Prospecting
Archived Posts from this Category
| Sales Evolution The Brooks Group's Sales Training Blog |
Archived Posts from this Category
Posted by Brooks Group on 02 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Prospecting
Can’t it be hard to get appointments with prospects? We’ve all had the experience of leaving phone messages, or networking at events, for prospects we are fairly sure are good ones. I can’t give you the magic tool that will make every prospect call back – or accept your next call - but I can make a suggestion that will improve your odds significantly.
When you call a prospect, what goes through his or her mind?
To answer these questions effectively – and quickly – use a Direct Value Statement. What’s a Direct Value Statement? It’s a fast summary of what value you bring to customers who are like the prospect you’re hoping to sell to. It can be used in a voice mail, face-to-face, or over the phone.
Here’s an example: “My name is Will Brooks, with The Brooks Group. We assist our customers in the long-term healthcare industry to build their sales cultures and grow census. We do this by providing customized sales and sales management training reinforced with practical, real-world coaching.”
See how it works?
My name is ____________________________, with __________________________.
We assist our customers in the _________________________ industry
to __________________________________________________________________.
We do this by _________________________________________________________.
You should practice and practice your Direct Value Statement in your own words so that it flows easily and naturally for you when you need it – whether you’re telephone prospecting, networking at an event, or just meeting a stranger at a party.
Tags:Posted by Brooks Group on 30 Nov 2007 | Tagged as: Prospecting
In order to be a truly qualified prospect, a company or individual must meet all five of the following criteria. They:
1. Have a need and are aware of it.
2. Have the legitimate authority and ability to buy or commit.
3. Have a sense of urgency about making a buying decision.
4. Trust you and your organization.
5. Will listen to what you have to say.
Especially in tough times, we all have fallen prey to trying to sell to people/organizations who only meet #5. Remember: lots of people will listen to you, but if they can’t buy, or don’t want to buy, you’ll never get a sale from them.
Tags:Posted by Miki on 13 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: IMPACT Selling, Positioning, Pre-Call Planning, Professional Selling, Prospecting
Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been selling for years, it’s important to remember sales don’t just happen – they are the result of pursuing the right activities at the right time. Keep your selling career on track with this handy checklist of essential sales activities.
Pre-Call Planning
Meeting with Prospects and Establishing Rapport
Presenting and Asking Questions
Closing the Sale
Posted by Richard Dickerson on 02 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Asking the right questions, IMPACT Selling, Prospecting
OK. Good job! You got the appointment with this important prospect. Now what?
You better plan carefully and intelligently. No winging it – you’re better than that. You’re a professional salesperson – a value resource, a consultant to your prospect, not a product pusher or a data dumper.
So – be PREPARED. But how?
Start with the critical questions that every prospect wants answered when you show up for a sales call:
Here’s how you can do it:
“I’m (your name) from (your company) and the purpose of our meeting today is to meet you, get to know you better, talk with you about (whatever your product/service is) and to discuss anything you might like to discuss with me.”
NOW SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO YOUR PROSPECT’S RESPONSE
You’ll be amazed at how this simple, direct way of approaching your prospect takes the tension out of those first few seconds of your encounter. Notice that the wording of this phrase gets to the point and answers all of your prospect’s unspoken questions quickly – AND you’re putting the focus on the prospect…“Get to know you, talk with you, and discuss anything you might like to discuss…”…That last point is critical because you’re letting the prospect know that you’re interested in talking about THEIR concerns.
Next, you can use a “bonding statement” like this one:
“We work hard to make sure our customers get exactly what they want, and that’s how I’d like to work with you. In order to see if I can do that, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
NOW SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO YOUR PROSPECT’S RESPONSE
Usually you’ll hear, “OK, go ahead.”
So let your prospect do the talking (if they choose to). The best way to encourage talking is to ask reflective, open-ended, easy-to-answer questions in a conversational way.
But sometimes you might hear, “I don’t have time to answer questions.”
In that case, you can ask, “When would be a good time to continue?” After all, the reality is simple: If a prospect won’t talk to you, they probably won’t buy from you either!
Tags:listening to prospectsPosted by Brooks Group on 14 Jun 2007 | Tagged as: Prospecting, Sales Training Audios, Time Management
Tick tock goes the clock. How are you using your time? Bill explains in this audio time management with prospecting tips.
Click the green play button above to play the audio
This and other podcasts are available to download at itunes to help your selling career. If you have never used itunes and need help to download and install it click here for a tutorial.
You can click the “itunes” icon on the sidebar to take you directly to our podcast site.
Tags:sales tips