by Devon McDonald

Outbound qualification has been incorrectly viewed as a low-level effort focused on generating sales pipeline. In addition, it generally gets improperly classified as an easy to execute initiative when, in fact, it is one of the most difficult programs to initiate and improve.

As organizations create their marketing strategies, segments, and channels, they often struggle with building a solid and continuously improving outbound prospecting practice. Common problems that you will probably encounter include:

• Lack of buy-in and/or commitment from your CEO and senior management team, which will make your employees believe that it is not a priority and that their contributions are not important
• Not hiring a qualified manager, which will prevent you from getting the program off the ground
• Lack of clear and measureable goals, which will make it difficult for you to monitor progress and make adjustments
• Lack of clear communication and focus, which will make it difficult for 1) your management team and employees to get aligned on this initiative, and 2) your business development reps to continue to stay disciplined in making their calls and executing each call effectively
• Inability to get all of the teams in synch (marketing, sales, product development, and business development), to perform well together, and to continue to improve over time, which will keep your program from flourishing
• Poor target prospect segmenting or poor identification of target buyer roles, which will result in very few qualified leads no matter what else you do
• Poor-quality contact information, which will waste the reps’ time as they try to hunt down accurate information
• Poor training of your business development reps, which will make it extremely difficult for them to succeed
• Poor or inconsistent competitive-advantage messaging, which will prevent your value proposition from resonating with your target users and buyers
• Not focusing on productivity metrics separate from conversion metrics, which will make it difficult to identify the issues and opportunities associated with making continuous improvement
• Not doing enough to support your prospecting efforts, which will derail the program, as the success of this practice depends on the entire company supporting it
• Not sharing the results of the efforts with the business development reps, which will prevent them from staying motivated and being inspired by the results of their good work
• Not having a disciplined approach to improve each day, week, month, and quarter, which will prevent you from getting the 2x to 50x improvement in results that are possible if you conduct retrospective meetings on a regular basis.

Do you need more tips for running a successful outbound prospecting initiative?  OpenView Labs has packaged a complete guide to help all companies build their sales funnels (Note: This requires registration). This eBook includes an introduction to outbound prospecting, checklists and quick start guides for each person responsible for kicking off a successful lead generation initiative. The eBook features unique tips from sales experts Dave Kahle, Trish Bertuzzi, Colleen Francis, and Anthony Iannarino. Get your copy today by visiting OpenView Labs.

Devon McDonald is a sales and marketing associate for OpenView Labs.  Follow her on Twitter @DevMcDee.

CHALLENGES OF OUTBOUND PROSPECTING is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

All too often, sales people are directed by the urgencies of the moment: A lead pops up, a customer calls with a problem, or some paperwork to which you need to attend. They find themselves busily pursuing an agenda created by other people. They are busy, but too often with the wrong things.

The best sales people, however, understand that sales happen as a result of methodically managing people through certain well-defined steps in a sales process. They have refined that process to the specifics of their selling situation, reflecting the uniqueness of their customers and their offerings, while at the same time building it on the infrastructure of the fundamental sales process. Here is an excerpt from my book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, which describes that sales process.

Step One: Engage with the right people 

“Engage” means to interact in some kind of communication. It can be face-to-face, over the phone, via email, or via a website. “Right people” means those people who have a need or interest in your product, and for whom the timing is right.

If you don’t engage with the right people, you spend all of your time in the wrong place. Sort of like trying to plant carrot seeds on a cement sidewalk. You can do everything else right, but it won’t matter.

Step Two: Make them comfortable with you

If they are going to believe what you say, you have to be somewhat credible, and they have to feel at least a bit comfortable with you. If they aren’t comfortable with you, they won’t spend much time with you, and the time they do spend will be guarded and tentative. They may be convinced to do business with you because of the fundamental attractiveness of your offer, but if they are not comfortable with you, it will be action taken against the grain. They will be forever uncomfortable and eager to find a replacement.

On the other hand, if they are comfortable with you, they won’t mind spending time with you. They’ll be much more open to sharing the information that is necessary for you to do a good job of crafting a solution. They’ll believe what you have to say. You’ll get the benefit of the doubt and they’ll be eager to share future opportunities with you.

[Read More]

Best Practice #47: Understands, and is guided by, an effective sales process. is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

No one looks forward to an encounter with an angry or difficult customer. Most of us can’t help but feel emotionally impacted by an upset customer. An ugly incident can ruin our entire day.

Not only that, but there is usually some damage that can be done to the company by the angry customer. Our job security is not enhanced when the company loses business. Put those two things together, and you can see that dealing effectively with an angry customer becomes a challenge that we must overcome.

Here are some tips to make your next confrontation easier for you, better for your company, and much more satisfying to the customer.

1. Don’t take it personally.

Unless you were personally involved in the incident that caused the customer’s anger, the customer probably isn’t angry with you. He’s angry with your company, and he’s angry with the consequences that impact him. There is no reason that you should take it personally. You are just the current expression of your company, the most convenient representative.

When you take the customer’s anger personally, it’s so much easier to become defensive and argumentative. And when that happens, the net effect is to turn a bad situation into something even worse. When you are tempted to react in kind, emotionally, just tell yourself that this is not about you.

2. Listen.

That is often enough to turn a customer’s attitude around. It is amazing how powerful an empathetic, active listener can be. When you sincerely and actively listen, that calms the customer down, it shows him that you are interested, it gives some credence to his/her position, and, it gives you some information and time to think. A magic elixir!

3. Empathize.

If you were the customer, and this thing had happened to you, how would you feel? Wouldn’t you also be upset?

Empathizing doesn’t take much effort on your part, and it has a powerful impact on a tense situation. When you empathize with the customer by letting him know that you understand how he feels, you release much of the tension out of the situation. Picture a balloon that you have blown up almost to the point of bursting. There is tremendous tension inside the balloon pushing outward. But when you open the bottom, and let some of that pressure out, the balloon relaxes. Same thing when you empathize with the customer. Picture yourself letting air out of the bottom of that balloon.

4. Apologize.

This sometimes seems like too little, too late. Regardless, it’s the minimum acceptable response. If your customer has been wronged, or thinks that he or she has been wronged, apologizing for your company is the least you can do. If you are afraid of admitting responsibility, then let the customer know that you are sorry this thing happened to him. That’s generally enough to not accept any responsibility, and still convey a message of concern.

5. Don’t blame.

No one cares who is at fault. No one really cares that so-and-so in inventory control didn’t order enough inventory, or that the picking clerk incorrectly picked the order, or any one of a thousand other possible mistakes that other people may have made. Blaming someone emphasizes that you are more concerned with yourself than you are with making things right with the customer. It emphasizes the past (what happened), instead of the future (what you can do to fix this.)

Blame is the first response of a small person. Don’t show yourself to be in that league by immediately jumping to blame someone.

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Nine Tips for Dealing with Angry and Difficult Customers is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

by Dave Kahle

A. So many of these answers begin with the phrase “it depends.” This is another one of them. The amount of time and money you spend entertaining customers, or spending time with them outside of the office, depends on the value of the account. The larger the annual dollar potential, the more time you should seek to spend with the customer on a personal level.

For example, if you sell water softeners to homeowners at $1,000 each, you probably should not ever invest in entertaining. On the other hand, if you sell those same water softeners to retailers, and one particular retailer could buy 2,000 of them in the course of the year, you should seek to deepen the relationship with that customer.

So, the answer begins with you analyzing the dollar potential of each of your accounts, and then making the determination as to which accounts, if any, are worth your extra investment of time and money. After you’ve compiled a “hit list” of people with whom you’d like to spend some additional time, create an annual budget. This can vary from a couple hundred dollars for lunches over the course of a year, to something entirely different. I recall a friend of mine who was a manufacturer’s rep in the automotive industry, with General Motors as his only account. In the by-gone-days of lavish entertainment, he had an annual entertainment budget of $80,000.

After you have compiled your “hit list” and developed a budget, you then need to determine what that customer could do. Some accounts have policies against having lunch with vendors, for example. Others don’t. Don’t create an awkward situation by inviting your customer to do something that the company’s policy discourages.

Ideally, I’d like to see you have breakfast or lunch every day with a customer. That’s a good use of time for both of you. Try to schedule events – concerts or sporting events are always good, and invite your hit list. Be careful about outright gifts. You don’t want to be seen as “bribing” anyone. Instead, orchestrate time together so that you nurture and expand the relationship.

Hope this helps.

.

Q. You’ve said on several occasions that the most important part of my job is interacting with the customers. How important is it to spend time with the customers out of the office, and what percentage of time should I spend doing it? is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago. One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this: The best sales people “listen more constructively” than their more average counterparts.

What does it mean to “listen constructively?” My wife is a crises counselor, and she talks about listening “empathetically.” That means that she listens to understand and relate to how people are feeling. But the study didn’t say great sales people listen “empathetically,” it said they listen “constructively.”

There is a clue to its meaning in the word itself. Think “constructively = construction = building.” Listening constructively means to listen for things upon which to build.

Great sale people ask great questions, and then listen more constructively. They focus intently on what the customer is saying, filter it through the perspective of things “upon which to build.” So, they build their next question on the braces and beams of the customer’s answer. As they dig deeper and listen intently, they gather a better picture of the customer’s issues, needs, situation, motivation and concerns. They form a clearer mental “blue print” of the selling situation, and are able, therefore, to provide a more accurate and appealing solution.

This, of course, flies in the face of a piece of conventional wisdom that proclaims that good sales people are good talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Good sales people are good listeners, not good talkers.

A study published by RainToday.com, found that 74% of 200 purchasers surveyed at companies nationwide said they would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if the seller would simply listen to the prospect.

Imagine that. Almost three quarters of customers would be more likely to buy if the sales person would just listen!

Listening well — listening constructively — is not a natural skill. It takes intentionality and dedication to work consistently at it and to become, over time, one of the best listeners. As in every aspect of sales success, the best decide to become the best, and put in the time and effort it takes to gradually develop the skills that take them to the top.

There are few things more important than listening well. The best do it better than the average. That’s why they are the best.

To learn more about this skill, consider my training video, “Improving Your Listening Proficiency”, or read Chapter 16 of my book, Question Your Way to Sales Success. If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider taking course C-2: The Kahle Way® B2B Selling System.

BP #45: Listens constructively. is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

The sales presentation is the ultimate purpose of every sales process, of every sales call, and of every sales system. The job of the sales person revolves around the point in time when he offers the customer something to buy.

The sales presentation can take a variety of forms. If you demonstrate a product, for example, that is a sales presentation. If you use a hard-copy brochure or a CD Rom presentation on your lap-top, that is a sales presentation. If you deliver and detail a sample, that is a sales presentation. If you respond to the customer’s request, and provide a price, deliver a proposal, or submit a bid, each of these are sales presentations.

Without the sales presentation, there can be no sale. It is, then, the foundational step in the sales process. Everything that happens before is in preparation for the presentation, and everything that happens afterward is a result of the presentation.

You would think, then, that every sales person is extremely well-trained in the science of making an effective sales presentation.

Alas, that is not the case. Left to learn on their own, many sales people make the same mistakes over and over again. Here are the three most commonly made sales presentation mistakes.

1. Lack of preparation.

In my very first sales position, I had to endure six weeks of sales training. In those six weeks, the entire training class had to memorize two four-page sales presentations, and give them to the training class. We were videoed and critiqued, over and over, for the six weeks. At the end of that time we were thoroughly prepared to give that sales presentation.

Now that may have been a bit of an overkill, but the point remains: Preparation is the first step towards an effective sales presentation.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you memorize the presentation. But it does mean that you organize it, that you secure and check your collateral (the sample, brochures, price quotes, etc that form the basis of what you are selling), and that you practice the presentation several times until you are comfortable with it and confident in your ability to deliver it.

Unfortunately, preparation is a discipline that seems to be fading from the routines of many sales people. The world is full of sales people who either have little respect for their customer’s time, no particular interest in doing their jobs well, or an over-inflated view of their own ad-libbing abilities. Any of these produces the sense that they don’t need to prepare, that on the spur of the moment, they will come up with the most persuasive things to say, in the most effective manner.

That’s too bad. Preparation is the first step toward a better sales presentation, and lack of preparation is endemic in the world of sales.

2. Information purging.

This occurs when a sales person thinks his/her job is to relate everything he/she knows about the product, service or proposal.

I was deeply into a training program wherein we work with six sales people every day for a week. Sales people role-played various situations, we videoed them, critiqued them, and had them role play again, only better.

We were methodically working through the sales process, and it was time to make the sales presentation. The class was taught to organize the presentation on the basis of what they learned about the customer in the previous “find out what they want” role play.

[Read More]

The Three Biggest Mistakes in Sales Presentations is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

Answer. Great question. This is one of the more sophisticated issues that many sales people face. I do have some thoughts.

The principle by which you should be guided is this: The amount of information you leave depends on where you are at in the sales process and your goals for the particular sales call in question.

For example, if it is the first call on a prospect, your goal is to get a second visit. It is not to sell the prospect anything, but merely to begin the process of developing a business relationship. That means that you must get a second visit. Otherwise you will have wasted your time on a dead end.

So, in that situation, you provide just enough information to prompt the prospect to grant you another visit. For example, you may be discussing a potential opportunity. You have the solution in a brochure in your briefcase. But, cognizant of the need to create an additional visit, you don’t immediately offer the solution. Instead you say something like this: “I have a solution that I’m sure will work for you. Can we get together next week to let me show it to you?”

In this case, while you had the information, you chose to pursue the goal of an additional visit, rather than provide it now and risk that the customer would not want to see you again.

In a different place in the sales process, you may want to provide that information. For example, if you have already dug into the customer’s situation and uncovered the details of his problem, and it is now time for you to present your solution, you would be well served to present the brochure and discuss the features and benefits of your solution.

You see that the different spot in the sales process, and the different objective for the call lead to a different decision.

There are no hard and fast rules for how much information to leave at each visit, but, if you will think carefully about where you are in the sales process with each visit, and what your specific objectives of this visit are, those two thoughts will lead you to a decision.

In other words, the answer to your question lies in the process you use to think about it.

One additional thought. In today’s economic environment, we are all overwhelmed with too much information. As a general rule, sales people are guilty of adding to that mass. Many sales people think that the more information they regurgitate to the customer, the more the customer is impressed with the sales person, and the more likely they are to buy. Alas, that is just not true. More sales are lost because the customer is confused and overwhelmed with information, than are lost because he doesn’t have enough.

In fact, I have observed a direct relationship between the depth of the relationship the customer has with you and the amount of information he requires. In other words, the greater the relationship the customer has with you, the less information he requires to make the decision to buy.

I have often thought that the ideal presentation offers no information, and goes like this: “We can do that. Shall we go ahead?”

Think about it.

Question. I struggle with knowing how much information I should leave when I’m making a cold call, or just beginning to warm someone up to one of my products. Are there any guidelines for this? is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Erik Therwanger

A sales professional without desire is like an engine without fuel. Even the best engine will fail to perform when it is lacking the necessary fuel. An idle engine creates no momentum. Your sales efforts need momentum, not only to get things started but to keep things moving. Desire is your secret ingredient. Deeper desires create more powerful fuel.

Everyone wants to succeed in sales, but not everyone “needs” to. A want is a wish; a need is a desire. I have discovered that people tend to get what they need, not what they want. A thirsty man does not want a drink of water, a thirsty man needs it. The difference between a want and a need is what will guarantee your success.

I made the choice to develop a career in sales out of desperation, not preparation. When my wife was diagnosed with cancer, time was of the essence. She immediately was placed on disability and I could not afford to commute to and from work. I searched for opportunities to earn money and control my schedule. I had very few options. As I narrowed down my choices, I realized that a sales job would best suit our circumstances.

I did not have a background in sales, or experience in the financial services industry, but I had a ton of desire. I was determined to make this “sales thing” work. I did not want it to work; I needed it to work! At this stage, I was more concerned with survival. I needed to earn money to put food on the table. I figured that I would focus on success later. Right now, I needed results.

As I tapped into the burning desire I had to make my sales career work, I soon realized that my needs had to go deeper than just making money. Yes, the desire to earn more money is crucial to elevating your sales results, but it cannot be your only motivating factor. If all you are after is the money, your clients will sense that.

Given the choice between working with a sales rep, focused only on the payout, or working with a sales rep, focused on your best interests, who would you choose? Exactly! So will your potential clients. Clients will always choose a 3-D sales rep over a 2-D sales rep.

To become a 3-D sales professional, your desire must incorporate the following:

1. The desire to earn more money
2. The desire to achieve a greater life
3. The desire to help your clients achieve a greater life

Think Great!

Erik is a leading authority on accomplishing life-changing goals, team-building, increasing sales results, and enhancing leadership skills – no matter what circumstances you face!

Combining his 4 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, 10 years of sales experience, and his responsibilities as his wife’s caregiver, during her battle with cancer, he created the Think G.R.E.A.T. program and authored the Think GREAT book series, designed to help people achieve a greater life.

Desire is the Key to Success is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago. One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this: The best sales people “listen more constructively” than their more average counterparts.

What does it mean to “listen constructively?” My wife is a crises counselor, and she talks about listening “empathetically.” That means that she listens to understand and relate to how people are feeling. But the study didn’t say great sales people listen “empathetically,” it said they listen “constructively.”

There is a clue to its meaning in the word itself. Think “constructively = construction = building.” Listening constructively means to listen for things upon which to build.

Great sale people ask great questions, and then listen more constructively. They focus intently on what the customer is saying, filter it through the perspective of things “upon which to build.” So, they build their next question on the braces and beams of the customer’s answer. As they dig deeper and listen intently, they gather a better picture of the customer’s issues, needs, situation, motivation and concerns. They form a clearer mental “blue print” of the selling situation, and are able, therefore, to provide a more accurate and appealing solution.

This, of course, flies in the face of a piece of conventional wisdom that proclaims that good sales people are good talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Good sales people are good listeners, not good talkers.

A study published by RainToday.com, found that 74% of 200 purchasers surveyed at companies nationwide said they would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if the seller would simply listen to the prospect.

Imagine that. Almost three quarters of customers would be more likely to buy if the sales person would just listen!

Listening well — listening constructively — is not a natural skill. It takes intentionality and dedication to work consistently at it and to become, over time, one of the best listeners. As in every aspect of sales success, the best decide to become the best, and put in the time and effort it takes to gradually develop the skills that take them to the top.

There are few things more important than listening well. The best do it better than the average. That’s why they are the best.

To learn more about this skill, consider my training video, “Improving Your Listening Proficiency”, or read Chapter 16 of my book, Question Your Way to Sales Success.. If you are a subscriber to If you are a subscriber to The Sales Resource Center, consider taking course C-2: The Kahle Way® B2B Selling System.

Best Practice #45: Listens constructively. is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog

By Dave Kahle

Do great B2B sales people, regardless of what they sell, have any practices in common? In other words, do the best sales people all sell the same way?

A number of years ago, a professional association attempted to answer that question. They studied superstar sales people from a wide variety of industries and concluded: Yes! 

In fact, the best sales people excel at the same things. Here are the top five practices of the very best sales people:

1. They see the situation from the customer’s point of view.
2. They ask better questions.
3. They listen more constructively.
4. They are obsessed with time management.
5. They do bigger deals.

Let’s look at the relationship among these items to see if there are any lessons for us.

“They do bigger deals.” That is both the result of their work (that is, after all, why they are the best sales people) as well as their focus from the beginning. They start with an understanding that it is their job to bring revenue into the company, and that the more revenue they bring in, the more valuable they are to their companies and the more successful they become. And this realization leads them to what becomes an obsession.

“They are obsessed with time management.” That means that they intentionally and methodically strive to make the best use of their sales time by focusing the bulk of their efforts on the highest-potential opportunities and customers. You won’t find them running an errand for a “C” customer just to be a nice guy.

In my book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, I make the point that this practice – investing in the highest potential prospects and customers – trumps all other sales practices. If you are a great presenter, for example, and wonderful at closing the sale, your skills will be squandered if they are not exercised with the right people.

And what do the best sales people do with the time they invest in the highest-potential customers? “Ask better questions,” and “listen more constructively.” Amazing. These two fundamental communication skills are, perhaps, the earliest communication skills we learn. Yet, the best take these foundational skills and execute them better. And since they excel at these two fundamentals, they naturally gain a better understanding of the “customer’s point of view.” Equipped with that competitive advantage, they formulate creative proposals that lead them back to where they started: bigger deals.

This should be immensely encouraging to sales people. Unlike the promotional messages from legions of sales trainers and authors, the reality is that there are no “secrets” in sales. Success comes not from hidden strategies and mysterious tactics, but rather from the excellent execution of the essentials.

The best sales people execute the most fundamental skills with excellence. And, since we can all do the things the best do, we can, if we choose, strive to do them better. And, if we strive to do them better, at some point we will arrive at the same place they are: a master sales person.

In other words, there is a path to sales mastery, and we can all follow it, if we choose.

It begins with our mind-set. We need to see ourselves as professional sales people, whose job it is to bring revenue into the company. That sounds so simple and so basic, yet legions of sales people are loath to consider themselves sales people.They are account executives, sales facilitators, mobile customer service representatives, etc. Some consider themselves to be exclusively the advocates for the customer and hand out discounts and concessions to anyone and everyone.

Since they don’t see themselves as professional sales people, they don’t invest in improving their sales skills. They don’t understand that their behavior creates a reciprocal reaction on the part of the customer. The sales person’s actions create reactions on the part of the customer. If they want more profitable actions from the customer, they need to improve their actions.

Once we have the mind-set of the professional sales person, we slowly begin to gravitate toward the opportunities and customers that hold the greatest potential. We understand that we only have a small and limited quantity of sales time, and that we must invest it, with a cold-blooded business attitude, in those situations that will bring the greatest reward. In short, effective time management becomes a daily obsession.

Now, since we are interacting more frequently with the highest potential customers and prospects, we focus on excelling at the most fundamental communication skill: asking better questions and listening more constructively. Armed with these two fundamental and powerful communication devices, we strive for continued improvement and constant development.

With this as a path, sales mastery is an achievable goal for every committed sales person.

As the best have taught us, there is a path to sales mastery, and it travels through excellent execution of the essentials.

What can we learn from the best sales people? is a post from: Kahle Way B2B Sales Blog