Friday, February 19, 2016

Contact, Wait, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat...

Sales efforts begin with a new contact...sometimes a cold call, sometimes a referral.  The new person doesn't really know you, but may suspect you are a sales person and try to avoid direct contact.  The question of whether this may become a successful sale depends mainly on the sales person and their level of motivation.

Do you want to sell your product?  How badly do you want to sell your product?  Is it really something that would be good for the customer?  If so, why give up easily?

New contacts tend to avoid you.  There are actually statistics to back up this statement.  The blog post below is by Matthew Parker on Printing Impressions blog page.


 
Here are Three Scary Facts:
In 2007, it took an average of 3.68 call attempts to reach a prospect (source: TeleNet).
In 2013, it took an average of eight call attempts to reach a prospect (source: Ovation Sales Group).
Today, it’s getting even harder.  So that’s why I was shocked to learn that the average salesperson only makes two attempts to reach a prospect (source: Sirius Decisions).

We Have to Work Hard to Get A Hold of Prospects
It’s OK to be persistent. It’s important to keep trying to get hold of prospects.
But it’s not OK to just keep using the phone and email. Prospects are used to these methods: they don’t get results.

We Need to Be Creative in the Way We Communicate
It’s time to start using new ways of getting a hold of people.
What are you going to do differently this year?

P.S. Find out more ideas on how to increase sales with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them.” You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively.
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Matthew points out in this post that repeated attempts for contact are necessary and suggests trying new ways to reach out to customers. What other means are available? 

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and in person visits are all additional tools in your sales person tool box. 

One big key? Don't give up, don't stop, keep on reaching out until you make contact and are able to present your product.  If you don't believe in your product and its positive impact on the customer, then you should find another job.  You aren't helping yourself or the company you work for.

So, attempt to contact, wait a short period of time, and repeat, repeat, repeat as many times as necessary to help your customer realize the awesome benefit of the product you are sharing.

More info on Matthew Parker:
Matthew Parker Many printing companies are frustrated how hard it is to engage buyers in today’s world. That’s where Matthew Parker can help. He is a gamekeeper turned poacher. Parker has bought print for more than 20 years and received over 1,400 print sales pitches. He now uses his buyer’s point of view to give practical advice to printers. He helps them engage with prospects and customers to create profitable relationships.

Download his free e-book, “Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them

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