This article is not about whether it’s important to have a playbook…it’s important. If you don’t have one, do your company a big favor and take the time to get it done. Rather, this article is about what is sometimes missing from playbooks which is crucial for getting...
Did you ever wish you had more compelling language when speaking with prospects? Most companies spend very little time, if any, developing their sales message and making sure it works. You’ve spent time developing your website and brochure; you may even have a trade...
In the past, I’ve written about how to leave a prospect a six-sentence voicemail which makes an impact. But what do you say when you get someone live on the phone? You can’t stuff a six-sentence voicemail into a conversation and expect it to work. And, you won’t get a...
It was a very busy Monday at Kopp Consulting. As I was going through each task on my checklist, I needed to call a potential client. But before I even picked up the phone, I prepared what I would say if I reached his voicemail instead of him. No matter how busy I am,...
A business development plan is a plan of action. It is a written document that explains the goals of your business and how you are going to achieve them. It contains background information such as market research and analysis, but more importantly, it contains the...
A sales message designed for one situation will not necessarily work well in another. For example, you may have perfected your 30-second elevator speech (or “30-second commercial,” as it’s often called). This works great if you are actually in an elevator and have...
While most of us need a second chance now and then in life, there are rarely second chances in business development. You can’t call a busy vice president or CEO a second time and say, “Hey, our first conversation really didn’t go the way that I wanted it to. Can we...
I was recently training a client’s sales team. One seller asked me for ideas on keeping in touch with a prospect AFTER he was told “no”. He had competed for an RFP and was not awarded the business despite developing a great relationship with the prospect. I suggested...
What’s better, consultative or transactional selling? It depends on the situation and the company’s goals. The problem comes when you need one approach and miss sales because you have the other. As an example, a seller can sell one item to one decision maker OR sell...
Executive decision makers have until year end to make things happen before their reviews. Not only do they need to complete initiatives on their list to get their bonuses and great scores, but also, those looking for promotions must showcase themselves to management....
For many, fourth quarter can be a time to reflect on decisions made over the last year. What worked, what didn’t? What to continue doing to meet your goals and what to stop doing? As you may be embarking on this kind of reflection as well, I thought it would be...