EricFlatt.com The goal of this blog is to help with prospecting, qualifying and new ways to close more deals.

I read the Aberdeen Group did a study in 2012 which found that 79% of sales reps that incorporated social media into their sales process achieved their quota over the last year compared to 43% of the industry average. Please re-read that opening paragraph!

What social media channels are you using? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Myspace (ha!) or Google +? All of these can help the end results but I feel Twitter and LinkedIn can help the most. In this post I will explain a few ways in which I use my Twitter account for a sales purpose.

Tip #1-  Following the right business profile. I currently follow clients, prospects, competitors, industry news and sales professionals.

Tip #2- Build List which will help you manage your Twitter profiles.

Tip #3-  Lead by example: provide great content or thought provoking comments that are relevant to the audience you hope to attract.

Tip #4- Show your personality.

Tip #5- Provide something of value to your prospects and customers via Twitter.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

Are you on LinkedIn? Are you using LinkedIn as a sales tool? Not too long ago I read an article about the power of LinkedIn. Here are some of the Statistics that this article highlighted.

LinkedIn’s members have reached 147 million

The average user of LinkedIn is male (57.9%) and aged between 25 and 54 years (67.7%); compared to the previous year, the percentage of teenagers (18-24) has grown more than other age groups

In the 10 major countries is concentrated 79% of members, and 40% of all LinkedIn members reside in the United States

Compared to January 2011, LinkedIn’s member have grown by 45% worldwide

Over 44% of LinkedIn’s users work in companies with more than 10,000 employees, in Asia the figure rises up to 57.3%

39% of the members are a Manager, Director, Owner, Chief Officer or Vice President

* Statistics provided by http://theundercoverrecruiter.com

What does this mean? If you are not on LinkedIn or actively using LinkedIn then you are missing out on possible opportunities. Here are a few tips that for beginners or anyone looking to gain more from their account.

Tip #1 – Make sure your profile is complete:

Think as if your LinkedIn profile as a public resume. Just like you wouldn’t send an incomplete resume to a prospective employer, you shouldn’t have an incomplete LinkedIn profile – because your prospective employer is probably going to look at your profile!

Tip #2-  Connect with everyone:

Start looking up everyone that you know both on the personal and business level. Think about people who are friends,  family, classmates,  old professors, old co-workers and people who you are doing business with. DON’T USE THE GENERIC CONNECTION REQUEST! Write something personal to the person.

Tip #3-  Join Groups

 LinkedIn will allow you to join around 50 groups.  These groups should be related to your industry, interests or where your clients are at .  Once in the group make sure you are being active. This can be done by responding to questions or by starting topics.

Tip #4-  Follow Companies

Following companies will give you up-to-date information about things like recent hires and promotions, new job opportunities and company profile updates. It will also show who the top influencers within the company are.

I have been doing this the past couple of years and found that it cuts back on my cold calls because now I am talking with people who I have a common interest with.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

I thought I would follow-up last week’s post about leaving an effective voicemail with some horrible voicemail mistakes which I have made over the years. Some of these mistakes can easily be corrected with a little practice which in return can boost your callbacks.

Not leaving a voicemail when calling: It’s hard to gain a callback when the prospect doesn’t know that you called.

Pretending you have called before when you haven’t: I find that most of my sales happen after I have gained the respect and trust of the prospect.  It’s hard to gain a person’s trust when lying is involved.  

Not having planned what will be said in the voicemail: I find that I ramble, mumble and miss key information when I haven’t planned for what I will say. 

Leaving too short of a message: Leaving just your name, company and phone will not grant many callbacks. You have to give a prospect a reason to call you back.

Lacking confidence or excitement in the voice: I leave voicemails the same way as I treat the actual phone call. Confident, excited and happy to be speaking to them. It’s hard to get the buyer excited about a product if you aren’t excited to be selling it.

Once again, I don’t have the miracle voicemail in which I can promise 85% return call rate but cutting down on these few mistakes will help.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

AT&T did a study a couple of years back on the amount of voicemails left in a month. The numbers looked like this:

Approximately 82 billion calls originated in the year of the study, according to the FCC.  

75% of calls are not completed on the first attempt (a study done by AT&T, the number was posted on UCSB webpage)

So, if you take 82,000,000,000 calls divided by 12 months you get 6,833,333,333 calls per month. Now take that 6,833,333,333 per month and *0. 75 calls not complete on 1^st attempt and you get roughly 5,124,999,999 voicemail opportunities. Ok, I am guessing a little but you get my point when it comes to leaving a voicemail.

Early in my career, I was asked to make 100 calls per day and approximately 60% of these calls were voicemails. Of my daily left voicemails, I would say about 10% of them actually called me back. Unfortunately, I don’t have a miracle voicemail in which I can promise 85% return call rate but I do have a couple of tips that will help. Over the past couple of years I have used the tips below and have seen an increase in return calls.

Top tips for leaving voicemail:

Stand up and smile- I always stand and smile when leaving a voicemail because it helps me deliver a positive, energetic & confident message.

Start and finish your voicemail with name, company and contact information

Give a couple of reasons why you are calling. I do this because every prospect has different reasons why they need my product. For example in my profession, we help clients tackle issues like new business growth, client retention and employee appreciation. I make sure that I mention all that when leaving a message because I am hoping the prospect has trouble in one of these areas.

Keep your voicemail short and to the point. Typically I keep my voicemail around 20-30 seconds long.

Maximize your call hours and voicemail times. I try to make most of my calls between 7:00am to 9:00am and 4:00pm to 6:00pm because that’s when the decision makers are less busy and in the office. Also, don’t leave voicemails on Friday afternoon because your message could be lost in the chaos of Monday mornings.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

I was listening to one of my favorite Podcast while driving to work this morning and they mentioned an infographic called “The Evolution of the Salesperson”. The illustration was done perfectly which showcased how most sales managers still think while teaching, coaching or mentoring their staff. Just like life, the sales process is changing around us which means we, the salesperson, have to adapt our process or go extinct trying! The old way of hitting the payment, making 100 cold calls and knocking on doors will not work now. We have to be creative in the ways that we find our prospects and leads. Personally, I find that a majority of my sales come from LinkedIn, Networking Events and or Referrals. It’s the beginning of 2013 so try something new…

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

 P.s. The podcast that I mentioned earlier is called “The Advanced Selling Podcast” and they can be found at www.advancedsellingpodcast.com or on their LinkedIn page. 

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Has a boss, sales trainer or mentor ever said that you should blow past the gatekeeper because their sole purpose of employment is to stop you from reaching the decision maker? How has that worked out?

A couple of years ago I started taking a different approach with my gatekeeper conversations. I started asking them questions about the company, the person I am calling and if they know much about my competition. To my surprise, it actually worked! I was learning a great deal and was feeling more prepared for my call with the decision maker.

Here are a few rules that I use when speaking with gatekeepers:

1)      Understand which type of gatekeepers you are speaking with.

Receptionist- typically the first person you talk with when you call the company. I try to find out things like- “Who would handle ________? When is the best time to contact this person?”

Administrative or Personal Assistant- When talking with this individual, I try to find out things like- scheduling of the decision makers, the best way to make contact and if they know anything about the current product.

2)      Sell the Gatekeeper your idea

Remember the gatekeeper’s job is to screen the unwanted calls and unnecessary meetings. Get them on your side and they will make sure you have time with the Decision Maker.

3)      Thank the gatekeeper!

Remember this person is helping with the sale along with making you some money. I make sure to always do something nice around the holidays and every couple of months. 

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

I learned early in my career that “actions speak louder than words” and “in order to succeed, set yourself apart from everybody else.” To me, this meant talking to every person on the street, make lots of cold calls, attend numerous networking events and send out as many emails as I could. Don’t get me wrong, this was working but I wasn’t getting anywhere fast. I needed some way to set myself apart from the other salespeople.

It wasn’t until a couple years back that I received a handwritten note from an individual that I never met before. He wanted to welcome me to the city and ask if I would be interested in a face-to-face introduction over a cup of coffee. This little gesture not only made me feel good about my decision to move but it also set this person apart from any other person that I had met. Let’s just say that two dollar cup of coffee was the career changer that I was looking for! I started sending out my own handwritten notes the following day.

 Below you will find my top reasons in which I sent a handwritten note or thank you card. I find that handwritten notes are one of the least expensive, most effective and underutilized tools in the sales industry. Here are a few reasons why I send handwritten notes:

 After I have met someone at a networking event

After I have met with a new prospect in their office or mine

After a prospect rejects my proposal, product or service (Thank them for spending time with you)

After receiving a referral from someone

After someone is promoted, anniversary or they accepted a new position

After reading a company press release about good fortunes

Remember sending a handwritten note is simple and is underutilized in the sales industry. Everyone claims they want to differentiate themselves from the next person but few put forth the effort.

I promise, setting aside 30 minutes a day for handwritten notes will set you apart from everyone else.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

A few years back, I decided to attend my first networking event. I was unaware what took place at these events outside of business people having after work cocktails.  I quickly learned that much more takes place and that you can make your career by attending because you will meet people who will purchase, refer and help connect you with others.  

My rule of thumb is to attend at least one networking event a week. During this event, I want to meet at least 3-5 people in whom I can help, they can help me or we can do business together.

Here are my personal tips when attending a networking event:

Bring Business cards: This might seem like a no brainier but there have been a couple of times in which the person I am speaking becomes embarrassed because he or she didn’t bring cards or not enough of them. Typically, I will bring at least 50 business cards with me so that I don’t have that embarrassing moment. Everyone person I meet gets a business card!!

Dress appropriately: Have you ever heard the saying “your first impression is the most lasting impression”. Remember, most networking events will be held during work hours or right after work and will consist of working professionals. Treat this time like an appointment… would you show up to a person’s office wearing jeans and a T-shirt?

Be on time: Early in my career I was taught that “if you are 15mins early- then you are on time, if you are exactly on time- then you are already late and that if you are 5mins late- don’t bother showing up at all”. Use this motto when attending a networking event. I have found that the best time to network with people typically happens right before the event starts. This is because the atmosphere is a little calmer and that most people haven’t settled into their groups yet.

Be proactive by approaching people: Don’t be afraid or timid to walk over to a person or a group of people. I usually walk up to the person/group- introduce myself, shake their hands and start asking open-ended questions.

 Here’s what I want to know when I meet a new person:

1) Where do they work?

2) What’s their role within the company?

3) Who do they target?

4) How can I help them achieve their objective?

*Remember- you are here to network! Please don’t go into your sales pitch the moment you meet a new person. Get to know them and find out how you can help grow their business. It’s a lot easier to ask them for a sale, leads or referrals after you have helped them.  

Help other people network: Do a quick scan around the room once you are engaged in a conversation. During this scan you are looking for individuals hanging out by themselves. Remember step #4 about being proactive. I have found a lot of people are a little timid when it comes to jumping into an established conversation. I typically excuse myself from the group and walk over to the person for an introduction. During this time I want to learn their name, what they do and for what company they do it for. Once I learned this I can introduce them to my original group. This little act has helped me close three new deals in the last two years.

Follow-up: I feel that this is the most important step in the networking process! I use the follow-up as a way to build a better relationship with the new person. My rule of thumb is to send a follow-up within 48-72 hours of the introduction.

 I follow-up using at least one of these techniques:

1) LinkedIn Connection

2) Direct Email

3) Phone Call.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

Did you know using LinkedIn is a lot like playing golf? What do I mean? Well, both golf and LinkedIn can be used for networking, developing relationships, meeting prospective customers & gaining referrals. Just like golf, you need to make sure you are using proper etiquette with your LinkedIn account.

Here are a couple of my LinkedIn etiquette tips:

Keep your profile complete and current.

Do not send generic invitations: Take the time and tell the person why you are looking to connect with them. This will not only show that you respect the person’s time but your request will have a better chance of being accepted.

Do not link your personal Facebook or Twitter accounts to LinkedIn: Remember that LinkedIn is a professional outlet to help you network, develop relationships & find new prospects. Most decision makers do want to see that you checked-in at the bar or that you are watching your favorite sports team with some buddies.

Do not ask for an endorsement from people whom you just met or haven’t worked with: endorsements are like references! They should only come from people whom you worked with or for. 

Do not Spam the Status Update area: Examples of good ways to use the status bar: company updates, start of a new project or to promote a new product. Examples of bad ways to use the status bar: posting more than one update per day, using text or twitter language when writing and posting random articles.

Be polite and courteous

Respond back to every email, invitation or endorsement that you receive.

Always add value to the person you are connecting with!

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric

If you are like most then you probably said that it is part of the job. Why do most sales people hate cold calling? I find it’s because they have a negative attitude towards making the call and that they didn’t prepare well enough before picking up the phone.

Below I will list a few basic techniques that I do before and during the call:

* Prepare for your call. Gather as much information you can about the company and the decision maker. Use Google, their website and LinkedIn

* Write down and practice your opening lines. This will help with your confidence and help with the beginning dialogue.

* Ask open-ended questions to engage the decision maker.

* Listen, Listen & Listen! Once you feel as you have heard everything… ask another question and listen some more.

* Present your product by handling the decision maker’s objections.

* Write everything down and keep detailed notes.

Thanks for reading and leave some comments if you would like.

Eric