8+ Hacks For Sellers And Managers To Get More Done Today [“Sales Shot” Workshop]
8+ Hacks For Sellers And Managers To Get More Done Today
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]
Gen Z and Millennials have grown up in an interconnected world with most information available at their fingertips.
Based on current trends, they value two aspects more than anything when judging a brand – speed and authenticity.
Both generations are accustomed to instant gratification thanks to the internet and evolved communication tools. They also value brands that take a strong stance against injustice.
As a more optimistic and ethically minded group, Gen Z and Millennials make calculated decisions when buying something (especially if it’s outside the tech industry!)
For that reason, selling to Gen Z and Millennials requires a certain level of knowledge, understanding, and sales intelligence.
Here are our top tips on how to tailor your selling approaches to both Gen Z and Millennials.
Understanding Gen Z and Millennials significantly helps how you approach selling to them. Here’s some key factors highlighting their similarities and differences:
READ: Sales Pitch Tips to Engage Prospects
First up, let’s reiterate that Millennials and Gen Z prefer authenticity and the ability to be quick and efficient. Keeping that in mind, here are five tips on how to sell to Gen Z and Millennials.
1. Differentiate Between Self-Service and Customer Support
Seems contradictory, right? Both generations actually WANT self-service options while equally expecting excellent customer service.
Gen Z and Millennials want to become an active part of the buying process because they need as much information as possible. They also want the decisions to be final on their terms.
They actively gather as much information as possible on their (and try out free trials) before contacting a brand. Both generations would rather learn more about a product themselves or through organic customer reviews than hear about it from the brand or its sales reps, especially when a new product is involved.
For example, selling a healthcare CRM to a Gen Z or millennial customer should not be done through cold calling or emailing. Instead, adopting a more personal approach is better. Introduce them to the product and allow them to take it for a test run!
At the same time, both generations also expect complete customer support from brands. This can be done through customer service reps, social media, or other easily accessible ways for them to directly communicate and seek assistance.
2. Adherence to Personalization
Gen Z and Millennials have been constantly bombarded with information their entire lives. Over time, this leads to information saturation, especially when today there are tons of competitors in every business space.
So the bottom line is that true differentiation is only noticed by these groups when there’s personalization involved.
Traditional advertisements involve targeting a massive audience with the same ad and message (like typical TV ads). It worked because people didn’t have enough information available, and they couldn’t use their phones to research a product and check out its reviews quickly.
But that’s the FIRST thing Gen Zers and Millennials do today!
Capturing their attention alone requires a little more effort – you want to make them feel like they’ve been specifically targeted. This is also a great way for brands to show that they care about their customers.
DOWNLOAD: Human-Centered Communication
3. Fast Media Is Key
It’s no secret that videos have become one of the most consumed forms of media. While it started with Vine’s six-second videos, we now have TikTok, Instagram Reels, and stories on multiple social media platforms.
This form of fast media is what most Gen Z and Millennials consume on a daily basis. This is where they trust information on current events, find entertainment, and buy products.
Gen Z typically uses social media like TikTok as a search engine rather than Google. Think about that for a second – that means a huge part of selling to Gen Z and Millennials involves effectively marketing on these social platforms.
General social media ads do not cut it. You need to provide quick, consumable content that’s engaging and enlightening. What value are you bringing to them? That’s how you build a following and a loyal community today.
READ: Value-Adding with the SWIIFT℠ Selling Methodology
4. Use Their Language
In order to communicate with Gen Z and Millennials effectively, you need to speak their language. Don’t toss in phrases or words they use nowadays (especially if you don’t know the meaning or social connotation) while keeping the rest of your business tone professional.
Authenticity trumps all. One of the easiest ways to do it? Get that form of insight directly from the source by hiring a millennial or Gen Z employee.
Speaking their language involves using their specific vocabulary, using their jokes and memes, and any relevant acronyms.
Remember these are often very trendy and constantly evolving. Make sure you’ve got someone with their finger on the pulse to continually update your brand’s language along with what’s being used by your customers.
5. Values and Activism Matters
When it comes to Gen Z and Millennials, they have very strong beliefs regarding common societal issues. They also expect their brands to adhere to those beliefs and opinions.
You can’t expect to seem authentic if you suddenly start performative allyship or activism. Gen Z and Millennials can easily call this out or feel when it isn’t sincere. And once that happens, you’ve lost their trust – and it’s unlikely you’ll win it back anytime soon.
Start establishing a strong base of values and causes your brand supports. Moreover, be open and transparent about what you’re doing for the causes you support! For example, if your brand believes in sustainability, what is it actively doing to make the business more sustainable?
You also want to make sure all aspects of the company are on the same page – from revenue, to delivery, and other teams within the organization.
READ: Improving Sales-Marketing Alignment
Selling to Gen Z and Millennials isn’t challenging if you’re actively adapting to the changing marketing landscape.
Adopting strong marketing strategies will always help your brand in the long run and allow you to build brand affinity.
One key takeaway? Have fun with it! Continue experimenting with new ways to connect with the latest generations and remember that authenticity and speed are always your number one priority.
Can you guess what percent of sellers HATE prospecting?
(Hint: it’s not 100% – that was my first guess) But it is the majority of sellers…
Yet 100% of managers DO say that sellers need to prospect more (and be better at it – if you’re one of those managers, contact us. We can help 😉)
So what can you do?
It all starts with planning.
In order to get better results without feeling like you’re wasting hours, you’ve got to put some work in ahead of time. But have no fear, there is a way for you to plan for prospecting without being part of that 64% hating it along the way (and if you already are, maybe this article will change your mind!)
Check out these top 4 sales prospecting strategies to help speed things up.
WATCH: Sales Shot – Power Prospecting
Yep, read it again. Think about it this way: what’s your main goal when you pick up the phone? The obvious answer is to entice them to set up meeting 1. But that’s probably a pretty unlikely accomplishment with just one phone call.
What’s the most likely case? You’re going to get their voicemail!
READ: 4 Quick and Effective Voicemail Scripts
With speed in mind, think about the key elements you need to craft and leave your voicemail during your prospecting. Here’s a list of the usual suspects with a breakdown of why you do or don’t need them.
READ: Best Sales Scripts To Get A Buyer’s Attention
So to summarize – when you pick up that phone, know their name, have your value prop handy, your call intro, and a voicemail if all else fails. Save the image below to help you remember.
Make it easier on yourself by grouping your leads together. Here are some quick categories to organize them by:
READ: Build A Lead Qualification Strategy
When you do your research, your first instinct might make you feel like you HAVE to give individual attention to every single person and potential lead. Guess what? You don’t!
Easily group call goals, qualify & explore questions, voicemail scripts, and your SWIIFT intros.
What should you individualize? The rapport builder – it’ll be unique for each person.
Boom, you just saved yourself a whole lot of time!
Be nice to future you! By taking better notes and including specific details about the voicemail you’ve previously left, you’ll never be left scratching your head wondering what you’ve already done and having to double back.
Here’s what to include:
Seems like a no-brainer, right? You always want to call to add value to your prospects. Try the following:
Prospecting is always going to be a numbers game. Remember: it takes 6-9 times to get to 90% of the people on your list! Put in the work – but don’t worry about putting in extra.
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]
[Cheat Sheet]
You’ve heard of sequences, right? They are an integral part of your sales outreach and a magical combination of touchpoints to your prospects that, if all goes well, will result in a REALLY good sales call. Recently, the AMAZING Brooke Bachesta of Outreach, aka the gurus of outreach and sequences, and I got together to talk about how to build the perfect sequence! Brooke (who also happens to be a #GirlsClub Gen 1 graduate) is a wealth of knowledge and we were so lucky to grab a little time with her. Okay, it’s time to get into the good stuff!
Let’s start with the basics…
A sequence is a repeatable set of steps used to connect with potential customers. These could be a manual list of emails that you send or reminders you set for yourself to connect on LinkedIn (Tip: it’s a heck of a lot easier if you use software like Outreach or additional tools that allow you to automate nearly everything!) Think of it as you setting your future self up for success.
The idea behind a sequence is to connect with people who are not totally familiar with you or your company. So, you can (and should) be using a sequence in any of these situations:
The most successful sequences include a multi-channel campaign. When we say multi-channel, we mean a combination of email, phone calls, LinkedIn, direct mail, etc. Essentially, you want to use every available form of communication to try and find the one that will get you some virtual or live face time with your prospect.
All of the following:
We get it, 15+ touchpoints in 2 weeks sounds like a lot, but we promise there is research to back us up. Skip Miller released a really great book called Outbounding. One of the things he found was that if you wait for more than 3 days between touchpoints the prospect is going to forget who you are. Think of it this way, even if your prospects are not responding to you, shortening the time between your reachouts helps them to at least have familiarity with your name. While they might not pick up on the first call, they may answer on the 5th call. With this under 3 3-day window, they are more likely to, at the very least, recognize your name and be more inclined to talk.
Spoiler alert! People don’t really care who you are or what you sell. So, we have to bring them in and smoothly transition right to the point. Great emails typically hit all of the following marks:
READ: How to Write Better Sales Emails: 12 Actionable Tips
YES! I beg you, please, leave voicemails EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. We’ve already mentioned that there are 15 touches in a good sequence. About half of those touches should be voicemails. You are already putting in the time, doing the research, and making the calls… but if you are not leaving a voicemail, then it’s like that phone call never happened.
Hot Tip: before picking up that phone for your first call of the day, make sure your voice is warmed up. Whether that first call results in a living, breathing human on the other end or a voicemail, if your voice cracks it’s not a good look (err, sound).
DOWNLOAD: 4 Voicemail Script Samples
Here are some tips for leaving a great voicemail:
In a great sequence, there will be about 7 phone calls. For most contacts that could equate to as many as 7 voicemails. So, switch up the message styles. My 4 favorite types of voicemails are:
Insider Tip: in your sequence notes, keep track of the type of voicemail you leave. This will help you know what to say when they call you back and can help you find patterns in the styles of voicemail that are most successful for you. You can read more about my 4 favorite voicemails HERE.
If you read through, you would think these two sequences are exactly the same. And they almost are, with one BIG difference: the 1st email. The “manual” sequence includes a templated email (that may have a tiny bit of personalization). While the “personalized” sequence, on the other hand, includes a truly personalized email, like one written from scratch.
You will likely find yourself using the manual sequence for the majority of your top-of-funnel, prioritized prospecting, when refining your ‘hit list’, and cold leads. The return rate on automated emails is roughly 1%. So, we don’t want to spend too much time writing a truly personalized email for an unqualified account.
Now, when we’re talking about account penetration and account revitalization, we would recommend a personalized sequence instead. For these types of prospects, you will likely have solid background information or have had prior contact with the recipient. Warm leads will likely fall under this category as well, especially if you have spent time speaking with them at say a conference or networking event.
Before starting your call series you should craft a couple of standard (but still great) intros for when your prospect actually answers. The key is to remember not to sell in the intro, instead focus on helping. The goal of your intro is to get your foot in the door and to get your prospect talking. Selling comes later.
Here’s what a great standard intro is going to include:
The questions you ask in your intro should be short and shouldn’t require too much thinking. We want to aim for yes or no questions, or questions that involve an auto-answer. Think things like “How many reps are on your team?”, “Are you outbound or inbound?”, “Looking to add a couple of new team members?” Get them talking and THEN we transition to the sales call.
WATCH: Quick Tips For Better Cold Call Openings
If you play your cards right, there will be plenty of time for selling either later in this first call, or during your follow-up (more tips on bridging to the follow-up call here). The first time your prospect answers the phone, your job is to get them talking and engaged. We’ve talked about what to do… now let’s touch on what NOT to do:
Shoving research in their ear as soon as they answer isn’t appealing. The prospect doesn’t care if you’re the regional vice president for the mid-coast Atlantic region of your company’s XYZ division. In the first 2 minutes of the call, they don’t care what your amazing features are. What they care about is getting their job done better, faster, and easier. So, let’s start out by showing them how we can help!
Remember, the whole purpose of a sequence is to amplify your already amazing sales skills and get you to the finish line faster. So when working on your sales outreach, take time crafting your initial sequence cadence and your templated emails (if you’re going the manual sequence route). Future you will say “Thank you!”
If you’d like even more information on crafting the perfect prospecting message or sequence, you can watch our whole session with Brooke HERE!
Freight and logistics sales has undergone a massive change in the past few years. As companies embrace digital transformation, in-person sales meetings are falling in frequency. So you’re probably spending a lot more time on the phone than before.
This can be…how should I put it…intimidating? 😱 Or at the very least, uncomfortable?
So here are six logistics sales tips to help you crush cold calls and reach those tough-to-crack prospects.
(Psst! Interested in logistics sales training? We can help! Contact us today.)
For sales calls, the third time isn’t the charm. You have to call someone at least six times before you get a response. Not just for cold leads, but warm leads too.
People are shocked when I say this. But think about it: when was the last time you called someone once and immediately got a response? (I’m gonna guess it doesn’t happen that often.)
Over 36% of purchased leads receive no sales contact. And it’s not because reps are lazy. It’s because we’d rather go after the low-hanging fruit for immediate results. But there just isn’t enough low-hanging fruit to go around. If you want consistent results, you’ve got to climb a little higher. That’s why I recommend 10 touches for A leads, 8 for B leads, and 6 for C leads…as a bare minimum.
READ: How to Build an Account and Lead Qualification Strategy
Yes, you read that right. Every time. It’s easy to ignore a missed call. It’s harder to ignore several missed calls, multiple voicemails, emails—you get the picture. If you’re going to invest the time in making several hundred calls a week, make it hard for them to forget it.
Think of the voicemail as a resume. It’s there to show who you are, what differentiates you, and what value you offer. If you put it in front of them enough times, the prospect is more likely to pick up. Once that happens, then you can start selling.
WATCH: How to Leave Voicemails that Get Returned
In a virtual environment, sales cycles can be longer than traditional, F2F approaches. So when you make 100 calls in a day and don’t hear anything, don’t worry! Eventually, you’ll call someone enough times and they’ll pick up (even if it’s because they feel guilty 😉). At that point, you can make them feel like they’re the one doing you a favor by taking the call.
READ: Quick and Effective Voicemail Scripts
Salespeople often talk about “engaging prospects.” But what does “engage” actually mean? It’s simple: An engaged prospect is a talking prospect. And what’s the best way to get someone talking? Ask them a question.
So instead of going through your usual dog-and-pony show, use the SWIIFT℠ methodology (So, What’s in it for Them?) to flip the conversation around. SWIIFT℠ gets the prospect to answer 2-5 short, closed questions to get the conversation going. This helps you build the necessary rapport and understand the prospect enough to demonstrate your value.
READ: The SWIIFT℠ Selling Methodology
Be real: how many times have you jumped at the chance to “check in” with a sales rep? Yeah, me neither.
If you’re going to ask for your prospect’s time, you better give them a good reason to get on the line with you. So start brainstorming how you can add value to them:
Don’t just call to sell something. Call to add value…real value.
DOWNLOAD: 20 Value-Add Reasons to Call Your Customers
In virtual sales, the average first call is three-and-a-half minutes. If you last that long, you’re doing great.
You may wonder: what could I possibly get done in such a short amount of time? In reality, you only have to do three things:
Commitments change depending on where the buyer is in the journey: set up a demo, loop in other stakeholders and decision-makers, read over a contract, or even sign and onboard. But every call you make needs to involve getting some kind of commitment. Then, you use that commitment to bridge to the next call.
So there you go. Follow these six tips, and I promise you’ll be crushing those sales calls. Happy selling!
There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it – virtual selling is here to stay, folks. That’s why the transition from field to inside sales is becoming more prevalent.
If you’ve spent years perfecting the art of in-person selling and are struggling (or resisting) the shift to virtual, it’s time to get on track and embrace it.
I get it – virtual selling is a whole different ball game where reaching contacts is harder, your sales cycle is longer, talk tracks are shorter, and a whole slew of other things you’re not used to.
That’s why I took 30 minutes on our recent Sales Shot to break down key virtual and hybrid work practices that will help you feel like a superstar again.
Whether you’ve been at it for a while or recently transitioned, these are tips you can start implementing RIGHT NOW to help you fill those holes in your pipeline.
DOWNLOAD: How to Sell to the CFO to Keep Deals Moving
Do you like baseball? (Even if you don’t, stick with me for a minute.)
Home base is closing the deal and having a happy client – but you can’t get to home base if you aren’t even on first! First base is getting someone on the phone.
Chances are, they’re not going to pick up on the first try. In fact, less than 20% will connect on that initial call. Even if it takes 12 attempts to connect – you keep calling!
Research shows that 30% of leads are never even contacted at all. That’s a ton of missed opportunity. Especially when you consider that 82% of buyers admit they bought something after a series of cold calls.
So, moral of the story: Pick. Up. The. Phone.
If you’re making all these calls, you’d absolutely better be leaving a voicemail – a GREAT voicemail. In fact, make voicemails your new BFF!
Voicemails have a few different goals. The most obvious one is getting a callback. Realistically, most of them are probably never going to get returned. But here’s what you CAN do: create a positive impression of yourself and your company, and guilt them into either picking up the phone or eventually calling back. So, get creative and make it fun!
The 4 most effective types of voicemails are:
Whatever you do, ALWAYS leave a voicemail. No voicemail = no touch. It’s like buying a billboard and leaving it blank. Yikes!
Quick Tip: Send an email right after you leave a voicemail. Your likelihood of getting a response is MUCH higher when you mix voicemail + email.
A year ago, your quota probably looked a whole lot different than today. So, take your goals and break them up into smaller, more achievable pieces!
The average successful call is now just 3.5 minutes!
Structure your calls around these 3 key questions:
Do NOT go through an alphabetical list of prospects and pick away at it until you get to Z.
Take the time to actually qualify your leads and call based on that score! You’ll have A,B, C, and D leads (and you can probably skip the D leads). Start with your A leads and work your way down the list until you finish the C leads.
As a general rule, here’s how often to call each lead:
If you got someone talking on the phone after a cold call, the hardest part is over. So make sure you’re taking advantage of it by ALWAYS scheduling the next step WHILE you’re on the call.
Can you schedule the follow-up call now? How about sending a calendar invite with the next meeting’s info? Have you given your cell number to get theirs?
Give yourself permission to call back by urging them to look at their calendar and confirming when you’ll be connecting again.
WATCH: Transitioning from Field to Virtual Selling
Keep in mind, the more you try out these tips, the easier it gets and the more success you’ll see. So get on the virtual train with the rest of us and start building that pipeline. You got this!
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]
When the economy gets shaky and buyers get nervous, we see meetings fall off calendars, and deals go dark. It can feel scary for sure – especially when we see our new hire classmates cut from the team.
Here are some tips to keep on keeping on selling during a recession.
That includes getting cell phone numbers. Start with everything currently booked. Call and email them today to confirm and leave your cell number. Ask them to text and leave theirs. It’s OK to be honest. Try something like:
“Hey Ted, LB here. Looking forward to Tuesday and just want to confirm we’re still on. I’ve had a few folks literally disappear in the past month with this uncertain economy. VERY glad that’s not you. Listen, I’m going to leave my cell. Will you please be kind enough to return my call or pop over a text to confirm Tuesday at 11 Central? Thanks! It’s xxx-xxx-xxxx. One more time: xxx-xxx-xxxx. Talk soon.”
This move helps you keep the connects you have, shows concern, and gets you cell numbers. Winner! Do it for meetings you are setting up this week as well.
“OK, I’ll hit you back on Tuesday at 11. I’ll be ready to cover A, B, and especially C. Will you bring XYZ? I’m sending over a calendar invite to hold our place. It has a bridge, but I want you to have my mobile as well. My number is xxx-xxx-xxxx, can I grab yours?”
You won’t get it every time, but I’ll estimate 9 out of 10. Boom. No more going dark.
I stole this great tip from Doug Landis in our recent webinar, How To Build Pipeline And Keep Selling During A Recession. Nobody buys vitamins during a recession, they buy Advil. Truth is, my service of sales and leadership skills is definitely vitamins – the stuff that’s good for you we are supposed to take and tell our doctors we do…but isn’t usually prioritized. Yes, even though taking your vitamins helps you AVOID taking the hard stuff down the line, human nature is human nature. So if you’re normally plugging things like employee morale and retention, it’s time to restate.
Advil helps us avoid pain. Pain we’re already in. What does your product solve that fixes a pain? Uncertain times lead to fear buying (one word ya’ll: hand sanitizer. Wait, here’s another: toilet paper.) These memories are fresh. People stop buying anything that isn’t essential, doesn’t pull them out of pain, or won’t protect them from horrible recession-related risks. Find the Advil in your solution and lead with that.
(Watch LB’s tips on changing your value prop during a recession below)
What industries aren’t suffering right now? Automotive is strong (have you SEEN prices!?), healthcare and insurance are always winners, banks are flush, who else? Buy a new list or pull the bottom of yours out and go long.
Can you highlight a cancellation clause? Payment terms? Low-cost trial? Nobody wants to be the guy who spent too much and trapped the company in a big spend if this whole situation gets worse. Help them see this purchase will deliver them from pain and not get them in trouble.
Now is the time to build deeper relationships. When someone says they can’t buy now, don’t hang up the phone! Get to know them, their company, their situation, their partner! Sometimes the best you can do is build pipeline, so build the strongest damn pipe your manager has ever seen. That means rock-solid projections of how many, how much, when they can buy, and every step it will take in the purchasing process. Get it one step short of a signature and be best friends with everyone along the way so they can’t wait to sign.
We’re talking about asking more questions, building more rapport, showing more empathy, finding more contacts, going wide in the account. You should know every past competitor considered and why they failed, exactly how your solution will be used, the three purchases in line in front of you, the one guy who’s most doubtful. Getting the picture? About triple the info you normally have when you call it.
Remember…A recession or economic downturn is inevitable and also temporary. Do your future self a favor by staying positive and keeping momentum going so you’re ready to hit the ground running when things get back to “normal”!