No More Cold Calling

APRIL 26, 2018

We’ve trained our buyers to expect discounts and that everything is negotiable. The better strategy is to quote a reasonable price in the first place, and you’ll gradually shift buyer behavior. Buyers recognize an inflated price a mile away. Sadly, that behavior continues in sales negotiations today.

Negotiation 237

Negotiation Referrals Lead Qualification Discount 237

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 16, 2018

Buyers know everything about our companies, products, and solutions before they ever speak to a salesperson. McKinsey also created a template of what this human/digital communication preference looks like throughout the buying cycle, based on their surveys of business buyers. In fact, buyers might just need us now more than ever.

Fashion 219

Fashion Buying Cycle Social Media Survey 219

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 27, 2022

They bring different experiences to the table, learn from one another, and help you understand how to target harder-than-ever-to-reach buyers. The author writes: “All employees need training and support to be successful. Diverse sales teams can make more meaningful connections with your increasingly diverse customer base.

Research 257

Research Benefit Hiring Demographics 257

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 29, 2019

Why it’s important to train from the trenches. From now on, I am going to make it a fixed rule that no unit, from the time it reaches this theater until the war is won, will ever stop training.”. I also learned about the intense training that our allied troops underwent and the critical importance of ongoing training.

Referrals 222

Referrals Social Media Sales Qualified Lead Cold Calling 222

No More Cold Calling

JULY 27, 2023

When I worked for a global consulting and training firm, we had an excellent system for debriefing sales situations and learning why clients decided to work with us. Clients Buy You There’s no denying that today’s buyers are armed with plenty of information, and this has certainly changed the dynamic of client relationships.

Decision Maker 156

Decision Maker Referrals Face-to-face Social Media 156

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 15, 2017

We were thought leaders; we had visibility; and the client loved our solution for advanced sales training. My prospect: Had a relationship with an existing vendor for basic sales training (When I asked why the buyer didn’t contract with this company, I was told their system didn’t have advanced capabilities.).

Account 257

Account Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Lead Generation 257

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 12, 2014

.” Some people say objections just mean buyers are interested. Either way, moving qualified buyers into your forecast and increasing your sales pipeline means addressing objections—without being defensive. Even more important is bringing up possible objections before your buyer even has a chance to do so.

Objections 240

Objections Face-to-face Small Business Small Business 240

No More Cold Calling

MAY 29, 2014

Sage advice from a sales VP I used to work under: “Joanne, never leave a meeting without giving your buyer a task. Not only do I always ensure my buyers have a task, but we also confirm a timeframe and expectations for what they’ll receive from me. The information or action you expected from the buyer doesn’t happen.

Sage 296

Sage Small Business Small Business Follow-up 296

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 28, 2018

Unless a buyer likes and trusts you, you won’t get the deal. In fact, to solve this problem, researchers from OpenAI used 6144 CPUs and 8 GPUs to collect about one hundred years of experience and trained the AI for 50 hours. It’s more than a saying; it’s a fact. Trust is a predominant factor in any buying decision.

Referrals 232

Referrals Cold Calling Inside Sales Enterprise 232

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 19, 2014

Read “ Buyer 2.0 Sage advice from a sales VP I used to work under: “Joanne, never leave a meeting without giving your buyer a task. The better strategy (for everyone involved) is to give your team the tools and training they need to find their own solutions. Read “ Forget B2C or B2B—Focus on H2H Instead.”).

Gatekeeper 280

Gatekeeper Referrals Cold Calling B2C 280

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2018

Not just your buyers, but from all the people you meet at client companies during the buying process? Getting meetings with decision-makers is an even greater struggle, because companies all look alike to buyers. So, how do you cut through the noise and actually talk to your buyers? Talk to me.” By getting referrals.

Referrals 168

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead 168

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 23, 2018

92 percent of B2B buyers use social media to engage with industry thought leaders. In fact, the social media version might be even more annoying because you’re wasting buyers’ personal time and basically spamming their personal accounts. That’s what business buyers want from salespeople. Source: LinkedIn ). Source: Bambu ).

Social Selling 218

Social Selling Social Media Referrals Lead Rank 218

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 6, 2017

Get in before buyers know they have a need and set the standards by which others are evaluated. Yes, occasionally a well-served client will mention your company to another buyer and you’ll magically get a sale. It’s not just one more lead generation initiative or training program to introduce to your organization.

Guarantee 233

Guarantee Referrals Prospecting Lead Generation 233

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 3, 2017

Buyers do that too. Don’t even think about training your team how to close. Buyers actually want to talk to your team, not your competition. This is not how account based sales reps wow prospects, build relationships with them, convert them into clients, and then land and expand throughout their companies. Save your money.

Account 220

Account Closing Sales Qualified Lead Referrals 220

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2019

Martin’s research on buyers and the mistakes salespeople make. Put a referral system in place, with training, metrics, and accountability for results. They tell me about their product and how we could collaborate, and they include a link to their calendar. Why would I ever accept? (I I immediately remove the connection.).

Referrals 289

Referrals System Cold Calling Social Media 289

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 17, 2014

But most sales reps enter the field without any formal training. In fact, three out of four salespeople aren’t performing up to par, according to research from sales training consulting firm, Kurlan & Associates. Most of the people in the 74% bracket can improve if they get training. Then there are 74% who are failing.

Face-to-face 278

Face-to-face Social Media Oracle Hiring 278

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 19, 2015

We were thought leaders; we had visibility; the client loved our solution for advanced sales training; and now we were one of two. My prospect: Had a relationship with an existing vendor for basic sales training. Finally, the buyers chose the existing vendor. That was my problem, not my buyer’s. Kept me hanging.

Vendor 120

Vendor Proposal Small Business Small Business 120

No More Cold Calling

MAY 25, 2017

This month’s guest blogger, Tim Hughes—author of Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers —discusses social selling offenses and how to rectify them. Maybe some training might help? And considering account-based sales is all about relationships, perhaps a different approach is in order. By Tim Hughes.

Account 288

Account Social Media Social Selling Twitter 288

No More Cold Calling

MAY 12, 2015

Slowly but surely, sellers are lining up on one side of the sales cycle, while buyers line up on the other. That’s the digital buyer. Yet, despite the changing buyer, salespeople are still measured on legacy metrics, as if customers start with zero knowledge of us. Conference. It’s tough to follow.

Lead Rank 120

Lead Rank Top of Funnel Face-to-face Lead Scoring 120

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 23, 2017

Ask any B2B sales leader about their lead generation challenges, and you’ll get specific answers about why their teams can’t get access to buyers, how sales processes have gotten too long, or why they’re losing to the competition. Women have everything it takes to succeed in sales. Read the rest of her article for more on these strategies.).

Hiring 242

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Company 242

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 29, 2018

We’ve trained our buyers to expect discounts and that everything is negotiable. The better strategy is to quote a reasonable price in the first place, and you’ll gradually shift buyer behavior. Buyers recognize an inflated price a mile away. Sadly, that behavior continues in sales negotiations today.

Referrals 136

Referrals LinkedIn Examples Cold Calling 136

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 13, 2016

B2B buyer engagement is at an unprecedented low. . While the benefits of inbound marketing are critical, we are also seeing periods of low buyer engagement. Involving well-trained salespeople will improve these numbers. Buyers want an educated salesperson for big spends or new products. . needs us more than ever.

B2B 120

B2B Hiring Social Media Pharmaceuticals 120

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 31, 2017

For example, if you believe that 57 percent of the buying process is complete before buyers ever contact account based sales reps, you’ve lost the deal before you’ve begun. If you believe that video is the end-all, be-all for sales training and content marketing, you’re mistaken. Closing is never the problem. And I’m not the only one.

Referrals 149

Referrals Cold Calling Account Video 149

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 7, 2014

So if you’ve provided all the tools and training they need to succeed long-term, and they’re still more trouble than they’re worth, it’s time to make some tough decisions. He has worked with more than 100 companies—across a wide variety of industries—giving salespeople professional selling skills to help eliminate buyer frustration.

Hiring 274

Hiring Small Business Small Business Enterprise 274

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 29, 2017

We were thought leaders; we had visibility; and the client loved our solution for advanced sales training. This is a lot tougher today, because buyers are already suffering from information overload. And that’s a problem, because even when our buyers are steering the boat, they expect us to help them get where they need to go.

Referrals 149

Referrals Cold Calling Account Travel 149

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 9, 2019

So, they rely on outdated tactics that fail to engage the 21st-century buyer—tactics like cold calling, sending cold emails, and stalking prospects on social media. No, it has not changed the way we talk to prospects, how buyers relate to us, and why they choose us over our competition.

Sales Qualified Lead 269

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 269

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 30, 2016

But consultative salespeople who take a strategic approach and operate in a more complex buyer dynamic will increase by 10 percent. Sure, they provide “training,” but training without reinforcement, coaching, accountability, and practice is a waste of time and money. Yes, order-taker sales jobs will disappear. We want it now.

Referrals 120

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Lead Generation Cold Calling 120

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 6, 2019

So, they rely on outdated tactics that fail to engage the 21st-century buyer—tactics like cold calling, sending cold emails, and stalking prospects on social media. No, it has not changed the way we talk to prospects, how buyers relate to us, and why they choose us over our competition.

Sales Qualified Lead 209

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 209

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

It alerts travelers to the potentially dangerous space between the platform and train on the London underground system. We can be derailed in the middle of the curve (oops … new buyers, acquisition, change in leadership, new company direction) or at the end of the curve. Beware This Really Big Gap in Your B2B Sales Strategies!

Referrals 120

Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Discount 120

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

It alerts travelers to the potentially dangerous space between the platform and train on the London underground system. We can be derailed in the middle of the curve (oops … new buyers, acquisition, change in leadership, new company direction) or at the end of the curve. Neglect referral plans at your own risk.

Webinar Metrics 120

Webinar Metrics B2B Strategy Referrals 120

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 29, 2016

Buyers are finalizing their 2017 budgets now, so reach out to your current clients and ensure you’re still on their radar. You probably started with a tricycle (very safe), then got a bicycle with training wheels (safe), which you eventually dropped for a free ride (not so safe). And who has extra time just floating around?

Referrals 120

Referrals Cold Calling Lead Generation Social Media 120

No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Buyers do business with you, not with your company and not with technology. For salespeople with at least 10 years of experience, I offer an exclusive opportunity twice a year for semi-private training and coaching though my Referral Selling Masters Program. Read “ Understanding Your Customers Is Not a Crap Shoot.”).

Gatekeeper 218

Gatekeeper Referrals Cold Calling Hiring 218

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 13, 2013

I suggest proving you have impact and then leaving it to the buyer to establish a goal for your solution. Michael Nick is one of the leading experts in sales tool development, and training and sales enablement. Look at CRM or SFA systems over the years. Do you really think those delivered ROI as planned? About the Author.

ROI 235

ROI Sales Qualified Lead Analysis Microsoft 235

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

She not only met with the potential buyers; she made a presentation to 60 people and has four strategic projects in the pipeline. Drive your car; get on a bus; take a train. One of my clients had a potential deal with a major prospect, but she couldn’t get the decision-makers on the phone. Fast-forward two months. Showing up counts.

Referrals 120

Referrals Face-to-face Decision Maker Social Media 120

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 3, 2016

Her goal is to ensure that her buyer has a superior buying, selling, implementation, and consulting experience. “If Before any meeting or presentation, she does research and structures her train of thought so she can speak with confidence. The bulldog in question is Amy, director of sales strategy at a large B2B software company.

Referrals 120

Referrals Scale Cold Calling Call-back 120

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 26, 2017

Most account based sales reps would give their right arm for a chance to bypass all the middlemen and talk directly to their buyers—not just once in a while, but routinely. What Buyers Really Think About Your Account Based Sales Teams. Yet, only 18 percent of salespeople are viewed as trusted advisors whom buyers respect.

Decision Maker 207

Decision Maker Referrals Cold Calling Lead Rank 207

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 17, 2019

Buyers say we all look alike. Now’s the time to get on your prospects’ radar—before their 2020 budgets are set and before your competitors have had a chance to make their mark. In other words, now’s the time to be asking for referrals. Your Competitive Advantage: A Referral Introduction.

Referrals 39

Referrals Cost per Acquisition Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead 39