Recently, I was interviewed by Mark Di Somma about my new book, High-Profit Prospecting, and what it takes to be effective in sales today. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
1. Salespeople are increasingly frightened of being rejected.
That’s why you see them opting for social media, email and other forms of communication that actively avoid the immediacy of someone telling them they aren’t interested. It may protect their feelings, but it doesn’t help them secure sales. If you want to hear “Yes,” you also have to hear “No.”
2. The sales funnel is more important today than ever because the customer is more knowledgeable than ever.
Actually, the funnel itself is not the problem. The problem is that salespeople have not been fast enough to change the funnel model to suit today’s selling environment.
3. There is no rivalry between Sales and Marketing – or at least there shouldn’t be.
If you’re trying to sell without Marketing support, you are trying to sell in an environment where need has not been established. You are selling in a vacuum.
4. The number one role of a sales manager is to create an environment where their sales team motivates itself.
5. In today’s information-rich age, you need to be very clear about what information you put where.
What information will your salespeople hold or have access to that customers can’t get anywhere else? That’s what gives customers a reason to take a call or an appointment. If you want your sales team to succeed, give them the opportunity to engage customers with unique questions, ideas, solutions, and outcomes.
6. Selling to the C-suite requires three things: Trust, Integrity and Respect for Time.
If you don’t measure up on all three, you have zero reason to think anyone in the C-suite is going to give you any of their precious time.
7. If you’re trying to decide whether a relationship is worth investing more time and effort into, think about the timeliness of the relationship in terms of return.
Will the time you spend this fiscal year with this prospect create a pay-out this fiscal year? The reason is simple. You want your work this year to have a pay-out this year.
All of these points and more are covered in detail in my new book. If you haven’t bought a copy yet, you can find out more about High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results at this link.
Read Mark Di Somma’s full interview with me at this link.
About Mark Di Somma
Mark Di Somma is a creative brand strategist. He works with senior decision makers and brand owners to define, articulate and elevate brand value at critical moments of change. He also comments and speaks about the key issues facing brands in today’s shifting and social world. Mark shares his thinking on a range of platforms, including his blog, Branding Strategy Insider and Entrepreneur. Find out more about Mark at his website markdisomma.com.
