Dan
Leads
Posted 9:52 AM on 04/21/08 -
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Hi, How to get the lead list for Small and Mid size businesses in the US?
Kate
Leads
Posted 9:40 PM on 04/23/08 -
Reply to this postReference USA, its available at the library, go google sales leads too.
young707
Leads
Posted 8:29 PM on 06/06/08 -
Reply to this postDan, on your product market areas magazines, publish some press releases. That's how we get the better leads to start making contacts. This will be much better than cold calls.
Darren
Leads / Lists
Posted 1:16 PM on 06/10/08 -
Reply to this postYou can get access to leads through your local library too. Ask around and there are legit ways to get limited access to Reference USA database without the cost of buying a list!
Jack
Sales stealing
Posted 3:10 AM on 04/19/08 -
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I manage a very competitive sales staff with high quota's in a retail situation. As time has passed and sales quota's increase we are finding some staff ignoring the fact the client mentions having previously viewed the item with so and so. They in turn ignore this information and write the sale up for themselves, especially if that person has a day off. When the odd person does this I talk privately with them but they always deny any mention of anyone else. Any advice on how to deal with this further?
Scottyg
Sales Stealing
Posted 9:44 PM on 04/19/08 -
Reply to this postJack,
Have you considered goals based upon the teams production instead of or in addition to the individuals production? Salespeople will always be "me first" in their thinking BUT if they were rewarded for helping each other I believe the overall customer satisfaction would improve.
James
Sales stealing
Posted 10:45 PM on 04/22/08 -
Reply to this postDo your salespeople keep track of the prospects? If they have a record of the interaction and are following up then as a team the closer should at least spit the sale. In my retail store my sales people are required to follow up and keep track of their prospects and the progress that is being made. If someone comes into the store and asks for a particular person who is not in the store that day, the sale is split between the person who closes and the one who followed up to bring them back. No follow up means no credit for the sale.
Shad M
Tough situation
Posted 9:48 AM on 04/25/08 -
Reply to this postHaving worked in a retail environment in the past I feel your pain. I had sales stolen from me all the time while I chose to "give" sales to the people who said "I dealt with so and so". You can't teach morals, you can only hire moral people. That will help. Also, if you know someone is lying to you that is a big red flag too. If sales quota's are increasing is pay increasing also? YOU as the manager have to determine the WHY of all this. If quota's are too high and the pay sucks then you have created extra pressure. And even honest people do stupid things when under pressure. Go to bat for them with your boss. Ask for them to get more money or equal commission on a "split" sale. This takes away the risk for the salespeople and will promote working together to make sure the CUSTOMER doesn't get caught in the middle of an inter-office war. YOU are the one who has to take responsibility and correct this. If your boss won't listen try and get a meeting with the CEO and tell him what has happened. If they truly care about the CUSTOMER then it will change. Otherwise, go work for your competitor!
GabFirst
Sharking
Posted 8:03 PM on 04/29/08 -
Reply to this postHi Jack! I currently work for Bell Distribution Inc. (residential) retail store in Canada. We had the same experience between the sales representative in our store. Some were stealing sales even if the client told the name of the rep that served them and took the sale anyway. Though we instored 1 rule about sharking sales: If you haven't closed the sale, it isn't your sale. (If the client didn't buy, it's not your client. Cause they buy they don't get sold). But your sales personnel must also learn that closing a sale is a process and not an event. Think you should buy some RED books to your employees ;)
Jared Godfrey
"30 second commercial" phone message
Posted 3:06 PM on 04/18/08 -
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Would someone be willing to share an example of their "30 second commercial" phone message as well as their thoughts on its effectiveness?
Thanks,
Jared
Kate
What are reasons for doing business with you?
Posted 9:36 PM on 04/24/08 -
Reply to this postSales are made on the 8 to 10th call, are you calling on the business enough? An enticing phone message would be perhaps a last resort, as most business owners are too busy to even breath sometimes let alone pick up the phone and call you back. If you HAVE TO leave a message, I would suggest, you mention like, "people do business with us for 3 reasons,,,list your 3 reasons,,then ask are any of these a concern to you? If so, please give my office a call back, OR suggest a time when you will actually be in their area within the next 2 weeks, and suggest you schedule a meeting for a day/time. Let them know you will call back to confirm.
Shad M
Try this
Posted 9:56 AM on 04/25/08 -
Reply to this postDo you want a call back or not? First of all, sales aren't made on the 8th or 10th call. They are made because you have formed a relationship. Two things to remember when leaving voicemail: 1. Do your homework. There is too much on the web about everyone you want to call on to not find out a little info BEFORE you pick up our phone. 2. State your reason for calling or don't. I have a 99% success rate with "High this is Shad calling for Bob Smith. My number in my Birmingham Office is 555-4444. Thank you." Now here is the catch. YOU BETTER HAVE SOMETHING GOOD TO SAY WHEN THEY CALL BACK, otherwise you are gonna get an earful. That is where #1 comes in handy. When they call back you state your idea, such as "Bob, I noticed on your website that you are moving to a new location soon. I help people avoid the three main pitfalls when moving to a new location and would like to share my ideas with you. How about I take you to lunch and we can discuss it further?" You could also leave the above on voicemail but it more than likely won't get returned. Believe me I have tried this over and over and over. Bottom line is, get them on the phone, be different, and offer an IDEA that has to do with helping (not selling) them. Good Luck. Also, Jeffrey has a section on elvator pitch's in his books, get them....
TLee
?Quotas?
Posted 12:52 PM on 04/16/08 -
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Our goals as a sales team are to get at least 30 calls each day, that’s it. 30 calls in an eight hour day is nothing, especially when ¾ of them are voice mails. Talk times are between 10 and 20 minutes per day. So why is it that the majority of the team still does not hit that mark? Where did the other 7 hours and 40 minutes of the day go? Prospecting? What’s a better target to shoot for if we are not requiring sales at this point? Talk time, more calls, I’m not sure. I don’t want to micromanage so I would rather do this on a monthly scale. For example, if we were going to shoot for a certain number of calls per day, don’t require it per day, just multiply whatever the daily goal is by the number of work days that month and say that what they need to get by the end of the month. What’s a good goal/requirement for a new sales team?
Trevor
change the definition of a call!
Posted 11:50 AM on 04/17/08 -
Reply to this postInstead of "calls", you need to require "contacts". I can call 100 ppl a day and never get anywhere, but if I get 50 solid contacts, I can really build my business! Make the definition of a contact the answering of a question, and then you'll get somewhere!
