Last post, we explored why it's usually not a good idea to begin with the purchasing department.
But there are situations when purchasing is the place to begin. Here are some considerations.
Continue reading When it IS good sales strategy to begin with the purchasing department
First, what is cold-call selling?
Cold calling can be by phone, as you telephone prospects for appointments, or maybe to do some early research. (Telephone cold calling is a topic we'll be dealing with another time.)
What we'll be speaking of here are cold-calls made in person.
Suppose you're a consultant looking to sell your expertise as a trainer in a certain field— perhaps how to comply with new federal regulations, or how to improve the effectiveness of customer care departments. Since it's about training, you might think that the training department is the place to make your first contact.
Well, maybe. But, then again, maybe not.
You’ll find here free sales training articles and tutorials, checklists and sales tips, as well as links to our sales training books — all focused on Selling Face to Face.
The free sales training articles and tutorials here are adapted from the courses and workshops I developed on contract for the “sales universities” of world-class marketing companies such as Xerox in the United States and abroad, Kodak, Motorola, Sylvania, Bank of America, and others . . . as filtered through my own experience in marketing consulting services.
The aim is to provide practical sales training across the spectrum from beginners (starting up new businesses, or making career changes) to experienced sales people looking for fresh approaches, or hoping to gain the kind of professional selling skills they would have developed as attendees in big company sales training programs.
In the free sales training articles here, and in the related books, we cover topics including,
On the topics of consulting, contract work, and independent contracting, did you see Paul Davidson's article in USA Today (Dec 7, 2009), "Contract workers swelling ranks"? Go to article Some interesting points:
— About 8% of the US workforce consists of contract employees, most of whom are independent contractors.
— One person interviewed, a member of an employment law firm, predicts that half the jobs created in the recovery "will be filled by contractors, consultants, and other temps."
— More than half of all of these temporary slots are now "filled by professionals such as engineers and physicians."
— One of the key benefits for contractors like that is freedom: freedom to choose opportunities, and freedom to move on.
— From the perspective of an employer, one of the key benefits is flexibility: for example, firms can pull in specialists for product launches and new ventures without having to undertake the front-end costs in time and dollars of a permanent staffing-up.
All of this, need I point out, ties in with our overall theme: by learning to sell yourself (or your skills or whatever) face to face, you can help fill those needs.
This item is used with permission from the newsletter of Rick Frishman, a publishing guru. Though he's speaking here of contacts within the media industry, it struck me as equally relevant to any kind of marketing. (Particularly as it echoes what I preach in the books about follow-up, thank-you contacts, and other kinds of post-sale customer care.)
Here's Rick on turning contacts into partners:
"After you've made an interesting new
contact that you would like to know better…how do you capitalize on that
contact and make that person a member of your network? The answer is by
following up. Most adults find it hard to follow up. Some are shy, are afraid to
be a nuisance, or appear to be groveling. They see networking as selling and
although all of us sell something, they don't want to be perceived as
salespersons. Following up promptly isn't just good business, it's smart
business. The big surprise is that following up can be fun and it can produce
rewards beyond your expectations.
"Create a System: First of all, you
really must save business cards, contact information and other contact
literature. Treat them like receipts you might need for an IRS audit. Then buy
or create a system to prioritize and file contact information.
"Learning
to Prioritize: Ideally, it's best to enter contact information in your files as
close to the initial meeting as possible. Then communicate with your contact
within two or three days to follow up. If you have collected a bunch of business
cards, prioritize them to determine whom you want to call first. Move first to
communicate with:
"1. Those you promised to call or
e-mail.
"2. Contacts who could be important to you.
"Making
Your Move: Send a handwritten note or an e-mail including where you met, and a
reference that will make the connection closer and more personal. Attach
articles, cartoons or information that might interest your contact. Make sure
what you send is relevant; otherwise you'll be sending irritating
spam.
"Always Say "Thanks": Whenever someone introduces you, recommends
you, endorses you, speaks well of you, or helps you in any way, quickly and
clearly express your gratitude. People remember your gratitude; it makes them
feel happy that they helped you. The best way is by writing a handwritten note.
Phone calls can also be effective and personal. E-mail is les personal than
notes and phone calls, but is quick. Remember, the method you choose is
secondary to saying thank you
promptly."
Me again. Rick's newsletter isn't all work; there's some fun stuff, too. Like this:
Dumb
Facts
•Ten percent of the Russian
government's income comes from the sale of vodka.
•On average, 100 people
choke to death on ball-point pens every year.
•Only one person in two billion
will live to be 116 or older.
•In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice
without a hunting license.
•Thirty-five percent of the people who use
personal ads for dating are already married.
•The world's termites outweigh
the world's humans 10 to 1.
•The 3 most valuable brand names on earth:
Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
•In 10 minutes, a
hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons
combined.
•"Minding your p's and q's" comes from early typesetting. The
letters are in reverse making it
very easy to confuse the two.
•Many
years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle
of their
ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle
to get some service. "Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this
practice.
Reprinted from "Rick Frishman's Author 101 Newsletter"
Subscribe at
http://www.author101.com and receive Rick's "Million Dollar Rolodex"
In a previous post, we addressed buying signals in general. Now we look more specifically at the kind of buying signals you might encounter once you're actually face-to-face with the Prospect.
Buying signals are clues that the mood has shifted and the other
person is now ready to agree . . . or at least to be open to what you
propose.
To clarify, a "buying signal" doesn't just mean
readiness to purchase; it also includes readiness or openness to take
interim steps along the way—such as to hear you out, to hear more, or
to take the next step.
Continue reading Buying signals: what they are, and what to be alert for
Purchasing managers, you might assumed, are the folks who decide what to
buy.
But that assumption is usually wrong. In reality, the
purchasing manager will be more of an obstacle than a help . . .
provided that is, that you are selling anything other than commodities.
Continue reading Why it’s usually not a good idea to begin with the purchasing department
Buying signals from the gatekeeper or screen: What kinds of cues should you be alert for? (For the records, gatekeeper and screen are usually interchangeable terms, and may apply to anyone from the guard at the gate to the secretary to the personal assistant to the Decision Maker.)
Be attuned for the subtle clues, or buying signals, gatekeepers may send that indicate that this secretary or other screen is becoming interested, and hence relaxing the barrier.
Continue reading Buying signals — from the Gatekeeper or Screen