The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

By encouraging and empowering these customers, employees and influencers, they will drive peer-to-peer referrals, forward content, share information about new products and promotions, and write testimonials. There are few people on earth who will argue that leads generated from referrals are the best leads. . And it works.

Channels 296

Channels Influencer Lead Rank Referrals 296

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Competitive referral. Christopher Ware pointed out to me that if I led with the competitive referral rather than my name, it would accelerate the attention, bam right off the top, rather than my boring name. Most of those pushing back, are those who do not leave voicemails, yet complain that people never call back, OK. Basically: Name.

Referrals 244

Referrals Call-back Guarantee Buyer 244

The Pipeline

JUNE 20, 2016

There is no doubt that the pattern for a long time has been to start off a sales career prospecting, because unless you adopt a territory, there is no other way to build a base, (even if you’re good at referrals, you need someone to refer you). Other than direct referrals, prospecting is the optimal path to that.

Hiring 198

Hiring Referrals Territories Prospecting 198

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Study after study show that cold calling is only second to referrals in effectiveness for engaging with potential buyers. A survey presented in Businessweek showed “referrals from clients or partners (22%), general referrals (16%), and cold-calling or telephone prospecting (13%).”

Cold Calling 303

Cold Calling Outbound Referrals Lead Rank 303

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Oh yes, referrals. There is no denying that a warm referral is like first prize, and an indirect referral, second prize. Besides, not everyone is in a position to get or generate referrals. If you are in a more transactional sale, a new rep to the company, in a new territory, referrals will have limited utility early on.

Cold Calling 292

Cold Calling Social Media Decision Maker Lead Rank 292

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

I usually start my Proactive Prospecting workshops by asking “Who here can make quota strictly from their base and referrals from that base?” I don’t often hear back, mostly because a balanced, well thought-out action plan has to include cold calls, referrals, LinkedIn, and every available and effective tool. Just like they used to.

Cold Calling 282

Cold Calling Outsourcing Services Wireless Harvest 282

The Pipeline

APRIL 8, 2013

Some of the referral based programs overlook the fact that while someone may give you a great referral, but unless the person making the referral calls in advance or introduces you, not always the case, and your call to the target is unscheduled, guess what, it’s a cold call, doesn’t matter what you want to call it to make you feel better.

Cold Calling 292

Cold Calling Referrals Social Media Objections 292

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

The other method is to crank up your referral efforts, both in your client base and, your indirect network, and your Referral 2.0 While I still believe in cold calling, referrals are nice too. Even if they don’t re-engage now, they are likely starting the planning cycle for 2016; early bird is a good thing to be.

Cold Calling 120

Cold Calling Harvest Referrals Call-back 120

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Some may add that in a warm call the recipient may be aware of the person calling and the reason for the call, usually in the form of a referral. Any unscheduled call, be it from a referral or from an overly informed rep, is an interruption. But the reality is that the difference is in your head.

Cold Calling 193

Cold Calling Handbook Referrals Objections 193

The Pipeline

MARCH 19, 2019

Sure, there are referrals and bluebirds, and if you can make your quota on those, by all means, skip prospecting or colds calling. Rather than seeing it as a chore, they need to complete so they can get on to doing things they “like.” They see prospecting as a step or an activity that has to happen before they can get to the rest.

Prospecting 306

Prospecting Proposal Cold Calling Quota 306

The Pipeline

APRIL 29, 2011

They’re not business referrals. Now that’s a qualified business referral. The best leads are those you receive through a referral. When you receive a qualified referral, you are pre-sold. Get more referrals and get these results. They’re inquiries, possibly names—or people just interested in free stuff. Jeff Ogden.

Lead Generation 257

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Lead Top of Funnel Pipeline 257

The Pipeline

JUNE 3, 2013

I think clod calling is a necessary part of a multipronged approach for engaging with potential buyers you have not have not spoken to before, or have a means of generating a referral to.

Cold Calling 267

Cold Calling Social Media Face-to-face Banking 267

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

Once you know how many first meeting you need to drive your quota, you can then understand how many cold calls you need to make, once you back out referrals, marketing generated leads, and sales to current customers. This is no different a process than the socialites would espouse, or the referrals only crowd would.

Cold Calling 120

Cold Calling Referrals Marketing Qualified Lead Proposal 120

The Pipeline

MARCH 24, 2014

So let’s unhyphonate sales, especially silly, potentially revenue destructive labels like “No Cold Calling”, “Referral Selling”, “Trigger Event Selling”, and others. Silly marketing terms that pre-occupy sales people and sell products for those selling to sellers.

Social Selling 325

Social Selling Cold Calling Referrals Account 325

The Pipeline

JULY 14, 2015

Referrals 2.0. This webinar will look at the tools of trade, how you use and leverage will be the difference between connecting and selling or being left behind. We will explore: The Pursuit and Pursuit Cadence. Voice mail messages that get returned. E-mail and role in the pursuit. Everything New is old again.

Webinar Metrics 120

Webinar Metrics Tools Referrals Prospecting 120

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 5, 2013

John Jantsch – Small Business Expert & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine & The Commitment Engine. Gerber – Small Business Guru & Author of the Mega-Bestseller E-Myth Revisited. JJ Ramberg – Host of MSNBC’s Your Business & Author of It’s Your Business.

Small Business 240

Small Business Small Business Journal Engineering 240

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

In this case asking the question has nothing but upside, you win the deal, the client, and referrals to follow. Those referrals are likely to focus more on how you sold them and met their expectations than product. There is no safer question in sales. All upside, no downside. Try it, it’s a gas.

Referrals 120

Referrals Engineering Objections Follow-up 120

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 26, 2012

As an example one thing I need to improve right across the board is generating more referrals, even from prospects who chose to go with something other than Renbor program. There could be things you were doing that are sabotaging your success, if so, clearly something worth putting in the Box.

Referrals 326

Referrals Maximizer Sales Cycle Quota 326

The Pipeline

JUNE 6, 2012

Now if you are in a position to make your quota without having to prospect, including cold calling, and do it purely and strictly through referrals, you may find the rest of this mundane, pedestrian and old school.

Cold Calling 282

Cold Calling Face-to-face Pipeline Referrals 282

The Pipeline

JULY 14, 2014

For those who can’t survive through referrals only, or whose target market is not as active on social media, especially for business, (a large number of SMB’s) the phone remains a vital component of their prospecting effort/success. I am the Zomby Woof ).

Cold Calling 308

Cold Calling Social Media Call-back Exercises 308

The Pipeline

JANUARY 6, 2014

When approached as a bonus, they allow you to explore new sectors, prospect new people, and expand your repertoire, expand markets, and open new referral channels. With a blended pipeline with ample coverage, long shots are fun, and can be rewarding. Plan your long shots with the understanding that will need a lot of run way.

Top of Funnel 276

Top of Funnel Pipeline Sports Funnel 276

The Pipeline

JULY 26, 2012

You can select from over 30 courses with a wide variety of topics ranging from tips and techniques for interviewing for your next sales position to obtaining strategic referrals and partners, through to coaching your sales teams as an effective leader.

Objections 262

Objections Course Referrals Maximizer 262

The Pipeline

MAY 5, 2014

They can always be a prospect in the future, and they certainly are a source for referrals now. Always send a Thank You note – even if the meeting doesn’t go your way, you don’t achieve the desired outcome, no next step, send thank them for their time and input.

Decision Maker 267

Decision Maker Distribution Call-back Referrals 267

The Pipeline

JANUARY 7, 2013

At time this may be in the form of a referral, next step, or the order. But if you can think of it in that if you give value to buyers in any number of ways right through the process, the buyer will reciprocate. Reciprocate forward as it were. Reinvent – This may seem straight forward, but is probably the most difficult for many sellers.

Exercises 281

Exercises Decision Maker Referrals Buyer 281

The Pipeline

JULY 14, 2014

For those who can’t survive through referrals only, or whose target market is not as active on social media, especially for business, (a large number of SMB’s) the phone remains a vital component of their prospecting effort/success. I am the Zomby Woof ).

Cold Calling 247

Cold Calling Social Media Call-back Exercises 247

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Just as it would not be wise to rely strictly on cold calling or referral selling, it is important to resist urge to be post-modern and rely strictly on social selling as some (with financial interests) would encourage you to do. Social selling is one component of many important component of an effective sales pursuit program.

Social Media 265

Social Media Revenue Social Selling Facebook 265

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 27, 2012

As an example one thing I need to improve right across the board is generating more referrals, even from prospects who chose to go with something other than Renbor program. There could be things you were doing that are sabotaging your success, if so, clearly something worth putting in the Box.

Referrals 222

Referrals Maximizer Sales Cycle Quota 222

The Pipeline

JUNE 15, 2012

Sure, you can go for referrals, that’s just the source, it does not change the need for a higher multiple of prospects in the pipe than most want to recognize. There is always that one “that’s gonna come through, you’ll see!”

Prospecting 276

Prospecting Harvest Top of Funnel Face-to-face 276

The Pipeline

MARCH 18, 2013

Moving the dial with these types of buyers requires more than a bit of effort, which is why change is also hard for sellers; it is much easier and safer to rationalize, and wait for a referral.

Sage 274

Sage Penetration Buyer Referrals 274

The Pipeline

JUNE 7, 2013

But now we use a referral sales approach. We allowed them more control over their own schedules. And we launched a peer recognition program. Sharing connections, generating results. We used to lean more on cold calls. The first step was to get everyone on LinkedIn.

Commission 314

Commission Compensation Decision Maker Face-to-face 314

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 31, 2016

You will need to be prospecting (including referrals, up and cross seals and more) at a level and quality that will lead to four prospects/opportunities a week to end up with one close. So if one prospects and drives four new opportunities a week, they will have their one “right” opportunity each and every week.

Sage 120

Sage Sales Cycle Referrals Closing 120

The Pipeline

APRIL 25, 2016

The method was not an issue, they can cold call, socialize, referrals, whatever, the measure was new opportunities. In this case the task was to prospect in sufficient amounts to ensure a given number of new opportunities per month. Based on that I asked this rep to sit down and carve out 30 minutes each day specifically for prospecting.

Face-to-face 120

Face-to-face Cold Calling Referrals Follow-up 120

The Pipeline

MARCH 16, 2015

Is it prospecting, working referrals, upselling current clients, you know better than I what it is for you. The answer is simple, what is your highest value activity. What is the one activity that always pays off, and the more of it you do, the better you are set to succeed.

Banking 120

Banking Cold Calling Referrals Consumer 120

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 5, 2011

In and of itself, cold calling, like referrals or other prospecting methods is not the end all and be all. In fact studies have shown that next to referrals, it is the most effective, time and cost efficient way to engage with potential buyers, especially those who have not declared themselves as being in the market.

Cold Calling 201

Cold Calling Pipeline Twitter Call-back 201

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 25, 2016

Shareaholic says that Facebook is the number one referral traffic source for websites. Email and social media are both vital parts of many marketing plans- they’re just two different avenues to reach your customers. If you are having trouble with either method, the solutions may be getting them to work with each other.

Social Media 120

Social Media Top of Funnel Funnel Small Business 120

The Pipeline

JUNE 18, 2015

This is a way to be put on a pedestal in a memorable way and can lead to new business and referrals – use your business differentiators to increase your sales. Host an event people actually want to attend and give them downtown in a way that makes your business stand apart from others. Do a giveaway. Yes, this is making the list again.

Small Business 120

Small Business Small Business Social Media Promotion 120

The Pipeline

AUGUST 2, 2013

Managers must develop an “always-be-recruiting” strategy that includes a referral network, and strong screening and interviewing techniques that help qualify and identify inside sales superheroes. These are living, breathing micro businesses that are constantly in flux.

Sales Management 257

Sales Management Hiring Inside Sales Cold Calling 257