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What Sales NEVER Tells Marketers

I just had the most unexpected phone conversation with a new business prospect.  My head is still spinning.  Here’s the story…

Each week I set aside time to dial marketers who I have yet to meet.  I quickly introduce Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) and, since I am calling unannounced, attempt to schedule an initial phone conversation at a later date.

Yesterday, the North American field marketing lead at a global technology products company picked up her line.  We chatted for a minute and agreed to compare calendars via Email.  Then, she hit me with a surprise.

“Hey, while I have you on the phone.  You are in sales.  Tell me, what does my sales team not share with me when it comes to their expectations of marketing?”

Imagine that!  Rather than simply rushing me off, this marketer viewed the conversation as an opportunity to gather insight and intelligence to help her be more successful.  I was happy to oblige.

  1. A comprehensive view of a prospect helps me initiate a dialogue. Provide me intelligence based on the prospect’s digital footprint and social engagement. How are they engaging with content?  Where do they interact?  By understanding areas of possible need, my rate of success in securing a first meeting will skyrocket.
  2. Sales cycles have gaps in time. Help me fill them. I don’t want to contact a prospect to just “follow up.”  Develop thought leadership oriented content I can use to maintain a dialogue when they are not ready to buy.
  3. Steer me away from unproductive activities. I want to attend events…organize Webinars…sponsor conferences. Help me understand if these tactics are misguided and will fail to reach the right audience.
  4. And perhaps most important…

That’s when I stopped.   The line remained quiet for a good 10 seconds.  You could practically feel the anticipation.

“Well?”, she finally asked.

I will tell you during our introductory call, I explained.  That’s because the goal of each step in the sales process is simply to reach the next step.

What is my final (and most important) expectation of marketing?  Look for an update to this blog post in the next few days.

 

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What is my last “sales guy” expectation of marketing?  Help me develop a voice on social media. 

Sales reps identify and qualify more leads when they are actively engaged in social networks, especially LinkedIn.  Unfortunately, many refrain from social engagement because they are unclear of how to do it in a disciplined and a professional way.  This is an area where marketers can help.

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Non-Knowing Sales Rep Exposed

She asked in the Email subject line if I were OK.  She didn’t care about my well-being though.  It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

The Email was the third in a series of messages I received from a sales rep at a marketing firm pushing content development services.  She offered to save my consultancy “serious time” when it comes to writing high quality blog posts.

Of course, much of Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) work is in thought leadership content creation — for a client’s Web site or blog, or for one of our online buyer communities.  We are not a viable prospect for this vendor.  A quick review of our corporate Web would have proven that out.

In her Email pitch, the sender then made an unexpected shift in strategy from empathy to humor.

“I’m going to assume that you’re not dead or kidnapped,” she wrote.  Are you in prison?  If you are in jail, don’t worry – I’ll post bail for you.  Just let know the best way to connect so I know where to send the money.”

OK…I get it…an attempt to be funny.  To make jest of the fact I have yet to respond to one of these template pitches.  However, as someone who has performed stand-up comedy for nearly a decade (seriously!) I am well versed in the three tenets of humor:

  1. Be relevant to the audience’s interests
  2. Be timely
  3. Be responsive to reaction and feedback

To meet these standards, it helps to actually know something the person.  And this, my friend, is ultimately why most sales outreach with little, if any, diligence is so darn ineffective.  When we don’t know the prospect or customer, there is simply no way to credibly connect with them.

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Should Marketers “Tip” B2B Sales Reps?

During college I supported myself as a waiter at the Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chi-Chi’s.  I recognize how challenging it is to work in food service so, nearly 25 years later, I still generously tip when dining out.

I embrace the same view when receiving a sales inquiry.  This is my chosen profession.  I appreciate the fortitude required to reach out to a prospect and initiate dialogue.

As long as the sales rep has conducted an appropriate level of due diligence on me and Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), I give them a listen.  (It is important to note I have little patience for the “smile and dial” methodology employed by some organizations when it comes to sales.)

This is why I am disappointed when I receive this type of response from a new business prospect:

Hi Marc, can you please unsubscribe me from future mailings and put me on your do not call list?

It is true this marketer’s message is polite and professional.  And each person absolutely has the right to make this type of request.

Yet, this person’s job is to drive demand for her organization – lead generation, account based marketing programs and sales enablement.

How does she think her company’s sales reps identify new business?  How should the thousands of contacts in her marketing automation and CRM databases react to her company’s Emails?

The inherent nature of B2B sales is intrusive.  Yet, when a rep is sincere, diligent, professional and best practices oriented, marketers should consider “tipping” by investing a few minutes of their time.

I have included below a brief clip from the movie Boiler Room I thought you’d enjoy.

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3 Lessons from a Big Time Sales Mess-Up

I am currently the model of unacceptable incompetence and it hurts…bad.

Let me explain. During the past week I have missed an introductory phone call with an important new business prospect twice.

That’s right…the same prospect… twice. And this is after I invested the better part of a month to lock in a date and time to speak with this senior field marketer.

There are a number of reasons for my misstep, including a flakey Outlook calendar and attention paid to a myriad of work-related deliverables.

Ultimately, the excuses are meaningless and irrelevant. I demonstrated a lack of respect for a prospect’s time and, in doing so, reflected poorly on myself and Strategic Communications Group (Strategic).

Why do I share this with you?

Well…everyone messes up something, somewhere at some time. Someone who tells you otherwise is either: a) a liar or b) delusional.

It is how a person responds to flaws and failures that reflects their professionalism. I have always embraced a three step approach:

  1. Own up to it…and fast.
  2. Learn from the mistake and take action to avoid a repeat.
  3. Share the experience with your colleagues, contacts and connections. Success stories are wonderful, yet people often learn more from an experience gone awry.

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3 Reasons Why Voice Mail Remains a Sales Winner

The most powerful and persuasive sales tool remains the human voice.

It’s how we articulate knowledge, establish rapport and create connection. People do business with those they know and trust, right? Dialogue is the foundation of a meaningful business relationship.

This why I was stunned to read this misguided gem in a blog post authored by Howard Sewell of Spear Marketing Group:

“Who the heck responds to voicemail these days even if they DO have a need? Certainly not me. It’s 2015: use email, for crying out loud.”

The context of Howard’s comment was a discussion of lead nurturing and the appropriate role enterprise sales professionals should play in that process.

I met Howard earlier this year at a conference hosted by private equity firm JMI. I think he is well versed and his firm – Spear Marketing Group – does good work for its clients.

Yet, his discount of voice mail as a credible and convincing channel for sales professionals is completely off-base. In fact, I encourage the sales teams at Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) clients to embrace voice mail in their lead nurturing activities.

Here is why:

  1. Emotion is more easily communicated. I am certainly a fan of the emoticon, yet it simply doesn’t convey empathy like a well articulated voice message. Even if the person elects to not return the call, voice mail is an opportunity to brand and message.
  1. It is an effective complement to e-mail and other forms of digital communications. As our Inbox becomes increasingly noisy and cluttered, a simple voice message can call attention to a timely and important Email.
  1. The person may actually answer the phone. Yes…it happens…more often than you think. Always inquire if the prospect has a few minutes to talk. Even if the answer is “no,” I’ve found the person much more amenable to set a time to talk at a later date.

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