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Do Sales Tools Equal Sales Effectiveness?

Posted by Trish Bertuzzi on Tue, Aug 25, 2009
 

Steve Harper, is today's guest blogger. He also blogs at plan2win.
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With the explosion of "Sales 2.0" mentions, how do we evaluate the tools that are available?  Which ones will really drive better effectiveness? 

According to CSO Insights, the #1 issue that worries VP Sales and CEOs, behind increasing revenue, is increasing sales effectiveness. 

In a different survey, 97% of CEOs interviewed are planning on increasing revenue this year.  More interestingly, 67% plan on increasing revenue while REDUCING headcount in the sales department. 

Now, I am not a math major, but, if you want to increase sales and decrease sales people, each sales person has to sell more than they were selling.  Right? So increasing the productivity of each sales person has to be the utmost priority.  The real question is exactly HOW do you do that?  Enter Sales 2.0 tools. 

First, let's back up and talk about what Sales 2.0 IS... With all the stuff written, you would think that there is a new Facebook that sells the stuff for you.  The reality is that selling is just as hard (more so) than ever before.  The other reality is that buyers are more informed than ever before, and they EXPECT you to be.  Therefore the first 2 sales calls (introduction, learning about the business, etc.) are gone.  Sales 2.0 is the acceleration and abrupt deceleration of the sales process.  It is also the incredible number of tools and services available.

So what are the tools?  Salesforce.com is the most visible tool that sales teams are now using, but InsideView, Connect and Sell, DemandBase, and Kadient are excellent examples of where sales tools are headed.  The key is having the information that you need, when you need it, in a place that you need it, so you can ACT ON IT!  And this is where things sometimes fall down.

For today, let's start with ConnectAndSell. 

(Trish here: ConnectAndSell is a combination of switching technology and virtual sales agents that connect Sales Reps to prospects.  They guarantee 5 live connects per hour to each of your Reps and typically average 7-10.)

This is a great tool, technology and service... BUT, for it to work, the team has to be ready and trained to use it. If they just throw up on the individuals that they get on the phone, then all you did was add efficiency to a bad selling experience and process.  You will get more conversations, so by simple math you will get more deals, but you haven't really made the sales process an engine.  So a few things to make this a success:

  1. Have a plan and a VERY TARGETED list.  Without a good target list based on a good sales plan, then this is automated "Spray and Pray"

  2. Have an Excellent 15 second introduction. Get their attention fast and keep the conversation about them, their issues, and their success.

  3. Know what your goal is. 99% of companies are not going to close anything on one call.  You are probably just trying to set up a time to have a more detailed conversation.  Get their attention, generate some interest, set up a time, get off the phone, move to the next one

  4. Stack industries, verticals or product lines. This makes the introduction and the conversation easier for the rep to focus on. If the first call is a bank and the next call is an engineering firm, the mental shift in a few seconds is tough. Make sure that the list is focused every time you use the service.

  5. Turn off your cell phone and forward to voicemail your desk phone. Close your email client. FOCUS on the calls and you will be much better.

These tips should help you increase your effectiveness with ConnectAndSell.  Good Selling!

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Trish here again: Steve mentioned that he will be sharing his thoughts on other tools over the next several weeks. I'll be sure to share them when he does.

(Photo by: mixergirl)

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COMMENTS

Selling in the 21st century is indeed much different than ten years ago and requires a different set of skills, tools and approaches.  
 
 
 
1. It is much more transparent. Every interaction is critical. How you lose a deal, is as important as every win, because it is reflected on Facebook, twitter and linked in 
 
 
 
2. You need to have smart, savvy salespeople who understand that every interaction is under the microscope. 
 
 
 
3. There are free, easy to use social networking tools that should be required for every sales interation. If you are not looking up your clients on LinkedIn before engaging, you are at a competitive disadvantage. 
 
 
 
As a sales exec, I am not that excited about anything that requires sales rep training to use. But sales teams who want to win, aggressively adopt 21st century tools that give them a competitive advantage. 
 
 
 
DT

posted @ Tuesday, August 25, 2009 8:55 AM by Dan Tyre

Great note! I am believer that sales enablement is not about buying the next shiny toy!  
I look forward to your comments on other tools also...

posted @ Tuesday, August 25, 2009 8:59 AM by uday kumar

 
Sales effectiveness is a key to being competitive in today's marketplace.  
Current sales tools focus on contact management. The time has come to empower sales reps with self serve product knowledge, to cut down on training as posted by Uday.  
 
Loot atwww.emcien/com/EmcienMatch

posted @ Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:47 AM by Jeff Fisher

Thank you Uday.  
 
Dan, you are spot on. Selling in 2009 is a different experience than 1999, or 2005. The transparency is a big part of this, and it does take new tools and techniques. I disagree with a bit on your comment about training. Though as a rep I agreed with you :-) I know that time off the phone is a huge issue. I, do however, think rep training is not just necessary, but too often ignored. Whether ion new tools, or techniques. The analogy I use is this: any other "Profession", (think about) your Accountant, Lawyer, Doctor, or even your Sales Engineer. They all are required to have continuing Ed in order to keep whatever certificate they have. Sales people that are most successful are continuous learners whether through their corporate structure or on their own. If the last 18 months have taught anything, it is that the status-quo will not work. As my Father has asked me on numerous occasions, do you have 10 years experience, or 1 year of experience 10 times. That is the question we should be asking sales people. 
 
Thank you for the comment. Great discussion.

posted @ Wednesday, August 26, 2009 8:56 AM by Steve Harper

Hopefully you have an effective partnership with your marketing team as well. In my industry (business software) effective marketing can get the buyer past the tire kicking stage and part of the way through the initial evaluations with the right tools online. And, once the prospect is ready to talk to sales, they can tell the sales person exactly what materials the prospect downloaded and sometime even which web pages they viewed. All of this can help your sales team be more effective with today's business consumer that is much more knowledgeable than they were in the days before the internet.

posted @ Thursday, August 27, 2009 1:14 PM by Melissa Paulik

One easy way that I have found to use technology to not only stay in touch, but make contact with clients is to send them a Real card, not an e-mail or a generic card, but a real card addressed to them. I like funny cards, I think people remember them (and me) better. A great service I use is Send Out Cards. It allows me to send a real card from my computer in my own handwriting addressed to them with a stamp and everything. Plus, I can include a little gift too if I want like gourmet cookies or a gift card to Starbucks. My prospects remember this sort of thing. It's a great ice breaker. Also, send a card to gatekeepers to brighten their day and make them aware of you. The cards cost about $1.00 to send out with postage.  
Check out the websitewww.sendoutcards.com/cardsforme

posted @ Monday, October 05, 2009 11:54 AM by Stephanie Symbolik

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