very difficult to relate to a boss who seems like they need to refer to a sales instruction manual.  It was always encouraging to know that my boss, at one point, had walked in my shoes and understood how to do the job. 

The day in the life of an inside sales rep is very active. It’s understandable that a representative would be put under a lot of stress. There is a lot of pressure to hit your monthly goals, stay on top of tasks and activity, update reports, and follow up with lead appointments. If you don’t stay organized, it's easy to fall behind and lose momentum. Here are a few tips to help you stay on task and manage your stress.

Over the years, I found that I innately gravitate towards the part of my job I enjoy doing the most. I think we're all guilty of that at times. In fact, I would argue that most of us gravitate away from cold calling.  In my experience it has been rare to see someone swan dive into cold dials every day. Generally, I had a pre-calling ritual before I got going, but there were still days when it seemed as if it took me an entire morning to get warmed up. 

Happy holidays, Sales Prospecting Perspectives readers. It's back to work at AG, as inside sales reps and managers plan for Quarter 1. Sales and marketing professionals should start off the New Year on a high note. Our advice? In these last few days, inside sales reps should continue to call, but should also review the year's progress. How much have you changed as a sales professional? What about your messaging is different now, and why? Inside sales managers, have you come up with ideas to motivate your team this past year, and what are the results? Does gamification influence your leadership style? It's important to reflect on 2013 before we move in to 2014, and then adapt our sales strategies accordingly. Below, Sam gives some good advice for how to end the year strong as well. 

... or if you're me, cut it up, douse it with glitter and make a star instead

Everyone suffers from groggy redundancy within their job.  Whether you've written the same email 10 times already that day, you've said the same exact thing on every single phone call, or you're at the point where you're just staring at your computer screen, you need a break, a breather, and some inspiration.

The other day someone said to me, “When it comes to cold calling, it’s really just a numbers game. By reaching out to 100 people per day, there’s bound to be someone who says yes.” The comment took me by surprise and I thought to myself, "Wow, do people really think that’s all there is to cold calling? Do they really think of it as 'mindless' dials that will eventually lead to someone who says yes?"

Let’s get excited. Why is hitting sales goals important now and in the future?

• You can make the most amount of money possible at this time.

• You set yourself up for future career success by building a strong resume with which to sell yourself.

• Hitting your goal increases motivation for future successes.

From a marketing and a sales point of view, this week has been extremely busy. The chatter around the office has expounded as more and more people are returning from vacation. Marketing is gearing into the fall months as well, as we just released an eBook we've been working on all summer. Team leaders are working one-on-one with sales reps, and new employees are coming in every week, eager to get their hands dirty in sales. For the first week of September, we're doing great, and it can only go up from here.