On
occasion,
I'll
start
a
Chief
Executive
Boards
International
meeting
with
a
challenge
like,
"Name
one
sales
strategy
that's
working
well
for
you
(or
better
than
expected)."
Sometimes
I
get
"big"
strategies
like
web
presence
or
trade
shows.
And
other
times
I
get
surprisingly
simple,
low-cost,
high-yield
strategies
I
never
expected.
In response to that question, a member recently said, "Cold Calls are Working." Wow, a selling strategy thousands of years old still works! Then we asked him what he meant by that.
He's an industrial material supplier, and of course his business declined with the general downturn in manufacturing output. Yet he realized that customers have to be buying some of his product from someone just to keep their plants running. So, he drafted one person from the office and one operator off the floor who he thought might be pretty good on the phone, and put them to work calling existing customers.
In response to that question, a member recently said, "Cold Calls are Working." Wow, a selling strategy thousands of years old still works! Then we asked him what he meant by that.
He's an industrial material supplier, and of course his business declined with the general downturn in manufacturing output. Yet he realized that customers have to be buying some of his product from someone just to keep their plants running. So, he drafted one person from the office and one operator off the floor who he thought might be pretty good on the phone, and put them to work calling existing customers.
Simple
idea
--
the
product
isn't
complex,
and
both
knew
something
about
how
customers
used
it,
so
they
quickly
developed
a
"trial
script"
and
then
adjusted
as
they
made
a
few
calls
and
saw
how
it
worked.
And,
what
do
you
know,
sure
enough,
some
of
those
customers
needed
some
additional
product
and
placed
orders
on
the
spot!
Even
if
they
didn't,
this
type
of
call
counts
as
a
"touch"
to
keep
your
company's
name
at
the
front
of
a
customer's
mind.
See:
"Front
of
Mind
--
Maintaining
Visibility
with
Prospects
&
Customers."
This member's experience points out the importance of using all the tools in your sales & marketing toolbox -- keeping them sharp, and applying them regularly. You never know which one is going to work on any particular prospect at any particular time.
