Aug 30, 2024

Along with presenting an agenda (tip here) at the beginning of your meeting, explain your desired outcome. Example: "By the end of this call, I'd like you to be able to say you're interested and we plan next steps, or I'd like you to tell me you are not interested and we avoid wasting time. Does this sound okay to you? And is there anything you'd like to add?"

Data shows that simply verbalizing your desired outcome increases the likelihood of it happening by over 40%. Buyers appreciate the transparency of this motion, especially in a world where everyone's BS meter is on heightened awareness at all times.

Aug 29, 2024

Before your first meeting with a prospect, send a copy of your pitch deck. This can seem unnerving, but it's almost all upside. When you get on the call, you can ask "Did any questions pop in your head as you looked over the deck?" or "Did anything jump out to you?".  A lot of the time, they won't review it, and that's okay. You can simply start as you normally would. But when they have, their questions will power an A+ conversation as opposed to the average back and forth. This engagement massively increases the likelihood of your desired outcome.

Aug 28, 2024

When your prospect asks (typically via email) for more information, collateral, or has a question, get them what they need immediately. Assume they are asking your competitors the same thing. Being first gives you a huge leg up. There are countless studies showing the vendor who is first in any step or motion of a sales process wins the business a disproportionate amount of the time. Being first matters. And this is one of few areas you have full control over.

If you cannot get back to them within minutes, make sure to run this play from Aug 3.

Aug 27, 2024

If you’re struggling to get a hold of a prospect or client, call them but do not leave a voicemail. Immediately call a second time. This second call is far more likely to be answered as it creates a sense of importance and urgency for the recipient. When they answer, if they ask, you can say you forgot to leave a voicemail on the first call.

Aug 26, 2024

Disarm an argumentative prospect with this.. "Susan, you seem to be at odds with everything I'm saying. Why are we on this call?" 

We've all been here - you're meeting with a prospect and they are challenging everything you say. It seem as if you could say the sky is blue and they'll disagree. This simple disarming interjection can flip the whole meeting, as it typically gets the prospect to back off, open up, and change the tone so you can have a real conversation in the right direction.

Aug 25, 2024

Sunday night is a good time to reach out to every scheduled meeting on your calendar for the week and get confirmation. A simple message works well. Example...

Hi Jane,

Planning ahead for the week, I want to confirm our meeting for Tuesday at 2:30 ET. Looking forward to connecting.

Paul

Aug 24, 2024

The weekend is a great time to revive or put to bed old opportunities who have gone dormant. You are 77% more likely to get a reply to an email on the weekend than during the hustle of the week because your email with stand out, especially with someone who has been putting you off. Here’s a good template you can use, full disclosure I lifted this directly from CorporateBro (95% of being good at sales is taking the best parts of good sellers and incorporating them into your own game)… This one works

Subject: not the right time? **all lowercase**

Prospect,

I haven't heard back in a while so I'm getting the sense there's been a shift in priorities and discussing [your product] is now lower on the list.

I'd consider it a personal favor if you could let me know either way, and I can stop filling up your inbox which I'm sure you can appreciate.

Respectfully,

Aug 23, 2024

Have and present an agenda at the beginning of a scheduled call. This takes all of 30 seconds, but it establishes credibility, professionalism, and respect for their time right off the bat. You can also use this to ask what they want to uncover during the call.

For example, “For this call, I’d like to understand your hiring process as it works today, what’s not working with this process, and how Product X might help alleviate those problems and optimize your process as a whole. Then I’ll breakdown our pricing, and answer any questions you may have. Does this sound okay, and is there anything else you want to make sure we cover with our time today?”

Aug 22, 2024

Similar to this tip a few weeks back, match the tone of your prospect/client. If they are talking fast in short sentences, match that and don't waste their time. If they want to take their time to talk to you and ask about your weekend or something, slow down and talk to them about it, even matching their pace of speech. In either case, it shows respect.

Aug 21, 2024

Validate almost everything your prospect says before asking your next question. This is how a person knows you are listening to them. Too often, we ask a question, get an answer, and ask the next question. All you have to do is take a few seconds and acknowledge what they've said, and agree with it when it makes sense. Ex: "good thinking on your part" or "I hear that almost everyday, it's rough" or "We did the same thing over here".

No need to get carried away or over the top, but a quick acknowledgement validates your counterpart on the other end, and it'll help you feel more engaged and remember key parts of the conversation.

Aug 20, 2024

When closing a first meeting, call, demo, etc., ask what the buying process looks like. Ask the person/people on the other end if they typically sign off on products/services like yours. If not, who does? What does that process look like? How long does it take? These are straightforward reasonable questions your immediate contact(s) should have no trouble or resistance answering. If they do, that's a red flag. Often times however, they'll open up an provide insight into the buying process you otherwise would be in the dark about. 

And a bonus pro move, when they tell you who signs off, ask for a meeting with that person. Include your contact(s) in the process. Ex: "Can we set up a meeting with Jane Buyer and get the 4 of us on a call, say Thursday or Friday at 2 or 3pm ET?"

Aug 19, 2024

When trying to get a few minutes on someone's calendar, ask for specific time slots rather than a generic window. For example, ask "Are you available at 9:45 or 10:45 PT on Tuesday?" rather than "do you have 15 minutes next week?". Studies have shown specific time slots are 84% more likely to get a response than a generic time window.

Also, make sure to include the time zone. Use their time zone if you know it. If not, use yours.

Aug 17, 2024

Send your prospect/client something short and sweet on the weekend to get a call on the books the following week. You’ll stand out rather than being one of a hundred emails during a weekday. It can be some sort of collateral, a link to a relevant story or post, or really anything remotely interesting.

The key here is you’re standing out and you’re likely to get the meeting because of this. Does the content you’re sending need to be perfect? No. The more relevant and interesting, the better, but it’s about the effort. Send something quick and ask for a few minutes in the coming week.

Aug 16, 2024

If you’re going to be late to a call, meeting, demo, etc., send an email. I literally put my message in the subject line with nothing in the body eg SUBJECT: running 2 min late (eom)

It takes 5 seconds, but goes a long way. It shows you aren’t intentionally blowing them off and you value their time. You can give details during your meeting, but make sure to immediately give them the warning. And do it BEFORE the meeting starts, not 2 minutes into it.

Aug 15, 2024

When providing a trial of your product, reach out directly by phone to the user(s). Rarely will a trial user proactively reach out, but if they answer your call, it is very easy to engage in a conversation regarding their trial usage. "Do you have any questions?". "Have you tried X?". "Have you tried Y?". 95% of the time, they'll engage with one of these prompts. If they don't, they either haven't used it or aren't serious.

I don't care how "seamless" and "intuitive" your product is. When someone is using it for the first time, they will have a question or two. It's your job to bring those to light and answer them. It also opens the door for you to tout all sorts of additional benefits they likely haven't tested.

Aug 14, 2024

Immediately after a call, demo, meeting, etc. with a prospect or customer requiring a follow up email, send an email A) thanking them for their time, and B) recapping what you'll be sending. For example...

John, Paul, George, Ringo,

Thanks again for your time just now. Quickly recapping, I'll be sending over items A, B, and C. Let me know if I missed anything, if there's something additional you'd like, and/or if you have any questions.

It's simple and quick, gives them assurance, and can serve as a reminder to you as to what you agreed to follow up with.

Aug 8, 2024

Always close your calls. This doesn't necessarily mean always ask for the sale, but always lock down next steps. If you aren't doing this, you are throwing away money. There should be a concrete next step in place after every single call. If your prospect refuses to give you a confirmation, you can say "Okay, how about if I haven't heard from you by X, I'll give you a call" and if they say no, just keep pushing the date until they say yes. If they refuse, they aren't serious, and you can call them out on it.

Aug 7, 2024

When sending any follow up material to your prospect/customer, ask what type of material they prefer. This goes a long way because A) you provide them with info that is more likely to be consumed, and B) they appreciate the thoughtful nature of this action, especially given the backdrop of almost everyone else sending generic promo material.

Example: "You asked for info about X and Y, I have all sorts I can provide. Do you prefer hard numbers and data? Case study/story style? Decks/Infographics? I don't want to flood your inbox with generic marketing material, but rather information you'll actually consume."

Aug 6, 2024

ASK. FOR. REFERRALS. This one is so easy and so powerful, and yet very few salespeople do it. In countless surveys, customers have said they'd happily give referrals... if asked. A customer referral to someone they know is such a huge leg up in earning the new person's business. But you have to ask.

Ask when someone has just signed. Ask an existing client when things are generally going well between you. Even ask a prospect who tells you no but you have a solid relationship with... it will make them feel better about telling you no, if they can provide you with something of value.

Aug 5, 2024

Ask your prospects if it's okay to text them. Texting is everyone's go to form of communication in everyday life, it only makes sense to text for business, but for some reason it's not the norm. If you get the go ahead, you have a massive leg up on your competitors - faster responses, better rapport, it so advantageous compared to chasing voicemails and emails. 

On another note, if the vibe is right, just text them without permission. Ask for forgiveness later if there's an issue, but if they aren't cool with it chances are they weren't buying from you anyway.