Sales Prospecting Perspectives, March 29th - April 2nd
Well, this week brought us the close of Q1 2010; it's over. Done. Caput. Finito. We'll never have it back to do differently. Maybe that's good for some of us, and maybe for some a repeat performance would be killer. Either way, the only thing we can do with it now is learn from it's successes or shortcomings. So, what are YOU going to do with it?
We had four great blog entries this week, and here's the rundown on all four:
Monday March 29th
Four Principles that Apply to Teleprospecting, Too - Matt Fitts, Director of Client Operations, read an article by Craig Lindberg of MLT Creative, in which Craig presented four principles of B2B sales. Matt found that the principles run parallel with teleprospecting, too. Matt wrote, "How could you expect to begin the sales process with not only being prepared with what you are calling about but also what is going on in your target prospect's world? I am not saying that you need to do a large amount of research on your prospect (favorite color, etc) but you better know what the typical pains that prospect may be experiencing and just how you can help them."
Tuesday March 30th
Size Matters. . .When it Comes to Your Teleprospecting List - Craig Ferrara, Director of Client Operations, shared his thoughts on the importance of list size at the start of any teleprospecting campaign. Of a poor performing sales prospecting effort, Craig wrote, "Other reasons for failure can range from the wrong industry focus, or off target messaging, or calling on the wrong title; the list goes on. The unfortunate thing is we tend to overlook what generally seems to be the most obvious problem, THE COLD CALL LIST."
Wednesday March 31st
A Sales Job Is Like Running Your Own Business - AG's CEO, Paul Alves, wrote about accountability for sales reps, and likens the position to owning your own business. Paul shared, "When you are self employed you can not rely on anyone. Successful salespeople don't rely on anyone to close business for them. They may anticipate marketing and a lead gen team to supply them with marketing qualified and sales qualified leads, but they are on their own beyond that."
Thursday April 1st
A Careful Approach to Prospect Personalities - This was a guest post by one of our Business Development Reps, Jill Ryan. Jill shared her thoughts on four types of personalities that teleprospectors come into contact with during their day and how best to relate to each one. Jill wrote, "If we look at the four types of personalities: the amiable, the driver, the expressive and the analytic, its easy to compare these to the people you are getting on the phone. According to well known business coach, mentor, author Jonathan Farrington, the very best sales professionals have become adept at recognizing which personality they are dealing with and adapt their approach and communication style accordingly."
And with that, the weekly recap is complete. Which entry got you thinking this week? Which one did you disagree with most?