Jill Konrath | Selling to Big Companies

Would you use these voicemail strategies?

Busy corporate decision makers rarely return phone calls these days. It's a real challenge for those of us who sell. When my own business tanked a few years ago, I experimented with many strategies before discovering what worked.

I should have just listened to sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red Book of Selling.

So what do you think?  Does the end justify the means? Is it appropriate to use these misleading approaches if they result in you getting a returned call?

Here are some of my ideas on the topic:

• 3 Strategies for Curing Connectile Dysfunction
• Use the News: How to Create New Opportunities Fast
• Why This Voicemail Failed
• Audio Program: Creating Enticing Voicemails

P.S. Many thanks to Ed McLean's Sales Itch blog for letting me know about this YouTube segment.

Finding Email Addresses

Email cold calling is rapidly becoming an accepted way to crack into corporate accounts. I recently did a teleseminar on this topic and had this biggest crowd ever.

As sellers, one of the biggest issues we face is finding people's email addresses. Brett Owens decided to tackle that challenge head on. He's created an Email Pattern Wiki that lists the various email protocols for most of the Fortune 500 companies.

When you go there, just enter the corporation's name in the search box on the left side and you'll see several patterns the companies uses. For example, I typed in General Mills and this is what it showed me.

• [email protected]
• [email protected]

Here's the deal about a Wiki though: You're supposed to help create the resource. If you know other patterns used by a company - add them to the Wiki. That's how it becomes infinitely usable. The more people who chip in their knowledge, the better it is for all of us.

The Sales Wiz - A story of sales transformation

Download TheSalesWiz.pdf

A few years back, my two best clients were under severe pressure from Wall Street to deliver better results. When that happens, external resources like me are the first thing cut. Instead of having the next five months booked solid, I had no work on my calendar - and none in sight. My days were filled with twiddling my thumbs, cleaning my office and catching up on anything.

The only bright spot - a new Harry Potter book was coming out. As an avid fan, I could hardly wait to get my copy (like today). But my book didn't come. Long story; it took an extra week. With way too much time on my hands, I immersed myself in the earlier books and lived in their world of wizards and magical  happenings.

Then one morning I woke up with a brilliant idea. I would write a Harry Potter style book on sales transformation. Its focus? An experienced seller who was struggling to be successful in the rapidly changing business environment. (Looking back, it sounds suspiciously like my own story.)

Up to that point in my life, I'd never written anything longer than a sales proposal. The closest I'd ever come to writing fiction was a bit of embellishment about my firm's capabilities. But I didn't let that stop me. I started writing and didn't look up for three months. It was at that point I decided I'd better figure out how to get a book published so began research in that area. After crafting a proposal and submitting it to several agents, I went back to writing.

All told I spent six months on that endeavor virtually full time before I ran out of money.  The publishers weren't interested in a magical business novel written by a nobody. Even though my unfinished book never made it to the press, it was a transformational time for me. It got me writing and gave me confidence. Selling to Big Companies, my bestselling book, would never have been written without it. Nor would I have ever started speaking.

So to celebrate the release of the final Harry Potter book, I am releasing my companion novel written especially for salespeople - The Sales Wiz: Powerful but Highly Unorthodox Lessons for Transforming Your Sales Results. I hope you enjoy it!   Download TheSalesWiz.pdf

How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle

Sales cycles are getting longer. There's no getting around it. Corporate buyers are involving more people in the decision - and it takes forever to get them all together. Urgent fires and pressing priorities pop up, further delaying or derailing your sales efforts. It can be so darn frustrating because you have no control over these situations.

That's why I tell sellers to leverage trigger events to drive short-term sales results.

What is a trigger event? It's an "occurrence" that creates an immediate need for your products or services. Internal trigger events include reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions or new product introductions. External triggering events could be new legislation, hurricanes or announcements of new technology.

Recently Josh Gordon of Smarter Media Sales posted an excellent article on how Google is leveraging the release of Sicko (Michael Moore's new movie) to drive sales with their health care advertisers.

It's very savvy what they're doing. What's important to note is that they created opportunities that didn't exist before - all because they figured out a connection between an "event" and their own offering. If you want to shorten your sales cycle, put on your thinking cap and figure out how you can use the news!

(For more info on trigger events, check out my article on Use the News: How to Create New Opportunities Fast.

5 Blogs That Really Make Me Think

Last week I was awarded a Thinking Blogger Award to acknowledge the "meaty" content on my blog. As an award winner, it's my responsibility to share my favorite blogs with you so here they are:

Marketing Interactions by Ardath Albee
With a focus on the marketing/sales gap, Ardath constantly explores new concepts on how to create closed loop communications systems that get results. An excellent writer (she writes novels in the evenings), her articles are always insightful.

B2B Lead Generation by Brian Carroll
While Brian writes on the topic of lead generation and generously shares innumerable resources with his readers, I like his blog for a different reason. Brian is the master of leveraging thought leadership strategies to build his/his company's name recognition & brand. I learn from him.

Life 2.0 by Nick Smith
My life is so much more than just Selling to Big Companies. Nick's perspectives challenge me to see the bigger picture, stretch my mind and continue growing as a human being. He pushes me to explore unexplored aspects of who I am and to be the best I can be.

Web Ink Now by David Meerman Scott
Like most entrepreneurs, I'm always looking for cost-effective ways to maximize my exposure and extend my reach. David's blog (and new book) continually get me thinking about how I can do more with less investment and/or less effort.

Working for Change by David Sirota
As a political independent who is extremely disillusioned with the US government, I am learning as much as I can about what's really happening in the world today. The mainstream media is no longer a good source of info, so I read several blogs like this one on a regular basis. 

Get Fresh Minds by Katie Konrath
I always appreciate fresh perspectives and this blogger's ideas are "so fresh they should be slapped." Katie, who is almost done with her Masters in Innovation, showcases her talents by finding the creative in the mundane. Her writing is sharp, descriptive and fun.  Yes, she is my daughter but when you check out her blog you'll know that this award is well-deserved! She's also the one who gave me this award in the first place.

So there you have it - a list of blogs that make me think. Some are related to sales, marketing & business development. Others reflect my interests as a woman and concerned citizen.

So tell me ... which blogs make YOU think?