No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

He is a sales stalker—someone who blasts out dozens of invites and then lies in wait, ready to pounce with an unwelcome sales pitch the moment anyone responds. Like Mark, many sales stalkers are too lazy to even personalize their invitations and just use the automated verbiage: “Please join my professional network.”

Referrals 177

Referrals Cold Calling Lead Rank Lead Scoring 177

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 9, 2020

You’re the ultimate sales technology—and this is the ultimate sales conversations book. If there ever was a time for real, authentic sales conversations, it’s now. Do you know how to have that kind of sales conversations? Reps told me they didn’t need to have sales conversations. The phone works. INTRODUCTION.

Conversion 305

Conversion Face-to-face Social Media Referrals 305

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 21, 2023

I’m adopting a new AI platform (shhh, it’s still in beta) to create targeted messages addressing the needs and concerns of sales leaders in a fresh way. I’m tired of hearing sales leaders complain about not having enough leads, struggling to get access to decision-makers, and not making quota. Stay tuned for more!) How do you do that?

Referrals 156

Referrals Social Media Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead 156

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Make referrals your #1 outbound prospecting strategy, and watch the qualified clients pour into your sales funnel. Create a referral system : While sales leaders acknowledge that referrals are the #1 way to ensure a pipeline of only qualified leads, most don’t put a system in place to make referrals happen. Everything else is optional.

Referrals 194

Referrals Scale Decision Maker Sales Qualified Lead 194

No More Cold Calling

MAY 25, 2017

In this month’s guest post, Tim Hughes discusses social media offenses and how account-based selling teams can avoid them. Account-based sales reps know better than to treat people that way in real life, so why treat people that way on social media? You’re hosting a dinner party at your home. By Tim Hughes.

Account 288

Account Social Media Social Selling Twitter 288

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Cold calling is a duplicitous, disingenuous sales tactic. If you make 100 calls, you’ll talk to about 20 people, schedule 10 sales appointments, and if you’re lucky, close one new deal. It’s email blasts, video calls, text messages, and cold outreach on social media. STOP Cold Calling. That’s a 1 percent return on your time.

Cold Calling 365

Cold Calling Social Media Telemarketing Referrals 365

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 23, 2018

It’s not, because that’s not what social media is for. Done right, it doesn’t actually involve selling, which is good, because no one wants to be sold to on social media. Social media is a place to begin conversations, which leads to building relationships, which can yield real-world sales. What Is Social Selling? .

Social Selling 218

Social Selling Social Media Referrals Lead Rank 218

No More Cold Calling

MAY 24, 2018

If you’re researching the latest and greatest sales trends, you just might fall victim to the bright-shiny-object syndrome. Just because certain sales prospecting techniques are all the rage, doesn’t mean they’re right for you or for your buyer. Sales productivity tools are everywhere, but do they really enhance productivity?

Prospecting 196

Prospecting Social Media Trends Face-to-face 196

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 27, 2019

Otherwise, if they’re in a sales-related field, I’ll often accept. Salespeople often forget that social media is the place to begin a conversation and begin a relationship. In the world of social media, less is more. If people pitch in their invitations, I ignore them. I never pitch. There’s research to prove it.

LinkedIn 307

LinkedIn Social Media Networking Cold Calling 307

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 3, 2020

We see deals in our sales pipeline postponed or disappearing. Sales leaders: Lead generation must be your primary focus. What do businesses typically do when clients stop buying and the sales pipeline dries up? If You Freeze Up, So Does the Sales Pipeline. If You Freeze Up, So Does the Sales Pipeline. Save Money.

Pipeline 414

Pipeline Prospecting Ideal Customer Profile Referrals 414

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

If not, what does that say about the state of sales ethics? The facilitator asked a provocative question: How many of you would tell your children to pursue a sales career? A surprising response, since the participants were all tenured and successful sales leaders. (My All talk, no sales ethics. Ethics in Sales.

Face-to-face 313

Face-to-face Cold Calling Social Media Travel 313

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 14, 2017

Has digital communication killed traditional sales techniques? A sales VP was frustrated with her account based sales team, as they relied almost exclusively on technology for generating sales leads. They spent plenty of time on social media and sent tons of emails, but they rarely reached actual decision-makers.

Account 228

Account Face-to-face Decision Maker Social Media 228

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 5, 2021

It’s a new year and time for a fresh approach to sales. That’s why I’m introducing Back in the Black , my new monthly sales TV show on the Sales Experts Channel! I’ll cover a different sales topic each month to help you get comfortable asking clients for referrals. Think of it like watching the news.

Referrals 194

Referrals Cold Calling Call-back Social Media 194

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 16, 2017

It can take eight to 14 touches to just to reach a prospect who isn’t expecting a call from your sales rep. There has to be an easier way to score qualified sales leads! Cold calling is a demeaning sales tactic and an inefficient way to generate qualified sales leads. They’re the reason sales gets a bad name.

Sales Qualified Lead 232

Sales Qualified Lead Cold Calling Lead Rank Lead Scoring 232

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

“I want you to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed that there are no women on our sales team.” Not only were there no women, but the sales team was all white men of a certain age. I told him that most women aren’t waiting in line for his or any other sales jobs, and he’d have to go out and find them. Think used-car salesman.)

Hiring 280

Hiring Referrals Social Media Cold Calling 280

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 31, 2013

Social media doesn’t “warm” your call, you do. They know how you’re connected through social media, where you used to work, and where you went to school. Your sales prospect doesn’t know you and doesn’t expect your call. What if you could reach out to your sales prospects and guarantee results? Guarantee Your Results.

Referrals 207

Referrals Cold Calling Conversion Social Media 207

No More Cold Calling

MAY 19, 2016

As is the person who invites me (and probably the rest of the world) to connect, and then responds immediately with a sales pitch. Then There Are the Sales Snobs. Sales snobs, on the other hand, miss out on referral opportunities because they narrow their focus too much. These are the sales snobs. Oh sure, I thought.

ACT 260

ACT Referrals Social Media Cold Calling 260

No More Cold Calling

MAY 25, 2023

One marketing platform or sales enablement app? Stand Out to Meet Quota None of this would matter if sales reps were meeting or exceeding quota, if their pipelines were qualified and their projections accurate, and if they had only committed and loyal clients. But that’s not happening in most sales organizations. That’s pitiful.

B2B 177

B2B Buyer Referrals Sales Qualified Lead 177

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2014

Here’s why your social media strategy is falling flat—and how to bring it back to life. So when and where is the best time to make a sales pitch? Save it for when your prospects genuinely like and trust you, because strangers on social media couldn’t care less. Sales is still about people buying from people. Comment Here.

Social Selling 272

Social Selling Social Media Webinar Metrics Media 272

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 15, 2021

Every sales leader says their #1 prospecting challenge is getting leads in the pipe. Despite the fact that most companies have marketing automation solutions, targeted outreach by SDRs, and intense social media strategies, account execs are still missing quota en masse. Not getting the ROI you expected from your lead-gen tactics?

Lead Gen 397

Lead Gen Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Qualified Lead Leads 397

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 8, 2019

In honor of International Women’s Day, how can your sales team attract more female rainmakers? There’s always been bias against women in sales, and anyone with different color skin, ethnicity, or beliefs than decision-makers and hiring managers. Whatever the reason for the change, the rallying cry is to attract women in sales.

Hiring 247

Hiring Referrals Networking Conference 247

No More Cold Calling

JULY 27, 2023

Rachel, a sales VP at a large technology company, was frustrated with her sales team. She knew they relied almost exclusively on technology for generating sales leads. They spent plenty of time on social media and sent tons of emails, but they rarely reached actual decision-makers. Relationships do. Not even close!

Decision Maker 156

Decision Maker Referrals Face-to-face Social Media 156

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 16, 2018

Far too many sales reps do. So, they spend most of their time staring at screens—doing demos, sending emails, and interacting on social media. Perhaps if what you’re doing isn’t working, new sales techniques are in order? McKinsey summarizes this challenge in “ The secret to making it in the digital sales world: The human touch.”

Fashion 219

Fashion Buying Cycle Social Media Survey 219

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 11, 2018

Is sales an art or a science? The Sales Hunter answers that question. Neither are account based sales teams. When they’re asking for referrals, they should never ask on social media or in any other digital format. He also questions the sales intelligence of his dog. Sales is the “art of selling.”

Account 204

Account Competition Cost per Acquisition Referrals 204

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 29, 2019

Sales leaders acknowledge that referrals are their fastest revenue driver and solve their two biggest issues: getting qualified leads in the pipe and scoring meetings with decision-makers. While all salespeople love to receive referrals, most are uncomfortable asking for them, and many sales leaders don’t believe referrals can scale.

Referrals 222

Referrals Social Media Sales Qualified Lead Cold Calling 222

No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

You have email, social media, and smartphones at your fingertips. How long does it take to make one more call, send one more email, or contact someone you know on social media to schedule a phone call or a get-together? Every sales leader wants to know how to generate leads—not just any leads, but qualified leads. That’s scary.

Referrals 233

Referrals Lead Gen Social Media Cold Calling 233

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 17, 2016

What makes the most influential sellers so successful on social media? Any sales professional who says it’s easy to keep up communication on social networks is either lying or doing it incorrectly. Your marketing department can help by providing relevant content to the sales team. But sales reps have work to do as well.

Social Selling 120

Social Selling Lead Rank Lead Scoring Social Media 120

No More Cold Calling

JULY 19, 2012

Technology may power sales research, but people power the close. Nothing has really changed in the sales world, although many pundits rant about the “new normal,” “new realities,” Buyer 2.0, The Internet and technology are great, but you are the ultimate sales technology.). Deliver Great Sales: Comment Here.

Buyer 267

Buyer Social Media Media Vendor 267

No More Cold Calling

MAY 28, 2020

Conversations have become less frequent, email spam has skyrocketed, and social media is the new breeding ground for sales pitches. Then, learn how to lean on your referral network during tough economic times in my presentation for the Sales Expert Channel, “ How to Recession Proof Your Sales in 9 Killer Steps.”.

Social Media 391

Social Media Referrals Cold Calling Social Selling 391

No More Cold Calling

MAY 4, 2017

Showing up matters, especially for account-based sales pros—whether it’s showing up in the right place at the right time, showing up to learn, or just showing up to connect. Today, when looking for qualified sales leads , we must show up in person and online. Not for Account-Based Sales! Digital Referrals?

Referrals 197

Referrals Account Sales Qualified Lead Social Media 197

No More Cold Calling

JULY 10, 2014

George runs a social media company. He is tech savvy and up-to-date on the do’s and don’ts of social media. It was a total sales pitch, and a dishonest one at that. And he called himself a social media expert. And that’s the key to increasing your sales pipeline—making connections that count.

LinkedIn 267

LinkedIn Social Media Referrals How To 267

No More Cold Calling

JULY 5, 2018

My new LinkedIn sales training courses take out the guesswork! They’re bombarded with cold calls, cold emails, and pitches on social media. And my new sales training courses on LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com are your ticket to referral selling. Sales: Referral Selling by Joanne Black. Is selling really tougher today?

Referrals 159

Referrals Prospecting Cold Calling Decision Maker 159

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 19, 2014

If you’re asking strangers on social media for referrals, you’re like the guy at a networking event who shoves his card in people’s face and asks for theirs in return. It’s driven by relationships and trust, not social media connections. In social media, the people are the media.”. many times since. “In

Referrals 292

Referrals Webinar Metrics Social Media Face-to-face 292

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 24, 2019

percent of sales reps made quota last year. Cold calling doesn’t address the top two challenges that sales teams face. Regardless of the way you reach out—via email, social media, text, direct mail, or even a knock on the door—prospects are cold as ice unless they know who you are and expect to hear from you.

Cold Calling 269

Cold Calling Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Lead Generation 269

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 9, 2019

Successful sales professionals understand that technology is a must-have business tool. 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. Technology has an important role to play in sales, but it’s a supporting role.

Sales Qualified Lead 269

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 269

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 30, 2018

There’s no such thing as a warm anything in sales—an email, phone call, social media outreach, or even a knock on the door. It’s not, because that’s not what social media is for. Big problem—the kind of problem that will keep a sales leader up at night, or worse, get a sales leader canned. Stop rationalizing.

Referrals 258

Referrals Cold Calling Social Media Lead Generation 258

No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Believe that, and your account-based sales strategies are doomed from the start. The best account-based sales strategies aren’t reactive. They don’t need us to give them demos or canned sales pitches, because they can get all that online. Referrals Should Top Your List of Account-Based Sales Strategies. Big mistake!

Account 191

Account Strategy Cold Calling Referrals 191