Sales Prospecting Perspectives

Working in a sales-oriented job, inside sales reps have numerous goals to hit on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. But there are other goals to set besides the money-based ones. What personal goals can you set as an inside sales rep? One of the many things I love about AG is that we have various people with whom to discuss how to improve our prospecting skills in order to achieve our targets.

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a post fromTiffany Fenore, a Business Development Representative at AG Salesworks.

Something that everyone in the sales profession can relate to is rejection! Most of us in business development roles experience rejection early, on a day-to-day basis, and it often starts as an objection. Objections can be viewed as a roadblock to the untrained rep and even some seasoned prospectors forget to view the response as a gateway to further the conversation. Objections are the perfect “in” to engage and challenge prospects. They have opened up the discussion and have unknowingly allowed you to cater your message to their pains and needs to see if they are a fit for your product and/or service.

There are 4 common objections we typically see:

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a post from Joshua Zielinski, a Business Development Representative at AG Salesworks. This is his blogging debut. 

Sometimes in sales things have to get a little awkward to produce a mutually beneficial relationship with a prospect.

This idea is counterintuitive to most sales teachings because usually the goal is to make prospects comfortable enough to listen to your presentation or consultative dialogue, and then to make a “yes” decision if they realize it will benefit them. However, in some circumstances, prospects need to come out of their comfort zone to dive deep into their problem or need.

Happy Friday! As Q4 approaches, I’m sure we’re all excited to pass more leads and have more conversations, as well as celebrate those Q4 holidays, like Halloween, we know and love. In the meantime, take your Friday lunch break to read through some great links that will help you become better marketers and salespeople!

Anyone who has ever made cold calls or managed an inside sales team knows these infamous words from prospects: Who are you and where are you calling from again? This is likely the first type of objection immediately after you have introduced yourself to a prospect over the phone. The best thing to do is always be prepared to answer this question quickly, with confidence, and without hesitation. The question is, though: How do you create that perfect what we do statement for your team?

How fast summer goes by.  Now we’re back to autumn-scented Yankee Candles and Halloween costumes. I wonder how many Miley Cyrus bear costumes and Robin Thicke “Beetlejuice” outfits will be out trick-or-treating?  

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta pass some leads on Friday! Welcome back to our Weekly Recap. Here at AG, we’re excited for the weekend, just like Rebecca Black, so we can rejuvenate before coming back on Monday. Most people love the work environment here and coworkers have become friends, so even though it’s Friday, we never truly dread Mondays.

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?