salespodder

salespodder

http://salespodder.com

The 'Any News Yet?' Call

First time around you often hear reps say “as requested, I’m calling back today, any news yet?” and take it from there. Although it must be said that this is a bit shoddy for a phone call premise, as the call should really be structured around some definitive next

More Solution Sales Experience

Some cheeky little spam sneaked its way through my mail filter to greet me with this delightful opening line: > Something I have kept close to me through 20 years in solutions selling is the rule “if there’s no need, there’s no lead.” If a prospective customer cannot,

Billionaire's Quartet Of Business Bullets

Glad to read a portrait of Lloyd Dorfman in the FT [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b7949a34-3c79-11dd-b958-0000779fd2ac.html] last week whilst early for an appointment at a client. He founded Travelex as a single bureau de change 32 years ago, and in 05 sold 57% of his stake

Google Side Entrance

Something so simple I cannot believe it didn’t occur to me before. In my current cold-calling crusade almost 25% of my sample’s receptionists wouldn’t pass on their firm’s ‘head of sales’ name, claiming some ridiculous policy or other. In England, such people are usually referred to

Appointment Making Alteration

During a review meeting with a customer the other day, I learned that they’d recently had much success changing their approach to ‘appointment making’. A new way was sought after instituting Calling Days that each rep underook from their home office. The discovery that on average just 2 appointments

Neat Real-World Analogies

There’s an impressive school of thought that if you’ve a complex point to get across, the winners do so by boiling everything down to terms a 5-yr old can understand. Sales trainers often compel reps to imagine their dear old Granny. If you can’t get her to

Filling Station Loss Leaders

In my role as humble rep, I’m often left pondering what more I can do to create a sense of urgency. Something that compels my prospects to act immediately. The traditional route is to give the shop away. Discount is usually seen as the key decision-making inducement. Yet most

Candle Experience

How often have you told someone everything you think is great about your product, but all you get in response is disinterested silence with glazed eyes? How can the prospect be so stupid?! Well, they’re not stupid of course. In our tunnel-visioned enthusiasm, we’ve forgotten to get across

Big Pic versus Baby Steps

As reps, we often experience the two competing forces of motivation. One school says, it’s many incremental improvements that progress you. The other, claims you only score big by thinking big and dreaming high is the true way. Here’s a sporting example of how the small improvement theory

Project Names & Background Management

In the daunting surrounds of a Canary Wharf boardroom, the latest London-based Apprentice won through last night. One of the post-match analysts was Cobra Beer founderKaran Bilimoria [http://www.startups.co.uk/6678842908113945686/cobra-beer.html]. His is an entrepreneur’s story with a strong message that all too often gets