Since I started the LinkedIn Inside Sales Experts Group (request to join here) a little over a month ago, the membership approval process has afforded me the opportunity to review more than 240 LinkedIn profiles.  Most, I would say 90%, of the members are sales people but I have to tell you that I would never know that from looking at their profiles!

These are the days of social networking providing the public with not only information but a view of YOU.  These are the days when peers, potential employers and even prospects will look up a person on LinkedIn before they ever have a conversation with them.  And what do most of our profiles say about us?  Nothing.

Here sits your online resume for the world to see and most of us have expended zero effort in selling ourselves.  It is just a laundry list of places we have worked with dates attached.  Shame on us! 

Where is the sizzle?  Where do we let others know that not only are we are good at the game of sales but that we are passionate about it?

Here is a sample of a GREAT profile.  What follows was in the summary section.  I have removed the person's name to protect the innocent but it will give you a sense for what I mean...

Now, Mr. X is obviously no slouch in the ego department but hey it was interesting right?

If you think your LinkedIn profile is as well done as Mr. X's, please post a link with your comments in this blog.  Give yourself a pat on the back for being smart enough to brand YOU! 

Now, I have to go, I have to eat my own dog food and rewrite my profile.  Happy Selling!

Technorati Profile

I love to read blogs that make me laugh and I read a post on The Sales Wars that was interesting and funny.  It was written by Michelle Doucette who is a gatekeeper for a software company in the Boston area.  Take a peek here and find an excerpt below:

I think the topic is one of interest to everyone in sales.  Times have changed and where we used to think we had to "get past" the gatekeeper, now we should figure out how to "work with" the gatekeeper. 

As inside sales practitioners, how much time do we spend on crafting a compelling elevator pitch for the gatekeeper? 

After all, we wouldn't be calling at all if we didn't believe we could help the company solve a business problem, but how do we convey that to the gatekeeper in way that is relevant to them?  Their immediate issues don't include getting their applications to market faster or SOX compliance.  They do care about being viewed as an asset and a contributor to the overall success of the company.  How do we help them to help us?

I would love to hear from the Inside Sales Experts community.  What have you found to be effective in working with the gatekeeper?

Does your team ask great questions?  Every salesperson thinks they ask great questions, but do you really? 

The shortest distance between winning a deal and having it slip from month to month is a direct one.  In fact, it's these direct questions that encourage prospects to share information, establish a personal relationship with us, and increase our chance of selling our solution.  

Here are some great questions we have collected in our travels.   Use these questions as part of your sales process today.

Qualifying:

Was there a compelling event that caused you to request information?

• If there was a compelling event, you will uncover it right away and can position your product or service to address it.
• If there was not an event, then you know you have to invest in educating the prospect by evolving latent pain into recognized pain.

What is the most important thing you hope to accomplish by investing in our solution?

• If the prospect can articulate what they want to accomplish it clearly defines where they are in the investigation process and whether or not they are educated on the value of your solution. If you listen closely, you may even be able to ascertain if your competition has been defining their requirements.
• If they can't articulate their objectives and success criteria, are they ready to invest in a solution?

What would you like to see happen as a next step?

• As salespeople we are controlling and prefer to dictate what will happen next. Asking an open-ended question will allow you to see where they are in the process and can quite often move the process along faster than you would have thought.

Competition:

Are you considering other vendors?

• Don't be shy - just ask. Everybody has competitors.
• If they are not looking at competitors, are they really in the market for a solution?

You are looking at 3 vendors, could you please rank them for me?

• This will tell you a lot about your probability to bring the deal to closure. Why wait until the end of the sales process to find out where you stand? Finding out early will allow you to develop a strategy for becoming or staying number one.

Forecasting and closing:

On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being highly likely), how likely are you to select our solution?

• This one's truly a great question. The answer tells you all you need to know.

When are you looking to make a purchasing decision?  When will you be implementing?

• If they answer they will be purchasing in June and implementing in October, guess what, they will be making the decision late summer so forecast accordingly.
• If they will be purchasing in September and implementing in October, is that a realistic timeframe with your solution? You are the expert and you may need to guide your customer.

If you were me, would you forecast this business this month?

• Ask the question...it will increase your forecasting accuracy. What? You didn't think they knew you were in sales and had to forecast? Ok, if you're really shy...tell them your management team requires it of you. They do right?

If you have great questions you have been using, feel free to share.  Happy Selling!