Where Should Salespeople Spend TheirTime?
Where Should Salespeople Spend TheirTime?
The call to get to 1st Base should not take more than 10 minutes regardless of who you are and what you sell. The only requirement for booking an appointment is that you identify an issue, find out if they think it's a problem, ask whether they wish to fix it, and book the appointment.
Getting to 2nd Base is where most of the confusion arises. Salespeople have a tendency to rush this part of the sales cycle and this is the very part that you can't rush. Since a motivated prospect easily qualifies and wants to take action, you'll have a much easier time getting to 3rd base and running home if you do a thorough job on the way to 2nd. The rule of thumb here is if you want to shorten your sales cycle, slow down on the way to 2nd. I wouldn't be surprised if, to be more effective, you spent two hours getting to 2nd Base. On the other hand, some of you can run your entire sales process in 30 minutes and 20 of those minutes would be spent on the way to 2nd base. Like I said, it depends on you, your industry and your prospect. Some of you may have to run to 2nd base several times with several different prospects in the same account. You all have to be very thorough. Remember, you must uncover their compelling reasons to buy and their compelling reasons to buy from you. The more compelling it is, the more urgency they'll have to take action.
Getting to 3rd Base shouldn't take much time at all, from as little as a few minutes to as much as an hour over a period of a few weeks or months. Since 3rd Base represents a completely qualified prospect, it may take some time to find the money, get in front of a decision maker, determine whether your solution is a fit for their problem, etc.
Running Home shouldn't take any longer than you need to demonstrate your capabilities and present your needs and cost appropriate solution in a compelling way. Let's suppose you can do that in 30 minutes.
Where Should Salespeople Spend TheirTime - To learn more about this author, visit Dave Kurlan's Website.
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A reader asked how much time should be spent on each base path in Baseline Selling. That certainly differs by industry, salesperson and prospect but I can provide you with a few guidelines.
The call to get to 1st Base should not take more than 10 minutes regardless of who you are and what you sell. The only requirement for booking an appointment is that you identify an issue, find out if they think it's a problem, ask whether they wish to fix it, and book the appointment.
Getting to 2nd Base is where most of the confusion arises. Salespeople have a tendency to rush this part of the sales cycle and this is the very part that you can't rush. Since a motivated prospect easily qualifies and wants to take action, you'll have a much easier time getting to 3rd base and running home if you do a thorough job on the way to 2nd. The rule of thumb here is if you want to shorten your sales cycle, slow down on the way to 2nd. I wouldn't be surprised if, to be more effective, you spent two hours getting to 2nd Base. On the other hand, some of you can run your entire sales process in 30 minutes and 20 of those minutes would be spent on the way to 2nd base. Like I said, it depends on you, your industry and your prospect. Some of you may have to run to 2nd base several times with several different prospects in the same account. You all have to be very thorough. Remember, you must uncover their compelling reasons to buy and their compelling reasons to buy from you. The more compelling it is, the more urgency they'll have to take action.
Getting to 3rd Base shouldn't take much time at all, from as little as a few minutes to as much as an hour over a period of a few weeks or months. Since 3rd Base represents a completely qualified prospect, it may take some time to find the money, get in front of a decision maker, determine whether your solution is a fit for their problem, etc.
Running Home shouldn't take any longer than you need to demonstrate your capabilities and present your needs and cost appropriate solution in a compelling way. Let's suppose you can do that in 30 minutes.
Where Should Salespeople Spend TheirTime - To learn more about this author, visit Dave Kurlan's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Understanding the Sales Force - Objective Management Group, Inc. is the pioneer and industry leader in sales force evaluations and sales candidate screening. Spearheaded by leading sales industry expert, Dave Kurlan, Objective Management Group, Inc. can help you measure sales effectiveness, execution and potential.
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