Last week I had the privilege of co-hosting “The Prospecting Bootcamp” webinar with my good friend and colleague Jake Atwood from Ovation Sales Group. The feedback we received was off the charts and we’ve been humbled by the praise from one of the best groups to whom Jake and I have ever presented.
Here are several key points from the webinar that I thought you might enjoy:
- Remember the ABC's of Prospecting: Always prospect. Block time to prospect. Consistently track your prospecting activity.
- Clearly identify where your prospect came from and then create a consistent plan for acquiring them.
- When working with large companies, prospect with more than one person who is involved in making or influencing a decision.
- When building rapport with a prospect, communicate clearly how much you know about them and their initiatives.
- LinkedIn is a powerful prospecting tool. Use it. To accelerate your learning curve, I highly recommend the book LinkedWorking by Frank Agin & Lewis Howes.
- Ask and you shall receive! 89% of sales people don't ask for referrals. Don't be one of them.
- Are you referable? If yes, why?
- Send hand-written thank you notes to your prospects, clients and people you meet.
- Emails are not a one-time event. Design a multi-touch campaign comprised of a series of messages.
- Stop telling prospects what you do! Share the end results of what your products and services will do for them.
- Remember the ABC's of working with objections: Don't Argue. Don't Battle. Don't Contradict!
- Leave a voicemail with a “compelling reason” that motivates people to call you back.
We received dozens of great questions during the webinar. Here are the answers we shared to a few of them:
Question – What is the best way to work with gatekeepers?
Answer – Always treat them with respect. If they ask you why you are calling tell them. Never try and mislead a gatekeeper. They have the key to the gate!
Question – What is the best way to handle objections?
Answer – When a prospect or client sticks you with an objection, don't get defensive. It is a common reaction to want to tell a prospect or customer all the reasons why they should buy from you. Resist that urge. Instead, ask strategic questions to help you better understand their concerns from their point of view.
Question – How do I overcome call reluctance?
Answer – I had major call reluctance when I started out in sales as a stockbroker. But, the more I picked up the telephone, the more skill I developed and the less call reluctance I experienced. When we were growing up, who did our parents tell us never to talk with? Strangers! It's no wonder so many sales people experience call reluctance. Have you ever had anyone reach through the phone and grab you around the neck? It's never happened. Call reluctance is nothing more than self-inflicted fear. And you know what F.E.A.R. really is? False
Evidence Appearing Real.
Here's your Action Idea for you to apply this week: Take one idea from the list above and apply it to your prospecting efforts. Remember, knowledge is not power. It is applied knowledge that changes
the result.