Telemarketing Software Featured Article

Sales prospecting. There. I said it. The thing that likely makes people involved in sales squeamish. It’s what’s considered the rough job by many because it involves getting on a call and reaching out via email and other channels in hopes that someone will want to buy. Everything from cold-calling to follow-ups is part of the process.

I think it’s hard for many because we know what it’s like to be on the other side of those calls. Maybe you reach people at an inconvenient time, or they have no idea why the thing you’re talking about could be beneficial for them. It’s rough to be on those calls sometimes – especially when you can’t get them to convert into leads. Then, even if you’re hitting your outbound calling goals and sending all of your emails – you still haven’t succeeded.

Add to this how much easier it’s gotten to stop unwanted calls and emails from even making it to a person’s inbox or call list, and the job becomes even tougher to achieve. But ‘sales prospecting’ doesn’t have to be a hard task.  If we think about the ways users are engaging on social media platforms today, there is a great opportunity to deliver your points and show prospective customers why your offering can bring benefit.

Sales teams can even find new ways to get to the front of customers minds. Things like demos and lists of product features are no longer making the cut for today’s informed buyer. Rather, appearing at events and hosting webinars offer a chance to really explain the value behind your offering so that a strong connection can be made.

As a recent post from expert Barbara Giamanco notes, cold calling isn’t totally dead –what is, is the concept of only calling out to people and trying to convince them to do business with you. This approach is simply no longer going to work.

You need a balanced approached of arming reps with the tools and conversation points they’ll need to speak confidently about your offering’s ability to answer business needs. As Giamanco recommends, do things from the buyer’s perspective – write headlines and email subject lines that don’t look like pitches or a bid at making a sale, get to know potential buyers and let them trust you – then, they will come.