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Hey, Talk To Me

By Joseph Guertin
Joseph Guertin & Associates

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Even the sharpest sales pros know that right now, customers and prospects can be difficult to reach. Voice mail, caller ID and TIME are tools they use to filter this question:

Can this caller help me, right now?ﾔ

If the answer is no, itﾒs hello voice mail, where your message will sit until itﾒs ultimately and without fanfare, deleted. No offense to you, itﾒs just that thereﾒs no time for anything not on the critical task list.

The sales arena has changed. And, while many steps of the selling process remain intact, there are some that have been irrevocably changed by time and technology. This is one of them. But donﾒt abandon the phone! There is no ﾑsilver bulletﾒ answer, but there are steps you can take to insure that youﾒre getting the most mileage from your calling time.

First, look at it from the customerﾒs standpoint. Maybe theyﾒve cut back on spending, or talking to one of their suppliers just isnﾒt on their top ten to-doﾒs. Maybe they have no issues with whet you (or on of your competitors) is already supplying them. All obstacles, no doubt, but weﾒre salespeopleﾅand that means the first sale we have to make is getting a slice of their time.

Here are a few tips:

E-mail a short, customer focused introduction. Youﾒll get throughﾅ.or get a message backﾅwith something like ﾓIﾒm working with others in (their industry) and have some ideas. Iﾒll call shortly.ﾔ

Shout out loud ﾑsnail mail.ﾒ Low-tech with high impact. Some of my clients have mailed clever, punchy introductions in red mailing tubes. Attention-getting? Yes! Getting results? Yes!

When your goal is getting face time, think like your customer would think. If you were protecting your time, what could grab your interest?

Revised: 07/02/2010 - Article Viewed 204 Times

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Biography

Joe Guertin is president of Joseph Guertin & Associates, a speaking, training and consulting firm specializing in helping businesses grow their sales and their people. From more than 24 years of outside sales and business ownership, he brings personal experience and fresh strategies for success, and his humorous stories and experiences

Prove that he's 'been there.' Joe is the author of more than 100 sales-boosting articles, plus a monthly ezine, "Monday Morning Madness."

Joe's central theme, Streetfighter Selling, not only educates, it challenges. He specializes in new revenue-building strategies, helping today's salespeople boost their bottom line sales in spite of an unstable economy.

Contact Information

Joseph Guertin
Joseph Guertin & Associates
joe@joeguertin.com

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