Hungry, Hungry Sales Reps: Proactive Collaboration To Keep Them Fed
Average to below-average sales people, I fear, is unfortunately becoming more and more prevalent in this country. They are average or below because they are not hungry enough. So I am always happy to find hungry sales reps – as they seem to be few and far between. I enjoy working with them – and more often than not the projects that involve people with this mindset, do very well because they are willing to put in the extra effort it takes to succeed.
My team is tasked with finding the best quality leads out there. But we all know that the world of Sales is a constant battle of “ups” and “downs”, and so we are always in pursuit of keeping the momentum in an upward swing. Sometimes frustration sets in when the results just aren’t there or if you’re seeing little signs of expressed interest. Especially so when you take a look at your strategy and realize:
- You’ve played with your voicemail and email messaging and feel strongly that it should resonate
- The Teleprospecting Reps have been hammering away on the phones and following the call plan, chasing down their pipeline while at the same time engaging new contacts/referrals
- The lists you have are healthy, up to date and there is plenty to call upon
During times like this we like to engage these hungry Sales reps and actively strategize about ideas to help spark some results. And as we approach the end of the year it is important to think proactively, whether you run an inside sales team or outsource it. Everyone seems to be in Holiday mode once this stretch hits so we need to think of creative ways for getting on our prospects radar.
One concept that we have put into play recently which has netted a solid result thus far, was to have a Sales rep conduct a webinar focused a certain “hot topic” relative to a chosen industry and/or technology issue. The Sales reps were more than happy to do it, and the energy my team put into the idea got everyone else excited about it too. This puts the teleprospecting team in the driver’s seat to push the message out to the right groups in order to maximize attendance. From there, the teleprospecting reps will be able to follow up with the attendee list which has now become an instant “warm” list for them. Even if this only generates a few qualified leads for the team, it certainly helps swing your way out of the slump.
With only two-and-a-half weeks left to this month and the end of the year soon upon us, how are you setting yourself up for January? More often than not people seem to have already begun mentally preparing for next year. Rather than letting your work ethic take a siesta these next couple of weeks start thinking about what YOU can do in order to proactively get 2012 going with a bang.