Sales Calls that Work
A colleague asked an interesting question recently… one that resonated with me personally as it pointed to an area of my business that once did NOT work and now DOES work.
He asked, “When making sales calls, are the questions we’re asking offering up the right answers?” Much depends on how we each define “right answers”, but who really has the those anyway?
As a technical expert, it’s likely your professional training didn’t prepare you for the world of sales. That’s a challenge if you own your own a business or have been promoted to a business development role in your organization.
Many technology professionals (and even die-hard salespeople) will say that cold-calling or sales calls don’t work in their business or industry.
B.S. – they can work. You just need to make a small shift in Intention and Process. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Relate
I ran across an interesting question on LinkedIn Answers today…
“When you telecommute, how do you stay connected with your place of business? Today, we are seeing a shift in the workplace and the number of remote employees is on the rise. Technology has aided in this transition by allowing for businesses to be run from home. We know that employees are able to work effectively from home, but how do remote workers remain connected to their organization? How do they establish themselves as present employees who are part of the team despite their location?”
What a great question as it touches on a topic / situation that goes well beyond just “tele-commuting” – it addresses the more contextual challenge we have in creating relationships that make a difference.
Intimacy Lost
Send Out Card reps, be prepared – I’m going to stir up the pot.
Yesterday, I received this in an email – it’s the third such email I’ve received in two weeks:
“Hi Preston – I just got your card in the mail and thank you so much! What a personal way of connecting.”
You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not sure which is more disconcerting: a) that someone acknowledged a hand-written note with an email, or b) that many of these comments have come from people who are in the same business as me – a business whose foundation is built on intimacy.
In a culture that increasingly promotes “efficiency”, we are rapidly losing touch with intimacy. You know, that close, familiar, and caring relationship we have with people.
As a technology consultant or professional, you understand the benefit of being more efficient – who wouldn’t want to move through one task more quickly to get to another you’re more interested in? Plus, you’re perfectly positioned to help folks leverage technology to be more efficient.
