Sales Prospecting Perspectives

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote advice for newly promoted inside sales managers in my post, New Sales Managers, Don’t Miss Out on This Advice. I focused on three areas of guidance:

When I meet with the newest additions to the AG family, I always make a point to let them know that we're not looking for a cookie-cutter employee. Everyone here has their own unique traits and a certain style that works for them. Using some creative license here or there is necessary when you cold call and keeps reps engaged in what many would consider the toughest part of selling.  

I often wish I can go back to those specific points in my career to let myself know that everything’s to be alright. You know those moments where you feel like the sky is falling and nothing is panning out they way you hoped it would?  At the time, these thoughts consume you, but a month later, you've all but forgotten it. 

Be honest: How much emotional energy did you dedicate to one lousy moment? Was it worth it in retrospect? 

“Most people meander in and out of lots of conversations. Don’t be most people. Be tighter than that. Be more influential.”

Craig Wortmann, who has written several guest posts for us including How to Optimize Your Sales Engine in 30 Days and 5 Things Salespeople Should Stop Doing Immediately, recently released a new eBook, How to Communicate With Influence for Sales Pros & Leaders. Wortmann, CEO of the tools and services firm Sales Engine and professor of professional selling, entrepreneurship and leadership at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, provided this eBook as a resource for sales professionals to learn how to become better influencers, better conversationalists and better sellers. As a reader who flew through the book in half an hour, I can confidently say that "How to Communicate with Influence" accomplished all of that and more.

We know how you feel. You’re an executive of an inside sales team, busy closing sales and leading your team. It’s unwise (if not impossible) for you chase down the latest and greatest tools and ideas to improve your crew’s performance.

No worries. Our new eBook, Top of the Funnel Field Guide to Sales Prospecting Success, a collaboration with the team at SalesLoft, is here to make that process simple for you.

The team at AG Salesworks has been hands-on, in the trenches, with over 350 sales teams over the last 10 years. We’ve seen the outcomes of sales conversations and have a great grasp on what you need to empower your team with the tools and processes they need to get ahead.

I have long believed that one of the most important cornerstones to a great corporate culture is learning and growth.  An important part of my job is to create such an environment, and work to ensure that each and every team member understands they have the flexibility to expand their contribution beyond their job description.  When this happens, everyone wins.  The team member has the opportunity to learn, improve and expand his or her skill set.  The customer benefits from a happier, more skilled team member, and the company benefits from increased productivity, customer loyalty and ultimately, profitability.  

By the end of the decade, millennials will encompass 50% of the workforce. Not only will they be employees, they will also be customers. They’re changing the workplace with adaptive views on feedback, mentoring programs and socialization. They’re vocal about their beliefs and ideas, and are confident that their input matters. The millennial generation is changing the way all employees, Baby Boomers and Gen X alike, work in the new millennium.

This week marks my 9-year anniversary at AG Salesworks. It's been a great ride.  

Prior to joining AG, I spent some time working in hospitality, banking and technology. What I discovered is that the personalities I ran into within each of those industries could not get more diverse. With the experience I gained has come perspective on what­ I feel helps drive a team. It could be money for some, continuous praise for others or the challenge of what the job brings on a daily basis. One of the few consistent themes I've seen is this: You need to have your team’s back. 

Both marketers and inside sales reps are familiar with the oft-referenced BANT acronym, whether in identifying qualified leads or handling objections: Budget, Authority, Need and Timeframe. However, over the years, the acronym has become outdated, overused and obsolete. Is the criteria even working for marketers looking for qualified leads? How well? Prospects may still be hiding behind these objections, but now that they know prospectors can immediately refute them, how much longer will they continue to use them?

Before I entered the world of sales, I worked as a preschool teacher for a few years.  I truly enjoyed being a teacher and loved spending my days reading stories and singing songs.  Sometimes I miss it, but I do like to go home at the end of each day without someone else’s boogers on me.  

Teaching preschoolers and working in sales may seem like very different worlds, but there are many things I learned during my time as Miss Colleen that I can apply to my current job as an inside sales rep. Here are some sales tips from a former preschool teacher.