Blog #105 Do I Pass on Meeting a New Prospect vs. The Well You KnowsBy First ApproachDecember 12, 20240 comments#businessdevelopment #coldcalling #prospecting #B2Bnetworking #B2Bbusinessdevelopment Most any sales professional understands the necessity of finding new business. It's of little matter what you're selling, be it a complex technology solution or envelopes to stuff, the quest to find new buyers for your product or service is forever thus. Perhaps one of the ...Read more...
2 photosBlog #104 A Must Read From Reuters – Relationships Still Rule …By First ApproachJanuary 8, 20210 commentsTake a minute, and check out this article published by Reuters on December 29th. It reaffirms what all those in the B2B selling profession should know, especially if they are selling a high worth product or service. Investment banking from home thrived under COVID-19, but ...Read more...
Blog #103 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – The Three Phases of Cold Calling During a PandemicBy First ApproachDecember 1, 20200 commentsSo, here we are again, everyone’s least favorite subject, cold calling. It’s not going away, and if you’re trying to be successful in a B2B sales career these days, you better master it, because with Covid, it’s never been more important. Face to face ...Read more...
Blog #102 Talking to clients on the phone? STOP!!!!By First ApproachMay 4, 20200 comments#Prospecting #Businessdevelopment #Coldcalling #Salesenablement #Coldcalling How odd, a B2B sales coach advocating for the end of phone calls… or so it would seem?We are, like it or not, in the new age of the Covid reality. Although “change” is still in it’s infancy for all intent and purposes, the world of business has absolutely changed, and will remain ...Read more...
Blog #101 It’s Not Enough to Want it, You Have to Be Prepared to do It.By First ApproachJanuary 27, 20200 commentsNot so attractive, is it? I couldn't help but be fascinated by just how perfect this picture is as a metaphor. Think about it. No one would argue with the seemingly effortless grace with which ballet dancers portray something that is both beautiful, and pleasant to watch. ...Read more...
Blog #100 The Circle of TrustBy First ApproachJune 11, 20190 commentsTrust; firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. All too often, and I see this almost daily in my coaching practice, B2B sales people dwell on the “commodities” of the selling cycle. How much does my product or service ...Read more...
Blog #99 Prospecting, The Black Sheep of the FamilyBy First ApproachMay 3, 20190 commentsDeals, deals, deals .... the single thing we covet most. Deals are what we're omni-focused on. Deals are what managers and management are obsessed with. Ergo, the professional sales person is usually consumed with the back two thirds of the pipeline, that is, deals near closing, or ...Read more...
Blog #98 The Difference Between Finding New Business and Creating New BusinessBy First ApproachMarch 19, 20191 comments#Prospecting #Businessdevelopment #Coldcalling Much has been written about various sales methodologies over the years. Spin (not to spin?), Consultative selling, Relationship selling, Solutions selling, or Value selling to name just a few. What most of these concepts have in common is that they all strive to find a clients ...Read more...
Blog #97 Staying Top Of MindBy First ApproachFebruary 22, 20190 comments#Prospecting #Businessdevelopment #Coldcalling Wikipedia defines top of mind awareness as follows; "Top of mind awareness is a brand or specific product coming first in customers' minds when thinking of a particular industry." There are numerous other definitions but the basic concept is simple. Being the first thing, or ...Read more...
Blog #96 – B2B Prospecting - How Sales People Talk Themselves Out of Meeting New ClientsBy First ApproachNovember 5, 20180 comments My business, quite simply, is about teaching professional B2B sales people how to get meetings with new target prospects. There, it can’t be any plainer than that. Meeting new clients or customers is often considered the holy grail of sales talent. Understanding ...Read more...
Blog #95 A No On The Phone Doesn’t Necessarily Mean NoBy First ApproachOctober 2, 20180 comments#firstapproach #blog95 While I wrote about this subject a little over four years ago, it bears repeating because it’s a trap the majority of B2B sales people fall in-to. In this age of “right now”, or “today”, sales people leave an inordinate amount of business on the table ...Read more...
Blog #94 … The Relationship Between Deadlines and your Perishable CalendarBy First ApproachMarch 14, 20180 comments#firstapproach #blog94 You like peaches? I like peaches. Most people like peaches and most people would agree they are best when fresh. Not canned or stewed, but fresh peaches just off the tree and on to your table. Peaches are seasonal but more importantly, they are perishable. I’m not exactly sure ...Read more...
Blog #93 Your Prospect or Client is Waiting for your next Email or News Letter!By First ApproachJanuary 10, 20180 comments#firstapproach #blog93 Hello and Happy New Year to all; Ho Ho Ho (Ummmm, maybe that was politically incorrect?) And so it begins, another year, another budget, and targets galore. As I sit in my office, peacefully I might add, before the inevitable maelstrom resumes in the coming weeks, I’d like to ...Read more...
Blog #92 Why We Hate Cold CallingBy First ApproachNovember 13, 20170 comments#firstapproach #blog92 Fact; cold calling is the most reviled, abhorred, and avoided part of any sales person’s job. It doesn’t matter if you’re B2C, B2B, targeting Fortune 100 companies, or beating the street going from office to office. Cold calling is displeasurable, painful, and generally ...Read more...
Blog #91 Execution vs. Analysis ParalysisBy First ApproachOctober 11, 20170 comments#firstapproach #blog91 Over the many years I’ve spent in the world of business to business sales, I’ve come to one incontrovertible conclusion, and that is the sheer number of sales organizations that spend inordinate amounts of time “re-organizing” or “changing up” their ...Read more...
Blog #90 Marketing or Purchasing; Do You Want to Sell or Just Participate in an Auction?By First ApproachSeptember 12, 20170 comments#firstapproach #blog90 Getting an order is no easy thing, thus is the life of the B2B sales professional. We’re all under pressure, whether self or otherwise imposed. Deadlines loom, and management seems always to be asking more and more of us. We look for opportunities, be they with existing clients ...Read more...