The problems described are not unique. Every business owner, sales person and marketer faces these challenges on a regular basis – obtaining a response to your emails, getting past the gate keeper, obtaining a face-to-face appointment, networking effectively.
To be truly efficient in each of these areas requires a commitment to ongoing self-improvement to establish and enhance your talent as a skilled sales person. Remember you are competing for business against hundreds, sometimes thousands of other sales people all vying for the attention of the same decision makers.
Here are a few suggestions to get you on the right track:
1. Why should anyone take notice of you?
Do you have a compelling and unique selling proposition or is your business pitch just another “me too”. Step one is to craft a selling proposition that communicates a clear benefit and compels your target market to take notice.
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2. Cold calling
Having trouble getting past the gate keeper: Increase your odds by requesting the decision maker by name. You can do this by purchasing a qualified, researched list of contacts that are appropriate to your industry. Contact lists will provide names, designations, email addresses, telephone numbers and more. Contact Matrix Marketing for more information.
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3. Improve your mailers
Writing an attention-grabbing emailer that prompts immediate action is both an art and a science. Study up on how to improve your response rate by reading up on these articles:
4. Sales Pitch:
Practice makes perfect. Call on trusted acquaintances (business owners, executives and sales reps) and request 15 minutes of their time. Deliver to them your telephone and face-to-face sales pitch and solicit their feedback and criticism. Implement the necessary changes and present to the same set of people again. This benefit derived from this type of forum can be invaluable. Engaging in sales scenario role-playing can have a dramatic impact on your effectiveness in real sales situations.
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5. Are you the right person for the job?
Finally, if you are still not achieving positive results despite your best efforts, you may have to face the reality that you are just not cut out for sales. If this is the case you may have to recruit a partner in the business with a strength in selling or hire a sales executive.