How to Get a "Yes!" to Your Proposal
Selling Energy
APRIL 6, 2023
Why might your prospect be willing to say “yes” to taking on a proposed energy solution? Is it about saving energy? Saving money? Saving carbon? Something else?
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Danger, Danger! The Pitfalls of Premature Proposals
SalesProInsider
DECEMBER 4, 2019
And in listening to the stories of these new couples, no matter how they initially met, there was time, shared experiences, and getting to know each other before the engagement proposal. Premature Proposals Lead to Broken Engagements. How to Know if It’s Time for a Proposal. An Opportunity or an Assignment? What to Do Instead.
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6-Slide Proposal
KO Advantage Group
JUNE 4, 2020
The proposal in the sales process is the last moment we get to bridge our relationships from prospects to clients. Why do so many people confuse this document with everything that a proposal shouldn't be, or send it through the worst possible way "I'll email you something". Think of this as the sale after the sell.
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How to Reengineer Your Sales Training Program
SalesFuel
MARCH 26, 2024
Most sales managers would like to do that. But since they can’t, the next best thing may be to reengineer your sales training program. How to Reengineer Your Sales Training Program Before you begin to adjust the details of your sales training initiatives, take time to study your rain makers. Credibility is key to buyers.
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Technical Appendix of Your Proposal
Selling Energy
OCTOBER 14, 2022
Yesterday, I wrote about why you should avoid discussing the technical aspects of your efficiency projects and instead consider how your prospect might be emotionally drawn to your project.
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8 of the Most Difficult Types of Prospects (& How to Deal With Them), According to Real Sales Leaders
Hubspot Sales
MARCH 25, 2024
Welcome to " The Pipeline" — a weekly column from HubSpot, featuring actionable advice from real sales leaders. Here it is: Prospects aren't always easy to deal with. 8 of the Most Difficult Types of Prospects (& How to Deal With Them) 1. Want more content like this? Subscribe to our newsletter! You're welcome.
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Are you ready to ‘receive’? more money?
Bernadette McClelland
MAY 22, 2022
When I was a sales rep in Corporate Australia, it was quite common to receive multi 5-figure commissions for selling certain solutions – and most often selling those deals involved a series of detailed stages: Your normal sales discovery calls. Proposal iterations and. Demonstrations. Workflow blue-printing. RE-IMAGINED.
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Sales Energy Audits: How to Increase Revenue by Shifting Your Sales-Energy Use
SBI
JANUARY 22, 2013
Sales Energy Audits: How to Increase Revenue by Shifting Your Sales-Energy Use. Twenty years ago, the connection between energy efficiency and environmental benefits was poorly understood by the general population. Today, nearly everyone agrees that it’s important to save energy. Converting Prospects.
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Uncover Compelling Non-Energy Benefits for Your Products and Services
Selling Energy
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022
In selling efficiency, there are three main “value categories” that you can bring to the table when proposing a project: utility-cost financial benefits; non-utility-cost financial benefits; and, non-financial benefits.
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How to Present a Winning One-Page Proposal
Selling Energy
NOVEMBER 11, 2022
Concise communication is a key ingredient in any winning sales process. For this reason, you need to make a thoughtfully drafted one-page proposal a no-exceptions best practice. It’s the document that gets your prospect motivated to move forward.
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Save Yourself Time and Ditch the Big Proposal
Selling Energy
OCTOBER 27, 2022
How often do weighty “free audits,” detailed technical studies, or long-winded proposals drive customers to embrace efficiency? How many times in your career have you either offered one of these things to a prospect, or received one yourself with horror realizing that now you have to read the thing or at least pretend you did?
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Put Yourself into Your Prospect's Shoes
Selling Energy
JULY 27, 2023
It may sound simple, but one of the best strategies for determining the ideal sales approach for a given prospect is to get into their shoes. There is no universal sales strategy that works across the board, so you need to figure out exactly what each prospect cares most about and work that angle into your proposal.
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Personalization Should Be Synonymous With Prospects
Pipeliner
SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
If salespeople want to maximize their profits and make the most out of their time, they need to learn how to personalize their prospects while conserving time. While this might seem contradictory, it can be done with good prospecting software and a detailed prospecting plan. . The Importance of Continually Prospecting.
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How to Present a Winning One-Page Proposal
Selling Energy
JANUARY 22, 2021
Concise communication is a key ingredient in any winning sales process. For this reason, you need to make a thoughtfully drafted one-page proposal a no-exceptions best practice. It’s the document that gets your prospect motivated to move forward.
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Who Really Sells a Multifamily Energy Project?
Selling Energy
OCTOBER 2, 2019
A casual observer would assume that “vendors” and “contractors” sell energy efficiency projects to multifamily building owners. In reality, the energy managers and other internal champions connected to those buildings wind up doing most of the “selling.”
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How to Write a Proposal: The Last Guide You'll Ever Need
Hubspot Sales
AUGUST 8, 2018
How to Write a Proposal. Limit your proposal to 1-2 pages. Direct your proposal to the correct stakeholders. Ensure your proposal is viewable across a variety of devices. Proofread your proposal before sending (really). Let’s face it, there’s nothing fun or sexy about sales proposals.
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Email opens aren’t enough to measure prospect engagement
DocSend
JUNE 3, 2020
How many times have you chased down an email open only to find out a prospect isn’t actually interested? We’ve all done it before: We’ve followed up with a prospect after they open our email, maybe even several times. By the time we realize these opportunities are dead ends, we’ve wasted a lot of time and energy.
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Get Visual
Selling Energy
MARCH 14, 2023
If you want to capture the attention of a prospect who doesn’t have the attention span (or ability) to fully understand a formal written proposal with its complex financials and technical appendices, consider adding some visuals to convey value. They called the campaign “March Utility Madness” to coincide with basketball season.
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Work Your Angle
Selling Energy
JULY 4, 2023
When you approach a prospect with a proposal, you need to make a clear decision about what angle you plan to take. Are you placing your emphasis on energy savings? Are you placing it on being a good corporate citizen? Are you placing it on sustainability?
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Time To Get Around To It
The Pipeline
OCTOBER 23, 2017
But many sales people cherry pick time, and use it to avoid things that have to be done, like prospecting for example. Regularly when I ask buyers why they didn’t prospect, or when they plan to prospect, I hear “I’ll get around to it when I have time”. Which may lead one to conclude that they do not want to prospect.
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Trojan Horse Basics
Selling Energy
FEBRUARY 11, 2022
When it comes to proposing energy efficiency changes, it may seem overwhelming to your prospects. As with any Selling Energy strategy , you’ll have to ask yourself how to overcome their objections.
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Project Barriers
Selling Energy
APRIL 29, 2022
There are countless reasons that a proposed energy project might not be approved. Rather than trying to predict which objections might surface during the approval process, ask your prospect to provide you with a sneak preview of what lies ahead: “What barriers have you faced in getting your projects approved in the past?”.
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9 Things You Should Never Say to a Prospect Over Email
Hubspot Sales
APRIL 2, 2018
I wanted to follow up on the proposal.”. "Do Have you had time to read through the proposal?". “I I’m looking forward to working with you [prospect].". Great to meet you [prospect]! You’re working with a prospect. If I had called earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of time and energy.
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Remember the Hierarchy of Factors
Selling Energy
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
You may recall Seth Godin’s hierarchy of factors that cause a non-business-owner to say “yes” to a proposal made in a business-to-business setting: avoiding risk, avoiding hassle, gaining praise, gaining power, having fun, and finally, making a profit.
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The Best 10 Conversational AI for Sales
Hubspot Sales
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
Conversational AI for sales teams can eliminate a lot of repetitive tasks such as follow-up emails and customer queries and even generate sales collateral. Here are the best ten conversational AI tools for sales. How Conversational AI Can Benefit Sales The Best Conversational AI Tools for Sales Teams What is conversational AI?
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Responding to the Digital Sales Shift
Sales and Marketing Management
DECEMBER 14, 2020
In fact, Kavadellas, CEO of Georgia-based Orasi, a software developer, reseller and consulting firm, was scheduled to play a round with a client and a prospect the day after we spoke with him in November for this story. But Kavadellas recognizes the golf course doesn’t suit everyone as an effective setting for a sales meeting.
Don't Talk Past the Sale
Selling Energy
AUGUST 31, 2022
I talk a lot about being concise and focusing attention on the real value proposition, particularly in the context of written proposals. While it’s vital that your proposals are short, persuasive, and understandable, it’s equally important that you trim down your talking points when meeting with a prospect face-to-face.
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Great views from the Summit -- the Sales Summit, that is.
Jeffrey Gitomer
MARCH 18, 2019
What makes sales happen in the real world? A few weeks ago I asked you to send me your best sales idea or philosophy. I want to share a few of the ticket winning responses from fellow sales professionals: Show–up. Synergize your goals – combine business and fitness goals to maximize energy and productivity. Be yourself.
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Want More Sales? Hiring More Salespeople May Not Be the Answer
Alice Heiman
OCTOBER 25, 2022
Why can’t they make more sales? Before you contemplate adding more salespeople to reach your sales goals, let’s first consider all the things that salespeople typically do: Research companies and people. Write quotes and proposals. Send emails to prospects and customers. . Prepare for sales calls. .
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Short-Term Wins
Selling Energy
FEBRUARY 5, 2021
You may be convinced an energy-related solution you are proposing could drive important benefits for your prospect. However, your prospect may ignore or reject it in favor of something “urgent” because urgency usually trumps importance when people evaluate how to invest their time and money.
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Making What’s Important More Urgent
Selling Energy
MAY 14, 2020
You may be convinced an energy-related solution you are proposing could drive important benefits for your prospect. However, your prospect may ignore or reject it in favor of something “urgent” because urgency usually trumps importance when people evaluate how to invest their time and money.
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Remember the Hierarchy of Factors
Selling Energy
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
You may recall Seth Godin’s hierarchy of factors that cause a non-business-owner to say “yes” to a proposal made in a business-to-business setting: avoiding risk, avoiding hassle, gaining praise, gaining power, having fun, and finally, making a profit.
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4 Steps to Make Your Sales Life Easier
No More Cold Calling
JANUARY 20, 2015
LinkedIn’s Koka Sexton shares four no-sweat solutions for increasing sales productivity. You’ve got your head down, drafting a proposal or implementing a complex solution with a client. You’ve still got to prospect. While we were so very busy, we didn’t make time to prospect. By putting better systems in place.
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How to Differentiate Between Warm and Hot Leads
Zoominfo
JULY 23, 2020
Think of warm leads as the window shopping of sales. The creme de la creme of leads, hot leads are ones that are qualified, highly interested in your product, and ready for direct contact from a sales rep. They typically: Have both the budget and the authority to accept your proposal. Don’t worry, we’ll explain.
Show, Don’t Tell: 5 Effective Ways to Coach Your Sales Team
Sales and Marketing Management
NOVEMBER 15, 2018
Author: Matthew Sunshine If you’re a sales manager, you know this to be true: Having that tough conversation with a salesperson who isn’t meeting goals is never fun. As a sales manager, see whether this sounds familiar: You sit down with an underperforming salesperson and open with a statement like, “You’re not hitting your numbers.”
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THE INITIAL GOAL OF A COLD CALL IS…. To Assess if There’s a Fit
Keith Rosen
JANUARY 2, 2020
Think about the initial objective of your prospecting efforts. If you think the goal is to close a sale, deliver a presentation, submit a proposal or schedule an appointment, think again. Consider this.
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The ABM Cookbook for Sales Teams: 5 recipes to keep Sales 100% focused on target accounts
DiscoverOrg Sales
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
The account-based approach is an increasingly common undertaking by marketing and sales departments. But the biggest account-based killer is still at large: Lack of sustained focus from Sales. How can you challenge enthusiasm, channel energy, and constantly focus your sales team on the accounts that really matter?
How to speed up your sales cycle in 2023
PandaDoc
MARCH 13, 2023
If you are a business, then you are well aware of what a sales cycle is. These days, there is a tendency toward sales cycles becoming slower. One solution to effectively speeding up your sales cycle is to optimize the sales processes within your company. What is a sales cycle? Sales cycles can be long or short.
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Using Custom ChatGPT AI Technology to Power Your Sales
Accent Technologies
JULY 18, 2023
The movie showcases the beginning of the nuclear age and the power of atomic energy. Large Language Model AI technology like Custom ChatGPT represents the beginning of the Sales AI age. Drawing an analogy from Einstein's famous equation, E=mc 2 , we propose a new business equation: Value = Information 2.
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Urgency vs. Importance
Selling Energy
MAY 11, 2021
You may be convinced an energy-related solution that you are proposing could drive important benefits for your prospect. However, your prospect may ignore or reject it in favor of something “urgent” because urgency usually trumps importance when people evaluate how to invest their time and money.
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FU Is For Follow Up
The Pipeline
JULY 17, 2014
If you follow this blog, you may have seen that several times I have suggested that those people who are not cut out for a career in sales, should seriously consider transitioning to a career in hospitality. Here we are more than month later, no proposal – no follow up. Here are but two examples. B) They are useless.
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Trojan Horse Basics
Selling Energy
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
When it comes to proposing energy efficiency changes, it may seem overwhelming to your prospects. As with any Selling Energy strategy , you’ll have to ask yourself how to overcome their objections.
Government 52
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How to Thrive in Sales as an Introvert
Sales Hacker
OCTOBER 6, 2022
After all, the entire sales process is based on putting yourself out there and making the ask. Related: Overcoming Sales Rejection: How To Turn Failure Into Opportunity Every Single Time. Remember that rejection in sales is not about you as a person. Introverts, your personality is actually a sales superpower.
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5 Steps to Closing the Sale Faster [Don’t Let It Slip Through the Cracks!]
Marc Wayshak
MARCH 23, 2022
When a seemingly good sales situation seems to slow down for no apparent reason , it can feel like a sticky gravitational pull that can’t be stopped. And in some cases, the sale entirely slips through the cracks once momentum is lost. This is one of the most common sales challenges I hear about. Disqualify prospects.
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