Guide to b2 b sales prospecting

www.evolve.ie

Selling in a Tough EconomySelling in a Tough EconomySelling in a Tough EconomySelling in a Tough Economy A Guide to Winning New Business in the Business to Business Sector

© Evolve Consultants 2010 2

Written & Developed By

David Malone & Conor Morris

Of Evolve Consultants Limited


Introduction

What do you sell?

Identifying new customers, driving demand, and building a solid sales pipeline is at

the core of successful sales prospecting for anybody who sells business to

business for a living. The Irish marketplace is growing more competitive by the

day which means that the business customer has more choice than ever before.

E-commerce is reducing the propensity of people having to pick up telephone

directories to explore purchasing options. On top of this the current recession has

taught customers to shop around for the best deals. The age of the loyal customer

is over. Sellers now have to work as hard for repeat purchases as they do for new

business.

The way of doing business during the Celtic Tiger years is over. Therefore, the

successful sellers in this “new economy” will be the ones that adapt their skills set

to the market conditions out there.

The purpose of this guide is to challenge the way you think about building a sales

pipeline and provide you with practical advice, tips and techniques to help you win

that new business opportunity for your organization.

Evolve Consultants


Contents

1. The Business of Selling 5

2. Prospecting Principles 20

o Networking Skills 21

o Networking on the Internet 29

o Working with Complimentary Solution Providers 31

o Asking for Referrals 32

3. Making Appointments By Phone 35

4. Using Email as part of the Sales Process 50

5. Preparation for Sales Meetings 56

6. Meetings with Sales Prospects 63

7. Tips for Sales Proposals 70


Chapter 1

The Business of Selling “Everybody lives by selling something” - Robert Louis Stephenson

As stated in our introduction, driving demand for your products and services and

building a solid, predictable, and extensive sales pipeline is at the very core of every

successful B2B sale not just in a tough economy but at any time.

So before we start to look at specific approaches for prospecting, we need to

establish some recognised guidelines / definitions for prospecting and selling.

Selling Defined?

Selling is the process of analysing a potential buyers need for the solutions provided

by one of your products and recommending the option which goes closest to / best

satisfies that need and by persuading the buyer that the price is fair, the source of

supply is satisfactory and that the time to buy is now

What is a Sales Target?

A target is a business person or entity that fits your ideal ‘target’ profile but as of yet

you have not yet managed to speak with them yet.

Targeting

Regardless of the method of prospecting you intend to use to contact potential

prospects, and depending on your role within your sales team and your area of

responsibility, you have an informed mental picture of what ‘an ideal Target’ might

look like. This ‘ideal Target’ will normally be determined by things like your

geographical sales territory, the type of industry that exists in your locality, the type

and size of customer who you have ‘signed up’ in the past, and specific businesses

with the right type of profile and profitability for your company. Based on this you

should then create a target listing of companies / people you intend targeting.

Typically, targets break into three headings;

� Suspects: are those people / companies who are on your marketing database

listing, and who you believe are capable of doing business with you at some point,

but have not yet indicated any interest.


� Prospects: are those companies or individuals who have indicated a need for

your products or services, either by responding to some form of marketing, or by

contacting you directly.

� Existing Customers: They have bought from you in the past and they may be

able to present you other sales opportunities or sales referrals.

� Complimentary Solution Providers (CSP): These are people who target the

same suspects as you do, but who work in a not competing business. Typically, you

connect with a CSP to gain market information, swap business leads, and or to

provide sales introductions for each other. For example, a CSP for someone in the

insurance industry might be a sales representative from a car dealership, an

accountant or a solicitor.

Typically, the type of places you might find “targets” are as follows: -

� Local and national print media.

� Classified Ads – companies that advertise buy and sell services.

� The recruitment pages – decision makers are often listed as contacts

� Company notices - gives you names /faces / divisions to prospect.

� Local Independent directories

� Local Chamber of Commerce

� Professional Trade associations (Local Chapters) – see appendix at back of book

� Local Lions and Rotary Clubs

� Radio advertising

� Local area business development internet pages: (For example: -

www.galway.net, www.cork.com,)

� Kompass Directory and the like

� Your existing database Irish database

� www.google.ie local search by sector. For example: “Hotels in County Clare”

� IDA Industrial Estate directories.

� Business Journals: Local business magazines

� Web based local business networks – such as those found on

� www.linkedin.com


So what does your ideal client look like?

Here are some factors you should take into account. Your ideal should be

� People who have or will have a specific requirement for your services.

� People who need your offering as part of their business process.

� People for whom your product solves a business problem or issue.

� People for whom your product can create an opportunity or competitive

advantage.

� People who buy from your competition.

� People who work in the sectors which are most profitable to you

� People who are manageable from a geographic perspective

� People whose size is manageable from a sales targeting, service support and

relationship management perspective

Describe your ideal sales target?

(A) Sector:

(B) Size:

(C) Location:

(D) Problem / Issues:

(E) Opportunities:


� Exercise:

What would you add to this list of pointers on the previous page?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.


What is a Sales Process? A sales process is a structured and systematic approach to finding and executing sales opportunities for you and your organisation. The process is made up of a number of systematic steps that reflect the “customer” contacts / interactions that are required to complete a sale from start to finish.

Table 1: Steps in the Sales Process.

Step

Name

Activity

1 Targeting the Ideal Prospect Defining what ideal customer looks like

by

a) Industry, b) Size, c) Location, d)

Spend Hetc.

2 Prospecting for appointments with

decision makers

Trying to get into a conversation with a

decision maker about a potential sales

opportunity via some of the following

options

a) Door to door prospecting,

b) Telephone prospecting,

c) E-mail,

d) Networking,

e) Asking for referrals

3 Qualifying the sales opportunity

Typically, via a sales meeting with

decision maker and (sometimes) review

of previous product history Hetc.

4 Presenting the Solution Typically, via a solution proposal &

pricing quotation

5 Negotiation / Objection handling Trading concessions etc

6 Closing the Deal Signing the contract

7 Client Account Management On going relationship management for

purposes of

a) Cross selling,

b) Up selling,

c) Renewals, and

d) Referrals


� A well defined and executed sales process brings the following advantages to

the seller:

� More Predictable Results: A higher likelihood of more successful desired and

predictable outcomes because the seller is following a set off agreed best practice

steps.

� Winning Habits: A high likelihood that repeating the correct structured sales

activities will lead to the development of “winning sales behaviours”. As Gary Player,

the famous South African golfer used to say, “The more I practice the right things,

the luckier I get”.

� Improved Time Management: It follows that if you engage in the correct sales

activities with the appropriate sales targets – then you will use your available selling

time more effectively and efficiently.

� Ability to Track and Measure Results: When you use a structured sales

process your outcomes can be measured and compared. This also leads to greater

self awareness of ones own performance as a seller.

Remember, an effective sales process, if executed correctly, should create new

prospects and customers for you. Just as a car manufacturing plant combines raw

materials, best practice assembly line processes, and technology to manufacture the

car; a sales process represents the raw materials required to manufacture new sales

for your organisation.

So whilst having a sales process doesn't guarantee success it should lead to you

creating more opportunities to sell. And in a recessionary time such as we face now,

a structure that can stand up to the rigors of current market conditions is a must for

every professional seller.

Sales Pipeline Management

People often mix up the sales pipeline and the sales process. Firstly, the sales

pipeline is part of the over all sales process. It’s a sales management tool used to

track the steps the buyer takes while buying one of your products or solutions.

Typically the steps in your sales pipeline should mirror the decision making steps the

prospect takes along the path to purchasing a product such as the one you can

offer. So therefore, your monthly pipeline report should present a "snapshot" of your


sales activity for that month, the stage of the purchasing process all your “live” sales

prospects are currently at, and the progress (if any) you have made towards closing

sales opportunities.

� The best sales pipeline tools have the following commonalities:

� They mirror the steps / interactions the seller has with the buyer.

� They track the next steps the seller must undertake to move the sales

opportunity forward.

� They focus the seller’s efforts and create urgency in the areas that require

attention.

� They should be able to accurately forecast the likelihood of the sale closing

and when that might happen.

What are the stages in the typical sales pipeline?

Table 2: Stages in the Sales Pipeline

Pre

1

2

3

4

5

Sales Activity

Devising target list

1st contact made

Contact / Meeting to qualify sales opportunity

Sales

proposal

Contact to obtain verbal

agreement

Contract signed /

sale closed

Next Step

Attempted 1

st

contact

Meeting to qualify sales opportunity

Agreement to propose sales

solution

Timeframe for

decision making

Time

frame for contract signed

Solution

dispatched / delivered

Probability of sales being

completed (As a %)

Zero

Zero

25 %

50%

75 %

100 %

Target

Target

Target

Target

Target

Suspect

Suspect

Suspect

Suspect

Suspect

Suspect

Suspect

Prospect

Prospect

Prospect

Prospect

New

Customer


The Stages in the Typical Sales Pipeline (In more detail) Pre – Pipeline - You have devised / sourced a target list of potential buyers or suspects for your sales activities. Self analysis questions for this stage:

� Have you created a profile for your ideal buyer/ customer?

� Have you identified the individuals in the target companies you want to speak

with?

� How many targets are you going to try and contact on a daily basis?

� Can anyone provide you with introductions to any of these targets?

Stage 1- You have (typically) to make a cold call to a company, hoping to get to speak with a decision maker. Next Step: Your next step is a formal meeting to qualify the sales opportunity on a certain date. Self analysis questions for this stage: � How much time are you dedicating to cold calling on a daily basis?

� How many companies are you targeting per session?

� How many people do you get to speak with per session?

� How many dials / efforts does it take you to reach an individual within a sales target

company?

� How many sales targets agree to meet with you after one telephone conversation?

� Why are they meeting with you?

� Is there a date in the diary for the meeting?

� What will happen if the meeting goes well?

� Is the person you are meeting a decision maker? If not why are you meeting?

� Is this meeting exploratory or have they something specific in mind?

� What will the next step be if the meeting goes well?

� What will the next step be if there is no sales opportunity on the table at the end

of the meeting?

� Is there a date in the diary for that agreed next step? If not why not?

� What movement has there been on this opportunity in the last week?


Stage 2 - Meeting with decision maker to qualify sales opportunity Next Step: Your next step is to move the opportunity to presentation / proposal stage (assuming it still exists) with a time frame for the decision making process. * If it’s a complex scenario there may be further meetings / contacts required. However, if it’s a more traditional opportunity the next step will get agreement to go to sales proposal stage (in writing). Self analysis questions for this stage: � What was the purpose for the meetings?

� Did the sales suspect the same agenda as you?

� What movement did you achieve at this meeting?

� What information did you obtain that will help progress the sales opportunity?

� What is their time frame for doing business?

� What will it take to move this sales opportunity forward to proposal stage?

� How does the prospect feel in principle about your offering and pricing proposition?

� What might the value of the business be?

� Are they considering any other suppliers?

� Specifically, what do they want in the proposal?

� What is the date for the proposal?

� What will the next step be if they like the proposal?

� Is this sales opportunity still on schedule to close based on your original forecast?

� What is the next step if there is no business opportunity at present?

Stage 3 - You put a sales proposal in writing. Next Step: Follow up the proposal and get verbal agreement (often in principle) to do business. * You may have to tease out issues or objections to get to this point. Self analysis questions for this stage:

� What criteria are being used to evaluate the proposal(s)?

� When will they make their decision?

� Have you already met / spoken with all decision makers?

� Can the individual you are dealing with make the decision?

� When you presented the proposal what feedback did you get on the day?

� How does your proposal compare against those of other potential suppliers?


� What will the next step be if they like your proposal?

� When will that next step take place?

� How long since the last contact?

� Is this sales opportunity still on schedule to close based on your original

forecast?

Stage 4 – Contact to obtain commitment in principle (verbal) to purchase service (Often verbal). The seller may also have to tease out issues or objections to get to this point. Next Step: P.O. to be raised / Contracts to be signed Self analysis questions for this stage:

� Are there any outstanding issues?

� When will this prospect close – or sign? (Need definite date.)

� What will the value of this transaction be?

Stage 5 - Contracts signed – Payment made - sale closed Next Step: Product delivery / After sales service begins Self analysis questions for this stage:

� Are their other sales opportunities still from this business entity?

� How accurately did I forecast this sales opportunity through all stages of the

pipeline?

� What other companies do I know that might have similar circumstances to this

one?

� Who can I introduce this new customer to – that they should know?

� How many contacts did it take me to close this case?

� Could I have done anything differently to move it along faster?


Key to successful pipeline management: Is to ensure there is always movement through the different stages of the pipeline. A lack of movement at any one stage of the pipeline will have a knock on effect on your sales results at some future point. Furthermore; -

1. The seller should report on the movement / progress that they have made within the stages of their sales pipeline on a weekly basis.

2. The seller must constantly be adding new opportunities to stages 1 and 2 of

the pipeline.

3. The seller needs to be aware of the “attrition rate” that occurs place when trying to move a sales opportunity from stage 1 to stage 5 of the sales pipeline. This attrition rate is also known as a “Ratio”.

4. It doesn’t matter whether you use an electronic sales pipeline tool or a paper

based pipeline tool, what matters is that you use the pipeline to drive movement through your sales process not just to record the sales activity that you have engaged in.


� Exercise: What are the stages in your sales pipeline?

A

B

C

D

E

F

Number

of Stages

Sales

Activity

Next Step

Probability

of sales

being

completed

(As a %)


Sales Ratios – Your key performance Indicators

“If you want to light a big fire – you need to know how many logs it’s going to take to get the

blaze going.” – John Adams

All successful sellers use key performance indicators (also known as the sales

ratios) to manage the movement of their sales prospects through the various stages

of the sales pipeline. Or let’s put it another way, if you have a weekly sales target,

it’s useful to know how many sales appointments you need to be creating on a

weekly basis to make your sales target happen! This is an example of an

appointment to sales closure ratio. Here at Evolve, we find that the majority of under

performing sellers we meet on training workshops have no idea of any of their sales

ratios. Simply put, they are not putting enough logs on the fire to keep it burning

and they have no idea how many logs they will need in the first place. You must

know your sales conversion ratios:

Table 3: Sales Activity Conversion Ratio

No: Ratio What it Indicates Key Points

1

Telephone dial to Conversation

.

This ratio represents the number of telephone dials you have to make to get to speak with a sales target.

This figure takes into account all the telephone dials where any of the following happens

� Gatekeeper block � Straight to voice mail � Not available

� Engaged tone

2

Conversation

to Appointment

This ratio represents the number of completed conversations you need to have with a sales target to get a sales meeting.

Remember, when we say meeting, we mean a calendar date in the diary agreed and confirmed by both parties.

3

Appointment

to Sales Proposal

This ratio represents the number of sales meetings you have to attend to move the sales opportunity to formal sales proposal stage

Depending on the complexity of the policy you are selling it is possible the qualification stage and the proposal stage might be one and the same meeting.

4

Sales Proposal to Sales Closed

This ratio represents the number of sales proposals you need to write to make a sale.

This figure assumes that an amended or discounted sales proposal and an original sales proposal count as one proposal


Sales Ratios (a worked example)

Your Monthly Sales Target: 10 Units sold.

Table 4: Sales ratios – a worked example.

No: Ratio Your Activity Your Ratio (The Maths)

1

Telephone dial to Conversation

It takes you 5 dials to get to

speak with 1 business target

Your Ratio here is

5:1

2

Conversation

to Appointment

Here you need to have a

conversation with 3 decision makers to get 1

sales meeting (with a sales opportunity).

Your Ratio here is

3:1

3

Appointment

to Sales Proposal

Your hit rate is now

improving. For every two sales meetings you attend

you then make 1 formal sales proposal.

Your Ratio here is

2:1

4

Sales Proposal to Sales Close

Here you notice that for every two proposals you

put forward you win 1 piece of business.

Your Ratio here is

2:1

Conclusions we can draw:

* Start at ratio number 4 and work backwards. 1. If your monthly sales target is to sell 10 policies. Then Ratio Number 4 suggests you

need to put forward 20 proposals to make the 10 sales. (2:1)

2. To be able to put forward 20 proposals, based on the above ratios you need 40

partially qualified appointments. (2:1)

3. To get 40 partially qualified appointments with decision makers you need to speak

with 120 decision makers. (3:1)

4. Therefore, at the start of the month you need to target 600 (5:1) ideal sales

suspects to have any chance of hitting the above numbers Notes on this example: � The above exercise does not take into account a scenario where the seller may have an “average transaction value” target as opposed to just numbers of units sold.


� The above exercise assumes you are only getting sales leads via cold calling, it is not taking into account networking, referrals and the like where ratios should be much more favourable to the seller.

� Exercise:

Please conduct the following self analysis exercise based on your current sales targets and activity levels.

Metric € Volume

Ratio 1

My Telephone Dial to Conversation Ratio

Ratio 2

My Conversation to Appointment Ratio

Ratio 3

My Appointment to Sales Proposal Ratio

Ratio 4

Sales Proposal Ratio to Sales Close Ratio

Metric 1

My Annual Sales Target

Metric 2

My Monthly Sales Target

Metric 3

My Weekly Sales Target

Metric 4

My Average Sale Value

Metric 5

My Average Sale Volume (If applicable)

Metric 6

The number of proposals I need to write to

hit my monthly sales target (Based on my

average sale value)

Be aware most of the above ratios are assuming that you have to find business leads by “cold calling”. While you may have do a large degree of cold calling, it’s fair to say that your ratios and metrics should improve drastically if you are securing some of these appointments by referral or via introductions at networking events.


Chapter 2

Prospecting Principles

Prospecting for new business is the life blood of all professional sellers. After identifying

your sales targets, the next step is to get your sales pipeline populated. When it comes

to prospecting there are two types of sales targets

� Cold targets

� Warm targets

A cold target is a person or company that fits the profile of your ideal buyer. However,

you have no relationship what so ever with this type of target. Furthermore, you have

no means of being introduced to this buyer. This type of target sits at the top of your

“cold calling list”.

A warm target is a person or business that fits the profile of your ideal buyer. However,

the difference between this type of target and a cold one is that you have found

someone within your circle of influence that is prepared to introduce you to this target.

This type of target is called a warm one because the target will already have a

relationship with the person giving you the introduction, and as such are more likely to

agree to speak with you out of their respect for the introducer.

� Cold calling provides you with the volume for your sales pipeline.

� Warm leads provide you with quality leads.

Every professional seller needs to be prospecting for both types of lead. Cold calling

should be an almost daily activity, driven by process, habit and a “hard neck”. Attaining

warm leads is more strategic, requires time, networking, skill and again process. In this

chapter we will look at the key prospecting protocols that will give you that combination

of cold and warm targets, namely:

� Networking

� Virtual Networking via Linked In

� Complimentary Solution Providers

� Asking for Referrals


Section 1

Networking Skills

The Golden Rule: It’s not who you know, it’s who knows and trusts you that

counts.

In 2010 business development is tougher that ever before. Buyers are more cautious

preferring to spend their budgets with trusted suppliers. For this reason cold callers

are finding doors slamming in their faces faster than ever before. On top of this

decision making process in many organizations’ has moved up a level to more

senior levels, and this may mean your old contacts may not have the power or

autonomy to make purchasing decisions any more.

� To be successful in sales in 2010 it’s not who you know that counts, it’s who

knows and trusts you that does.

The Sales Success Equation:

Your ability to have a successful sales year in 2010 will be determined by the

following sales success equation. The Sales Success Equation

The business contacts that know and trust me and buy from me now

+ / - The new / additional business contact that know and trust me and buy from me by year end.

= My sales results for 2010

Everyone has a circle of influence. It may be your family, your friends, people you

worked with, people from past jobs, people you studied with at school and college,

your neighbours, fellow members of sports or social clubs or even fellow members of

trade associations. In 2010, your ability to meet new people to sell your products

and services to will be determined by the number of leads, referrals and

introductions you get from your circle of influence. Trust and avoiding unnecessary

risks are two of the main purchasing criteria all buyers are using in these troubled

times. Potential customers may agree to meet you because someone in your circle

of influence is a trusted colleague of theirs. They definitely won’t buy from you if

they don’t know and trust you. It’s time to network.


What do you want from networking?

There is a multitude of networking opportunities available out there for you to choose

from. So before, you head off like a bat out of hell to attend all and sundry, it’s

important to make sure the people you want to connect with be at the events you are

going to attend. This means you need to be clear on what is the right type of

networking event for you. Let’s start by looking at the type of person you want to

network with.

(A) - Who

� Who do you want to network with?

� What industry might they be in?

� What sized organization?

� What parts of the country are they located?

� What level will they be working at within their company?

(B) Where

� Where are they most likely to network?

� What type of events do they attend or network at?

� Where do these events take place?

� What is the regularity of these events?

� How do I attend one of these events?

Table 5: Sample Networking Opportunities

Type

Example

Typical Attendee Chamber of Commerce Local Chapters

nationwide

Everything from sole trader right up to large

companies

Networking Clubs BNI

First Tuesday

Clubs

Sole trader / SME / Local sales

representatives of larger organizations’

Local Business Street trader

associations

Depends of mix of businesses in locality

Professional Bodies Sales Institute of

Ireland

CIPD

Executive Managers, business developers,

departmental managers in specific

professions (Tends to be corporate as

opposed to sole trader)

Trade Associations Vintners

Association

RGDATA

Owner / managers, Executive managers

with commercial functions

(C) What

� What am I trying to get by investing my time in networking and making connections?


(D) My Networking to Date – self analysis

� Who am I connected with already and what have these connections meant for

me?

� Where do I network?

� Do the people I need to meet attend my networking events?

� Apart from sales, how do I measure success in my networking efforts?

� How much planning do I put into my networking activities?

� Do I need to have a more structured networking plan for this year?

� Exercise: Please complete the following based on your answers to the previous

questions?

1. Describe the type of person(s) you want to meet at a networking event?

2. Which types of networking events are most appropriate for you?

3. Are you currently attending the correct type of networking events?

4. Explain, how you could improve the quality and quantity of your networking

activity?

5. What will you do differently?


Networking Strategy

Once you have identified what you want to get from networking the next step is to

target the appropriate type of events to meet these people. If the networking is to be

at a regular event run by a group such as a local chapter or networking club etc., you

should consider obtaining a position of power by joining the organizing committee.

This will afford you more visibility within the group.

Alternatively, if you can’t join the committee, you might need to become a more

structured event attendee. Start by asking the event organizer, to give you a list of

attendees in advance of the event. This will enable you to target the specific people

you want to meet. Consider asking the event organizer (in advance of the event) to

provide you with the necessary introductions at the event. And, remember as

mentioned in the previous chapter, targets for the event can be potential customers,

complimentary solution providers, and existing clients who can provide you with

introductions.

You should also consider bringing existing clients to the event as it’s an opportunity

to network with them, give them an opportunity to network with others, and may be

even introduce you to others at the event.

Tactics for the Networking Event

Many people find going to networking events a daunting proposition. It's often really

awkward to walk into an association meeting, trade show or after-hours event when

you don't know anybody who is there. Everyone else seems to be engaged in

discussions with friends and business acquaintances, while there you stand

“Johnny-No-Mates”, drinking the free beverages like they are going out of fashion,

whilst, desperately looking around for a friendly face to take pity on you and pull you

into a conversation.

Here are some tips for overcoming the awkwardness and getting into that opening

conversation.

1. Firstly, get a list of attendees in the days prior to the event. Check the list for � People you want to meet, � Existing customers who could introduce you to others or act as endorsees,

and people you know already who could introduce to new people.

2. Get there early. People tend to be open to entering into conversations before networking events – they tend to be in a rush to get back to work or home after the event is over.

3. Think first impression. ‘You never get a second chance to make a first


impression’. When approaching someone be aware of the following; Body language: Smile, look them in the eye, and shake hands with them. Introduce yourself and state that you are with [The name of your company].

4. The best location for networking is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the coffee dock, or near the food.

5. If you don’t know anyone at the event, stick close to the event organiser’s / association officers – a lot of attendees will want to talk with them.

6. When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the Ireland as many cultures treat them with very high regard.

7. When receiving a business card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met. If you do this while you're still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.

8. During the course of a conversation, use the other person's first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

9. Ask questions: Prepare some general questions before you start networking. Before you give information it is important to break the ice with a question that is non-threatening. For example, it might be “How are the road works in front of your shop effecting business?” Ask questions about them, and their business. Remember, the purpose of your questioning strategy should be to differentiate yourself from the “crowd” by asking questions about how you can help them grow their business! Make sure you listen to their responses. Remember, networking with new contacts is like reading a daily newspaper. Let your new contacts speak so as you can discover which news headlines are most relevant to your agenda. Remember, open questions work better than closed ones as they get people talking. Here are some additional questions you should consider asking:

Table 6: Sample questions to ask somebody you meet at a networking event.

� “What brings you here today?”

� “Where else do you network?”

� “How did you get your start in the “ABC” business?”

� “What changes are happening within your industry?”

� “What does your ideal customer look like?”

� “What separates you and your company from the competition?”

� “What can I do to help you today?”

� “Who else do you know here today?”

� What is the best way to refer someone to you?


People will usually reciprocate and ask you a few questions about your business, but remember you are there to make them feel important. Since you want to meet the all the people you identified before the event, keep conversations to a maximum of ten minutes and then move on

How to Follow Up When you attend a networking event, whether a conference, seminar or business-club meeting, your work has just begun. It's the follow up after the event that moves the relationship on and eventually will enable business happen. Follow up includes trading information that is valuable to each other via e-mail and gaining other introductions from your new connection and vice versa. However, too many people walk away from networking events feeling good about the event and the number of business cards collected but doing nothing to move names on business cards into potential business associates. Here are some ideas to make the most of your post networking event follow ups; � After the event, time, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them. Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them. � Consider introducing someone to your new contact. This is a straight forward process. All you have to do is introduce a new contact from a networking event to someone else you in your sphere of influence who you feel they should know. Where, these two people take the relationship is up to them, but you will be remembered as the person who made the introduction. You should try to this after every networking event. � Within twenty four hours, send an e-mail / hand written note. Don't wait until you have something meaningful to say or don’t wait until next week for fear of looking to keen! Chances are you won't get around to sending a note if you wait around, and even if you do, the recipient may not recall who you are. Send an e-mail to everyone you took a card from. Better again; send them a hand written note. Remember, even if you don't see them as an immediate connection, just say thanks. � Make notes on your experiences. Whenever you return from events, take about ten minutes to write down some notes from the networking event. Bullet-point ideas, or write them across your whiteboard. Just get them down! � Thank the host, if applicable. This especially applies to events that are put together by one individual. A quick note thanking that person for their efforts will go a long way and they will be more prone to respond favourable to your request for introductions in the future. � Phone them and meet up.


Pick up the phone after a couple of weeks and continue the conversation you started to explore at the networking event. (If appropriate)

Don’t pitch for business without creating obligation by following up in one of the ways mentioned above. Remember, networking is the skill of building relationships that are mutually beneficial. So be prepared to ‘give something to get something’. Networking takes planning and regular practice and execution.

Sample List of Networking Opportunities

Web Based Networking

• Linked In the worlds largest online networking community - http://www.linkedin.com

Local Business Community

� Chambers of Commerce - http://www.chambers.ie/index.php?id=1

Professional Associations

� Sales Institute of Ireland - http://www.salesinstitute.ie

� Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association - http://www.isme.ie/

� Irish Internet Association - http://www.iia.ie/

Charity Related Business Networking Groups

� Rotary Club of Ireland - http://www.rotary.ie/

� Lions Clubs of Ireland - http://www.lionsclubs.ie/

Private Networking Groups for Business

� Cork Business Association - http://www.corkbusiness.ie/

� BNI Networking Groups - http://www.bni-europe.com/ireland/-

� 121 Dublin Business Networking Group - http://121biznet.com/blog/

� Southside B2B Referral Network (Dun Laoghaire) - http://www.southsideb2b.org/

� Irish Business Women’s Networking Group -

http://www.irishbusinesswomen.com/forum/

� Galway Business Club - http://www.galwaybusinessclub.com/

� Open Coffee Club - http://www.opencoffeedublin.com/ /

http://corkopencoffee.org/

http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/ http://opencoffeesligo.org/


Networking Checklist

1

Try and get a list of the attendees for the networking event in the days prior to the event taking place. This will enable you identify who you want to meet.

2

Try and arrange some introductions via the event host / organiser in advance of the event. More than likely they will already know the people you want to meet.

3

Arrive early and stay late. If the networking is taking place around a speech or formal event all the networking takes place before and after the event. Don’t miss the action.

4

If you don’t know anyone at the event, stick close to the event organiser’s / association officers – a lot of attendees will want to talk with them and you can meet new people in their company.

5

Avoid colleagues from work. Ascertain who you know already and see if they can provide some introductions for you and visa versa. You should initially acknowledge people you know already and then immediately find someone new to introduce yourself to. This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you went to the event.

6

Always have business cards and keep in a place where they are easy to access

7

Stop selling and start connecting. When you meet someone for the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them. Don't try to sell them anything.

8

Prepare four or five questions that you can ask people that you meet. Make sure the questions are not overly intrusive

9

When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the Ireland as many cultures treat business cards with very high regard.

10

When receiving a business card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met. If you do this while you're still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.

11

When in groups act as the host, introduce each new person who joins the group to the others in your company.

12

During the course of a conversation, use the other person's first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

13

Know how you can help them. People don’t care what you do, unless what you can do can help them. Get to know which of their problems and challenges you can help with.

14

Tell people you will be following up with them while you are still talking with them. Tell them what you will be sending and how you will send it to them. Then they will be watching out for it.

15

When you meet someone for the first time, you have 24 hours to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.

16

Back at the office, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place

17

Send a handwritten note to your new contacts acknowledging the fact that you met.

18

Connect with your new contact via Linked in within a week of meeting with them.

19

Keep in touch, especially when you no longer have a specific requirement to fulfil.

20

Review the usefulness of the networking events you attend on a regular basis.


Section 2

Networking on the Internet

It’s almost impossible to talk about best practice networking skills without bringing

“virtual networking” or networking via the Internet into the conversation. Because of

the role email plays in business and with the ever increasing popularity of online

business networking communities like “Linked In” the professional seller would be

remiss not to leverage this media. We find many people place their personal

profiles on these websites and wait for business contacts to contact them by the

score. This rarely happens. Virtual networking is no different to face to face

networking – as with everything in life you only get out of it what you put into it. So

here are some ideas to get more from your “Linked In” account.

Using “Linked In” on the Web

Is it just me or if you find someone on “Linked In” you’d like to network with, but you

observe that they have only five contacts and no profile information, do you wonder

whether its worth your while linking up with them? What might other people say

when they see your Linked In account and profile? Could they think the same thing

about you? Are you worth connecting with? Do you get any useful business leads

from Linked In? Its possible to get more from Linked In that merely looking up

contacts – here are some ideas;

� Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.

� Don’t turn off your contacts:

� Avoid hard-sell tactics.

� Write honest and valuable recommendations for your contacts.

� Request LinkedIn recommendation from happy customers willing to provide

testimonials.

� Grow your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your

business.

� Share survey and poll results with your contacts.

� Publish your LinkedIn URL on your marketing material.

� Use the advanced search feature to find people (targets) by company,

industry and city.

� Start and manage a group for your industry.

� Research your prospects before meetings. For example, you could try and

find out have you common business acquaintances.


� Share useful articles and resources that will be of interest to customers and

prospects.

� Post your presentations on your profile using PowerPoint.

� Ask your first-level contacts for specific introductions to their first-level

contacts.

� Set up to receive LinkedIn messages in your inbox so you can respond right

away.

� Update everything regularly


Section 3

Working with Complimentary Solution Providers

Working with a Complimentary Solution Providers (CSP) is a form of

networking. A CSP is a person who sells into / (or has a circle of influence

that includes) the target companies and people that you want to prospect for

new business. Typically, the CSP does not work in competition with you, but

may sometimes offer a complimentary service to yours. The main point is

that they have access to the people you need to meet. So for example, at

Evolve we deal in sales training and the decision makers we often need to

meet are Sales Directors or Training Managers. A possible CSP for us could

be a recruitment agency, or the sellers of sales related software. Therefore, if

we were trying to get an appointment to see the head of training at ABC

Limited a CSP might be able to provide us with that introduction.

The advantages of networking with a CSP

� May know your sales targets already

� Can provide introductions because the target already trusts them

� Can provide valuable information about the market place which may

lead to a business opportunity

The type of professionals that might be an appropriate CSP for you

� Already sells to your customers

� Targets the same in company function heads as you

� Networks extensively

� Is prepared to swap leads / provide introductions

Tips for Networking with a CSP

� Identify three ideal CSP and go connect with them

� Meet / Talk at least once a month with each

� Describe your ideal target for them

� Give introductions to get introductions

� Give them feedback on any sales opportunities you make and take


Section 4

Asking for Referrals

Every business to business seller knows that getting referrals from existing customers

or a complimentary solution provider is by far the best prospecting lead to get. Yet, we

often find very few sales people have a referral process in place – so they don’t get

many of them. Let’s be clear on our definition of a sales referral. It’s not an existing

client tipping you off about a new factory opening up down the road. It’s not a

complimentary solution provider giving you a name and a phone number.

A referral is where somebody provides you with an introduction to a potential sales

prospect. When we say introduction, we mean that they have lifted the phone to

somebody in their circle of influence and asked them to take a phone call from you.

During the introduction they will tell the referral that you are, where you work, and why

you will be phoning. Typically, they will endorse your services at this stage as well.

So here are some ideas to help you get more referrals from your circle of influence.

� Ask for referrals: If you don't ask, how do you expect to get them?

� Ask at the right time: The time to ask somebody for a referral is when they trust you,

when they rate you highly and when they are obligated to you. (You have done them

a favour)

� Introduce asking for referrals into your account management process.

“John, the purpose of today’s meeting is to review your current usage and sort out

your requirements for the coming year. I’d also like to get your thoughts on what you

think of the service I provide, and lastly providing you are very satisfied with how we

are treating you, I’d like to see if there is anyone in your business circle who you’d

refer me on to. Let’s talk about your existing usage first H”

� Let the client know who's a good referral: There is no point asking a client for a

referral at the end of a meeting. Typically, sellers with one foot already out of the

door state “If you can think of anybody who could use my service please let me

know”. So firstly it’s a statement not a question. Secondly, the client won’t be

inspired into miraculously pulling your ideal looking referral out of thin air. Early in

your conversation describe to the client what a good referral looks like. Tell them


the type of business you want to be introduced to etc.

� Help them: Make some suggestions as to people who they might know. If you're a

builder’s providers, who do you think they might know? Lot’s of Builders, Estate

Agents, and Trades people etc, that's who. Suggest some of those companies you

know you'd like to get referred to--they just might know them.

6. Give them time to think: Don't ask for referrals and stand there waiting for them.

When you put your client on the spot like that they aren't going to come up with a ton

of great referrals. Ask and then let them know exactly when you'll get back to them

to get the referrals.

7. Don't get names and phone numbers get introduced. And I’ll state it one more

time don’t get a name and phone number – get introduced. Get introduced to the

prospect through an introduction letter or phone call.


� Notes / Actions:


Chapter 3

Making Appointments by Phone

The vast majority of sales professionals hate cold-calling. Yet, at the same time, it is

an activity that most of us need to do on a regular basis. Unless you can come up

with a more effective way of getting new sales prospects into your sales pipeline –

then you need to try and make appointments by phone.

The three main ingredients to making more appointments by phone are T.E.D. – The key to Successful cold calling Table 7: Key Skills and Traits for successful tele-selling

T Technique:

The ability to design and deliver a sales message in a way that appeals to the sales suspect.

E Endeavour:

The ability to persevere and continue to cold call even when things aren’t going well.

D Discipline:

The discipline to do the target number of dials without cutting corners or distracting yourself and track results

Don’t ad-lib, have a call plan.

If you want to sound confident, competent and in control, I strongly suggest that you

write out /design a call plan for yourself. You may notice that I am not using the

phrase call “script” because to use a call script, requires both parties on the call to

have the exact same script. Designing and then using a call plan for the opening,

questioning and closing remarks stage of your call will give you the structure that is

required to hook and connect with a potential sales suspect, that will give you the

opportunity to ask some questions about their circumstances, and finally that will

ascertain whether its worth both of your whiles taking the conversation to the next

stage.

�A good call plan is essential for the following reasons.


� More people will accept your call

� Keeps your message on track and allows you be respectful of the suspect’s time

� Ensures you gather all necessary information

� Guarantees that your call ending has a conclusion or next step.

� Allows you listen to suspect responses because your call structure is clear

� Allows you control the call

Call Structure Design

1. Have clear call objective / result in mind.

It is important to keep in mind that the primary purpose of any B2B prospecting phone

call is to make an appointment, not a sale. Many sellers make the mistake of trying to A

to Z their product portfolio and talking to much on the phone call in an attempt to

showcase their expertise. Whilst the seller will have to present some high level policy

benefits and respond to some questions, issues that require a detailed / informed

response become an excellent reason to secure an appointment.

It’s a good idea to use phone time to gather information through the use of open-ended

questions. Your objective is to build your prospect's interest and arouse their curiosity

through a series of well designed, probing questions about them and their company. So

before you make that call be clear on what the objective of your call is.

��Exercise:

Finish the following statement to get your call objective; The purpose of this call is to qualify the sales suspect to a point, where if everything goes well, the next step will be to HHH.

In the B2B market, the objective of the call could be to:

a) Get a qualified meeting with a decision maker

b) Get the name and direct contact details of a decision maker

c) Collect information about a target person / company and how they currently

use your offering.

d) Find out details of their next tendering process and get permission to take

part in same.


2. Understanding Best Practice Call Structure.

Most stories and movies have a start, middle, and an ending. The purpose of the

start of the story or movie is to get your attention and get you interested sticking with

reading or watching some more of the content. The middle of the book or movie

unravels the plot and provides the detail. And the last few scenes or chapters bring

things to an exciting finale or conclusion.

A best practice call structure is very similar in that the purpose the call opening has

is get your attention and keep you on the phone engaging in conversation.

The middle of the call provides you the seller with the suspects detail /

circumstances, and issues via qualification questions and conversation.

And the conclusion of the call is to bring things to a finale, with you the seller

presenting the reasons why the sales suspect should consider meeting with you and

asking for that date in the diary next step.

Table 8: High Level - Call Structure

Stage Structure Objective

Call Opening

� Exchange greetings � Results based opening statement � Permission to proceed plus

agenda

� Courtesy � Create interest � Get control

Middle � Qualify the suspects requirements � Summarize your understanding of

issues and priorities

� Gain understanding � Get commitment

Conclusion � Suggest options � Obtain feedback on options � Ask for the next step

� Create buy in � Get commitment � Get date in diary

3. Call Opening

Nothing is more important to an outbound telephone prospecting call than the quality

of your opening lines. Think about it, when a sales target picks up that phone and

says hello, you have between ten and fifteen seconds to get them to accept your

call.

The opening lines of the calls are actually the only lines of the call you can script

100% - every other line you use is determined by the impact your opening statement

makes. This means you have to maximize the impact of your opening statement

and that means planning and practicing it.


Below are some guidelines and thoughts for creating your opening statement(s) as

well as some samples for you to rework.

The purpose of the opening statement is to get the attention and interest of the sales

suspect so as to accept your phone call. To do this you must “hook” the sales

suspect onto your telephone line and away from what they were doing before you

dialled their phone number. Your ability to qualify the sales opportunity, ask for

permission to tender, ask for a meeting, or even introduce them to your new offering

matters none if the decline your invitation to have a brief conversation on that phone

call.

Your opening statement is comprised of four elements

� Who you are – “Dave Malone”

� Who you’re with (“ABC Limited”)

� What you sell (in very simple terms)

� How your prospect will benefit from your product or service

� A question to gauge interest of the prospect

a) Your greeting:

State your full name, and your role within your organisation. Use the target’s name

in the opening lines if you can, it will ensure that you have the correct person on the

line, and people when they hear their name tend to listen very carefully. For

example, “Hello, Mrs. Phillips, this is John Phillips, phoning you from ABC Services”

b) Your Interest and attention grabbing results based opening statement.

State the reason for your call: Your opening statement cannot be a pitch. It must

create curiosity by focusing on a result that might be important to the target. It must

be low on pressure, and put the target in a positive frame of mind. Consider starting

with benefit statement: This statement will suggest to the prospect why he or she

should listen further.

Example 1 Hi Jack, This is Emmet Higgins from the ABC Computer. You may recall I met you at the Chamber of Commerce lunch last month. The reason I am calling is that we provide a PC maintenance service to help an SME like you maximise the usage and longevity you get from your lap tops, and I’m calling to see if this might be something you’d like to explore further?


Example 2 "Hello Ms. Dillon, this is Shauna Jennings with Kelly Security Camera’s. I’m calling today because we I was in your premises buying garden furniture, and I noticed the amount of traffic and people you have moving around the store and the warehouse. It’s a very impressive set up. (Pause – wait for response) And because of the value of the high quality items you sell and depending on how you currently handle the issue of stock loss due to theft, there’s a possibility I might be able to help make it more difficult for shop lifters to steal your stock? (Wait for response) If I’ve caught you at a good time, I’d like to discuss your situation to see if this is something that you’d like explore further?” Remember, the purpose of the opening benefit statement is to get you past the first segment of a call into a qualification stage. So

� Keep the pressure low and conditional by using phrases like “Depending on how your handling” and “there’s a possibility we might”.

� Avoid opening statements which are sales pitches or self indulgent about your

offering such as: “Hello Mr. Kelly I am ringing to introduce to a new service here at ABC, it’s an excellent product with the lowest price on the market.” (This is self indulgent)

� Don’t try and technique you way past the client – “Would you be interested in

cheap accountancy software”.


� Exercise

Please develop some opening statements for the following scenarios: a) A business you are cold calling because you write a lot of business in their

locality. b) A large retailer that was a customer about 5 years ago, but then they left and

placed business with the competition. The competition went out of business last month.

c) A business lead you got from a family member. d) A new restaurant in the town centre.


3. Getting Permission to Proceed Lastly, ask a question at the end of the opening statement to check for the sales suspect’s interest. Example:

“Okay, so as I can work out how we might be able to best help you, I’d like to ask you a few questions, is that okay?”

In doing this you are again giving choice and perceived control to the suspect –

where as in fact you are getting the call structure to follow to call plan you prepared

in advance of making the call.

4. Middle of the Call (Qualification and summarizing the issues)

The purpose of the qualification stage is to get the target’s permission to proceed

with questions so as you can establish whether you will meet a business

requirement / problem or create an opportunity for them. The types of areas you

need to explore and open up (If you get the opportunity) are:

� Their business – how it is structures / works

� The way they deliver their offering to the market place

� The main challenges their business is currently facing

� The parts of their business where they use / need your offering.

� The risks their business is exposed to by not using your offering

� Changes they would like to make to their current situation (As it relates to

your type of offering)

� Timeframes for re-purchasing / decision making etc.

� How they go about considering suppliers for your services


Questions like:

For an Existing Business

a) “Tell me about your business?”

b) What issues are most important to you?”

c) “What type of fees you are charged?”

d) “Apart from price, what’s most important to you in selecting a product such as

this for your business?”

e) “Could you tell me about what type of solution you need for your business?”

f) “What aspects of the service would you like to change?”

g) “What do you really want from a supplier?”

h) “How will your requirements change over the next twelve months?”

i) “What would your ideal supplier be doing for you?” For a New Business

a) What type of service do you think you will need?

b) What criteria are you going to use to decide which company you are going to

buy from?

c) What type of business advice would be useful to get on an on going basis?

d) What experiences have you had with my company in the past?

e) Have you any thoughts on how we might best assist you?

f) What support will you need in the first 12 to 24 months of your new business?


� Exercise:

What Questions would you add to these two lists? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.


“So based on the issues your business is facing, and in order of importance as you have given them to me, here is how I think our maintenance contract might be able to help you out H.”

5. Presenting, matching and moving to the next stage:

After you have qualified and summarized the target’s requirements and you have

established and agreed a sales opportunity that they would like to explore further - they

become prospects.

It is only now that you suggest / propose a way for you to offer some solutions to their

challenges. However do remember business owners” all are only interested in one tune

on the radio – and that tune is called “Its all about me” – and they only tune into one

radio station W.I.I.F.M - (What‘s In It For Me).

�� So, when it comes to presenting on a telesales call – three rules apply.

a) Focus on their issues. Focus on suggesting the solutions that focus on solving their issues – to present anything else suggests that you are not listening.

Example:

“So earlier you said to me that the excess on your old insurance policy was €750 but your average accidental damage claim was only €900. So, we can reduce the excess amount to €400 by increasing the annual premium amount by €25.”

b) Use low pressure phrases.

Put forward your benefits using low pressure phrases such as “you might consider” or

“Might I suggest” – they are not pushy. Example:

c) Get feedback on every option you present. Ask the prospect for feedback on all benefits you present – this will give you an indication of whether you have gotten in right and if its time to suggest the next step.

Example “So, Patrick, given that you have separate printing requirements at three different locations throughout the country, I think we can come up with a package that will simplify the requirements of your three different office managers and improve the quality of the documents we produce without any significant increase in your overall annual printing bill. Would that be of interest to you?”


6. Close the deal / Bring to the Next Step- ask for a commitment to meet up If you have presented an appropriate solution, your transition to the close should be as simple and automatic as asking, “Do you have any questions?” When they respond with no, you simply ask them how they feel about your suggestion, discuss what do you think of the FBD package? Then it’s about asking for the next step –

Example “Based on what you are saying to me, it sounds like it would be worthwhile to get together so I can give you a more detailed picture as to how we might help you?”

Remember, if the prospect likes what you have to say, it’s now time to suggest you meet up to move things to the next stage of the buying process.

Example

“Given that you intend opening the new premises on the 1st of May you’ll have to kit out with furniture the previous week. I think it might be mutually beneficial to meet up next Monday given that the opening date is only 3 weeks away and we need to look at your requirements in more detail?”

7. The fall-back position:

You might not get an appointment or the sale at every prospect contact, or may be the

they won’t be purchasing for another six months. But you should try to get some type

of commitment every time.

� So if the renewal is not for some time, you should

� Stay in touch via email.

� Send them material in the intervening period.

� Send them a hand written card thanking them for the conversation.

� Get them to agree to have a further conversation much closer to the renewal date.

� Diarize a follow up phone call with them three weeks before the renewal date.

Example

“Thanks Paul for letting me know that you have another nine months to go before your current contract expires. With your permission I’ll keep in touch and maybe you’ll

let me quote for the business next time around?”


Leaving Voice Mails A lot of people don’t believe in leaving voice mail, and that’s alright – however if you prefer to leave messages here are some best practice steps to consider. If you intend leaving a voice mail message, your objective is to create enough interest so as the customer will take the next call. Remember, you can only get the appointment after you have spoken with the sales suspect.

Voice mails are like opening statements in that you can script and practice them. So when that voice says “please leave your message after the tone”, you have about 30 seconds to generate a reason why that person should call you back as opposed to

� Rule 1: Most decision makers delete messages after 30 seconds.

� Rule 2: Most decision makers delete messages on the first time of listening.

The components of a good voice mail message

� Your name: “Frank Murphy” � Your company name “over at Evolve” � A statement that creates interest and intrigue:

“I have an idea to run by you that might significantly impact the way you handle the cost of delivering your software product to your UK market” � Call to action: “I will call you back Wednesday at 10am.”

Example Lucy, this is Frank Murphy over at KASH Waste Management. We have been working with a number of the big manufacturers in the Cork area like yourself at ABCO, and having worked with them I have an idea to run by you that might significantly impact the way you handle the disposal of commercial waste at your Cobh plant. Sorry I missed you I will call you back Wednesday at 10am. Example Conor, this is Dylan Morris from Evolve Training. One of your colleagues Patricia Rock, asked me to give you a call regarding how we helped them increase their sales revenue while decreasing their overall cost of sales annual last year. Sorry I missed you. I will call you back Monday at 11am.


�� Exercise: Develop a voice mail message for one of your prospecting campaigns

� Your name

� Your company name

� A statement that creates interest and intrigue

� Call to action


Check list for running a telephone prospecting campaign

(For appointment making)

1 Have a dedicated time each day to prospect.

2 Prospect in hour blocks of time

3 Track your results (The Sales Ratios)

4 Know the reason for calling before you call: Remember the reason must benefit the customer not introduce a great new service etc.

5 Leave short beneficial voice mail messages that arouse interest and attention.

6 May be follow up with an email.

7 Prepare your needs qualification questions in advance

8 Phone calls placed to direct numbers before 9:30 AM are the most likely to be answered by the person you're trying to reach.

9 Respect the gate-keeper by treating them in the same manner you would treat the prospect.

10 Anytime is a good time to make a call; don't wait for the "perfect" time.

11 Prepare your opening benefit statement in advance

12 Prepare your questions bank in advance

13 Consider sending an introductory letter first

14 State in the letter that you will be making a follow up call

15 Batch your calls in clusters of ten at a time

16 Make the calls in a quiet back office with no interruptions

17 If you can consider recording a dummy call so as you can hear what you sound like.

18 Make sure you get some type of movement on every call – even if it’s a “no thanks”.

19 If you can get an introduction all the better

20 Measure your outcomes

21 Ensure you are permitted to make unsolicited calls to the business owner e.g. that they aren’t on a protected database.

22 If possible, avoid leaving phone messages for the contact if they are unavailable, as it makes it easy to filter out further calls. Try and call back.


� Notes:


Chapter 4

Using Email as part of the Sales Process

Sales professionals are using emails more and more to as a sales media. Whether,

it’s to deliver a specific sales proposal or to try and “cold call” a potential sales target

– email is being used for it.

Does email prospecting work?

If done correctly it can be an effective tool for obtaining new customers.

However, a recent survey conducted by global Internet advertising company

www.Doubleclick.com, suggested that 55% of e-mail recipients considered a

message to be spam if it was generic and bore no relation to their business

challenges. This was also true where the mails were being sent to existing

customers.

Email as part of the Sales Process: Some Key Points to Remember

� Email is one way: This means it can’t be used as a stand alone sales tool.

Email works best when it is part of an integrated prospecting strategy that also

included networking, prospecting by phone, asking referrals etc. Email must be

followed up with some type of voice conversation with the sales target for it to work.

� Email has no tone: Emails are interpreted by the reader and some times not as

intended by the sender. Always make sure the tone of your sales email is as

intended

Example:

“I am the new photocopier sales representative in your area and I am just

contacting you to see if you needed anything?”

What tone does this message set for you? The words that come to mind for me are

phrases like lazy, presumptuous and pushy. Is this the tone the sender intended? It

doesn’t matter what was intended, because if the sales targets thinks the mail is

pushy – then it is pushy H and so is the seller.

� Permanent Record: Once you send an email you can’t take it or it’s contents

back. So you need to be very sure that

(a) You want to send the email.


(b) That you are sending it to the right person.

(c) That you understand their circumstances.

(d) That you have hit the correct “note” with your composition.

(e) Everything that you are suggesting is factually correct and something you can

stand over.

(f) You have no spelling or grammatical mistakes.

� The Email reflects on you and your organisation: If the email has lots of

spelling errors and typos then you are deemed to be sloppy and unprofessional and

so are your company. Whey should you consider sending a prospecting email to a sales target?

�� When you can’t reach that sales target by phone.

�� When you can’t get a personal introduction to that sales target.

�� When your approach is purely speculative.

�� When you intend following up the email with other sales and marketing

initiatives.

�� When you have their correct email protocol.

� While email is part of your prospecting “kit bag” be aware it is no substitute for

speaking with an actual sales target or suspect.

The Rules for writing and sending effective sales Emails

Remember, everyday your sales target gets twenty or thirty emails from people just

like you. So what’s going to get them to read your mail as opposed to deleting it

without opening it? Here are some issues to get you thinking.

The Facts of Email Life

� 1: Most people read emails in less than 20 seconds.

� 2: Most people only read an email once.

� 3: Never send an attachment with your e-mail. Sales targets who don’t know you

are not going to open a file from a stranger and risk getting a virus on their PC.

Focus on the potential Buyer Needs

If you make a generic sales pitch your email will be interpreted as spam. No

different to the opening statement of your telephone prospecting call, your email

must have a hook or a W.I.I.F.M angle in its construction. Don't talk about you, your

company or your sales offerings. Instead, focus on their issues, concerns, problems

and challenges.


Personalise every email.

Decisions makers must know immediately that the e-mail was written just for them

and not sent to 100 other people. Mention your research. Highlight a triggering

event. Reference a referral.

Keep it short and sweet.

As mentioned earlier, you have less than 20 seconds to capture the attention of a

potential sales prospect. After the first couple sentences, they decide if they'll delete

it, forward it or respond.

Make it readable from the preview window.

Most people do a quick scan of their messages in the preview window before

opening them. If your message is longer than this, make it shorter.

Start a conversation.

Your goal is to engage decision makers in an on-line discussion. In order to do this,

you have to give them something they can respond to. Ask a question, invite them to

an event, and see if they'd be interested in an information resource on your website.

Focus on creating the dialogue.

Don't send emails too frequently.

It annoys people and makes your emails more likely to be summarily deleted.

Hook them with a compelling subject line.

"Free PC Security Audit” will get your email deleted as recipients will be thinking that

there is a “catch attached to the concept of a free offer” or that your mail is just

spam. However using a subject line along the lines of, "Want to know how you can

improve the speed and reliability of your computer network?" might get them to read

on as it’s more intriguing.

Tactics for how you can use email as part of the sales process


� Use email as a follow up tool.

After you meet someone at a networking event follow up with an email. Similarly,

after you phone someone, meet someone, or send them a physical document by

post follow up by email. Thank them, tell them to expect the post, and talk about

next steps etc.

� Use email to gather information about decision makers or company

protocols.

Gather information about who the correct decision maker is for your product offering;

get their email address and direct dial contact telephone numbers via email.

� Use email to get referrals and testimonials

Ask clients to introduce you to people in their circle of influence who may require

your service.

� Refer to their world

“I was in with your customer at his garden centre at Naas and I see you have all your

garden furniture on display throughout the place”

“I was behind one of your Articulated Trucks on the M50 yesterdayH”


Example

Subject Line: Can you assist me with some information please?

Conor,

I heard you interview on Newstalk Radio last weekend in relation to your expansion plans for your DIY business. It was a very impressive interview. Depending on your time frame for your new DIY superstore there is a possibility we might be able to help you get the best possible price for kitting out the building with shelving units. I’m with Como Retail Fittings, and we specifically help companies in the retail sector to reduce the necessity of having to stockpile large amounts of surplus product lines in your storeroom because of the electronic stock counting system built into our shelving units. If you think our shelving systems might free up working capital and simplify your reordering process, would you be able to direct me towards the person who is responsible for looking after the superstore kit out. Any help you could provide would be very greatly appreciated. Many Thanks, Johnny Perry, Como Retail Fittings Low pressure start asking for help as opposed to making a sales pitch

Rather than offering specific solutions, the writer is trying to grab the attention and interest of the reader. In other words, the e-mail is about the receiver, not the sender.

This reinforces that the writer’s company solves problems and provides insurance solutions.

This statement expresses the warmth of the writer’s gratitude in advance.


And some tips on writing style and grammar

� Subject line should be a request to act

� Keep paragraphs short.

� Watch font size.

� Use white space.

� Use boldface or underlining for emphasis.

� Use bullet points.

� Be concise.

� Avoid jargon.

� Use spelling checker.

Check list for running an email campaign

1

Never send an attachment with your e-mail. Prospects who don’t know you are not going to open a file and risk a virus.

2

If you are sending an e-mail, send it from a named individual, not a company.

3

Always have your company name, web site URL, telephone number and name in the e-mail signature.

4

When sending an unsolicited e-mail, keep it short. It should be less than four paragraphs.

5

When sending an e-mail, always use bullets and numbers in the body.

6

Always describe in your e-mail how your offering can increase income, decrease expenses or manage risks for the recipient.

7

Always name people who refer you on, providing you have their permission to do so.

8

Always include an action step for the prospect to take or an action you will take.

9

The subject line of your e-mail should be a short sentence and or it should mention something that will intrigue your prospect


Chapter 5

Preparation for Sales Meetings

When we say face to face meeting with a sales prospect, we mean an on site meeting

with a qualified decision resulting from a previous contact. Meetings are the key to

moving to the next stage of your sales pipeline. However there are three main reasons

many sellers make poor use of meetings;

� They don’t invest enough time preparing for the meeting.

� They don’t understand the components of an effective initial sales meeting.

� They focus on their own offering – not the prospective needs.

Here are some guidelines for preparing for meetings:

Step 1: - Person / company research

If it’s a sizeable opportunity, learn as much as you can about them in advance. In a

meeting with a potential prospect, your knowledge of their business is the first thing that

differentiates you from most of your competitors. Plus, by understanding what is

important to them, you’re able to ask intelligent questions and align your offering with

their needs. Key headings to research / investigate under are:

1. Primary business (Make sure you know what they do / area of their business that

they specialise in etc.

2. Market segments (Their competition, their geographical spread etc)

3. Their customers (Have you any mutual clients)

4. Any key strategic initiatives (Media coverage etc.)

5. How they use your offering.

Step 2: Identify possible conversation angles

After completing your research, identify where you might have a positive impact on your

targeted person / company. Based on your knowledge of their operation, answer the

following questions:

• How are they handling things without your offering?

• What kinds of problems or challenges might they be facing because of how

they’re currently doing things?

• Looking at their problems, challenges or gaps that may be present, what are the

potential business implications?


• What opportunities might you be able to present to them.

• If this person / company used your services, what business value would they

realize? What difference could it make?

• When was the last time they reviewed their current offering / arrangements?

Step 3: Plan your questions

Effective questions are essential to demonstrate that you’re committed to helping them

achieve their goals and remove obstacles to success. It’s imperative to write out your

questions ahead of time and take them to the meeting. If you neglect this step, it’s easy

to slip into a “pitch” mode that customers detest.

Good questions uncover information about their current situation, the problems and

gaps they’re experiencing, and the business ramifications of how they’re currently

handling things and the pay-off for making a change.

�� Exercise:

Please list 10/12 questions you should ask at a first meeting with a decision maker in a law firm.

1.

2

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.


Step 4: Plan your meeting outcome

As a result of this meeting, what is the logical next step? Research into sales success,

shows that if you’ve defined an appropriate desired outcome for your sales meeting

prior to the meeting, you’re much more likely to achieve it. Ask yourself what movement

do you wish to create at this meeting?

Step 5: Know who you are meeting.

Make sure you know the names and responsibilities of everyone you are going to meet.

.

Step 6: Preparing your product presentation

Nothing should ever left to chance. Gary Player, the world famous golfer, was once

asked what the secret to his success was. Player replied, “The better I prepare the

luckier I get!”

So here are some tips for preparing your support sales material.

(a) Your sales support material: Make sure your support material and examples are

relevant to the industry of the prospect. Don’t give them the old A to Z – you’ll lose

them!

(b) Your brief case / folder: Should be clean on the outside and organised on the

inside.

(c) Business cards: Always ensure you carry a supply of up to date (with correct

phone numbers etc) in your brief case.

(d) Your sales ‘support’ documentation

Should be branded with your logo and titled with the name of your prospect’s company.

(If possible)

(e) No spelling mistakes

Make sure you spell the prospect’s name correctly.

Step 7: Mental preparation - body language

In sales, saying what you mean isn't always enough. You have to show it. Sales people

looking for that successful outcome should keep the following body language tips in


mind:

Nothing crossed.

Keep legs, feet, and arms open. This translates to honesty, saying, "I have nothing to

hide."

Leaning forward.

Moving closer shows curiosity and intensity. Leaning back demonstrates aloofness or

rejection.

Direct eye contact.

In business circles, this is a sign of strong character.

Handshake.

A good handshake reaches all the way into the other person's hand. In addition, match

the prospect's pressure

Appropriate dress code

Blend it, don’t stick out! Look professional – be conservative and polish those shoes.

The importance of body language in sales lies in the fact that many buyers are either

unsure of, or reluctant to openly communicate their intentions. So you must be able to

read their body language to tell you what their words do not say. What makes sales

body language so challenging is that it must be taken in the context of the situation and

prior relationship you have with the person.


Table 9: Checklist for Preparing for a Sales Meeting

1st Meeting Plan for: Sales Prospect ___________________________ Contact Name: ___________________________ Contact Role/Responsibility: ___________________________

Desired Meeting Outcome: What is logical next step if all goes well?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

I. Getting started � Introductions � Who do we know in common? � What business do we already have from their industry or locality � Who do they currently do business with?

2. What is the agenda for the meeting?

3. Which product / services do I think might be relevant to this sales prospect?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. Focusing on the Customer (Questions I will ask)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


5. Which solutions do I think I will be promoting and why?

6. If things go well, what will be the next logical step in this sales process?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________


Notes / Actions:


Chapter 6

Meetings with Sales Prospects

Effective sales meetings are focused around your prospective customers and what’s

important to them – not your software solutions and demonstrations. Good sales

meetings generally follow a simple, proven process. However, unless sellers stick to it,

it’s really easy to get off track. Table 10: Best Practice Meeting Structure

Step

Activity

What should be happening

1 Introduction � Introductions � Small talk – around areas of commonality � Small talk around observations about their business

2 Permission to proceed with agenda

� Question to ask permission to ask some questions � Announce your preferred structure for meeting � Ask for agreement

3 Qualifying the sales opportunity (Fact Find)

� Business related questions � Need related questions (As applied to your offering) � Supplier related questions

4 Summarising the sales opportunity

� Repeat back your understanding of their circumstances and priorities as it relates to your product suite

5 Presenting your solution or option

� Follow their sequence of priorities and issues � Use their words and phrases � Give examples � Do the maths / present numbers

Get agreement on individual benefits and solutions before you move to next aspect of your presentation

� Maximise potential gain / opportunity

6 Gain feedback from option presented

� Ask the question – “Do you think you will benefit from my proposal”

7 Close / Ask for Next Step

“Great, so based on what you have said, I think the next step might be to HH”

8 Objection Handling You may have to handle objections or trade concessions (If you have the autonomy)

9 Close the Deal Ask for the business


1. Introduction

Business customers don’t always have a lot of time for meaningless chitchat. Be

cordial and friendly, but business-focused at all times. *Small talk may or may not

take place depending on the prospects style and demeanour.

�� Some Pointers on connecting with people at the start of a meeting

� Maintain confident open body language.

� When you say hello – don’t forget to smile!

� If the prospect offers you something (tea / water) accept it!

� If you sit down – sit ‘square on’ to your prospect (don’t slouch)

� Look around the room especially at pictures, photos and ‘trophies’ – for some

common topics of interest unconsciously asking now. You may be able to identify

sporting hobbies or business club memberships via photographs, awards and

plaques.

� Don’t talk about yourself unless it contributes to the process.

� Respect the prospect’s time - it's as valuable as yours is!

� If possible mention mutual acquaintances if appropriate.

� Match the prospects mood and demeanour

Remember that prospects are constantly asking themselves, "Why should I give you

my time?" The above questions keep prospects' focused on their needs, problems and

concerns and off your products, features and selling style. Secondly, it shows

prospects you are more interested in them than you are in just selling something,

anything, to them. This is one of the best ways to build trust and rapport in any

relationship -- by being more interested in them than you.

2. Permission to Proceed & Your Agenda

Before you get started, double check to see if times have changed since you set up

the meeting. Reconfirm the purpose of the meeting to ensure there are no

misunderstandings. And ask permission to ask questions next.

“So as I can work out how I might best help you, may I ask you some questions

firstly?”

3. Qualifying the Sales Opportunity (Fact Find)

In selling, your ability to ask qualify effectively is highly correlated with sales success.

Good questions demonstrate your expertise and enhance your credibility as a trusted


sales advisor. And, the best questions you can ask are highly provocative – ones your

prospects can't possibly answer without seriously considering their business situation.

Therefore, in order to be able to present compelling and relevant case for moving to

your organization the more information you have about the prospect’s situation, the

better positioned you are to suggest an appropriate solution. If you don’t get enough

information it ensures you always have more meetings than necessary or that you will

have to focus purely on price to get the business.

There are 3 Categories of Questions:

(1) Business questions (2) Need related questions (3) Supplier questions

Business Questions:

� “Tell me what do you actually do here?” � “Who are your customers? � “Why do people they select you as a ‘supplier’?” � “I see by your website you have been expanding since 2006 - what do you

attribute your growth to?” � “What changes will take place in your firm over the next 18-24 months?” � “What is your competition doing that you'd like to be doing more of?” � “What challenges has the downturn brought to your business?”

Need Related Questions:

� “Can I just recap on the information that you gave me over the phone?”? � “What solutions have you currently in place?” � “What does your ideal X look like?” � When was the last time you reviewed the service contract?” � “Why are you considering such a solution at present?” � “Why are you considering changing supplier?” � “Which issues are you most concerned about?” � “What have you used in the past?” � “How would the business cope if you lost the use of X for 3 months?” � “What will happen if you don’t put a solution in place?” � “If this solution is working for you, how will you benefit most from it?”

Supplier Questions:

� “What criteria for choosing a supplier for this service?” � “If you could change anything about your current solution what would it be”? � “Apart from price what else is important to you in an supplier?”


“How does that sound to you so far?”

3. Summarise your understanding of the issues.

It’s important to show the prospect that you have been listening to their answers to your

questions and also that you understand their issues, opportunities and concerns. The

best way of doing this is to repeat back their answers in the form of an edited summary.

This should always be done in order of priority and should finish with a question to the

prospect to confirm that your summary is correct.

� “Is that correct?”

� “Have I missed anything?”

4. Rules for presenting your product offering

� Present what the prospect needs

Your presentation should only be based upon the problems and needs you have

exposed at the qualification stage of the interview. (Don’t information dump)

� Prioritize based on what the prospect has said. Focus on the areas of most importance to the prospect � Use the words and phrases used by the prospect Example:

� Get on going feedback as you present

During the presentation, you need confirmation that the product is going to meet the

prospect's needs and expectations. Ask questions that will give you conditioned

responses as to how the prospect feels about your product at that particular moment of

the presentation. Remember, positive affirmations are like a snowball going down hill.

If the prospect agrees with you on an on going basis, their positive mindset about your

service gains momentum and they will be unlikely to object to your proposition at the

conclusion of your presentation.

“So when your new fleet of Volvo lorries arrive on Wednesday...”

“So firstly, you said your number one priority was to reduce your monthly expenditure

immediately. Here is how we could do that for you.”


5. Gain feedback from options presented Example “Based on what I have suggested, how does that fleet policy sound to you?

6. Close / Ask for Next

Once the prospect has confirmed that the product will meet their needs and they are

comfortable with your terms and conditions etc, you need to be prepared with a

commitment (closing) question that verifies whether or not they will take the next step.

Make sure you summarize what you learned about the key challenges facing the

prospect as related to your offering. Check with the prospect to ensure you heard him

or her correctly. Then based on their response suggest a next a step. End by simply

suggesting the next logical thing that the prospect and you need to do in order to

determine if your offering is a good fit for what they need.

7. Handling Stalls:

You may have to handle objections or trade concessions (If you have the autonomy)

8. Closing the Deal / Taking the Next Step

Many sellers find closing or asking for the business a very stressful experience.

However, as suggested in this workbook, closure should be taking place at each

individual step of the sales process and again at each individual stage of the sales

meeting. During the sales meeting you close continually by looking for regular

feedback and on going commitment from the prospect. So in reality closing the deal

should be the next logical step both the seller and prospect want to take next – as

opposed to it being a “let’s have a big drum roll and go for it experience”.

Sometimes you won’t be able to close the deal there and then. Sometimes you will

have to put the proposal in writing. Before you put the proposal in writing you must

have clearly gotten answers to the following questions:

� Who is the decision maker?

� Who else might be reading the proposal?

� What should be included in the proposal? Why?

� How long should the proposal be?

� What information do they need to make a decision?

� What criteria are they using to make the decision?


� How do you compare to the other suppliers at this stage?

� What commercial outcome will your offering help them attain?

� What is their budget?

� How they feel about your price? (This means you must tell them your price)

� What other concerns might they have?

� How they intend evaluating the technical aspects of your proposal?

� When will they be making their decision?

� What will the next step be if they like your submission?

Following Up

Sometimes regardless of how well your sales meeting goes, the prospect insists upon a

quotation or further documentation being sent to them, before they will make a decision.

While this is not an ideal step, it is the prospect’s right to ask for this additional

information. So you send out the literature as agreed, but then on the follow-up the

prospect appears to have a bout of amnesia, barely remembering who you are, and

claiming not to have received or looked at your literature.

Better again, when you make that follow up call, the only thing you can think of saying is

“I am calling to see if you received that quotation I sent you?”, or “I am calling to see if

you got the chance to read the brochure?” Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve ever been in either of these scenarios and most of us have, chances are that

your previous meeting didn’t end strongly, with a clear summary of the situation, and

with a prospect commitment of what will happen before and during the next follow up

conversation.

The success of your follow-up is directly proportionate to how specific a commitment (In

principle) the seller gets from the sales suspect on the initial contact. You must get a

contingent commitment at the end of the 1st contact

In other words, if your initial sales meeting ends with, “So I’ll send you that brochure and

I’ll give you a call at the end of next week”, virtually ensures your demise on the next

contact. And rightfully so; there’s nothing specific here, no commitment, no connectivity

between this call and the next, no agreed next step other that the activity of posting a

letter, and no confirmation of who’s to do what next.

Assign Homework

If you can you need to assign “homework” to the prospect.” If they are truly interested,


you need to get their agreement as to what they'll do between now and the next verbal

contact. For example, if they'll talk it over with their boss, find out specifically when

they will be meeting the boss. Ask them if they intend recommending your offering in

the meeting. Get a commitment that if their boss likes the price and product offering,

that the next step will be to put the proposal in writing and sign contracts.

This commitment in principle is critical, since if they won't agree to do some homework

before the next contact, it's a sign that they really don't see enough value in taking that

action.

At the very minimum you should get commitment they will read your material and

prepare questions, analyse the costs and evaluate it according to criteria you’ve both

discussed, take your proposal to head office with their recommendation, and so on.

This is critical. If you don’t get a commitment for action, this person might not ever

become a customer.

The type of questions you might ask are as follows;

� “If the proposal reflects our conversation do you think you will be going ahead?”

� Are you going to recommend the our offering to your boss?”

� “What will happen on your end when you receive the quotation?”

� “What will happen between now and our next conversation?”

Be specific about the follow up:

Set a specific time and date for the next call and link it to the commitment that they

have given you. “Angie, by when do you think you will have met with the Finance

Department to get figures on what you spent last year on the service?” Not only will

you set a date and time, but you have their commitment, again, that they’ll perform

their homework.


Chapter 6

Tips for Sales Proposals

Golden Rule: Fundamentally, any proposal to do business should always reflect previous

conversations with the prospect.

The effectiveness of your sales proposal will depend on the quality of information you

have gotten from the client at your pervious sales meetings. Therefore, let’s take a step

back and look at the type information you must have before you attempt to write that

proposal.

First point we need to make is that there should be no surprises in the proposal.

Effectively, a proposal is conformation of what you have already verbally agreed with

the prospect at your last meeting. As mentioned in the chapter on conducting the sales

meeting, you must have verbally established the following with your prospect before you

attempt to write the proposal:

� Who is the decision maker?

� Who else might be reading the proposal?

� What should be included in the proposal? Why?

� How long should the proposal be?

� What information do they need to make a decision?

� What criteria are they using to make the decision?

� How do you compare to the other suppliers at this stage?

� What commercial outcome will your offering help them attain?

� What is their budget?

� How they feel about your price? (This means you must tell them your price)

� What other concerns might they have?

� How they intend evaluating the technical aspects of your proposal?

� When will they be making their decision?

� What will the next step be if they like your submission?

The answers to the above questions are important because they enable you gauge how

serious the prospect is about doing business with you. Furthermore, it enables you

identify decision making processes and time frames. It also helps you get to objections

before they become major obstacles. Lastly, and most importantly the information will

enable you write a prospect-focused proposal as opposed to a ‘sales pitch’.


Your proposal must be written from the prospect’s perspective, be framed around how

the prospect sees as issues, and focus upon what the prospect expects from a possible

purchase with FBD. So we can safely say a tailored proposal is based on real

expectations as opposed to a business pitch. Pitches normally fail.

A sales proposal should reflect the capability and ability of you and the organisation

making the proposition. Remember, for a prospect to consider doing business with your

organisation, they must be satisfied that you:

� Understand their issues

� Understand their unique set of circumstances and structures

� Can deliver what you say you can deliver

� Won’t make their current scenario and worse then it already is.

We suggest you consider using the following sections as headers for your overall

structure:

1. The current situation

The prospect needs to know that you understand their structure, culture, and

marketplace – a.k.a. – their current situation. We suggest a paragraph outlining the

situation, as you the seller understand it to be.

2. The purpose of the proposal

The prospect wants to know what you are going to do. They also want you to confirm

that your proposal is consistent with what you verbally agreed at your last sales

meeting. In reality, they need your checklist of offerings to measure against their

requirements, their proposals, and something that allows them to get comfortable with

the value / results they can derive from your price.

3. Your offering

Effectively this is where you suggest the options / policies / products / steps / services

you believe will help the prospect get the result they require. This is where you connect

your offering with their requirement (The purpose of the proposal). It should clearly state

what action you wish to take and give enough explanation to help the prospect make a

decision on what you are proposing.

4. Results!

Paint a picture of what results they can expect to attain from your offering. Define

success for them. Help the prospect set up benchmark that represents improvement.


Make it easy for the client to see the result. Lastly, remember the easier it is for the

prospect to visualise the “fruits of your work” the easier it will be for them to buy it!

5. Track record

The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “The best indicator of future performance is

you’re past experience”. Often the biggest fear a prospect has about making a

purchasing decision is the fear of picking someone who can’t deliver what he or she has

promised. This means that where a seller can point a prospect towards evidence of

where they have done this before and that it’s a straightforward exercise for the

company – this gives the buyer peace of mind. Don’t write testimonials. Give them a

listing of prospects (and their phone numbers) in similar scenarios and suggest that they

phone them up.

6. Time scales

Get the prospect off the fence of indecision. There is never a good time to start a new

project. Outline the importance of time frames by linking timing of the stages in the

proposal with results the client wants to achieve. You must show that you understand

the importance of target dates and show that you can hit them with ease. Your client

may have a significant amount of ‘knock-on’ business riding on your ability to deliver on

your proposal. This can often mean your timing is as important (if not more so) than

your price.

7. Supporting technical data.

This section should detail the specifications and detail on the policies you are

suggesting, as in the caveats, terms and conditions. Once again, these should not be

surprises since you worked them out long before you wrote the proposal. It should also

be written in a language that the prospect can relate to. There should not be a surprise

for the prospect. Before you close the meeting that precedes the proposal make sure to

discuss your pricing and try and get agreement in principle before you agree to write the

proposal.

Guide to b2 b sales prospecting

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