Do you need a sales boost quick?
Over many years and many turnaround projects, this is the path most likely to boost qualified discovery calls, and sales, quickly.
Fix #1
What’s obstructing results: You/your team are spending too much time with low value or no value suspects.
What to do: Profile your best customers. Be RUTHLESS about identifying those in your database that fit that profile. Call all of them right now, forget the rest.
By far I have seen the fastest turnarounds come due to fix #1. It is not unusual to see a 30% sales spike in a few months.
Fix #2
What’s obstructing results: You interact too little or too much.
What to do: Determine the right number of touches to reach a high-value prospect. Number of calls, emails, voicemails, LinkedIn message(s), ravens sent, whatever. Follow your system. Don’t abandon it out of boredom or your magical ability to know what someone is thinking or what is going on inside a company. Work your plan on each suspect until you have an objective and damn good reason to stop.
Fix #3
What’s obstructing results: You sound like all the rest.
What to do: If you can imagine competitors saying what you say, stop saying it. If what you say is ordinary, common, to be expected… stop saying it. Be different.
Fix #4
What is obstructing results: Qualified targets don’t know you are worth talking to.
What to do: Tell them. Add a credibility statement. Without it, they have no clue whether you represent a company with great experience and know-how worth talking to. It is inexcusable, sales malpractice, to not have a credibility statement as part of your script upfront.
Fix #5
What is obstructing results? You are not interacting with ideal prospects at the right time.
What to do: Assuming you have a good script which clearly states what you do and why you are credible, end EVERY CALL with “Don’t want to be on your back, but obviously we do a lot of this, could you suggest a time to be back in touch.”
Remember, no usually means not now. If your sales process involves a discovery call, you are probably offering something not bought often. Or, vendors are changed infrequently. You are far more likely to interact with a great future client when they are not in active buy mode. You must, you must step up to the plate and attempt to identify those with future buying intent. This alone can boost a BDR’s results 25% or more within months.
My experience is that 50% of those that provide a date for a callback will actually meet. Calculate your closing ratio, average size of sale, commission from there. All from asking one question.
The above are quick fixes that have a disproportionate impact on results.
This is an outsider’s point of view of what actually works to provide a quick spike in sales. Many choose to do what is comfortable for them, what they wish to work and see productivity continue to slide. Many more opt for more activity, which is almost always the wrong answer.
I am not a believer in miracle fixes. I am not a fan of “hacking sales” and taking shortcuts. Having a solid sales system in place built on a strong foundation is what works overtime. But if you are not there, apply these quick fixes to get you started on the right path.
