Jill Konrath | Selling to Big Companies

What Sales Really Needs from Marketing

I was just reading John Jantsch's article on Those Idiots in Sales Just Don't Get It! on the Duct Tape Marketing blog.

Since he was clearly talking about me - and most likely you, if you're reading this - I felt an overwhelming need to respond quickly to set the record straight. 

The issue is with MARKETING. That's right. They don't know what sales needs. And the stuff they give us to do our job doesn't work in today's business environment.

That's why I wrote this ebook, What Sales Really Needs From Marketing: 7 Strategies to Get More & Better Prospects in Your Sales Pipeline.

Make sure the Sales & Marketing leaders in your organization read this ebook today. It will definitely get them talking!

Download What-Sales-Needs-from-Marketing.pdf

(P.S. John also wrote a post on Those Idiots in Marketing Don't Get It. Both of us are trying hard to get sales & marketing together.) 

5 Strategies for the Slowing Economy

Are your prospects starting to tighten their belt? Are buying decisions being put off? If so, you might want to check out this 90-minute teleseminar put on by Caskey Training on Thursday, March 27th at 12 noon on EDT.

Here's just some of what you'll discover:

• The "Fundamental Shift" you need to make in order to get your head right in your dealings with prospects and clients.
• A series of customer questions that you MUST put in your arsenal during a slowdown.
• How to be relevant to your prospect. This strategy works in good times and slow times—–but if you don't understand "Value Relevance" then you'll be pushing a rope uphill.

Getting Past Gatekeepers - Key Insights

In yesterday's teleseminar, cold calling expert Leslie Buterin of The Top Dog shared her secrets for gaining executive-level access. Several key insights include:

• Don't be crude & try to blast past the gatekeeper. You need to turn this person into your ally.
• Your company name is absolutely irrelevant - as is your job title. Leave it out.
• Speak to the gatekeeper as if they're the executive. Their job is to protect their boss's calendar, ensuring that only people who can address critical business issues "get in."
• Use "bottom line" language - the kind that's used in the boardroom. Say it slowly and be prepared to repeat it up to 3x. Assume the gatekeeper is writing down what you're saying.
• Resist the temptation to go into a sales presentation. Instead, focus on your business impact.
• You must sound like a "top dog" yourself  the tone of your voice, cadence, professionalism. Plus, she showed us how that sounds.
• At most, you have 90 seconds with an administrative assistance so you must be prepared before you make the call. Otherwise you'll be blasted into rapid oblivion.

I loved it when Leslie said that if the gatekeeper asked, "Are you selling something?" your answer should be, "Absolutely I'm selling something - but only if it's a good fit." She then shared how to take control of the call again so you can set up the appointment.

I know a lot about selling, but I found myself taking copious notes during this session with Leslie. If you're interested in getting the audio for "The Golden Keys to the Gatekeeper", click here. You'll discover more about all the above, plus additional strategies on what to do/say when asked to send more info, how to keep at the  executive level instead of getting shoved down, and much more.

Or, if you'd like to learn more about the entire "Foot-in-the-Door" Teleseminar series, check this out. If you sign up you'll get immediate access to Leslie's session and my previous one on "Cracking Into Corporate Accounts."

Part III: Can LinkedIn Increase Your Sales?

What can I do to be more effective? It's a question that's always on my mind. That's why I began this exploration of LinkedIn. I wanted to find out if and how sellers were leveraging this technology to improve their sales results.

In the final article of this 3-part series, you'll discover even more ways you can use this tool to create more opportunities, connect with decision makers and win more business. Again, real sellers and real results.

Strategic Visibility & Connecting
Tim Hayden, President of Game Plan Marketing & Events shares what he's trained his team to do with LinkedIn:

1. Focus on connecting. Anytime you receive a business card from its owner, you then "know" this person. While not everyone is a valuable link, search for that person on LinkedIn right away. Because you have their email, you can send them an invitation to connect.

2. Increase your visibility. Don't simply add people to your network. Ask or answer questions on LinkedIn. Make sure your public profile is complete. But most of all, recommend people in your network and ask them to recommend YOU!

Anytime you do any of the above, LinkedIn posts updates online or in weekly updates to everyone in your network.

3. Make LinkedIn your homepage. Whenever I open my browser, I can immediately review my "LinkedIn Home Page" which shows what others in my network are doing and who they're connecting with. I also check every 2-3 days to see "Who's Viewed My Profile." Just as you can use web statistics to see what companies are looking at your website, you can also see with about 80% accuracy who's been checking out your profile.

In the past two months, I've used these strategies to identify more than 20 new business leads –and converted two to clients!