Paper shuffling, sweaty palms, time to go to the bathroom, nobody answers the phone; the excuses run rampant inside sales bullpens. Sales monkey business has run amuck inside sales teams of all sizes.
Sales suffers' may have no problem communicating face to face, but have difficulty doing so over the telephone.
Here we come, walkin'
Down the street
We get the funniest looks from
Ev'ry one we meet
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down
With a comedic twist, my prior post 3 Things Sales Reps Must Use So They Don't Look Like Sales Monkeys With A Loaded Gun pinpoints how top sales reps successfully integrate the use of three silver bullets - Customer Relationship Management Software, Content and their Clients as their fellow sales monkeys run amuck inside the sales department.
With this in mind... What does a successful quota-carrying sales rep do every day?
Successful sales reps don't monkey around!
It’s no shock to learn the very best sales reps in the business are incredibly focused, organized, and clearly plan out each day with a set goal in mind.
Part of this plan involves the use of the phone as they use to secure net new business meetings. How you say things to a prospect matters more than what you say. According to Sandler Sales Training, "only 7% of communication relies on the content of what you say, whereas 38% of communication is about other attributes of communication such as tonality, etc."
Successful sales reps set aside the excuses and refrain from monkey business. They don't buy into the "Monkey See Monkey Do" philosophy. Cold calling and the use of the phone is not dead, just different!
TOP SALES REPS AREN'T DISTRACTED BY SALES MONKEYS
3 Things Sales Rep Must Use To Avoid Sounding Like Another Sales Monkey On The Phone
Top sales reps successfully "ditch the pitch" and use these three things...
Pre-Call Planning Research
Top sales reps prepare for every phone call. They have adopted the mindset of "Quality over Quantity". Pre-call planning success begins with preparation. This preparation will provide you with greater self-confidence as this allows you to come across as a more knowledgeable sales professional to your prospect.
Collecting the right information will help you gain valuable insights that, if leveraged decisively, will separate you from all the other sales monkeys. When collecting information, do so with the intent of trying to better understand the prospect’s challenges. Learn what makes their business tick and how you can be a problem solver for them. With effective pre-call planning, you demonstrate you have a vested interest in their success, which is critical in gaining instant rapport with them on the phone.
There is a wealth of information to be had at company websites, business information sites and news outlets. During your research, consider these questions:
- What is my prospect’s market strength?
- What are their top business concerns right now?
- How are they positioned to handle these concerns?
- Who are the key company decision makers?
- How can I help?
Position yourself as the expert. Quality pre-call planning is one key to success and survival in a highly competitive sales environment.
Business Acumen
I am a firm believer business people buy from business people; not just sales people. Think about this for a second...
According to a Forrester report, "only 27% of buyers find that salespeople are knowledgeable about the buyer's specific business." Additionally Corporate Visionsdetermined, "customers believe sales reps are 88% knowledgeable on product and only 24% on business expertise."
Sales professionals must have strong business acumen skills to provide value and insight as they communicate with prospects during phone conversations. Sales professionals have no time for monkey business when they are on the phone.
Top sales reps transform themselves into a true business advisor to prospects as they communicate with them. Whether face to face or on the phone, engaging with a higher degree of business acumen sets top sales reps apart from the sales monkeys.
Increase in business acumen allows successful sales reps to...
- Prepare for the sales process
- Understand their prospects business strategy and current financial situation
- Ask business situation questions, business challenge questions, and business opportunity questions
- Position value from the client's business perspective
Strong business acumen help sales reps better understand a prospect's pushbacks, placing those objections in greater context, helping them to move a possible meeting forward on the phone.
Top sales reps understand the telephone is still an essential tool in the sales conversation, as the below mentioned findings further strengthen the third thing sales reps must use.
- The average salesperson only makes 2 attempts to reach a prospect. (SiriusDecisions)
- 42% of sales reps feel they do not have the right information before making a sales call. (Lattice Engines, March 2013)
- 75% of the more than 1,000 senior executives surveyed by DiscoverOrg said they have taken an appointment or attended an event that came from a cold call or email. (DiscoverOrg)
Referrals
Let's do some simple math...
If 25 cold calls gets 0 results and 50 dials gets 0 results
25 x 0 = 0
50 x 0 = 0
Successful sales rep don't increase their activity to expect different results they change their activity to something that works.
Quality calls will yield quality results. Top sales reps leverage referral calling into a prospect from their current customers, their network, or one of their strategic partners.
The key aspect is top sales reps are constantly developing and working their target prospect list. They leverage this list as it makes it much easier when they ask a current client, their network or strategic partner for help.
Successful sales reps leverage their social networks prior to contacting prospects. Socially minded sales reps realize they may be one LinkedIn connection away from their best sales opportunity. They ask their network to edify them by making an introduction on their behalf which facilitates a rewarding experience on the phone.
I encourage all sales reps to think about this... If you provide a high level of service and your clients know, like and trust you then why not ask them to help grow your business?
"If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will"
Bob Hooey
Ignore the sales monkeys as they run amuck inside your sales department. Please don't allow them to become a distraction from achieving the phone success you deserve. The only thing worse than phone distraction is a sales monkey with a loaded gun.
I get where you all are coming from. I have walked a day in a life of your shoes.
Your comments, likes and shares are greatly appreciated in opening up great conversations.
In 2016, Larry was recognized by ENX Magazine, “The Difference Maker” as someone who is making a difference inside the copier channel. Larry is passionate about helping sales reps succeed in creating their online brand image
You can find more blog posts inside the Social Sales Academy website.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform, coach and inspire B2B Office Technology Sales Professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as at the Social Sales Academy
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