Prospecting

Finding prospects you can turn into customers is a never-ending task. Whether you’re using technology to help or just good old-fashioned networking and research by a salesperson, the sales funnel goes dry without prospecting. These posts can help.

Why your emails suck: 16 tweaks that will get more responses

by Michele McGovern

Take this like the thick-skinned sales pro you are: Prospects and customers don’t like your email.

But take solace in the fact that it’s not just you.

Most sales emails are flawed to a point that customers don’t even open them – much less act on them. Average email click-through rates are below 5%, according to a benchmark report by SignUp.to,

People are overwhelmed with email. They read just a few and act on even fewer. So it’s no surprise that writing an email that gets read is hard. Writing email that gets action is even harder.

Rise above the average sales pro by knowing what makes email suck – and tweaking yours so they don’t.

Here are the 16 worst mistakes in email prospecting, plus tips to be better:

The Ultimate Guide to Lead Generation for Sales Professionals

by Michele McGovern

Every sale starts with a lead.

The stronger your lead generation plan, the more likely salespeople will close.

But like most things that are vital to a process, lead generation doesn’t come easily. Sixty-eight percent of companies say they struggle with lead generation, a Lattice Engines/CSO Insights study found.

The struggles are real. Lead quality and quantity can be lackluster. Details on leads might be hard to crystallize. And the actual leads are sometimes difficult to prioritize.

A closer look at lead generation can help sales pros make better sense of it, become more effective at generating and using the leads and maximizing what they have.

53 questions to help you make great discovery calls

by Michele McGovern

The most awkward moments are over: You made the cold call. You stirred some interest. You earned the privilege to have a discovery call.

That single call could be the most important step in the sales process. You established some rapport through the cold call or successful marketing effort, but the discovery call will set the tone for the relationship with prospects (or soon-to-be-customers).

Now’s the time to learn and understand the prospects’ needs, pain points and goals. Then build the bridge between those and your solution.

Uproot embedded competitors: 22 ways Sales can make it happen

by Michele McGovern

Trying to uproot an embedded competitor is always worth a shot.

Here’s why: The biggest, most loyal buyers are also the most likely to look at and switch to the competition, a Harvard Business School study found. If you appear to be better, prospects will listen.

But it’s never enough to just tell prospects that your product or service is better. They need specifics. Hard-line comparisons. Insightful data. Real-time results. Testimonials from people they identify with.

If you’re armed with the right information and take a strategic approach, you can beat an embedded competitor.

To break loyalty, you may need to change your approach from prospect to prospect based on account size, depth of existing relationship or industry.

Sales prospecting email templates: 38 ready-made to help you open doors

by Michele McGovern

Email could be the most effective way for salespeople to get attention today.

Almost 21% of prospecting emails get opened, according to MailChimp research Meanwhile, only about 2% of cold calls go anywhere worthwhile.

But email success isn’t just a matter of sending more messages and hoping for responses. Certain email rules hold true regardless of the industry or audience. And great messages can be built from solid prospecting templates like those here.

But first, you want to make sure that any email you send prospects can customers is:

Best cold calling advice from the top gurus, authors in sales

by Michele McGovern

Cold calling sends a cold shiver down most salespeople’s spines.

Probably because it evokes a cold shoulder from most prospects.

But experts agree: There are ways to be successful at cold calling.

To help salespeople successfully cold call, we put some of top experts in the sales industry to task. We asked them to share their best cold calling advice, proven techniques and strongest strategies.

Then we pulled it all together here for you.

Here’s our experts’ cold calling advice:

10 things you don’t say during a cold call – and 10 you do

by Michele McGovern

Salespeople beware: Your words can kill a cold call faster than the prospects’ “no.”

Some words and phrases are fast turnoffs – working bad magic so quickly you can’t make it past your intro.

Fortunately, some words and phrases work like charms when it comes to cold calling.

But first, here are 10 things you don’t want to say in cold calls.

12 reasons sales development reps are more critical than ever

by Michele McGovern

If you want to close more sales, you need sales development reps.

If you have sales development, you need to maximize their impact now.

When sales development reps are part of the sales cycle, the close rate is 22% – a significantly higher percentage than if salespeople go it alone, according to research from TOPO.

In addition to increasing the closing rate, here are 12 reasons sales development reps are more critical than ever.

Ultimate cold calling cheat sheet: A checklist that’ll boost sales

by Michele McGovern

Cold calling doesn’t have to suck.

Salespeople who practice, embrace and win at cold calling will agree: It pays off.

The best part: You don’t have to repeatedly crash and burn while cold calling to learn how to make it work.

Instead, use this cheat sheet that includes the most-effective cold calling techniques – some gathered from research, some pulled from industry experts, and some found by hardcore salespeople who tried and tried until they perfected it.

Here’s your ultimate cold calling cheat sheet/checklist:

Best prospecting advice from the top gurus, authors in sales

by Michele McGovern

Prospecting can be the most frustrating part of the sales process.

But when it’s done well, it can be the most rewarding.

To help salespeople realize more success from prospecting, we went to some of the top experts in the sales industry. We collected their brilliant ideas and practical advice for better prospecting and put the best here for you.

And here’s what they have to say:

Prospecting

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