You’ve just completed a sales discovery call, and it sounds like you’ve got a great opportunity on your hands. What do you do next? You can – and should – celebrate the win. But before you move on to the next prospect on your list, there are a few additional steps you’ll want to take to lock in your chances of moving the deal forward. Add each of the following activities to your sales discovery call workflows to ensure you’re getting the maximum possible value out of every conversation: 1) Add captured information to your CRM The first thing you’ll want to do after hanging up the phone on a sa ..read more

The discovery call is a critical part of the sales process. It’s how you determine whether the prospect is a good fit for your solution. It is also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your value to prospects. Your sales discovery questions must demonstrate that you can provide real value. There are three parts to the discovery call: rapport building, discovery, and going over the next steps in the process. The discovery portion of the call—the part where you learn more about the prospect and their needs—should take up the bulk of your time. Here are 13 sales discovery questions to ask: Openi ..read more

Economic downturns bring out challenges that not all businesses are prepared for. While each company is uniquely impacted by global events, it’s the customer-facing teams that often take the hardest blow. It can be tricky to manage customer relationships during uncertain times, but it’s no reason to slow down.  Strengthening your company’s customer success strategy is crucial during a downturn. Here’s a guide to help you retain customers and navigate new customer acquisition during an economic crisis.  1) Redefine your lead scoring and prioritization of prospects  Evaluate compa ..read more

It’s been two months since work from home has become the new normal, and sales has been largely impacted. The economic downturn has slowed down many deals, and sales teams have had to transition to remote selling (which is already a challenge on its own). But salespeople are nothing if not resilient. We’ve gathered tips and best practices from salespeople who are making the most out of their work from home situations. 1) Set aside time each day to build your pipeline “Conversion rates of selling while working remotely aren’t as good as when you can get in front of your cu ..read more

As a B2B sales rep, copywriting is one of the most important skills in your arsenal. If you can write a great sales email, you will have many more opportunities to sell your product to prospects. Even increasing your response rate by a few percentage points can make a huge difference for your sales numbers. Email remains a critical channel for prospecting. According to one McKinsey study, it is 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined. Yet, it can still be hard to prospect through email. Less than a quarter of all sales emails even get opened. The way to improve that rate is ..read more

Selling a highly complex, technical product is a major challenge. It requires a deep understanding of the product features and also the value it brings to your prospects. Even if you yourself are not a tech person per se, you will need to be able to convince people with highly specific technical knowledge that you know what you’re talking about. Here are some best practices for making a highly technical sale. 1) Always equate product features with tangible benefits You need to have a thorough understanding of product features. Expect to be grilled on the details. But, as with any other sale, l ..read more

An elevator pitch is one of the most basic and essential tools in any successful salesperson’s repertoire. A great pitch is short, straight to the point and can be a key factor for landing a sales opportunity. Typically, an elevator pitch is no longer than two minutes. It concisely describes your product, its benefits, and how you’re different from the competition. Here are five elements to include: 1. Relate to their problem When you start a pitch, the first thought in your audience’s mind is: Why should I care? To address this issue, begin by describing a problem that your prospect is facing ..read more

There are many ways to reach prospects today, but getting directly into their inbox is still one of the most effective. Eight out of every ten prospects say they prefer to communicate with sales representatives over email. Cold emailing works—if you craft an email that is concise, personalized, and adds real value to the prospect. To boost your cold email response rate, you can use these techniques: 1. Craft a great subject line that represents the content of your email The subject line is the single most important component of a cold email. It determines whether your email gets read or goes s ..read more

Trust is one of the most important factors in closing a deal. More than half of decision-makers say that trustworthiness is the most important quality they look for in a salesperson. While the idea of trust can sometimes feel a little vague, the good news is that establishing trust with a prospect isn’t magic. It can be accomplished through preparation, strong listening skills, and empathy. To build trust, make these actions part of your sales process. 1. Conduct thorough research on prospects and stakeholders Prospects want salespeople to care about them as individuals. They’re wary of sales ..read more

Cold calling has been a hot topic over the past few years. The advent of inbound sales tactics has left many salespeople scratching their heads, asking: is cold calling still an effective technique? But inbound doesn’t fill the hole left by cold calling – an effective sales strategy uses both inbound and outbound sales methods. And research shows that cold calling still has an important part to play. Some 57% of C-level buyers actually prefer that salespeople call them. Furthermore, 69% of salespeople have accepted a call from a new salesperson in the past year. With results like that, it’s up ..read more