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True you need a way bigger sample size of calls to get results, because the conversion rate will be low.
That means you'll be at 32 calls on Thursday, right? We're holding you accountable here
Earlier today I talked with a professional salesman from Canada. He sold website design for years for a Canadian company and was very experienced and helped me a lot, so I am here to share what he said. His company was selling around half a million per year (in my estimates).
My first question was how did he get over the anxiety of making calls?
His response was to ask yourself why are you selling today. By asking yourself why you are there you will see your motive for being there, which will help you form the base needed to get your a$$ down on that chair and get calling.
After this he pointed out to take it easy, we are not brain surgeons - we are salespeople. It is nothing scary and is one of the easier jobs in the world. The ROI is amazing. Plus, as a salesman, you play a vital part of the economy and the business ecosystem. Withous salespeople, less things are sold, resulting in slowing down of the economy and the economic growth. So you are actually doing a bad service for society if you aren't selling.
Next, realize that you have a positive impact on the lives of these people. You are helping them get more business, more leads and more money.
His next tip was getting yourself detached from the sales activity. Realize that the sales process and the results thereof are only results of the position of salesman, not your personality or character. When they say NO, they are not saying NO to you, they would be probably saying it to any salesperson calling them at that time. So it's nothing personal, it's just that they don't need your services or that they don't have the money.
My second question was regarding the first touch he has with the company, how does he do it, what does he do with the gatekeepers and so on?
What he said was to treat the gatekeeper as a friend. As they will be deciding whether or not you will talk to the decision maker, you have to make them feel respected.
Something else he mentioned was that you need to explain what exactly you are doing to the gatekeeper. He framed it similarly to this: "We increase the number of customers, we get you more business, more leads and more clients. The Internet is a vital part of the business world and if the company you work for doesn't get help, you might be out of a job in a year or two.
When he got to the decision maker he was brilliant in my opinion. Something I have personally noticed is the fact that when they hear the "How are you doing today" part of your script, they immediately put their guard up because of that hint of salesmanship. He got around this by starting the conversation with "Are you looking to increase your number of customers/sales/prospect (what you use depends on the industry). When he got the yes, he could initiate the conversation and if he got no it was probably a no sale and he called up the next guy.
Upon getting an appointment, he immediately sent the confirmation thing below via email. This sort of traps the calendar for the decision maker and makes them feel like they should be there. Note that you should only mark the call as something that will take 20 minutes, everybody has 20 minutes so getting the yes is easier. Instructions on how to do this.
My third question for him was which arguments he used to get them to realize the importance of a new website, aka how to show the value of a redesign?
The first 2 he used what I expected, which were the increase of sales and the value added to the business by having a responsive design.
But the second 2 were something else. First being, the fact that for deals with the size of $3k-$4k IT'S NORMAL to have the site made onWordPress. Arguments being, these themes were designed from website design veterans, people who have researched and studied design for years. They know that a logo goes top left all the time and that the language options go top right. That means, offering to build the website on Wordpress isn't bad at all and you can quote the client the custom design price, which is more than $10k. He then went on to connect the second thing with Wordpress by saying to the client that with their design, the client can add content, pictures and modify things with ease on Wordpress. All it took was one hour for the client to get trained and bam he the client got the C of the CENTS.
One final note was SEO, especially when calling small, local businesses. He used a common sense approach and told the client that all customers are looking for services in their cities through the internet. They do this by typing in "service+town" and open up 3-4 of the TOP results on the first page of Google. If the client isn't there, he is losing an enormous number of sales to competitors. I think that this scare + common sense tactic is something huge and should work swell.
His answer was to get the client to see absolutely every ounce of value you will get them. Only then start discussing price and use the Breaking the Time Barrier approach Fox recommended. I would add another book, which I think is much better as it goes to the core of the issue, helps you get it better and is more helpful, which is "Value-Based Fees".My fourth question was about price justification.
He said that he and his team use Trello. I think that the picture below explains very well how do they do it, so I won't write about this anymore.My fifth question was what does he use as CRM?
[/url][/IMG]
My sixth question was about tools he uses in the sales process?
The first one was https://vocus.io/ to see when and if the emails he sent were opened. His tip was to call the guy immediately when he opens up the email, so you are still fresh in their mind. Also, if you know that they opened the email and you call them and ask whether they did, if they say NO, very often they won't buy.
The second tool was hunter's email extracting tool. He uses the chrome extension. He goes to decision maker's linkedin or social media and more often the not he can get their email with this tool.
My seventh and final question (we spoke for about 45 minutes on his drive at work, I got super early and was able to hustle into a convo with him) was whether he had any tips, tricks and advice to share?
His response was that as a salesman, your task is to get better every day at your area of work. So, if you are selling web design, you will read about it everyday. You will read sales books, magazines and other materials. You should also be taking part in some communities related to what you do (guess you are doing that now).
His end-of-the-day metrics were: number of calls made, number of meetings booked and number of email sent. He shared this with his manager at the end of the day and used it as a retrospective on his performance.
Finally, he said that lack of passion in your company, product or service is going to slaughter the sale. The moment you are on the phone, if the person you are talking to doesn't feel like you are highly energetic and enthusiastic about what you are selling, YOU ARE GOING DOWN.
Ok, that wasn't his final thought. He also told me it important for the sales team not to be under huge pressure, especially at the beginning. However, having goals that will push them a bit and let them know what's expected of them is natural and you won't get far ahead without it.
I hope that was valuable and that it allowed me to give back to the community.
I must disagree on the "fear" tactic thing. First of all, it isn't that much a fear tactic as it is something to nudge them in the right direction. You are not threatening them, you are letting them know that you are there to help them. Helping someone isn't going to make them fear you, nor will it make them dislike you, as you said in your next sentence. As for your other remarks, every salesman has their own preferences, I just wrote what both I and another proven salesman have used.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Entreprene...d_calls_i_went_from_nothing_to_120kyear_solo/
Earlier today I talked with a professional salesman from Canada. He sold website design for years for a Canadian company and was very experienced and helped me a lot, so I am here to share what he said. His company was selling around half a million per year (in my estimates).
My first question was how did he get over the anxiety of making calls?
His response was to ask yourself why are you selling today. By asking yourself why you are there you will see your motive for being there, which will help you form the base needed to get your a$$ down on that chair and get calling.
After this he pointed out to take it easy, we are not brain surgeons - we are salespeople. It is nothing scary and is one of the easier jobs in the world. The ROI is amazing. Plus, as a salesman, you play a vital part of the economy and the business ecosystem. Withous salespeople, less things are sold, resulting in slowing down of the economy and the economic growth. So you are actually doing a bad service for society if you aren't selling.
Next, realize that you have a positive impact on the lives of these people. You are helping them get more business, more leads and more money.
His next tip was getting yourself detached from the sales activity. Realize that the sales process and the results thereof are only results of the position of salesman, not your personality or character. When they say NO, they are not saying NO to you, they would be probably saying it to any salesperson calling them at that time. So it's nothing personal, it's just that they don't need your services or that they don't have the money.
My second question was regarding the first touch he has with the company, how does he do it, what does he do with the gatekeepers and so on?
What he said was to treat the gatekeeper as a friend. As they will be deciding whether or not you will talk to the decision maker, you have to make them feel respected.
Something else he mentioned was that you need to explain what exactly you are doing to the gatekeeper. He framed it similarly to this: "We increase the number of customers, we get you more business, more leads and more clients. The Internet is a vital part of the business world and if the company you work for doesn't get help, you might be out of a job in a year or two.
When he got to the decision maker he was brilliant in my opinion. Something I have personally noticed is the fact that when they hear the "How are you doing today" part of your script, they immediately put their guard up because of that hint of salesmanship. He got around this by starting the conversation with "Are you looking to increase your number of customers/sales/prospect (what you use depends on the industry). When he got the yes, he could initiate the conversation and if he got no it was probably a no sale and he called up the next guy.
Upon getting an appointment, he immediately sent the confirmation thing below via email. This sort of traps the calendar for the decision maker and makes them feel like they should be there. Note that you should only mark the call as something that will take 20 minutes, everybody has 20 minutes so getting the yes is easier. Instructions on how to do this.
My third question for him was which arguments he used to get them to realize the importance of a new website, aka how to show the value of a redesign?
The first 2 he used what I expected, which were the increase of sales and the value added to the business by having a responsive design.
But the second 2 were something else. First being, the fact that for deals with the size of $3k-$4k IT'S NORMAL to have the site made onWordPress. Arguments being, these themes were designed from website design veterans, people who have researched and studied design for years. They know that a logo goes top left all the time and that the language options go top right. That means, offering to build the website on Wordpress isn't bad at all and you can quote the client the custom design price, which is more than $10k. He then went on to connect the second thing with Wordpress by saying to the client that with their design, the client can add content, pictures and modify things with ease on Wordpress. All it took was one hour for the client to get trained and bam he the client got the C of the CENTS.
One final note was SEO, especially when calling small, local businesses. He used a common sense approach and told the client that all customers are looking for services in their cities through the internet. They do this by typing in "service+town" and open up 3-4 of the TOP results on the first page of Google. If the client isn't there, he is losing an enormous number of sales to competitors. I think that this scare + common sense tactic is something huge and should work swell.
His answer was to get the client to see absolutely every ounce of value you will get them. Only then start discussing price and use the Breaking the Time Barrier approach Fox recommended. I would add another book, which I think is much better as it goes to the core of the issue, helps you get it better and is more helpful, which is "Value-Based Fees".My fourth question was about price justification.
He said that he and his team use Trello. I think that the picture below explains very well how do they do it, so I won't write about this anymore.My fifth question was what does he use as CRM?
[/url][/IMG]
My sixth question was about tools he uses in the sales process?
The first one was https://vocus.io/ to see when and if the emails he sent were opened. His tip was to call the guy immediately when he opens up the email, so you are still fresh in their mind. Also, if you know that they opened the email and you call them and ask whether they did, if they say NO, very often they won't buy.
The second tool was hunter's email extracting tool. He uses the chrome extension. He goes to decision maker's linkedin or social media and more often the not he can get their email with this tool.
My seventh and final question (we spoke for about 45 minutes on his drive at work, I got super early and was able to hustle into a convo with him) was whether he had any tips, tricks and advice to share?
His response was that as a salesman, your task is to get better every day at your area of work. So, if you are selling web design, you will read about it everyday. You will read sales books, magazines and other materials. You should also be taking part in some communities related to what you do (guess you are doing that now).
His end-of-the-day metrics were: number of calls made, number of meetings booked and number of email sent. He shared this with his manager at the end of the day and used it as a retrospective on his performance.
Finally, he said that lack of passion in your company, product or service is going to slaughter the sale. The moment you are on the phone, if the person you are talking to doesn't feel like you are highly energetic and enthusiastic about what you are selling, YOU ARE GOING DOWN.
Ok, that wasn't his final thought. He also told me it important for the sales team not to be under huge pressure, especially at the beginning. However, having goals that will push them a bit and let them know what's expected of them is natural and you won't get far ahead without it.
I hope that was valuable and that it allowed me to give back to the community.
damn $300 a month is steep. might be able to have someone program a script for that price
Sweet!
Are you talking to local companies? Do you have a camera?
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