Sales Networking That Works

 Networking, Sales  2 Responses »
May 182012
 
6,392 Views   


I am constantly reminded that it is better to give than receive. This concept works well in so many facets of our lives. What about our business and sales practices? We all too often hold pertinent information close to the vest and not share openly. What if sharing opened doors to multiple other opportunities that we weren’t aware of?

networking

Networking with others can be extremely beneficial if you are interested and sincere in helping your group as well as yourself. If your networking results for the last year were mediocre then you might want to consider this: Are your shared leads mediocre in an effort to get a great lead from someone else? Be honest.

 

“The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.” – Ray Kroc

The reality of any networking group is that you will feel you’re giving more than receiving. In most cases that most likely is accurate. Does it really matter? I say give away! Become the “go to” person in your group. While good leads are extremely important so is relationships, trust, credibility, and so on.

Continue reading »

4 Tips for Killer Voicemails

 Sales  No Responses »
May 162012
 
5,550 Views   


When left with no choice but to leave a voicemail… Do you leave an impromptu message? Or even worse… Do you simply put the phone down and hang up, expecting to catch that prospect at a later time? If so… Why? Do you believe voicemail’s a waste of time? I have a question for you… Is it leaving a voicemail that’s a waste of time or could it be the voicemail you’re leaving?

4 Tips for Killer Voicemails

VOICEMAIL SUCCESS

First, and most important, don’t exceed 30 to 45 seconds!
This will prevent you from rambling on. It’s going to force you to laser in on a specific message.

4 Tips for Killer Voicemails

Tip 1 - Be brief and get to the point. Identify yourself and the purpose of calling. Give them a reason to reply. It needs to be something compelling that makes the listener want to get back to you for their benefit. Make sure you time stamp it as well.

Tip 2 - Always, always, always leave your phone number and your email address. There are people that feel more comfortable with email. Let them know that you check your email regularly.

Continue reading »

Cold Calling is Dead – Long Live Foot-Blitzing!

 Sales  4 Responses »
May 162012
 
8,995 Views   


In today’s market environment it’s more important than ever that we get in front of potential customers. If you track your activity you know that you’re having to increase prospecting two to three times the amount normal to be successful. There is so much fear, uncertainty and doubt that it’s difficult for any business to easily make a purchase decision. On top of that… the businesses that are forging ahead are being inundated with solicitations through the phone and email of which they normally respond “not now”. What can you do different than everyone else?

Cold Calling is Dead - Long Live Foot-Blitzing!

Cold Calling is Dead – Long Live Foot-Blitzing!
Truthfully, true cold calling has been dead for eons. This new mantra is a little bit of a misnomer in my opinion. To prospect without researching and preparing has always been a waste of time. To randomly call on anyone that can “fog a mirror” is of course nuts. You should always have a purpose and a focused direction in any prospecting endeavor you take on. Intelligent foot-blitzing (not random door-knocking) can give you that edge over your competition in today’s market challenges. It can give you that personal touch needed to put a potential client at ease quickly that you could never have accomplished with a phone call or email.

“Anytime you do something out-of-the-box, something different, your prospects will remember you every single time that you call!”

Why Foot-Blitz? I can explain this in three words: Timing is everything. To be at the right place at the right time is difficult. How do you do this? It’s simple actually… you have to get out and meet with people. The more businesses you meet with the better the odds are of being there at the right time.

Continue reading »

4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Hire Someone

 Employment, Management  No Responses »
May 142012
 
2,881 Views   


The sales industry as a whole has always been a transitional career move/path environment. Today it’s more than ever. Managers, Owners, Presidents, and CEO’s are short fused with their sales teams. Sales members are looking at the proverbial “grass is greener” across all industries in defense. What I’m finding is there are plenty of qualified professionals to choose from in an 8+ percent unemployment environment. My problem is how to choose the best of the best. Here’s what I’ve learned.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Hire Someone

4 Questions to ask yourself before you hire someone.

1.) Do you know what it takes to be successful in your industry today?

2.) If not… then how do you expect a newly hired sales professional becoming successful with your organization?

3.) Will your training be relevant?

4.) Is your pricing, offering, and presentation thought out and pertinent to today’s market? Are you still sales training using older techniques?

If any of these questions hit home, before you invest in a new sales person, make a change and give yourself and them a chance to succeed.

Understanding the preparation and responsibility with a new hire’s success is important but it is equally important to find the right individual in the first place.

Where do you find them?
Linkedin and Facebook are my favorites with “word of mouth” or networking a close second. Having url links in your status updates to your company site/blog for more detailed information on the offering is necessary.

Continue reading »

Cloud, Virtual, Web 2.0, Social Media and its Impact on Business

 Social Media, Technology  No Responses »
Apr 272012
 
18,212 Views   


Two of my favorite subjects are technology and business. It was, of course, destiny that an article on this subject would transpire. The idea began with a keynote presentation that I gave to a room full of CFO’s and IT Directors. It just made sense to share with a larger audience.

Cloud, Virtual, Web 2.0, Social Media and its Impact on Business

Already Impacted?
Yes! Let’s look at a morning in the life of me…

First thing in the morning I virtually contact my global business connections through the use of Google Apps, Web 2.0, and Cloud Computing using social media. Some of these tools consist of LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and Facebook all of which have storage and applications on the cloud. I then finally check my Google analytics, which of course is on the cloud, to see how my articles are doing on my website which uses virtualization.

“50% out of the 500 CIO’s surveyed plan to use virtualization.”

As I start my commute a potential client calls my office VoIP/SIP phone and through presence, location based services, and virtualization connects instantaneously to my Android Smartphone which I now can answer a few last minute questions before arriving at the office. As I arrive at my office I seamlessly finish the call back on my office phone without any interruption. I then receive an efax, using the cloud, signed contract and the deal is closed.

As you can see new technology has a tremendous impact on how I do business and my guess yours is similar.

Continue reading »

Page 1 of 1812345...Last »
About Chris Lott
Chris Lott My name is Chris Lott and my passions are business mentoring, sales training, technical sales, management, and social media marketing. I am widely recognized for my efforts in the telecommunications, data, and sales success industries.

After years of motivating and training sales organizations I thought it made sense to share my experiences with others. Thus SalesBlog! was born!   Read more

 

 

Keep in Touch
The easiest way to contact me is through email using my contact form. You might also DM (direct message) me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn. My Voice number is (208) 724-7029, and you can occasionally find me on Skype as r.chris.lott.
Rave Reviews

 
SalesBlog! Resources
 totallysales™ Sales Success Playbook

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2006-2012 Chris Lott and Lottspace. All rights reserved. | Design by totallysales™ and template by Suffusion‎ | Affiliate Disclosure