One of the best things about Twitter is finding interesting new blogs and articles. When I saw this tweet I was interested to read more: “100% conversion rate cold calling prospects for customer development”. The article is more about getting feedback on a solution, than closing customers. As part of the B2B sales process I also feel that you should be up front about what your ultimate plans are. You are calling prospects to get them to ultimately buy your solution.
The article got me thinking about a conversation with a new client a year ago and in our Sales and Marketing Fast Start Plan kick off meeting they indicated that they closed 100% of their opportunities. It turned out that almost all of their opportunities were pre-qualified through one of their board members.
One of our comments was if you are closing 100% of your opportunities you are not engaging enough. The sales effort for startups should focus on prospects that would most likely be interested in your solution, but closing everything you are involved in should be a red flag. This often indicates that there is not enough effort on sales prospecting. As a startup, what can you do to make sure you do not to fall into this trap? It’s simple, you need to learn how to be more engaging in sales efforts. Here’s how:
Dedicate Time for Sales Prospecting
Make time in your schedule on a monthly basis.
Find Networking Events With Customers
It is easy to go to networking events that are made up of other organizations similar to yours. Instead, find other events that may have prospects or customers. The whole purpose of networking is not just for sales; sales is a small portion. One of my suggestions is to meet at least five new people at each event.
Regular Forecast Review
One of the ways to ensure that work gets done is to “inspect what you expect”. Having monthly forecast meetings will ensure that prospecting work is being done.
Closing 100% of your opportunities sounds great but it also means that your company is not engaging enough. If you need some help on setting up sales processes or with sales rep assistance check out our Part-Time Sales offerings.
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