Sales Prospecting Perspectives Weekly Recap - Week of February 21, 2024
Happy Friday, Sales Prospecting Perspectives readers! We hope you had a productive week; we sure did, and this afternoon we'll be having a contest between inside sales reps who passed leads this week. Despite the consistent snow storms in the Northeast (and there seems to be another on the way), we've continued calling across the country for leads. It's important to stay vigorous even through equally vigorous weather conditions.
With that said, here are our favorite sales and marketing articles this week:
- Geoffrey James shared 12 easy ways to increase sales at Salesforce's blog. Included among these tips are: "Think about your solution as a verb" and "Don't focus on the gatekeepers." Great advice!
- LinkedIn just opened its publishing platform to all users, according to Social Media Today. This could mean a number of things, but mostly: new influencers, new audiences and new online communities.
- Jill Konrath shared two ideas for breaking through sales barriers. If you often need to negotiate, this is great advice: analyze what you're saying and be brazen and confident.
- See how marketers manage the buyer's journey in Eloqua and Bizo's infographic, which outlines the path of the buyer.
- We're often cold calling in the office. Lori Richardson wrote a blog post about cold calling mistakes to avoid, including not filling your pipeline and not coming to your desk with a plan every morning.
And here are the blog posts from Sales Prospecting Perspectives this week:
Monday: On Monday, Sam Goldman compared the Olympics and selling in her post, Be Olympic Teleprospectors: The Games' Effect on Inside Sales Reps. Olympic season is in full swing, and it's interesting to see characteristics like drive, determination, and teamwork that each athlete exhibits going into each game. Teleprospectors also need to be motivated to reach their goals, and sales managers need to work as coaches, understanding that training is never complete. As Olympic athletes compete with speed, skill, and drive, we should all work hard to achieve our goals back home.
Tuesday: Mike Ricciardelli wrote on Tuesday about different types of B2B buyers inside sales reps may face when cold calling in his post, Are You Wasting Your Time on These Buyers in Your Sales Pipeline? Being able to tell the difference between a tire kicker, or someone who has time on his hands to look at all his options but never makes a move, and a window shopper, or someone who is thorough about his options before he makes a commitment, is crucial and will better help you eliminate wasted effort. Make sure you know what's compelling your prospects to buy what you offer, and if you can't answer this, you may not have identified your prospects' needs.
Wednesday: On Wednesday, guest blogger Damian Davila of idaconcpts.com shared his advice for building a trusted network in his post, The Value of Connections for the Inside Sales Rep. The people in your business networks, as well as in your social networks, must see you as a trusted, valued professional. This say, word-of-mouth, direct-referral, and repeat business will become the norm. Create a solid reputation by building your network of connectiosn and showing how enthusiastic you are about the aspirations and chalenges of your clients. They will trumpet your worth.
Thursday: On Thursday, Maureen wrote Inside Sales Reps: Are You Sick? Stay Home! With the flu season underway, many people are coming into work and coughing in their cubicles. However, as teleprospectors' voices are the most important, it's crucial to not spread your sickness to others. Maureen pulled research studies from University of Pittsburgh and Arizona to show that workers who stayed home for one day reduced the chance of passing the flu to colleagues by 25% and that, when an infected person does come to work, there is a 50% chance they will pass that virus to others. She gives advice for working from home and makes it clear that staying home is better than spreading your sickness.
