Black Sales Journal

The quest for income starts now, and you need not delay.  Realistically 2012 has started already!  Planning for 2012 is the smartest use of your time, especially during some of the down time that happens during the holiday season.

The time is now, and you need to approach this aggressively.  You need a plan, and you need it to be well structured.  Black sales professionals have a couple of real important needs when it comes to prospect generation:

• Credibility
• Compatibility
• Capability

Let me briefly explain what I am suggesting from the prospect’s angle:

Credibility – Are you good enough to do business with me?  Are you knowledgeable enough? Are you willing to represent my interest to your organization and others who you work with?

Compatibility – Are we going to be able to work together?  Will you work with my organizations interest in mind?  Are you the professional that I need?

Capability – What do you and your company do well, and can you do it do for my organization?  Can you provide value?

You must solve these needs to get past the incumbent sales professional and win the business.

3 Ways To Kick it Into Gear

The actions that you take now and in early 2012 to increase your prospecting base should be designed to answer the questions above.   Below are some ways you can answer the questions, and increase your effectiveness:

• Gear-up your customer referrals
• Deliver captivating prospect and customer seminars
• Amp-up your networking

You may remember that these have been discussed at one time, yet it is time to do it now, and do it with some confidence.  Each of these specifically addresses an area that is naturally suspect by buyers for the Black sales professional.

Gear-up Customer Referrals

Many sales professionals go their whole professional life without asking a good customer for a referral.   I know that may sound ridiculous, but it is true.  This is not a cry out for help; it is an effort to broaden your professional network.  The difference here is that with a referral comes some instant credibility.

If a good customer gives you a referral, there is an implication that the referrer is giving approval of your credibility and that answers the questions above under credibility.

It should be part of your normal sales process.  I personally work with a life insurance professional who is methodical in asking a simple statement and question, “I think we have covered all of the issues that you specified prior to our meeting.  I do have one question that I would like to ask.  Do you have any friends or associates that could benefit by the services that I can provide?”  To date, I have provided him with numerous referrals, as Ron is a professional.  You do not mind giving a referral to someone who is knowledgeable and treats customers well.

Ask your best customers for referrals and follow-up immediately.  Always thank your customer for the referrals verbally, as well as in writing.  Implicitly, that individual knows that they are ‘vouching’ for you and they deserve the thank you note.  Keep score of how many referrals each customer gives you.  In addition to the ‘lifetime’ value of a customer in terms of revenue, the credibility that they afford you is very valuable as well.

Deliver Captivating Prospect Seminars

As you may remember from Black Sales Journal 3/24/2011 Finding Prospects Through a Seminar, a seminar is a way to talk to several prospects at one time.   It can establish you as a resource and potentially as an expert.  This shows the prospect/customer that you have capability.  The topic has to have some broad interest, and as the lead speaker, you need to be bringing some expertise (yours or an expert speaker) to bear to make it meaningful and informative.  Some examples are:

• A tax expert holding a seminar on the new IRS Rules for depreciation of plant assets and their impact on midsized manufacturing prospects
• An investment professional meeting with prospective customers to talk about the effect that owning gold can have on their retirement portfolio.
• A manufacturers rep gathers prospective customers for a new product that will cut hours of the processing time for the manufacture of machine tools.

In order to be the main speaker you to be an expert, or have strong expertise.  We cover this in-depth in Black Sales Journal More On Being an Expert 6/27/11 because being an expert is the most successful way to thwart racial preference.  If you can save them money, save them time, or just flat out save their company, they will consider working with you even if you are ‘purple’.

You put a group of people with like interest in a room with you or an exceptional speaker, and highlight a topic that saves money, saves time, or increases revenue, and you have the formula for an energetic audience.  This energetic audience can have the tendency to depend on you and your capabilities.

Our professionalism and efforts such as this begin to change racial perceptions, even though those perceptions are generally unjustified.

Amp-up Your Networking

Networking is both a skill and an activity, and if you master the skill, and excel at the activity, you will find prospects in abundance.  It is akin to “speed dating” because you have moments to show your business compatibility.  This quick sampling needs to show that “I can work with you!”

When I say amp-up you networking I am suggesting that you commit yourself to a strong networking schedule right now, and develop the endurance and discipline to follow it. To see a good review on good networking practices see BSJ 2/21/2011 Networking for the Black Sales Professional.

This is not an effort to ‘harvest’ business cards; this is a quest to find prospects, and eventually customers.  Your effort needs to be to commit to a networking schedule, and some strong networking principles:

• Pick your groups well.  Find those, which have the opportunity for success and have plenty of individuals involved.
• Know your “elevator pitch” (BSJ-8/11/2011 Know Your Elevator Pitch) and be able to tell what makes you and your company different in seconds.
• Know the end game, which is determining the fit for you and your organization with the customer, and getting an appointment.
• Learn something about your potential customers.  Test the fit, and set the stage for a relationship in the future.  You have something to give in this mutually beneficial relationship.
• Above all, record and follow-up quickly and effectively on the contacts and any referrals you might receive.

Be involved in no less than two networking opportunities every month.  Never get out of the habit, and keep track of where you get you prospects and customers so that you know which networking groups give you the most benefit.

Do All Three!

Do all of these for maximum benefit.  If you are not the expert for the customer, work to be one (BSJ XXX Your Customer Needs an Expert).  If you cannot be the expert, round one up and sponsor him to talk to your group.  That is pure networking.

Your objective is to find the mix of activities that is optimal for you.  Be an effective professional.

Always be effective!

As a sales professional, you know that finding prospects and developing your leads is crucial.  You are probably doing in-person cold calls and continuously honing your skills to increase your effectiveness.  You also know survival would be difficult without the tool we call the telephone, as much of your prospecting is done on the phone.

It cannot hurt to discuss some basic cold calling etiquette for in person as well as phone solicitation.  Many of you veteran’s know this and practice it, yet a review for others can’t hurt.

In-Person Solicitation/Cold Call

As a sales professional I cold-called and that probably lead to me being a manager who also accepted cold call solicitations.  I will admit to giving almost all sales professionals a chance to make their pitch.  As I moved higher in the organization the sales pros were not always as lucky when they got my executive assistant as her patience with sales “nubees” as well as long-termers was short.  When they did get past her and to me, it was because she gave them her consent.

We had reps approach us who were unkempt, unprepared, and unprofessional.  Did I waste time by talking to them?  The answer is yes, and sometimes it was painful.  I also had a chance to witness some good sales practices from true professionals who knew the importance of their appearance as well as how to deliver their message quickly and effectively.

The short list that follows is more from a person who was solicited than one who was responsible for the employment of sales professionals.  It is a different view, and I think valuable for those with just the sales perspective.

I will throw out a few simple etiquette points for the in-person cold call that you should always consider:

• Be prepared – Always know what you want to say.  Respect the prospect’s time.
• Know your prospect’s name – Know the correct pronunciation and by the end of the call, the correct spelling.  When someone cannot get your name right it makes you wonder.
• Check your appearance – You only get one chance for a first impression.  Have a mirror in the car or your brief case, and use it.
• Be fresh – It goes without saying that gum or mints always help.  Remember, as the day goes on, you need to make sure that you are on top of your game.  Of course chew the gum before the call, not during the call.
• Remember the end game – You want some information as well as an appointment.  A short informative call is what a buyer wants, while you want information.

It is also important to remember these important tips as they can get on the nerves of any potential customer:

• Your prospect’s washroom is not for you.  When cold calling/prospecting, get your relief the same place that you get your coffee.
• Do not smoke on your customer’s premises, not even in the parking lot in your car.  This is not the place to satisfy your habits.
• Turn off your cell phone while you are there.  This is personal interface etiquette which you must practice.

The Phone – The ultimate sales tool

The phone is an enabler, and even more important is the fact that it is totally acceptable to use it as a prospecting tool.  When I began selling many years ago, the phone was just barely acceptable for cold calling.  Most prospecting was done in-person, and it was very time consuming.  In the early ‘80s, it became acceptable to solicit and that was a renaissance as it not only saved time but allowed some “racial anonymity” to start the process.

There is established etiquette for using the phone as a prospecting tool.  The best sales professionals observe the etiquette and maintain their professional standing.

Here are a few of the more important items:

Phone solicitation:

• Be conscious of the prospect’s time – short and to the point.
• Have your phone voice ready – be warmed up.  Know one wants to hear you clearing your throat at 9:00 in the morning.
• Have a brief but inclusive statement (sales pitch) to start your call
• Avoid the ‘tricks’ such as telling assistants that you are an acquaintance if you are not.  You will lose in the end.
• Avoid the speakerphone for cold calling – use a headset if you need both hands for notes and otherwise.
• Don’t shuffle papers, tap pencils, or create unnecessary background noise.

Voice mail Etiquette:

• Short messages only – keep it to 35-45 seconds max.
• Talk slowly and clearly and spell words such as names or product names if necessary.
• Leave your number at the beginning of the message and at the end of your message – no exec will go back to the beginning to get the number if they are interested.
• Again, no background noise – no Judge Judy or soap operas in the background!
• Clear concise message – plan it well and deliver.

The phone is an equalizer if used correctly as it reduces the opportunity for fair and equitable treatment for this first ‘touch’.  There is more to it than picking it up and dialing; there is planning and practice to do.  You can work magic with a solid script and practice.

If you have read Black Sales Journal before, you probably know how I feel about practice/role playing.  You should work at it until your comfort level is obvious.

Try it and you will realize that you will learn from each call.

Your comments are welcome.