Gadgets & Widgets – people can’t get enough of them. Just look at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas or the very populate webinar in December, 32 Must Have Sales Tools for 2013.
Here is the challenge – everyone loves talking about the next sales social media tools that will be the magic bullet, but integrating these tools into their daily routine becomes difficult.
I love using the fork in the Yellow Brick Road as an analogy for opportunity cost or major decisions. We’ve all seen The Wizard of Oz, and can relate to Dorothy’s dilemma.
I look back at my high school years and I laugh. If there was one class that I bombed, it was English class. I thought that learning to be a strong writer was for the birds. I would laugh and say to myself “I’m going to be a stock broker, what the hell do I care about writing???” Thanks to Mr. Gates and Microsoft Office, I also hardly learned to spell.
I’ve been in sales for the last decade (since the dot com bubble of 2000). I’ve seen the inside of at least 500+ sales organizations. There are so many sales models – some were fads, some just didn’t work, but the best ride the wave of evolution.
Webinars are supposed to be an amazing tool to help buyers evaluate solutions to their problems. Depending on the subject of your webinar, the attendees could be at the earliest stage of the buying process or even at the vendor selection stage.
Unfortunately, most companies look at their webinars as “a nice try”, but providing only modest success. Their registrations are 50, 100, maybe even 200 – but it’s the same people and not enough to fuel your lead generation fire.
During the holiday season, Vorsight had completed a survey to analyze the importance of sales kick-offs. Before we dive into what these means for sales leaders, give this a quick read – Vorsight Sales Kick-Off Research
So you’ve been trying to track down that dream “future client” – you call, email, voicemail, call, email, voicemail… nothing? What is going on? Are all the decision-makers at some secret tradeshow…for weeks at the same time?
You have most likely felt this before. You begin questioning your product, the market, and of course… YOURSELF. There is nothing more demoralizing than felling in limbo. You’d almost rather a NO, just so you can get into a conversation as to “why no?”
We all have a sales wish list. Mine is to stop time for about two weeks, get our “To Do” list cleared up, and turn the engine back on. It seems no matter how many tasks I accomplish on our “To Do” list, 5 more tasks get added on. Unfortunately, this is not possible, so I need to make time whenever possible. You have a wish list for next year as well (other than making your numbers). Wish lists often look like a “Keys to Success” plan. If you had these items accomplished, you’ll have a banner year.
The sales leaders that have influenced our Social Selling success are not all Social Selling “subject matter experts” themselves. I’ve found I’m less inspired from “LinkedIn trainers”, and can’t get enough from sales experts with amazing sales techniques. My job is to translate these ideas into LinkedIn & Twitter best practices. The top Social Sellers realize that these tools are merely an extension of their EXISTING sales process. We at Sales for Life have taken their great ideas and spun them into a Social Selling process.
Sales professionals are constantly asking “what is the best way to get a prospects attention on LinkedIn & Twitter”? There is no one answer, as there are dozens of examples I can give. However, I thought I’d highlight our most profitable Social Selling touch-point I’ve ever made.
In August 2011, I was on LinkedIn reviewing Profile Updates when a past business acquaintance, Terry Foster changed his profile status to “Current Title – President, Cision Canada”. As any good sales leader should, I used this opportunity to congratulate Terry on his new role. I clicked “Like” and commented “Congratulations on your new role, as you grow your sales team, don’t hesitate to reach out”. This was a simple gesture that changed the course of my business forever.
Sales for Life was founded with one goal – to become the most trusted sales resource for its customers. During our journey, we’ve had the privilege of serving thousands of sales professionals and leaders around the world, from start-ups to Fortune 50 corporations.
