Red Hot Sales Prospecting - Using Online Strategies
Red Hot Sales Prospecting - Using Online Strategies
In fact the very smartest of our competitors are delivering some type of value to customers that could be ours, BEFORE the customer even becomes aware they have a need.
This is bad news for any sales people who have been left behind as far as internet strategies go, and they need to catch up fast if they’re to survive, let alone thrive. “Business people who avoid online strategies are like dinosaurs that gather together to eat the last leaves” warned Mark Walsh, president of VerticalNet.
However for those who are willing to learn and to embrace the new way of doing business, the reward is not only survival, but far more efficient and productive prospecting, which is incredibly enjoyable and personally rewarding at the same time.
Believe it or not, lead generation over the net not only meshes beautifully with offline strategies, but is easier!
The key to being an effective sales person in a digital society is to master internet marketing. That is the key that every expert agrees is fundamental to your success. Master that, and your prospecting will turn red hot!
Master that, and you will also build additional income streams for yourself, far and beyond the commissions you are earning now.
But internet marketing is a whole different kettle of fish to offline marketing. Even though I've enjoyed many years of success at senior levels in mainstream businesses, I admit I struggled when it came to internet marketing.
In fact when I used to read articles about how easy it was, I would often just break down and cry .... totally overwhelmed and frustrated because I knew how hard it was, and I knew only too well how hard I was working .... and so for me it sure wasn’t easy. Despite paying out many thousands of dollars for training and support, and putting my heart and soul into it, nothing worked.
But then I got lucky. I just happened to latch onto a little piece of the puzzle, not so much by accident but because when you keep trying, and you keep trying different things, sooner or later you’re probably going to hit paydirt.
And with that piece falling into place, the whole picture became very clear. I immediately understood what was missing from the articles, videos, and books that the guru’s produced.
Firstly they did not clarify the steps, and differentiate between what was proven and what was trial and error. Secondly, unless they were charging tens of thousands of dollars, they did not hold your hand through the process.
In my opinion that “hand holding” is essential for the strategy to work. It’s not enough to tell people, you must also show them.
So before I list the steps, I urge you to align yourself with someone who can help you through them. You won’t have to pay a fortune, and in fact there are sites that will help you, personally, for free, so that each step is completed easily and confidently.
Why will they help you for free? Because they realise that marketing has changed, and that these days they need to be able to demonstrate, in real time, how you can literally “put your finger on the switch” that turns on the money. If they can do that, they know that there can be no question in your mind that they are the company to take you forward, and that they are worth many times what you will pay them if you proceed further.
Now here are the steps, as briefly as I can possibly state them within a single article, that a professional salesperson needs to take, in order to take absolute control of your prospecting:
1)Register your own domain name and arrange hosting. Yes, no matter what, you DO need your own independent web site. Also, the NAME does matter because it should contain the very keywords that your target audience uses in searching for a solution to a particular problem. Don’t pay more than $8 or so for your site and top-rate hosting can be obtained for as little as $1 per month. (You see why you need “hand holding” on this, to help choose the right keywords, the right host and the right domain name, and to set up your list building mechanism?)
2)Get an autoresponder so you can keep in good touch with your growing list. There is an art to communicating with your list so you don’t turn them off, and instead build trust to the point that when you do actually recommend something, they will tend to listen to you because they respect you. Look around at autoresponder reviews and pick the highest quality one that comes with a free trial. Unless you’ve got spare cash to invest in a proven, paid system, don’t spend a cent, but use free trials or a free version instead.
3)Build your site. As a minimum it needs to have a mechanism to collect names, fresh new content each week, a forum, a way to feature product (eg reviews) and a blog or two. There are a number of free site building software programs around that we recommend. You'll be amazed how easy this is.
4)Get FTP (file transfer protocol) software so that you can upload files (documents) to your web site. In the beginning you should not pay money for this – get the free version.
5)Develop or find quality giveaways to act as bait to your target market, to use to reward your growing list, or to sell as an affiliate. Be very careful how you select these or you could damage relationships instead of build them!
6)Visit forums where your target market gather and contribute in a valuable way to the discussion. NEVER even hint at a sales spiel. Your signature line should contain a courteous invitation to grab one of your freebies. If you diarise maybe 30 minutes a day on this activity, it will pay dividends for you.
7)Keep your site fresh by uploading new content at least once each week.
8)Undertake free advertising, using ad structures that have been proven to work (so you’re not wasting your time, or burning valuable leads).
9)Remain a learner, studying search engine optimisation, Adwords, customer service, marketing, financial management, and other concepts that can help you succeed.
10)Lean heavily on your support group to execute all of the above as well as you possibly can.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and that you will committedly work through and tick off each item. If you will only do that, you WILL find that your prospecting is indeed “Red Hot!”
Look out for the free ebook "Red Hot Prospecting" for a more detailed description of the above steps.
Red Hot Sales Prospecting Using Online Strategies - To learn more about this author, visit Christine Sutherland's Website.
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Whether we're thrilled or in trepidation (or denial) society is becoming more digitally oriented. One of the consequences is that our customers are not only relying on the internet to source information, goods and services, but that the most canny of our competitors are right there, beating us to our prospects and building their total loyalty before they even become aware that it’s time to buy.
In fact the very smartest of our competitors are delivering some type of value to customers that could be ours, BEFORE the customer even becomes aware they have a need.
This is bad news for any sales people who have been left behind as far as internet strategies go, and they need to catch up fast if they’re to survive, let alone thrive. “Business people who avoid online strategies are like dinosaurs that gather together to eat the last leaves” warned Mark Walsh, president of VerticalNet.
However for those who are willing to learn and to embrace the new way of doing business, the reward is not only survival, but far more efficient and productive prospecting, which is incredibly enjoyable and personally rewarding at the same time.
Believe it or not, lead generation over the net not only meshes beautifully with offline strategies, but is easier!
The key to being an effective sales person in a digital society is to master internet marketing. That is the key that every expert agrees is fundamental to your success. Master that, and your prospecting will turn red hot!
Master that, and you will also build additional income streams for yourself, far and beyond the commissions you are earning now.
But internet marketing is a whole different kettle of fish to offline marketing. Even though I've enjoyed many years of success at senior levels in mainstream businesses, I admit I struggled when it came to internet marketing.
In fact when I used to read articles about how easy it was, I would often just break down and cry .... totally overwhelmed and frustrated because I knew how hard it was, and I knew only too well how hard I was working .... and so for me it sure wasn’t easy. Despite paying out many thousands of dollars for training and support, and putting my heart and soul into it, nothing worked.
But then I got lucky. I just happened to latch onto a little piece of the puzzle, not so much by accident but because when you keep trying, and you keep trying different things, sooner or later you’re probably going to hit paydirt.
And with that piece falling into place, the whole picture became very clear. I immediately understood what was missing from the articles, videos, and books that the guru’s produced.
Firstly they did not clarify the steps, and differentiate between what was proven and what was trial and error. Secondly, unless they were charging tens of thousands of dollars, they did not hold your hand through the process.
In my opinion that “hand holding” is essential for the strategy to work. It’s not enough to tell people, you must also show them.
So before I list the steps, I urge you to align yourself with someone who can help you through them. You won’t have to pay a fortune, and in fact there are sites that will help you, personally, for free, so that each step is completed easily and confidently.
Why will they help you for free? Because they realise that marketing has changed, and that these days they need to be able to demonstrate, in real time, how you can literally “put your finger on the switch” that turns on the money. If they can do that, they know that there can be no question in your mind that they are the company to take you forward, and that they are worth many times what you will pay them if you proceed further.
Now here are the steps, as briefly as I can possibly state them within a single article, that a professional salesperson needs to take, in order to take absolute control of your prospecting:
1)Register your own domain name and arrange hosting. Yes, no matter what, you DO need your own independent web site. Also, the NAME does matter because it should contain the very keywords that your target audience uses in searching for a solution to a particular problem. Don’t pay more than $8 or so for your site and top-rate hosting can be obtained for as little as $1 per month. (You see why you need “hand holding” on this, to help choose the right keywords, the right host and the right domain name, and to set up your list building mechanism?)
2)Get an autoresponder so you can keep in good touch with your growing list. There is an art to communicating with your list so you don’t turn them off, and instead build trust to the point that when you do actually recommend something, they will tend to listen to you because they respect you. Look around at autoresponder reviews and pick the highest quality one that comes with a free trial. Unless you’ve got spare cash to invest in a proven, paid system, don’t spend a cent, but use free trials or a free version instead.
3)Build your site. As a minimum it needs to have a mechanism to collect names, fresh new content each week, a forum, a way to feature product (eg reviews) and a blog or two. There are a number of free site building software programs around that we recommend. You'll be amazed how easy this is.
4)Get FTP (file transfer protocol) software so that you can upload files (documents) to your web site. In the beginning you should not pay money for this – get the free version.
5)Develop or find quality giveaways to act as bait to your target market, to use to reward your growing list, or to sell as an affiliate. Be very careful how you select these or you could damage relationships instead of build them!
6)Visit forums where your target market gather and contribute in a valuable way to the discussion. NEVER even hint at a sales spiel. Your signature line should contain a courteous invitation to grab one of your freebies. If you diarise maybe 30 minutes a day on this activity, it will pay dividends for you.
7)Keep your site fresh by uploading new content at least once each week.
8)Undertake free advertising, using ad structures that have been proven to work (so you’re not wasting your time, or burning valuable leads).
9)Remain a learner, studying search engine optimisation, Adwords, customer service, marketing, financial management, and other concepts that can help you succeed.
10)Lean heavily on your support group to execute all of the above as well as you possibly can.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and that you will committedly work through and tick off each item. If you will only do that, you WILL find that your prospecting is indeed “Red Hot!”
Look out for the free ebook "Red Hot Prospecting" for a more detailed description of the above steps.
Red Hot Sales Prospecting Using Online Strategies - To learn more about this author, visit Christine Sutherland'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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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson'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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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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