Making Cold Calls is Like Playing Third Base

A third baseman could stand ready during an entire game and never have a ball hit his way. But every time the pitcher throws a pitch to home, the third baseman gets in his ready stance in case the ball gets hit his way.
Just like making cold calls, you dial the phone all day and sometimes no one picks up.

But, you have to be ready in case they do. This means changing your physical and mental approach. If you aren’t prepared, your call will fail. If the third baseman isn’t prepared for the ball to come his way, he might have a delayed reaction, he might miss the ball, he might cause an error, or he might let a run score!
So the next time you make cold calls, try being ready for your prospect to pick up, instead of expecting the usual ringing and voicemail messaged. Change your posture and state of mind, and expect that your prospect will pick up every time you dial.

 

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For more free sales tips, white papers, and information about workshops for the first third of the cycle,  please visit our main Vorsight website.

Are Your Prospects Reading Your Emails?

When sending emails to new prospects, are you getting a decent response rate? Is your email standing out among the hundreds of spam and vendor emails your prospects are receiving daily?

There are a few things you can do to help ensure that your email is opened, read, and not marked as spam.

Is your subject line prompting your prospect to open the email?

The subject line is the first place to start. Your subject line should be compelling and attention-grabbing without sounding ’spammy’. Not sure what works best? Test out a few different subject lines with your prospects.

Is your email content compelling?

Many times our e-mails get ignored because of the nature of the message. You’re not a spammer. So why does this happen? Sending an email just to ‘check in’ is often not enough. Your prospect wants useful information from you, so be sure to add value or call to action with each email you send. It’s also important to be concise from the very beginning; make it crystal clear why you are sending the e-mail, whether it be to provide an update of information or for their review.

Is your timing right?

Think about when your prospect might be most likely to open their email. Do you think your prospect’s inbox is flooded with emails in the morning? If so, try to reach him mid-morning. Does your prospect’s assistant screen their email? If so, try early evening after the assistant has gone home but while the prospect might still be at their desk.

Is your mail being marked as spam?

Certain words in your subject line or sometime even the body of the message, can cause your email to be marked as spam. Sounding ‘spammy’, WRITING IN ALL CAPS, and using excessive punctuation are just some of the Spam Filter triggers that will cause your email to be flagged. MailChimp has recently put out an article on how Spam Filters think, and how to avoid common pitfalls when writing emails. Make sure to check out MailChimp’s Article.

The key to getting your email read is to continue trying new approaches. If you continue to use the same tired email template over and over again, you’ll always get the same results. Be sure to test subject lines, tweak your content, plan your timing, and avoid the spam filters!

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For more free sales tips, white papers, and information about workshops for the first third of the cycle,  please visit our main Vorsight website.

Hunting for New Opportunities in a Down Economy: The Importance of a Solid Pre-Sales Process

Webinar: – Hunting for New Opportunities in a Down Economy:
The Importance of a Solid Pre-Sales Process for your Sales Team

Location: Virtual – Register Here

Time & Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 12:00pm ET

In the down economy, our clients are telling us that their sales reps need to be spending more time prospecting new buyers and decision makers. Quotas are staying the same (or growing), yet close ratios have dropped.

How can your team bridge the gap?

The only way to bridge the gap is to fill the pipeline with more qualified opportunities. Whether your team consists of Account Managers, Lead Generation Associates, Account Executives, Field Reps, or Inside Sales Reps, this webinar will allow you to:

• Help your team create a pre-sales process for hunting to integrate into their day
• Re-energize and motivate your sales team and get them back on the phones
• Use resources that you have already have, such as marketing leads, to prospect new decision makers and buyers
• Use metrics to track your team against process goals

Click here to register.

Vorsight’s co-founder and lead Workshop facilitator, Steve Richard, has conducted over 50 days of on-site workshops with our clients over the last two years focusing on getting in the door. He brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of training various sales teams on how to shorten sales cycles and get in touch with their prospects in a more effective and efficient way. He also shares his expertise on the Top Sales Experts website.

Visit us at Vorsight to learn more about how we work with sales teams to improve their pre-sales process and schedule more qualified meetings to improve their sales pipeline.