In this interview Jeb Blount and Douglas Burdett discuss why marketers and salespeople need to get up front and personal with proactive outbound prospecting on the Marketing Book Podcast. Here's what Douglas had to say about the interview: "It’s no secret…
Salespeople cultivate customers through prospecting and referrals; they convert customers into clients by establishing and maintaining a relationship that allows them to build a sense of trust. Times are tough – but as an old adage reminds us, “when the…
Succeeding in sales requires a lot more effort than it used to. I love watching sports highlights on television, especially segments like “Plays of the Month”. What always stands out for me is the effort a particular player made. Whether it…
First, get over the fact about how you don’t want to text somebody because it may cost them. If that’s your reason for not texting, then you are a member of the flat earth society! Those days are long gone…
I’ll admit it’s an individual call, dependent on any number of factors, but here’s the deal as I saw it. As a salesperson, I can’t make excuses and I have to be in control of my situation. Lousy salespeople are…
As a call screener, my job is to protect the time of the decision maker that I work for – so I need to make sure I’m not passing through calls that are going to waste our executive’s time. Getting…
Just like salespeople create a daily action plan for sales, salespeople should plan to prospect. Set the goal – what outcome is desired from prospecting? Be sure the goal is “SMART” – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based. There is…
The important part is getting the readers to reply. If you can start a conversation with a prospect, even just over email, your chance to close the deal skyrockets. You and I both know you aren’t a spammer. You’re a service…
Choosing which one to employ depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Once you’ve made that determination, the decision is easy. I frequently recommend using lead generation, and then in the next breath mention sales prospecting when we’re defining new…
Stop calling, stop emailing, stop begging for one more meeting and stop acting desperate. Dump them and move on. Instead of chasing prospects who don’t want to be caught, invest you time in prospects who engage instead of run. Have…
Objections are not deal killers. Sometimes, they are deal enablers, helping the salesperson to understand the buyer’s real needs and requirements. Zig Ziglar was the best-known sales trainer in the world. The man from Yazoo City, Mississippi learned to sell…
There are few opportunities in life to accurately predict the future, but paying attention to leading indicators now is an opportunity not only to predict, but to change the future course of your sales. Too often when looking at a…