Articles

The 5 Worst Cold Call Openers

Every carpenter needs to have a set of tools – hammers, saws, screwdrivers, etc. Good tools will serve you well in all sorts of situations, but over time, even the best tools will wear down and need to be replaced. Just like carpenters, sales people have their own set of “tools” – the cold call openers that we use to introduce ourselves, create conversations, and start building re.... Read more »

Sales Rep or Problem Solver?

Ready for the simple truth? You are not a sales person. Even if your job is technically in sales, even if the word "sales" is right there on your name tag--even if that's what it says by your name in the customer directory, you are not a sales person. You are a problem solver….a healer. Your real job is to meet with someone in some sort of pain, some sort of trouble and prov.... Read more »

Understanding Cold Calls

Cold calls are the ugly Christmas sweaters of the sales world: no one likes to receive them and only rare, uniquely talented individuals seem to enjoy making them. Why are cold calls so often maligned and unappreciated? The biggest reason is that a cold call is almost always an interruption or unwanted surprise, and prospects have honed their defense mechanisms to be resistant to these un.... Read more »

Testing a Sales Lead for Motivation

You have likely met this type if prospect: all sorts of problems and a willingness to discuss them. You being a good listener take note. You walk away thinking wow what a hot sales lead this is. Not so fast...Are they motivated to actually do something about their pain? This is how we filter out prospects that are going to live with their pain for many years to come. Most of these pros.... Read more »

What is a Sales Lead?

What's the difference between a prospect and a sales lead? Often, people in sales get locked up in the specifics of their industry and think the definition of a qualified lead is unique to their particular business (or aspect of it). However, there are a couple of basic elements common to every solid sales lead, no matter what industry: pain and motivation. And not only are both common to all good.... Read more »

Breaking Down The 3-Minute Lead Generation Myth

"Hi, my name is John Smith. You need widgets. Our TruBlu Widgets will exceed your expectations. Would you like to write me a check now?"The above approach is simple, straightforward, brief...and of course it would never work. But it highlights a problem that faces our industry: the myth that cold calling, when done properly, produces instantaneous results. Somehow, the thinking goes, if you can re.... Read more »

The Shutdown Window: Three Strikes and You’re Out

In generating sales leads, like baseball, you want a home run. But in order to get home, you have to make it to third, which means you have to round second, which means you have to get to first. Once you're on first, making the rounds is pretty straightforward, if you pay attention and the right opportunity presents itself.But when you're at bat, it's a different ballgame. Someone is actively tryi.... Read more »

Managing Gatekeepers During Lead Generation

One of the first questions to consider in lead generation is how to get past the “gatekeeper” – the person standing between you and the decision makers who could potentially become sales leads. Is the lead generation “gatekeeper” a friend or a foe? Lead generation strategies for handling gatekeepers fall roughly into two camps: “partnering with the gatekeeper” and “confu.... Read more »

More on dealing with “Not Interested” prospects: Using sales lead generation “Go-To’s”.

Handling sales lead objections will enhance your lead generation program. In the last article, we talked about using "not interested" to uncover unexpected objections your prospects might have. When you uncover these objections and prepare responses, you should add them to your Go-To List.A Go-To list is, essentially, a crib sheet for arguments against any objections a prospect might throw at you..... Read more »

How “Not Interested” prospects can help your lead generation program

Stop treating lead generation "not interested" as a roadblock in your sales lead script. Most sales people deal with not interested prospects in two ways. The first assumes that the prospects objection may be just a "brush off" and if countered with a strong arm tactic the prospect will back down and continue the conversation. The problem with this strategy if successful is that you.... Read more »