Administrative and manual sales tasks take up valuable time. Sales automation tools give reps some of that time back. As a result, there’s more time to focus on prospects and deals. An example of one of these tools is dialer software. Sales dialers often have other capabilities as well, such as call recording, integrations, transcription, voicemail drop, and call analysis. Why use a sales dialer? Sales dialers save reps time — they accurately and quickly dial numbers and often have other features that make tasks more efficient such as call queues which help prioritize conversations with most-valuable prospects first. Sales dialers increase efficiency and offer value in other ways too — for instance, you may integrate your tool with your CRM so all contacts, records, and … [Read More...]

Only 3{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of buyers trust salespeople. In fact, the only people that buyers trust less than sales reps are car salespeople, politicians, and lobbiers. Sales tie downs are here to help fix that. They allow you to build trust and loyalty with your buyers, as well as close more deals. Unlike a regular sales process, using sales tie downs with your potential customers implements routine questions that allow you to check in, make sure the prospect is following along, and ensure that you’re talking about the things that are valuable to them. It’s a great way to slow down your conversation, and speed up the sales process. Help your team members differentiate themselves by training them on the power of sales tie downs: what they are, how … [Read More...]

Conversational intelligence tools — programs that use artificial intelligence to automatically record, transcribe, and analyze hours of sales calls — are becoming a staple of a growing number of sales organizations’ tech stacks. And it makes sense — tracking and pulling insight from sales calls manually is a frustrating, labor-intensive, often ineffective burden that can eat up sales managers’ time without offering much return. Now that this software is starting to have a more prominent place in a wider range of sales orgs’ operations, it’s worth exploring a bit further — specifically when it comes to the benefits it can offer. Sales managers stand to gain a lot by incorporating this kind of tech into their teams’ day-to-day and broader sales efforts. Here, we’ll … [Read More...]

After wrapping up a sales call with a prospect, have you ever thought, “Wow, I nailed that!” Or maybe you thought, “I could’ve guided the conversation more effectively if I had done X instead.” Either way, a recording of that call would be helpful — it’d give you the ability to learn and pull actionable insights from the conversation that could be used for your own growth but also for team-wide training and coaching. A call recording can also help you improve the buyer’s journey and customer experience by giving you insight into how you can tailor communication and interactions to specific leads based on relevant context. The best way to obtain these recordings without adding any work to the plates of your salespeople … [Read More...]

When YouTube launched in 2005, the world of video changed. Previously, video content was only created by professionals and viewed on live TV (unless you count the old-school camcorders that documented your childhood if you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s). Suddenly, videos were shorter, easier to create, and more accessible than ever. As technology evolves, we are all relying on video more and more personally and professionally. And if you aren’t specifically including video in your sales process you could be leaving revenue on the table. According to Vidyard, in 2019 one-on-one video conversations were used in 7{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of sales processes. In 2020, this figure rose to 40{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} and is expected to continue climbing. Not only are more sales teams relying on video … [Read More...]

Think about how many conversations one salesperson has with leads and prospects over the course of a quarter. Now think about how many conversations a team of salespeople has over the course of a quarter. As a result of all of these conversations — which occur daily — many important details about your target audience and buyer personas are uncovered. However, given the number of these conversations that happen, it can become very difficult to remember (let alone, record) every detail from them. The good news is that conversation intelligence software exists to help you with that (and more). Conversation Intelligence Conversation intelligence (CI) is a fairly new technology — however, it’s becoming more popular among the leading sales teams across different industries today. In this article, … [Read More...]

As a natural introvert, I had some trouble setting my sales career in motion. During my first month or so as a BDR, I rolled zeroes for quota every week. It took a lot out of me, but as much as I struggled to find my bearings on my calls, I didn’t let my nerves get the best of me. I did my research, came to understand my business, practiced, listened to my managers, tried, failed, and tried some more until I finally found my footing. And once I hit that groove, I started meeting or exceeding quota consistently and never looked back. Along the way, I learned certain strategies to help me gain my composure and nail my sales calls — and now, as the Head … [Read More...]

Perfect sales calls don’t happen by accident. And while you can’t execute one without thinking on your feet, you can’t just jump on a call blindly, banking on your improv skills and natural charm to get the job done. You need some direction — a general plan that keeps you on track. The process of creating that plan is most commonly referred to as call mapping. And if you want to get the most out of your cold calls and other sales outreach, you need to know how to do it effectively. Here, we’ll get a more thorough look at the practice and review a six-step plan to nail yours every time. Though a well-executed cold call takes improvisation and quick thinking, it’s never strictly … [Read More...]

Navigating rejection and helping your potential customers move through their objections and reservations are the name of the game when working in sales. What are the most common objections you get during the sales process? Do you find you get the same objections over and over? How do you handle them? Your approach makes all the difference in your performance. Sometimes salespeople treat objections as a personal affront. “What do you mean now is not the right time?!” “It’s not too expensive…you are just thinking about it the wrong way!” Don’t do this. When you’re in a hole, you should stop digging. Handling objections is actually a process — it’s not just providing the answer to a problem. Years ago, I worked for a great … [Read More...]

As sellers, we must immediately break down prospect resistance by creating a great first impression. Yet most salespeople fail to do so — repelling buyers and making them think, “It’s a salesperson, how do I get them off the phone?” The best reps know what they’re facing each time they call and have developed repeatable strategies for dispelling resistance. Here we’ll review some of the core causes of sales resistance and look at four strategies you can use to break through it. Sales resistance is one of the most fundamentally ingrained and constantly frustrating elements of sales. And it can come from a lot of sources — here are a few of the most common ones you can expect to run into during your sales career. … [Read More...]

The most important skill for sales professionals? Making calls. Cold calls or warm leads, hot prospects or chilly receptions, making contact is critical. Data backs up this enterprise demand for skilled callers. RAIN Group recently found that 82{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of buyers say cold calls were the impetus for eventual meetings, but 63{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of sales reps say they don’t enjoy making cold calls. It makes sense: Going in with no prior history and no way to know exactly how prospects will respond is nerve-wracking, and no one likes hearing “No”. Precall planning offers the chance to both boost prospect receptivity and reduce sales stress. So, here’s what you need to know about the promise of precalls, the importance of planning, and the steps required to boost precall potential. … [Read More...]