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Know your magic numbers
| Guest post by: Trent Leyshan |
Article Overview: The number of calls you make per sale depends on the level of buy-in your customer has. The risk associated with what you are selling. And the approach you apply for each conversation. Salespeople that go for the jugular on every call may get the odd quick win here and there, but more often than not a measured approach is more effective.
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Free Download - Find fear before it finds you By Trent Leyshan |
Know your magic numbers
The number of calls you make per sale depends on the level of buy-in your customer has.
The risk associated with what you are selling. And the approach you apply for each conversation.
Salespeople that go for the jugular on every call may get the odd quick win here and there, but more often than not a measured approach is more effective.
I have a saying, "Keep the lines tight!" My father is a mad fisherman and he taught me everything I know about fishing. One of my first lessons was always "keep the line tight". This means when you get a fish on your line dont give it any slack to throw the hook.
In sales the same principle applies. When you get a good opportunity dont give the customer an excuse to go cold or lose interest. Keep the lines of communication tight, and ensure you are following up methodically and leading the customer via your engagement process.
I received another pearl from my old mentor, Big Kev. One of his principles was never judge a book by a cover. Dont try and guess if someone is a potential buyer or not. Instead initiate a conversation that leads with a genuine interest in them. Have a process you know works, dont question it, and always stick to it!
Here are some metrics on Calls to Sales. Keep in mind there are exceptions to every rule and of course different horses for different courses.
• 1% of sales are made on the 1st contact
• 2% of sales are made on the 2nd contact
• 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact
• 12% of sales are made on the 4th contact
• 80% of sales are made on the 5th contact (or above)
Most salespeople give up after the 2nd and 3rd contact. You can see from above how that approach limits their results. Conversely, please dont make calls for the sake of making calls - that's called harassment!
One of the most effective methods to help you understand how many calls you make should make is to measure your empirical data. This data should reveal some ‘magic' numbers.
How many calls on average do your salespeople conduct to make a sale? What is the best case call scenario? What is the worst case? Which metrics translated into happy and profitable customers? Which created dissatisfied ones?
In my own business the magic number is ‘5: a combination of email, face and phone. How many calls you make is up to you, just make sure you're sticking to a tested and successful follow-up process and the sales should follow through.
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Article Tags: sales training
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About the Author: Trent Leyshan RSS for Trent's articles - Visit Trent's website Trent Leyshan is founder, CEO of BOOM! A leading international sales training company that specialises in the development of inspirational sales cultures, leaders and salespeople. Early in his career Trent was head tradeshow spruiker and sales manager for Australia's most flamboyant TV salesman, Big Kev. He has since driven two of his own companies from lounge room operations into market leaders. And led sales teams in leading new media and advertising agencies. Trent is a sought after expert and facilitator on sales performance and strategy. He is the Author of sales book, The Naked Salesman: How to walk the talk and sell your way to success! BOOM! develops sales training strategies and delivers inspiring learning experiences for some of the world's most successful and demanding sales driven organisations. Empowering them with modern skills and tools to effectively engage with customers and build stronger and more valuable relationships.
Click here to visit Trent's website   What approach should I take when cold calling Addicted to leads HOW TO BE A TRUSTED ADVISOR More crazy customers How to deal with problematic salespeople |
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I think my articles count are a carry over from last month and don't represent new numbers for this period. Or perhaps this is a running numbers contest with an end date end scheduled sometime in the future
My referrer Dave Gilbert should be happy since I assume he gets another tick with everything I write and gets approved
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