No More Cold Calling

JULY 26, 2018

In a recent blog post, Dave Kurlan shared research from his company, Objective Management Group (OMG), about why salespeople can’t close. Salespeople say meeting with decision-makers is important, but the OMG research shows that only 10 percent of salespeople are actually reaching decision-makers. The Golden Ticket to the C-Suite.

Pipeline 184

Pipeline Decision Maker Closing Referrals 184

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 28, 2018

When Forrester conducted the same research two years later, in 2017 , they predicted that “upskilled inside sales will play an even greater role in all phases of SMB and enterprise sales than initially predicted in 2015.”. Yes, for those who sell commodities.

Referrals 232

Referrals Cold Calling Inside Sales Enterprise 232

No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Research shows that taking just a five-minute break and going outside is restorative. I’ve heard for years that people forget 70 percent of what they learn in a professional training class within 24 hours of the event. Their research is fascinating and upends how we thought we learned. At least that’s my “take.” Brown, Henry L.

Referrals 233

Referrals Lead Gen Social Media Cold Calling 233

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

MARCH 25, 2021

Thanks to Todd Caponi’s diligent research. She decided special training was needed for girls who wanted to become saleswomen, and perhaps one day, women sales leaders. And as a member of the executive committee of the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union of Boston, she had the means to provide that training.

Hiring 379

Hiring eBook Cold Calling Scale 379

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2019

Salesforce research brief, Trends in Customer Trust, says fostering trust is the new business imperative. Martin’s research on buyers and the mistakes salespeople make. Put a referral system in place, with training, metrics, and accountability for results. So, when I refer you, this person’s trust in me gets transferred to you.

Referrals 289

Referrals System Cold Calling Social Media 289

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 16, 2018

New research from McKinsey finds that the digital world requires a human touch for salespeople to excel. The researchers write: There’s no doubt that digital is rocket fuel for sales organizations. To learn more about the most high-touch prospecting strategy of all, check out my new referral sales training courses on LinkedIn Learning.

Fashion 219

Fashion Buying Cycle Social Media Survey 219

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 22, 2017

Based on my experience with thousands of solution selling training program participants, here are a few signs that your B2B sales strategy needs a review and re-work: Lagging Growth: You are not growing as fast as your competitors or your industry. As a sales leader, make sure you get your arms around: 1.

Account 291

Account Strategy Ideal Customer Profile Hiring 291

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. You’ll be dead on.”.

Face-to-face 278

Face-to-face Social Media Oracle Hiring 278

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 4, 2013

Is training your sales team a waste of time and money? Sales training is not an event; it’s a behavioral change. Many sales leaders schedule training sessions, pat themselves on the back for investing in their teams, and consider their mission accomplished. Is Your Training DOA? That’s why most training fails.

Sales Management 265

Sales Management Referrals Small Business Small Business 265

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 16, 2014

With no formal sales training and very little real-world experience, today’s salespeople aren’t equipped to succeed. The Anatomy of a Sales Team Most new salespeople receive little training, even less coaching , and no real-world experience. Most of the people in the 74% bracket can improve if they get training. I didn’t.

Hiring 240

Hiring Guidelines Engineering Face-to-face 240

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 23, 2018

It is a place for networking, research, and engaging audiences, not for pitching prospects. Gartner research backs this up, suggesting that social engagement is the more appropriate term. Derry Finkeldey, research director at Gartner, puts it this way: . Researching Sales Leads. 5 Social Selling Don’ts.

Social Selling 218

Social Selling Social Media Referrals Lead Rank 218

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 20, 2016

Sure, they provide “training,” but training without reinforcement, coaching, accountability, and practice is a waste of time and money. Some sales leaders fool themselves into thinking that if their teams receive a little training, they’ll practice on their own time. We want it now. The secret?

Referrals 120

Referrals Cold Calling B2B Follow-up 120

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 13, 2014

You can (and should) spend money on training, CRM systems, incentives, off-site meetings, and developing better sales processes. Consider this: If you have a positive belief about someone sitting at his computer, you might think he’s doing research. Let’s say the person is doing research on a big client or building his network.

Small Business 240

Small Business Small Business Sales Outsourcing Face-to-face 240

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 23, 2017

According to her research, 25 percent of salespeople in tech companies are women, and women hold only 12 percent of sales leadership roles. Betts suggests three strategies—put diversity hiring practices in place, institute gender bias training, and encourage women to nominate themselves for promotions and other opportunities.

Hiring 242

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Company 242

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 13, 2016

They’ve also researched what our competitors have to offer. Then, last year, Forrester Research predicted that 1 million B2B salespeople will become obsolete by 2020, lost to e-commerce. Involving well-trained salespeople will improve these numbers. Consultative salespeople do research, ask questions, and listen.

B2B 120

B2B Hiring Social Media Pharmaceuticals 120

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Ellen always does her research and structures her train of thought before entering a meeting. We leverage our relationships, research, and negotiation. She separates customers by category and the data falls into different groupings, so she’s able to see and interpret important patterns. We’re the complete package.

Engineering 120

Engineering Negotiation Compensation Research 120

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 22, 2015

They research their targets (sometimes), identify trigger events, and create a compelling message (or so they think). New research from demand generation firm Vorsight paints an even more dismal picture of cold calling, suggesting it takes 60 to 90 dials to actually get meetings. And that’s just as annoying. Want to learn more?

Cold Calling 120

Cold Calling Decision Maker Referrals Wireless 120

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 3, 2016

Before any meeting or presentation, she does research and structures her train of thought so she can speak with confidence. They want to know what research I have to back up my claims. There’s plenty of research about why executives take meetings with salespeople. They don’t believe referrals can scale.

Referrals 120

Referrals Scale Cold Calling Call-back 120

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 3, 2013

Not only do salespeople need training on how to use the platforms, but also they need to understand how the various platforms fit, and they also need to know how to adapt their communication approach and behavior when engaging a prospect. Are marketers doing the sales research before calling on prospects?

Social Media 271

Social Media Social Selling Media InsideView 271

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 30, 2016

They’ve also researched what our competitors have to offer. Sure, they provide “training,” but training without reinforcement, coaching, accountability, and practice is a waste of time and money. Now, with a quick Google search and a little time on our websites and social media, they can learn all about us. We want it now.

Referrals 120

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Lead Generation Cold Calling 120

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 14, 2019

I did my “feet on the street” research and interviewed sales leaders and salespeople. I managed major training projects part-time and was on several faculties teaching sales programs. As I reflected on my career in sales and sales management, I realized my best business had come from referrals. My next step was to validate my beliefs.

Referrals 291

Referrals Cold Calling Survey Scale 291

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2018

And my new sales training course on LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com is your ticket to referral selling. New research suggests the problem isn’t a lack of skills; it’s getting meetings at the level that counts. Everyone’s message is the same: “I have the best product. Talk to me.” By getting referrals. Want to Get Referrals?

Referrals 168

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead 168

No More Cold Calling

MAY 25, 2017

Maybe some training might help? Social now reaches across the whole organization, not just sales and marketing, but human resources, finance, purchasing, research and development, returns, after market, supply chain, etc. The “A Ha” Moment! The list above of places where I ignore brands is pretty damning.

Account 288

Account Social Media Social Selling Twitter 288

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 16, 2016

More recent research shows it now takes fewer than five. Researchers summarize: “When considering another person in the world, on average, a friend of your friend knows a friend of their friend.”. Commuters who ride the same train to work with you every morning? What about the parents of your children’s friends?

Lead Generation 120

Lead Generation Lead Rank Lead Scoring Referrals 120

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

In fact, our research shows a four-to-one sales revenue and margin-performance improvement between reps who receive effective sales coaching and those who do not. Check out what he has to say (and be sure to download his company’s white paper for a guide to strategic coaching best practices): “Great sales coaching creates great sales results.

Coaching 237

Coaching Sales Coaching Margin Small Business 237

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

Before any meeting or presentation, she conducts extensive research and structures her train of thought so she can speak with confidence. She is typically the only woman in the room, so she’s learned how to be an alpha when surrounded by men. She makes her case using three key points, each of which has three supporting points.

Cold Calling 266

Cold Calling Loyalty Account Intent 266

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

A new research study unlocks the key to using social media for sales. But by now everyone knows that coaching and training are what turn salespeople into top performers. Social engagement. Is it just another term to check off your buzzword bingo card at the next sales meeting you attend? Not really.

Social Selling 296

Social Selling Cold Calling Social Media Ideal Customer Profile 296

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 26, 2015

I’m doing some referral research and need your help. We were thought leaders; we had visibility; the client loved our solution for advanced sales training; and now we were one of two. Nor are your emails or social media messages warm, just because you’ve done a little research. These aren’t trick questions.

Referrals 120

Referrals Cold Calling Commission Call-back 120

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. You could ask them to provide you with materials to review, to conduct research, or to survey their internal teams.

Vendor 120

Vendor Proposal Small Business Small Business 120

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 31, 2017

If you believe that video is the end-all, be-all for sales training and content marketing, you’re mistaken. According to research compiled by LinkedIn, 74 percent of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video, and 59 percent of senior executives would rather watch a video than read text. Closing is never the problem.

Referrals 149

Referrals Cold Calling Account Video 149

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 9, 2019

Yes, it enables us to more effectively gather information, conduct research, and identify connections. And it has the power to give your business a personality when you thought that wasn’t possible. Technology has changed many aspects of our lives, but has it changed the way we sell?

Sales Qualified Lead 269

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 269

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

I haven’t found any research that provides a definitive answer. It alerts travelers to the potentially dangerous space between the platform and train on the London underground system. Why are sales reps even more successful when they get referrals? But I have a theory. Read “ Are Your Salespeople in the Top 90%? ”).

Referrals 120

Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Discount 120

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 20, 2015

They didn’t plan agendas, do their research, tailor their pitches, or even check the clients’ LinkedIn profiles to identify shared interests , connections, and similarities. Don’t even think about training your sales team on closing techniques. Other common prospecting problems: The initial prospects were unqualified.

Closing 120

Closing Sales Management Referrals Ideal Customer Profile 120

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 6, 2019

Yes, it enables us to more effectively gather information, conduct research, and identify connections. And it has the power to give your business a personality when you thought that wasn’t possible. Technology has changed many aspects of our lives, but has it changed the way we sell?

Sales Qualified Lead 209

Sales Qualified Lead B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 209

No More Cold Calling

JULY 18, 2019

I knew there was research on why video marketing works, and Mario Martinez at Vengreso gave me the data. One reader sent me Hubspot research : “Content Trends: Preferences Emerge Along Generational Fault Lines.” This is consumer research, but we’re all consumers of information, aren’t we? I know how I learn. Speed Is Essential.

Video 228

Video Face-to-face Consumer Hubspot 228

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 10, 2021

I was working for a global consulting and training firm. So, I did my “feet on the street” research. Why I made referral selling my life’s work. The year was 1996. The economy was booming, and my colleagues encouraged me to go out on my own. I had no name for my company, but I knew my focus.

Referrals 385

Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Outbound 385