Being such a fan of twitter (@bridgegroupinc), I thought it would be interesting to ask some fellow “twiteratti” to contribute sales productivity tips.  But, of course they had to do so in 140 characters - or just about 10 seconds - or less!  It was a fun and interesting exercise.

Here is what I received:

Sensing any trends? I absolutely did. There is a sea change going on in sellling. Those companies, managers and Reps that won't adapt are being left behind.

 
So, what advice do you have to offer in 140 characters / 10 seconds or less? 

This is a guest post by Chad Levitt, author of the New Sales Economy blog that explores using social media, sales 2.0 and inbound marketing as a B2B sales strategy for the Web 2.0 world.
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Here are three realities in the B2B Sales profession:

The hard truth is that customers are getting better at ignoring our sales efforts, they are less willing to meet, and they are more distracted than ever.

Despite these three realities, quotas are not going down, and you are paid to meet and exceed your number.
 

How do you do it?

There has been a shift in power from B2B sales reps to buyers. To take advantage of this shift, inbound marketing was born and is revolutionizing the way companies market in a Web 2.0 world.   For those new to inbound marketing, it is a discipline that uses search engines, SEO, blogs, and social media to help customers find you.

Many of inbound marketing's strategies can be adapted to the Sales Reps role. The combination of outbound with inbound marketing strategies will help you create hyper levels of awareness with customers and prospects. You will get in the door more often so you can create the relationships that allow you to sell.
 

Get found by your customers and prospects.

The building block of getting found through adapting inbound marketing to your business is to create your own personal sales rep website. You should secure your name as the domain - http://www.yourname.com/. Keep in mind your website can just be a blog because many blogs functions as full-blown websites.
 

What should you include on your personal Sales Rep website?

Start sharing your personal sales rep website with your customers.

Send a personalized email to your customers and prospects letting them know about your personal sales rep website and why you created it (you created it because you know how busy they are). Put your website on your business card and spread the word as you speak to your customers and prospects. If your content is good, your customers will begin to respond and share with their colleagues. Your message will grow legs and get viral in your accounts.

The ultimate differentiator is you. Be a purple cow - a pink dinosaur - or a spotted zebra. Just be something different. Something that will get attention. You will be glad you did.
 
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(Trish here) Thanks Chad.  Your viewpoint is interesting as always.  To learn more about Chad's philosophies and how some of us old dogs can potentially learn new tricks, stay tuned for an upcoming webinar where we'll take a deeper dive on this very topic.  Hope to see you there!

On the blog last Friday I shared a post that I found interesting.  It did a great job of laying out the case for B2B websites to "sell a conversation". There are some thoughtful comments so please check them out.

I want to pick up the "selling the conversation" notion again but this time as it relates to voicemail.

I stepped out of the office yesterday and returned to the following voicemail. (Note: I changed the name, company and whitepaper title to protect the innocent.) The left side is what they said and the right side is what I heard.

Does this voicemail sell the conversation to you? Would you have felt compelled to return this call? Is that what you generally do?

Every interaction with a prospect needs to deliver a compelling reason for them to take action. Whether warm, cold calling or inbound follow-up, we have to sell the conversation.

So what might First Longlastname have done differently? Here's a few ideas:

You get the idea. If your team's voicemails:

Then you are well on your way to selling the conversation in your prospecting process.

Am I expecting too much? Are there any other ideas on what First Longlastname could/should have done?

(Photo credit: dorseygraphics)

Every day on Linkedin there seems to be a new discussion started on whether or not cold calling still works.  I am going to say here what I say there:

There is no such thing as "cold calling" any longer.  There is enough information at your disposal to know just about everything there is to know about your buyer except what they had for lunch (unless they are on Twitter!).

Nigel Edelshain just published an ebook called "Don't Cold Call. Social Call." And, he did a "bang up" job laying out this argument (I can say bang up because Nigel is British).  The ebook discusses using social networks and Sales 2.0 tools to prospect.

In a nutshell, Nigel argues that:

• The cold call is dead, if it means "smiling and dialing" with little-to-no-preparation on behalf of the sales person. But smart prospecting is very much alive. Sales people can execute "social calls" using the latest in Sales 2.0 tools and social networks.
  
  
• There are Sales 2.0 tools now available (including social networks) that help you with the 3 most critical factors in successful prospecting:

• Old fashioned cold calling resulted in 1 meeting for every 100 dials. Nigel contends that with social calling you get dramatically increased results - 1 meeting in 12 dials.
  
  

So, if your prospect isn't responding to your marketing efforts, "don't cold call...social call".

What do you think? Can using social networking and Sales 2.0 tools in prospecting increase the ability to "get in" dramatically?   Looking forward to your comments!

2008 was a very exciting year for Sales Bloggers!  We could not be happier about the engaged community of Sales, Marketing & Inside Sales Professionals that participate here and as well as in the LinkedIn Groups that we manage.

We thought it might be interesting to take a look at the Top 10 posts from 2008 - ranked by the conversations they generated.

Enjoy:

 

#1	How to Write Your Elevator Pitch
#2	Ask the Experts - Building Inside Sales
#3	Ask the Experts - Rep Ratios & Meeting Quotas
#4	Sales Tips: Tales from a Gatekeeper
#5	Pen Pals or Prospects: Part 2
#6	Sales Tip: Ask Great Sales Questions
#7	Pipeline Football Game: Sales v. Marketing
#8	Partnering Inside Sales & Field Sales
#9	Cold Calling - How To Make It Work
#10	Effective VoiceMail Messaging: Do's and Don'ts

Please share any blog articles that you read that really started a conversation in 2008. Just put the title & a link in the comments. I will post some of them later today in an update.

The other day I emailed our Sales team about our new research report and I received an email response that read:

This simple exchange really got me thinking about how we Marketers roll out new content, landing pages, calls-to-action, etc.

In my email I included 4 quick bullets:

• The news about the report going live on our site
• A link to the landing page
• A link to the thank you page
• A link to the document

I imagine that many of you send and/or receive similar emails of your own. But I also can guess that some don't!

How can a Sales person speak intelligently when following up on a lead if they don't know:

• What the offer included
• How the content was presented
• What must have motivated the prospect to act

You might say "My Sales team is absolutely aware of all three!" but are you sure?

I download a lot of registration-required content and I can assure you that more than 50% of the resulting voicemails sound exactly like this:

Actually I didn't. I expressed interest in the content offered on your site. Wouldn't a better message be:

Sales and Marketing must be on the same page to effectively convert web leads. So here's what I propose as a process. For existing web content:

• Get marketing & sales in a room/on a web meeting
• Walk through the current landing pages/forms on your site
• Discuss the calls-to-action
• Explain the content being offered
• Highlight the keywords and buzzwords that you think will get traction

Then, going forward, Marketing will create a document that captures just this information and distribute it to Sales when new landing pages / calls-to-action go live. 

Do this on a regular basis, and you will see not only an increase in lead conversion but also in satisfaction ratings between Sales and Marketing. 

Revenue generation is a team sport!  What does your organization do to share information?

What can I do to increase the productivity of my Inside Sales team? 

In the current selling climate, this question is being asked more and more often by Sales Managers at technology companies.  You can scan LinkedIn to find it asked dozens of times with hundreds of responses. 

Many responses involve ramping new hires, territory reshuffles, training programs, implementing new technologies, etc.  You know, big decisions that will not have an immediate impact on productivity but will over time.

I'd like to share some effective strategies you can put in place today to help you increase the productivity of your team. 

Number 1: The 4x4 Approach

Put "4" contacts from x number of target companies through a "4" touch process - all within 10 business days.  Hey, if you don't have a sense of urgency why should your prospect?

Here is how to best execute the "4" touch process for each contact:

• Day 1:  1^st compelling voicemail.
  Notice the word "compelling"! Your message should not be about you but should reference the issues your buyer is trying to address.

• Day 4:  2^nd compelling voicemail.
  Have the core of your message be a different pain point.  You don't want to repeat yourself; you want to find a new benefit to share with the prospect.

• Day 7:  "Call to Action" email. 
  What do you have to offer?  Time with an "expert"?  A recent study? 

• Day 10:  Final voicemail. 
  Final as in you tell the prospect it is your final message. 

If you don't connect, set a reminder to put them through the process again in 6 months. In the meantime, make sure their status is set to "Remarket" so that Marketing can continue to nurture them - hopefully keeping you "top of mind".

Number 2: The 10x10 Commitment

Let's face it; we all spend significant time answering emails, attending meetings, talking with colleagues, etc. Then, before you know it mid-day has arrived and no calls have been made. Just read Trish's post on The Cost of Email Insanity to see the scale of the problem.

The 10x10 commitment sets the requirement for each Rep to make "10" calls by "10" AM every day. What better way to remain focused on the most important part of Sales, talking to as many decision makers as possible?

Number 3: Power Hours

Power Hours are a committed 1 hour a day focused on nothing but selling. This approach really works and we do it every day at The Bridge Group.  We shut down email and IM and focus only on outbound calling for that 1 hour. To read more, check out our post on the subject here.

Incorporating some or all of these strategies can have an immediate impact on the productivity of your inside sales team.

As always, if you have any suggestions that have worked for you in the past, please comment!

(Photo by mixergirl)

During my career in sales, I've done both inside sales and business development.  What's the difference?  With inside sales, I was responsible for my own destiny (i.e., closing deals, carrying quota).  In business development, I sold as part of a team, typically partnered with field sales (aka outside sales) and a sales engineer. 

I am often asked, "What's the most effective way for inside sales to work with field sales?"  I can sum it up in one word: COMMUNICATION. Communication is the key to your success and your team's success.

So here are 3 tips for getting your inside & field teams aligned:

1. Establish territories - don't do round robin. Inside reps need to have a set territory to effectively start building pipeline. It can be based on geography, vertical, etc. This way inside sales will take pride in building their territory and benefit from working with the same field reps on a consistent basis.
   
   
2. Weekly sales call with the aligned field rep(s). It's critically important for the teams to talk every week. Inside sales should:
     -  get feedback from meetings or calls they've set up
     -  ask if there is something they could have done differently
     -  get input from the field on where to focus calling efforts
   
   Let's face it; you don't want an inside rep calling into John Doe of XXX Corporation when the field rep is already in the account.  It's a waste of everyone's time.
   
   
3. Make the most of your CRM. No matter which CRM you use (e.g. Saleslogix, Salesforce or even an Excel spreadsheet). Every time you pick up the phone, document it. That way everyone is aware of the progress made on any account.
   
   I also recommend using tasks to track conversations on key accounts. If you're like me it's hard to remember every detail of every conversation. By completing tasks when reviewing important accounts, inside sales can record the task as an internal call with the field partner's feedback and directions as notes.

Remember, selling is about building relationships whether with the prospect or your own internal team.  

As always, if you have any tips for how inside sales can most effectively work with field sales, please post them!

In my role as Marketing Manager, I buy services/technology/etc. for our inside sales consulting company. So I am a buyer, but does that mean by definition I am a liar?

Full disclosure I have been in Sales as well. And even blamed an occasional slipped close date on a "buyer-liar".

Here's a real world buying situation: I am currently looking at a new service. The vendor's Sales Guy has been great to work with, it's relatively cheap and easy to measure ROI. In short, I am very excited and have decided to buy.

But - I didn't buy in July, or in August. I don't know if I will be buying in September. Am I just reinforcing the idea that "buyers are liars?" 

 I don't think so. At any point during this sales process, I could have been asked some tough (and some less tough) questions to better gauge the opportunity:

• Is this project one of your top 3 initiativesfor this quarter?
  Me: "No."
  This is a great chance for a follow up question from the Sales Guy. "When will it be?" or "Where does this project rank today?"
  
  
• When are you looking to make a purchasing decision? When will you be implementing?
  Me: "The decision is made. Implementation will be next quarter."
  Note: to me as a buyer "decision" doesn't mean "ink".
  
  
• What would you like to see happen as a next step?
  Me: "Not a thing. I have all the information I need. Once I can give this project proper attention, I will pull the trigger."
  
  
• If you were me, would you forecast this business this month?
  Me: "Definitely not this month and probably not until next quarter."

By asking these questions, the Sales Guy would have a much clearer idea of my needs, objectives & timeframe. While I am guilty of not volunteering everything, proper forecasting is his job, not mine.

Check out this post from Trish if you want to see some more Great Sales Questions. Asking questions like these can make the sales process work better for you (the Sales Guy) and me (the Buyer).

So what do you think? Am I a "buyer-liar" or are there some questions that have to be asked to bring out the full picture?

If you are in sales, most likely you're a "people" person. I know I am. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have chosen a career that has me spending most of the day on the phone listening and talking to people. 

If I think about the number of "prospects" I've spoken with over the last ten years: # of years "x" the # of calls per day "x" the # of days per year . . . well . . . it's a lot!

I recently read a post by Michael Kreppein  ("Seth calls it "intangibles" I call it "reputation") that struck a chord with me.   Michael talks about his views on a salesperson's "reputation".  Below is an excerpt:

In my mind, reputation ties in with personality and focus. In sales, having a positive attitude and focusing on the prospect's issues is a must.  I truly believe "People buy from People".  The tone of your voice and your body language convey the passion you have for your solution and solving the prospect's problems.

If cold calling is part of your daily regimen, you are typically the first voice a prospect hears about your organization.  You need to not only understand the product you are selling, but also articulate how it solves a particular problem they are experiencing. 

Let's face it sales is a tough job, but the benefits and feelings of accomplishment are so well worth it; especially when customers reward us with repeat business and referrals.

Please feel free to share thoughts & comments about building a great sales reputation.