Category Archives: Sales

Selling your product or service

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Scalable: Add A Wholesale Distributor to Your Product Sales Channels

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Are you a Freelance solopreneur who has a tangible product to sell,  one that you feel is ready to get into the hands of many more customers? You have an efficient and reliable means of production worked out:  you may manufacture it yourself,  or have a great team working for you,  or you have a reliable wholesale source who sells to you at a competitive price.  You fulfill requests for product on time and seldom back order.

The product is sold on your company website and is also available in a network of local stores.  Sales are brisk and there are lots of reorders.  You come to see that without wider distribution,  you are losing money.  You conclude that it is time to look for a third sales channel,  a wholesale distributor .

Congratulations! Selling your product through a wholesale distributor is a big step,  a real validation of your business acumen.  Be a real pro and take a minute to understand what will persuade a wholesale distributor to include your product in their mix.

A distributor is a middle man who makes money from products he sells to a wide range of retail outlets,  so he will take on only those products that he expects to sell quickly.   Show that you are a good risk by demonstrating healthy product sales both from your website and at retail outlets.  Be prepared to sell your product to the distributor for less money than you sell to retailers.  The distributor needs to see a certain profit margin before he takes you on.  Moreover,  the distributor must buy inventory and so must invest in much more product than a typical retail establishment.

The advantage for you is that your product will be much more widely available.  Another advantage for you is that many more retailers will stock your product when it is available through a wholesale distributor,  because they prefer to purchase a wide array of merchandise from a limited number of vendors.  It is too time-consuming to deal directly with many small vendors,  interacting with numerous salespeople and invoicing each separately.

Distributors also prefer business owners who have multiple products,  because it is favorable to their administrative costs.  It is easier to sell several products from one company,  so the more products you manufacture for sale,  the more attractive you are to a wholesale distributor.

When your sales are strong and the time you spend selling individually to retail outlets becomes unwieldy,  it is time to contact wholesale distributors to see if you are considered a good prospect for them.  Ask the retail establishments to whom you sell who you should contact and ask for a reference.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Post From the Trenches: Cold Calling

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Even experienced sales professionals wince a little at the thought of dialing up an unknown person and attempting to persuade him/her to entertain the idea of doing business.  Those who perceive themselves as busy often never answer their phone.  Those who are reached usually decline the offer.  Yet if by some stroke of luck you reach a VIP,   prepare yourself to both deliver a pitch that will keep the prospect on the phone and hit a single to keep the inning alive.

Cold calling is prospecting and it is not the time for selling,  but rather for determining whether there can be an opportunity to sell.  Hitting a home run is not on the agenda.   During the call,   confirm whether the prospect perceives a need for your product or services and ask for a meeting.  In advance,   you will have researched the company and will be able to anticipate basic information that may be requested.

But first,  one must reach the prospect.   We all know this is increasingly difficult,  but 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM are good times to call: there are usually fewer distractions at those times.   If you have the prospect’s mobile phone number,  text a concise and tantalizing sentence about how your offerings might help the decision-maker to achieve an important goal and request a time to talk,  in person or by telephone.   If you do reach a warm body,  here are some hints that will help you execute a successful cold call:

Write a script

Identify yourself and your company.  State your product or service.   Confirm that you’ve called at a convenient time.   If told that your timing is not good,  as for a better time to call.   If told that you’ll be given a minute,  thank the prospect and say that you will be brief.  State an outcome achieved  (or problem avoided)  when using your product or service that is relelvant enough to intrigue your prospect and entice him/her to keep listening and ask for a couple of details.  Concisely fill in with a couple of pieces of information.   Ask how the need in question is being fulfilled now,  so that you can position your product/service.   Ask the prospect what  specific information would be appreciated and if he/she can see how what you are selling might be useful.   Ask permission to extend the time limit on the call and also offer to schedule a time to speak in person.

Speak with the decision-maker

In general,  there is no reason to speak with a gatekeeper,  unless that individual is able to facilitate access to the decision-maker or provide accurate information about competitive products and services that the decision-maker is now using.  Ideally,  you want to speak only with the person who has the authority and budget to green-light your presence.

Pursue prospects with big-money potential

Active pursuit of small budget clients is a waste of time.   Because they have little money,  small clients agonize over budgets and will do whatever possible to limit your billable hours.  Unless your goal is to gain experience,  let the small clients come to you.

Name drop

People usually trust those with whom they share a common relationship.  In other words,  if you are trying to get in the door somewhere,   obtain permission to use the name of a person whom the prospect trusts and respects.  Also, ask the referral source to speak on your behalf should the prospect want to check you out.

Make your cold call a dialogue,  a two-way conversation.  Listen to your prospect and respond to questions and objections.  Be pleasant and professional.  Even if you don’t do any business,  that prospect might refer you to a colleague.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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To Work For a Nonprofit Board

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Not-for-profit organizations make up the majority of my client list.  Frequently,  it is the executive board and not the executive director who contracts for my services.  Getting hired by an executive board is nearly always a challenge.  Typically,  a dozen  (or perhaps nearly twice that number)  people must approve both the proposed project and the service provider (me!).

Boards are always political and they are frequently hotbeds of strife and rivalries.  I have first-hand knowledge of board dynamics because for the better part of the past 20 years,  I’ve served on boards.  Board service can be tremendously rewarding or maddeningly frustrating.  I’ve experienced some of my most exhilarating victories and most painful defeats while serving on boards.  Through boards,  I’ve made good friends with whom I remain in contact and unfortunately,  more than a couple of lifelong enemies.  I understand boards very well.  In fact,  board development is a service that I offer to clients.

The problem with working on a per-project basis is that organizations are chronically understaffed and over-loaded with work,  both essential and ridiculous-but-required.  It is very easy to put anything that is not immediately urgent on the back burner forever.  The best way to get a project approved is to gain the confidence of a champion,  a person with authority and a budget,  or someone who can influence the one with the authority and budget,  and convince that individual to shepherd your project through the decision-making process and protect it from the inevitable naysayers who will oppose the project for reasons either understandable or mystifying.

Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures in Los Angeles has compiled a list of the usual suspects who impact group decisions.  In addition to the players listed,  there will also be neutral people,  who can go either way.

Champion

The project champion is its greatest supporter.  This individual has oftentimes conceived the project and has a big stake in seeing it realized.   The most effective project champion has authority,  persuasive power,  well-positioned allies and access to funding.  The champion takes an active role in pushing the project forward,  lobbying for support and outmaneuvering those in opposition.  Any initiative that involves a group decision will die in committee without the support of an influential and active champion who will run interference and speak up to defend it.

Expert

Decision-makers often have someone who acts as the  “expert witness”  when important matters are evaluated.  This person may have a background that allows him/her to know well the specific needs of a project,  which guides the choice of who is hired.  Alternatively,  the expert may be one who has excellent judgment or a gift for playing devil’s advocate that helps the decision-makers see obstacles or even other options that might otherwise be overlooked.  This person has influence,  not authority,  but their recommendation carries weight.

Influencer

The influencer probably does not possess the specific project knowledge of the expert,  but  he/she is a peer who has knowledge,   experience,  perspective and authority that the decision-makers respect.   He/she will be consulted or may volunteer an opinion when an important matter is up for discussion.

Sage

This person has significant tenure with the organization,  understands its core values and is generally respected by others.  He/she knows how things work and how to get things done.  The sage can be very helpful to you during the approval process.  He/she has valuable information that can be shared,  if you portray yourself as someone who cares about the organization and shows him/her some respect.  The sage can tell you who’s who on the decision team.  The sage usually cannot directly impact the decision process.

Enemy

This person hates you and aims to derail the project and get you off the premises.  He/she may be a rival of the champion.  He/she may be competing to scoop the funding for a project of his/her own.  The enemy may believe that the project is a waste of organization resources.   Sometimes the enemy doesn’t want you to do the project because he/she is angling to get a friend or relative hired.

Blocker

This person cannot approve the project,  but is happy to act as a spoiler.  He/she may not be able to prevent the project’s approval,  but will do whatever possible to delay the start date,  limit the scope and as a result,  impact your billable hours,  and/or generally catch the project up in red tape.  This person is not necessarily evil and may not actually hate you.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

 

 

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Perfect Pitch

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“The goal of networking is not to gather sales leads,  but to start business relationships and that begins with a conversation and not a sales pitch”,  asserts presentation and communications coach and author of The Anti-Elevator Speech (2009),  Cliff Sutttle.  Whether you’re at the Rotary Club lunch,  the gym or your second cousin’s third wedding,  eventually someone will ask what you do for a living.  For Freelance consultants and business owners,  a well-crafted elevator pitch is your answer.

The original idea behind the elevator pitch was to have something to say about your business to a potential customer whom you met by chance.  Presumably,  the two of you would be in an elevator and you would have about one minute to tell your story.

An appropriate elevator pitch presents you and your business offering in a casual,  socially acceptable manner.  To use your elevator pitch as a sales pitch is always wrong.  Someone whom you’ve just met is not a candidate for a sales pitch.  Delivering a sales pitch when you should deliver an elevator pitch will soon make you a social pariah.

While it is true that a Freelance consultant or business owner must constantly seek out potential customers,  it is important to first,  verify that one is speaking to a potential customer and not to someone making polite conversation and two,  communicate in a manner that is not perceived as selling.  Focus instead on solving a need and building a relationship and formulate an elevator pitch with a style and substance to communicate that.

The right elevator pitch will open doors for you,  business or social.  Your elevator pitch is a verbal business card.  It introduces you and your business to those who inquire.  Follow these steps and create one that works for you:

!.  The Hook

Cliff Suttle recommends that you give a short,  accurate-yet-vague statement of the ultimate benefit of your product or service.  A financial planner might say that he/she helps clients sleep well at night.  A web designer might say that he/she makes sure that potential customers get answers to their questions about your business.   A marketing consultant might say he/she builds communication links between the business and its customers.   After the hook is given,  say no more.  If the questioner wants to know what you mean,  then there will be a follow-up question.

Sales and marketing guru Geoffrey James,  author of the soon-to-be-published book Business Without the Bulls**t,  recommends that in the hook,  position your firm in one sentence that describes who you are and the primary service you provide,  with a focus on benefits and outcomes.  One who facilitates business strategy meetings might say  “In a one-day session,  I get my clients to reach consensus on pursuing a half-dozen relevant and achievable business goals that are guaranteed to deliver measurable results.”  If the questioner asks how you do that,  then proceed to Step 2.

2.  Differentiate

Defend the claim you made in Step 1 and give two or three reasons that show how your services are superior to competitors’.  Years of experience, marquee clients,  a special proprietary system or patented methodology or scientific data published in credible journals are how you make your case.  Client testimonials on your website or LinkedIn page add credibility to your claim.

3.  Conversation

If your questioner continues to show interest,  he/she may just be nosy,  may be a competitor trying to get information on how you do business,  or may be a genuinely interested prospect or referral source.  You won’t solve the mystery until you get that person talking.  When you ask if your area of expertise happens to be a concern at his/her company,  or note that he/she sounds as if they’ve encountered this situation before and inquire as to how it is being handled now,  the answer will reveal true motives.

4.  Meeting

If it makes sense to continue the conversation,  then ask your questioner for an opportunity to meet and continue what has been started.  If your questioner turned prospect  suddenly seems hesitant,  then ask  what less than optimal previous experience gives him pause, or what you can provide to ease his/her mind.  If your newest prospect seems enthusiastic, then ask how to get on his/her calendar and the preferred mode of contact and time to reach out.  You’ll be on your way to building a profitable business relationship.

Thanks for writing,

Kim

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Your Brilliant Idea, the Set-up and the Pitch

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You envision a project concept that has the potential to significantly benefit both you and a particular organization.  You wrangle a meeting with either the decision-maker or one who has influence.  Convincingly,  you show that the proposed project will add money or prestige to the organization and that you are uniquely qualified to put the plan in motion and make it work.  You are invited to submit a formal proposal and you see dollar signs twinkling for all concerned.  Needless to say you are stunned when the proposal,  which you perceived to be a confirmation letter since you received the decision-maker’s unqualified invitation to submit,  is shot down.  What the heck happened?

Kimberly Elsbach,  associate professor of management at University of California / Davis,  has done research that shows it’s not only the perceived value of the project that is at issue,  but also the perceived value of the seller—you. According to Elsbach,  the decision-maker makes a judgment about your ability to generate a genuinely creative and beneficial idea and that prejudgment diminishes its perceived value.

Elsbach reached this conclusion when she studied the Hollywood film industry,  where filmmakers regularly  “pitch”  movie concepts to studio executives.  She also attended meetings where entrepreneurs pitch business concepts to venture capital investors,  yet another venue where brilliant ideas are proposed to those with the potential to fund them.

Elsbach emphasized that there are no reliable criteria on which to base creative potential,  so decision-makers rely on purely subjective and often inaccurate evaluation stereotypes,  which kick in very early in the pitch meeting.  From that point on the decision is made,  no matter what they tell you.

However,  Elsbach discovered that there is sometimes a way to redeem oneself.  The trick is to make the decision-maker feel that s/he is participating in an idea’s development.  In other words,  rather than bringing it in all wrapped up in a red ribbon,  showing that you’ve thought things through and you’re basically ready for the roll-out,  devise something for your decision-maker to do to feel needed and  important.  Make the decision-maker feel like a creative collaborator.

First,  set the stage and gain the decision-maker’s empathy by finding common ground or perspective.  If you’ve worked with this person before,  then mention some shared memory of mutual success.  “How is that program going these days?  I so enjoyed working on that project.  It is great to know that your customers have responded well…”  If you’ve not worked with this person previously,  go to their LinkedIn profile and look for common ground there.  After the greeting and other pleasantries,  slip into a shared experience or perspectives story,  whether it’s a project you did for him/her,  or an accidentally-on-purpose reference to a company that the two of you worked at  (“So you worked there, too? I remember the days…”)

Second,  when you segue into pitching your proposal,  show the proper level of excitement and passion.  Moreover,  resist the temptation of being so thorough that you don’t give your decision-maker,  who has an ego,  a chance to put their hands in it and impact the project.  As you are enthusing about the features of your proposal,  ask qualifying questions that will engage your decision-maker in a discussion of what the organization and its customers really need from the concept you are pitching and together with the decision-maker be willing to improvise and compromise on your original proposal.  If you can make the decision-maker feel some ownership,  s/he is much more likely to identify with and support you at the meeting where projects and proposals are reviewed and the executive team finalizes what gets funded and what doesn’t.

Coming up with a brilliant idea is the easy part.  Selling the idea to the organization with the means to fund that idea is the hard part.  Psychology is a sales resource and the successful sales professional makes expert use of it.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Transform No Into Yes

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Here is the scenario: Percolating in your brain is an idea for an interesting initiative that you are certain will work well in the organization of a good and steady client.  You figure that you may be able to sell them on it and create a paying project for yourself.  You speak with a couple of people and identify the decision-maker and key influencers.  You vet your idea through an influencer,  who supports it and gives you the green light to approach the primary decision-maker.  You make the appointment.

Over coffee,  you make your pitch.  The decision-maker is pleasant,   yet starts backing away from your concept,  even though you’ve verified its usefulness via your influencer.  How do you get to the heart of your client’s objections,  successfully overcome them,  save the sale and get paid?

The late,  great sales guru Zig Ziglar,  motivational speaker and author of several sales training books,  once said that every sale has five obstacles: no need,  no money,  no hurry,  no desire and no trust.  The Freelance consultant as salesperson’s  job is to uncover and overcome whatever mix of these objections and persuade the client that the proposal is worthwhile and will make the client look good to superiors and peers.

Realize that  “no” does not always mean  “no”.   Sometimes clients say no when there is limited time and energy available to evaluate what has been proposed.  The need may be relevant,  but other matters take precedence and your proposal is not perceived as urgent.  As a result,  the decision-maker is not inclined to address the issue in the near future and it is easier to decline.

Alternatively,  you may not deliver a sales pitch that inspires either desire or trust (confidence).  Homework may have been done to confirm the need and identify key players,  but it is still necessary to communicate a narrative that will convince the decision-maker to take that leap of faith and put him/herself on the line for your proposal.

Budget constriction is another frequent objection,  regardless of the state of the economy.  When conferring with your influencer,  it is always important to find out if  there is available budget to support your proposal and also gauge what will motivate your decision-maker to petition for funding.

When selling,  it is necessary to present the details that the client needs and wants to make the decision,  no more and no less.    It is important not to give too much information,  or you could confuse the client or open up a can of worms that will turn on you.  Neither can one be vague.  Give all relevant information and express it clearly and concisely.  Describe the benefits that you expect will be important to the client and paint a picture of what’s in it for him/her.

Steve Strauss,  business attorney and columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine and USA Today newspaper,  recommends that you  diplomatically let the client know that you know your proposal is a good one for the organization because you’ve taken the time to verify its usefulness.  Don’t immediately fold your tent if the client hesitates or declines.

Instead,  ask if there is any additional information you can provide,  or some other accommodation you can make to allow him/her to feel  comfortable with approving the deal.   Show the client that  you are prepared to confront and resolve questions and doubts.  You might save the sale and even if you don’t,  you may be able to position yourself to successfully get another proposal approved when timing and funding are on your side.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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When the Sale Slips Away

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Whether we like it or not,  Freelance consultants are salespeople.  Before we are able to ply our given trade,  we must first sell prospective clients on the idea of hiring us to do what we do,  whether it’s web design or floral design.  Steve W. Martin,  professor of Sales Strategy at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business,  says that those who sell should be cognizant of the lowest common denominator of decision-making: stress.

Martin observes that stress is the death of rational decision-making.  Stress shortens the attention span,  escalates mental exhaustion and typically results in analysis-paralysis.  Despite the  “buying signals”  that your prospective client may display,  more than likely s/he is experiencing fear and doubt when speaking with you about your product or services.

The stress this creates serves as the key factor in determining whether or not the deal gets done.  The most successful salespeople anticipate,  seek to identify and learn to counteract that stress and enable the sale.  Giving prospective clients information and diplomatically phrased and presented tactical advice that will help them fight against internal organization politics is a useful part of your sales strategy as well.  Here are a couple of more reasons that your sale dies on the vine.

Stalled sales cycle

Customers are more cautious than ever and moving them through the sales process can become an almost Sisyphean task.  Steve W. Martin correctly labels this common phenomenon as an internal problem that occurs when project sponsors do not know how to sell their concept to the senior executives who are able to give the  green light.   Further, certain sales cycles are prone to be lengthy in the best of circumstances.  It is too easy for your contact person/project sponsor to get distracted and turn attention toward developing issues and in the process push your sale to the back burner,  where it drifts into oblivion.  Then there is sometimes reluctance to take responsibility.  As a result,  project sponsors involve more of their co-workers in the decision process and you know what happens when there are too many cooks.

Product information and vendor selection

As we enthusiastically pitch our services,  prospective clients often wonder if we are telling the whole truth.  Compounding that is the reality  (or perception)  that differences between many products and services are almost insignificant.  Buyers are often skeptical because they may have been lied to by previous sales people.  The client may feel that 1). it is necessary to separate fact from fiction when talking with someone who is trying to sell something and 2). it’s pretty much all the same thing anyway.  Selling on service and operational efficiencies and the resulting benefits is the best antidote.  Avoid selling on price if at all possible, because it reduces you to a commodity.

When preparing for your next prospective client meeting,  keep in mind the inevitable presence of stress in your would-be client’s work environment.  They don’t quite know who or what to believe.  They’ve got co-workers,  subordinates and bosses judging them.  They are torn between acting in the best interest of the company and in the best interest of themselves.  There is also the now-prevalent belief that not spending money is best for the organization’s bottom line and no one’s reputation suffers for declining to spend money.  Making no decision just gets easier and easier.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

 

 

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Why You Don’t Get the Sale

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Two or three years ago,  I read that a Freelancer’s main competition is not another Freelance consultant who does what you do.  Our real competitor is the client.  As the less than stellar economy grinds on,  enriching primarily the top 1%  of the population plus a few lucky folks in the  (shrinking)  middle class,  that statement gains more credence every day.  Prospective clients have got a boat load of excuses to slide away from a contract,  or cutting down what was originally promised.  Do you ever wonder what could possibly be on the minds of clients and prospects who promise you the moon and then either disappear or offer up a very paltry version of the original proposal?

According to Steve W. Martin,  professor of Sales Strategy at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and author of  “Heavy Hitter Sales Linguistics: 101 Advanced Sales Call Strategies for Senior Salespeople” (2011),  stress caused by peer pressure and insecurity is the culprit and its impact on decision-making is detrimental  (no surprise there).  Freelancers and sales people must do everything possible to communicate our value-added but in the end,  the decision to give the green light is an internal matter and those outside have only so much influence.  Here are examples of what worries our prospective clients:

Budget availability

There are two main criteria for deciding whether or not to give someone the contract or sale:  1). What is the ROI that will accrue from the sale? and 2). How does that ROI compare to what might be derived from other projects being considered?  Projects that are considered strategic by the senior execs have priority,  so if your project has that status,  it’s only a question of how many hours you can get.  Whatever your project,  product or service,   you must first receive the initial approval.  You may believe that because you have confirmed that you are talking to a decision-maker and s/he says the go-ahead is imminent,  that is not the whole story.  There is the all-important step two and that happens when  the team of heavy-hitters examines and ranks all pending projects and major sales and decides which items receive funding and at what amount.  In other words,  that decision-maker that you’ve been speaking with will confer with other decision-makers to compare which projects will go forward,  because projects are continually re-prioritized in response to shifting conditions.

Strategic imperatives

Your project must align with the organization’s goals as perceived by the higher-ups.  If you notice,  projects that are championed by lower-ranking employees often do not get funded because higher-ranking execs do understand or appreciate the value-added,  do not view the proposal as strategically significant.  Moreover,  your project must demonstrate that the sponsoring higher-up understands and is actively advancing strategically relevant projects,  products and services.

Ego and image

This is related to the above.  Your project must make its chief sponsor look good to the person s/he answers to,  as well as look good to colleagues and subordinates. When an outside consultant is hired or a major purchase is authorized,  the project champion absolutely must look like a genius for doing the deal.  Under no circumstances must s/he be perceived as having made the wrong move.  Peer pressure is real and the project champion worries about making the right decision,  especially if this is something that has not been done before.  This is why the Freelance consultant must at all times deliver exceptional service,  must exceed expectations,  because the reputation and career advancement of your project sponsor is riding on it.

I’ll talk more about your nervous prospect next week.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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The Unexpected RFP

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Have you ever received an RFP out of the blue? I’ve received two and I was gullible enough to respond to both and both times I received exactly what I deserved—nada!  Really,  I should have known better.   An RFP that slips into your mail box is a Trojan horse.  In fact,  I received a phone call this morning from an unknown person who claimed that she was looking for corporate trainers  (or some such)  and wants to include me in the search,  so I am about to receive unexpected RFP #3.

In reality,  what this dame and other stealth RFP senders often want is to round out a list of candidates in accordance with their company directives,  to make it easier for them to hire who they’ve already planned to hire.  Or,  the game is to either get the job done at the lowest price,  or free consulting advice through a fake RFP.

I was caught in what I suspect was the latter game a couple of years ago by a Harvard University-run charity,  no less.  They were looking for ways to juice their fundraising strategy and invited me in to talk for an hour.  I suspect that either no one was hired,  or the person hired was pre-determined and may have been given my ideas  (and maybe also the ideas of other suckers)  to implement,  along with my pricing info as a benchmark.

Whatever the motive,  beware the out-of-the-blue RFP.  The targeted Freelance consultants gain nothing but false hope and the  “opportunity”  to sally forth on a fool’s errand.   However,  I’ve decided that if  this latest RFP is sent  ( I provided my email address),  I will respond—my way.   I will telephone the contact person and ask a few questions…..

The first question I’ll ask is,  who referred me?  The second question I’ll ask is,  who is performing that job now?  The third question,  what is motivating the change if someone is already doing that job,  whether in-house or a Freelancer? Is that person doing an unsatisfactory job and in what ways?  I shall listen very carefully to the replies.

If the answers do not add up,   I will decline the RFP and politely state that I don’t get why I’ve been invited to apply,  that I typically respond to RFPs from clients with whom I have a relationship,  after we’ve discussed project objectives.

On the other hand,  if the answers to my first three questions pass muster,  I will ask three more:

1).   Who is the project decision-maker and the stakeholders and may I meet with them?

2).   What information will the perfect RFP for this project contain?

3).    How will success for this project be measured and who holds the yardstick?

Nevertheless,  while meeting is helpful,  it is not a fail-safe.   My fake RFPs both included a face-to-face.  If you are invited to come in and speak about the project,  do so without submitting a proposal.  Give them nothing beyond an hour of your time.

If the company insists on wheedling information out of you  “What would you do in this situation…?”,  tell them you’ll be happy to discuss that going forward if it looks like you should work together.  Put nothing into writing.  If recipes to solve a problem are required beforehand,  know that it’s an RFP shake-down.

RFPs are awarded by clients with whom we have a relationship and even then,  you might not win.  Three years ago,  I brought a program concept to a decision-maker at a not-for-profit.  During a $40.00  lunch that I paid for,  I was invited to write a proposal.

Bingo! I said,  but it was not to be.   After more consideration,  it was determined that the staffing needed to support my proposed program was not available and there was no budget to hire.  I believe that the intent was not to screw me,  but I was devastated and it still stings.

So what should you do if an unsolicited RFP comes your way? Proceed with caution,  ask questions to help reveal the sender’s motives,  listen carefully to the answers and whatever you decide,  do not get your hopes up.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Sales , , , 2 Comments

Pick Up the Phone and Sell

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Reaching decision-makers becomes more difficult every month.  No one answers the phone,  unless they already know me.  Once I’m on an assignment,  98%  of communication happens on email and that’s OK for all concerned.  But what if I’d like to follow-up with a prospect I’ve met somewhere and he/she suddenly gets elusive?  Or what if some influential person says,  “Call so-and-so and tell him/her that I told you to call”  and then that person never picks up?

Playing telephone tag with someone you want to connect with is a real drag and a time-waster.  If there is a way to get the Very Important Prospect to either pick up the phone or holler back,  you need to know it.  Sales guru Geoffrey James,  author of  “How to Say It: Business to Business Selling ” (2011)  says that if an assistant takes the call and offers to transfer you to the VIP’s voice mail,  ask if VIP actually listens to voice messages.   Evidently,  a significant minority of people do not listen to voice mail and consequently,  do not return calls.

As book publicist Yen Cheong observed in an April 1, 2009 New York Times article,  “Once upon a time,  voice mail was useful.”   Ms. Cheong communicates primarily by text and occasionally by email.  “If you left a message,  I have to dial in,  dial in my code.  Then once I hear the message,   I need the phone number.  I try to write it down and then I have to rewind the message to hear it again.”

Sometimes,  a land line voice message will include  a cell phone number to call.  Dial the cell phone.  If VIP answers,  thank him/her for taking the call,  cut to the chase and state your reason for calling,  referencing either the person who recommended that you make  contact or follow-up from a previous conversation.  If you were invited to call and make an appointment,  then ask if that is possible now.  VIP may be able to schedule an appointment right there on the smart phone.   If not,  you will be given a better time to call the office land line.

To set the stage for an appointment,  offer to send some relevant piece of information that keeps the ball in play and initiates an action that  is easy for your VIP to digest without feeling pressured,  making it more likely that future calls will be accepted.  Confirm the email address and  send ASAP.  Resist the temptation to launch a sales pitch,  unless VIP opens the door by asking questions.  Even then,  be very concise and respectful of time.  People on cell phones are often in transit or otherwise distracted.

The pearl of this story is text messaging,  a tactic which I’m willing to bet most of you haven’t tried when pursuing a prospect.  So why not?  According to a 2008 study for Sprint by Opinion Research Corporation,  91%  of people under age 30 respond to text messages within an hour.   Adults aged 30 and older are four times more likely to respond to text messages than voice messages.  So if the VIP’s voice message includes a cell number,  pounce!

Web developer Charlie Park says text messages are more respectful of the recipient’s time.   Text information or your intent to send same,  or ask for an appointment. Texting is an efficient tool to keep the sale moving forward and much more effective than telephone tag voice messages,  which only cause your prospect to give up on you,  because the two of you can’t connect.

The next time you call a VIP and the assistant answers,  ask if voice messages are listened to and also ask if texting is possible.  If you can’t confirm that info,  try sending a text anyway.   You might be pleasantly surprised by a prompt reply and a successful telephone sales call.

Thanks for reading,

Kim