Trouble Getting Voicemail Messages Returned?By First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog Ever leave a voicemail that wasn’t returned? I know, silly question. If you’re a sales professional in the business to business world, then reaching out to new and existing clients is a day to day necessity. In the old days it was easy. First off, there were ...Read more...
Technology Burnout. If people don’t read or listen to your messages, what’s the point?By First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog Ask almost anyone in business today, and they will expound on the wonders of how technology has enhanced their inter-personal communication. In the B2B world, it has become the de facto solution for communicating, replacing antiquated methods like letters, memos or the ...Read more...
Dread making that next cold call?By First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog Do you panic or, get a sense of dread every time you know you need to cold call? Do you wish that prospects treated you with the same amount of respect, or even dignity they offer to people they already know? The key to being treated as a peer vs. a cold caller or “sales person” ...Read more...
Farming vs. HuntingBy First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog Farming is easier and more rewarding than hunting or, prospecting. First of all, you’ve already made the most important sale of all, your self. It’s no longer about if the client trusts you but rather, if they have a need for a product or service you can provide. Hunting ...Read more...
Are Sales People in the Relationship Business?By First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog We are all in the relationship business. If sales people were to recognize that they are a brand unto themselves, they would begin to understand the skill of brand management. If a sales person is a brand, then their brand capital is their relationships. True ...Read more...
Blog #27 Why Intuition Isn’t Always Your Best Guide.By First ApproachFebruary 15, 20130 comments#blog Most of us are great believers in our intuition. We have come to rely on its uncanny dependability to show us a path when a path isn’t clear. You could almost say that intuition offers instantiation: to represent (an abstract concept) by a concrete or tangible example. We ...Read more...
The Best Time to Build a Relationship Is When You Don’t Need the Relationship.By First ApproachFebruary 14, 20130 comments#blog In my company, First Approach, there are twelve maxims or axioms we use to emphasize concepts we feel are important. Maxim #2 is “The Best Time to Build a Relationship Is When You Don’t Need the Relationship” The concept is pretty simple; why ...Read more...
The Best Time To Sell; Once You’ve Made The Sale.By First ApproachFebruary 13, 20130 comments#blog If you think about it, the hardest part of selling a new client is getting them to talk with you, meet with you, and trust you. Depending on the business you’re in and the size of transaction you’re proposing, this can take weeks, months and even years. To ...Read more...
Blog#24 – Sales Team Not Prospecting, Whose Fault is That?By First ApproachFebruary 12, 20130 comments#blog In my business, I have interacted with sales people and those who manage sales people for many years. For those that read this blog regularly, you’ll know that my main expertise is in prospecting to the B2B world, management of the sales funnel from building it to managing ...Read more...
The Digital Seasons Greetings Card – A Wasted and Squandered Opportunity.By First ApproachFebruary 11, 20130 comments#blog It is December now with the holidays quickly approaching. In the business world, this means closing out the year or quarter, budgeting, or trying to close that last deal. In the business to business world it also means recognizing clients, maybe a card here or a bottle ...Read more...
If You Think Consultative Selling Is an Angle, It Won’t workBy First ApproachFebruary 10, 20130 comments#blog If you look around, you’ll note that in the world of B2B sales, there is an increasing ground swell towards “consultative selling”. Some of the most popular books on sales techniques have titles like “Trusted Seller Guide”, “The Trusted Advisor”, ...Read more...
What Is The Best Sales Book, Maybe None.By First ApproachFebruary 9, 20130 comments#blog One morning, I was having a conversation with a good client. He was telling me how their company’s strategy was about to change as the CEO had just read a new book and felt its premise needed to be adopted. Later in the day, I was talking to another client, a client ...Read more...
My New Client Won’t Return My Calls???By First ApproachFebruary 8, 20130 comments#blog You’ve just had a great first meeting. The new client was warm and receptive (much unlike he was on the phone) and you really felt you began a bond with this person. Handshake’s were exchanged and as he walked you to the elevator, he re-affirmed he would “like ...Read more...
I Just Lost My Best Client and I Didn’t See It Coming!By First ApproachFebruary 8, 20130 comments#blog Recently, I was in a meeting with a client when he disclosed his firm was in a very uncomfortable position. As manager of a sales group that serviced one of the companies most important markets, he was advised that a very substantial and long standing client would not ...Read more...
Under Performing Isn’t The Problem, Under Behaving Is.By First ApproachFebruary 8, 20130 comments#blog Recently, a new client of mine was asked to have their sales team prepare a list of 25 new prospects for an upcoming First Approach session and then forward that list to me. The missive went out and parameters for the information required as well as a deadline were shared with ...Read more...
Oh, And Mr. Prospect, Just One More Thing..By First ApproachFebruary 7, 20130 comments#blog Recently, I was in a meeting for the first time with a new prospect. As is often the case, the client was a little guarded and reserved. As we began to talk, he opened up; he became warmer and began to “let me in” so to speak. As we continued talking, he became ...Read more...