Mark Hunter's Blog, page 24
July 28, 2021
Taking the ‘Cold’ out of Cold Calling
There’s a special level of dread that many people experience with prospecting calls, both the salesperson and the customer.
I know that it doesn’t have to be that way! There are tools and tips you can use to warm up that phone call.
It doesn’t have to feel cold, and there are steps you can take to use the phone more successfully.
1. Know your ICP.
ICP is Ideal Customer Profile. This allows you to focus your time and your effort, all your resources, everything that you do toward a very small focus group.
I encounter this all the time with salespeople. They’re trying to sell to the world. They’re trying to sell to the Western hemisphere, or North America. Stop right there. I want you to focus on a small slice.
When you have an ideal customer profile identified, it’s amazing how much more effective you are, because you understand your outcomes. You’re more confident with your messaging. You are able to have conversations much sooner than anybody else would because you know these people.
Why? You’re speaking to your people, to your audience!
Read more about what makes a good prospect.
2. Have a social media presence.When you reach out to people, you really want them to know who you are because they’ve seen you on social media, or elsewhere on the internet.
This does not mean that you throw your whole life savings or company assets into developing social media. It just means have a footprint out there that speaks highly of you.
It’s one of the reasons I put YouTube videos out weekly, because it allows people to get to know me before they choose to engage with me. I’m actually practicing this right now because we have people who engage with us and say, “Oh yeah, we’ve watched your videos. We know who you are.”
via GIPHY3. Have a purpose for the call.
It is never about, “Hey, I just want to see if you want to buy.” Instead, having a purpose for the call means you’re always calling with some intention.
“Hey, I’ve got new information on this……. I’ve got some insights I can share with you…….. How are you handling this?” I always want to engage.
When you’re focused on your ICP, you always have that information because you pay attention to the needs of that targeted group, and you anticipate those needs. You are part of the family, part of the group.
via GIPHY4. Know your prospect.
Depending on what you sell, you may take anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes to do research on that prospect before you call them. You’re checking them out on the internet just as they’re checking you out on the internet.
When you know your prospect, it ups your game.
Even if you are reaching out to people who fit your ideal customer profile, there’s still individual information you want to get. It doesn’t take long. It takes 30 seconds to a minute and I can come up with two or three pieces of information that are going to help me understand and connect with them at a deeper level, faster.
5. Stay focused.It is so easy to get distracted. Squirrel! Shiny object! But you have to stay focused.
One of the challenges salespeople have: it’s an emotional business. Therefore, they allow themselves to get distracted very easily.
“Look at that! A lead over there!” Yeah, but it doesn’t fit your ideal customer profile. Don’t chase it.
“Oh, they mentioned this. Maybe I should go look at it.” No, stay in your competency area.
Read more about how to make prospecting less stressful.
via GIPHY6. Play the long game.
When I’m reaching out to people, I have to be prepared that it may take six, or even sixteen times before I reach you. Each message I bring you is going to be different.
Nonetheless, I know I can help you because you fit my profile. In fact, I’ve helped other people just like you, so I know I can. As a result, I owe it to you to get in touch. I actually owe it to you. If we don’t engage, I’m actually doing you a disservice because I have the ability to help you.
Think about this for a moment. If you had an issue that you wanted fixed, and there was somebody who could help you, wouldn’t you want them to reach out to you? I bet you would.
7. Have the right mindset.Playing the long game means communicating purposefully and persistently because you hold their solution in your hands.
The mindset I take to prospecting is this:
Each conversation I have, I want to earn the right, the privilege, the honor, and respect to be able to talk with you again. I want to be able to impact and influence as many people as possible. My goal is to help you see and achieve what you didn’t think was possible.When I stay focused on those three things, it’s amazing how much better I am, because I stay in the game. I stay focused. I’m no longer cold calling–I’m practically hot calling because I’m calling very specific people who I know I can help.
via CBC on GIPHYI want to help take the pain out of the prospecting process.
This post is just a glimpse into the variety of content at The Sales Hunter University. I have three levels of access for you to choose from.
There’s a higher level of prospecting and sales success that you’ll be able to achieve. But, you’ve got to get enrolled in The Sales Hunter University.
Want to aim higher? Level 3, All Access gives you live coaching and drop-in office hours with me. I’d love to help you on a more personal level.
All Access also gets you access to every Masterclass I have offered, or will offer in the future! I just did a Masterclass specifically about Ideal Customer Profiles! Next month we’ll focus on Phone Prospecting!
You’ve got to check out The Sales Hunter University for yourself!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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July 21, 2021
What Makes a Good Prospect
Just like seeking a spouse, a car, or a new home, you should start by having an idea of what exactly you’re looking for.
If you’re going to cultivate a relationship with this prospect, it would be most helpful to know the following six things.
1. What’s a great customer look like?
Think about this, if you’re getting in a car driving somewhere, don’t you want to know where you’re going? Likewise, you want to understand, “What does a great customer look like?”
You could look at your current customers. What do you like about them? What do they tell you? And what are they all about?
Taking some time to analyze these characteristics will direct you toward similar, or if you work at it, better prospects in the future.
2. Have a clear ICP.
ICP stands for Ideal Customer Profile. In fact, in our online program, we have a whole course about the ICP, Ideal Customer Profile. It’s over 20 different steps that you walk through that guide you in how to identify, “Who is that Ideal Customer?”
When you’ve got that, it is amazing how laser-focused you can be. And suddenly, when you’re prospecting, you’ll realize that you have great prospects.
via GIPHY3. Know the outcomes you create.
I talk about this a lot because people get too focused on what they’re selling. Don’t focus so much on the product or the service, get focused on the outcomes.
Before you can do this, it’s important to identify the outcomes. When you know what a great customer looks like, you know what outcomes you have helped them achieve.
It’s not what you sold, it’s what they were able to do.
Think about this for a moment: nobody really wants a drill bit, what they want is the hole that the drill bit will make. No, they really don’t want the hole, they want the hole in the wall. No, they don’t want the hole in the wall, they want to be able to put the picture hanger. No, they don’t want the picture hanger, they want the picture on the wall.
You see, ultimately they’re buying the drill bit to be able to hang the picture. That’s the created outcome. That’s the result that they want.
Focus on the outcome.
4. Understand their buying process.
This is so key. For example, why are you trying to prospect people in the first quarter when they make all their buying decisions in the third and fourth quarter? Why are you trying to prospect people in the fourth quarter when you know they don’t have money, instead of trying in the first quarter?
Or, understand their buying process, in terms of, “They don’t normally buy it here, they buy it over there.” Or, “They don’t normally make the decision here without making it in conjunction with this.” You see, every organization and every individual has some sort of a buying process.
It’s the same thing in terms of understanding the decision maker. (i.e. Are there committees involved?)
This comes back to understanding your Ideal Customer Profile. An ICP allows you to avoid wasting time on people who really have no ability to buy from you.
via GIPHY5. Level of engagement
How much engagement will the prospect do with you? This really determines whether or not they’re a good prospect. If they’re not willing to communicate with you, then they’re certainly not a good prospect.
If I can get engagement on the first call, the first contact, first meeting, I believe that I could have a good prospect.
The level of engagement allows me to also understand how best I can serve them.
Remember, my goal is to help others see and achieve what they didn’t think was possible.
via GIPHY6. Lifetime value
The only good sale is the one that leads to the next sale.
I want to be able to spend time prospecting, knowing that this customer can create lifetime value. Not only from them, but from others they might bring me through referrals.
It’s land and expand.
If I’m going to put the effort and the time into prospecting, I want to maximize each opportunity.
via GIPHY
I believe these 6 tips for what makes a good prospect will help guide you toward success. I want you to not only find good prospects, but I also want you to become the master prospector you’re capable of being.
It would help if you knew your “perfect customer” though, right? Or someone similar to them!
No idea where to start? Surprisingly, you’re not alone.
My ICP Masterclass will show you how to develop a specific ICP you can use to completely remodel your sales process–for only $59! You’ll sell more to the right people and waste less time on the wrong people.
Get access at The Sales Hunter University. Enrollment is already open and if you act fast, you’ll gain access to my exclusive webinar on July 26th.
Those that love my Masterclasses know that the best deal lies in becoming a member of The Sales Hunter University. You can pay monthly, or just once annually for access to all my Masterclass offerings, past, present, and future. Plus, live coaching, weekly coaching emails, weekly “drop in” office hours with me, and an invitation to an exclusive online community.
There’s so much to gain, I urge you to check it out!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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The post What Makes a Good Prospect first appeared on The Sales Hunter.
July 16, 2021
Are Your Goals Big Enough?
Recently I was in Atlanta a few days before Outbound begins. Outbound, if you’re not familiar, is a conference I get to put on with a few of my friends. It’s big–we’re in the Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center, in one of the ballrooms which seats about 4,000.
Of course, we didn’t have 4,000 this year because of COVID and everything else. But while I was there and observing all of the preparations, I was in awe of the size of it, the amount of gear and cabling behind the scenes, and the number of people running around getting everything set up.
How did this happen?
Because we dared to dream big. We challenged ourselves to go big.
I’m going to challenge you. Are your goals big enough? Are they really big enough?
via GIPHYYou need to have big goals.
Without a doubt, nothing happens overnight. Outbound began back in 2015. We made a commitment–a 10 year commitment. So we’re about halfway through right now, and we’re just getting started!
You have to be prepared to think big, to dream big, and don’t let naysayers get in the way.
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Fast forward to this year’s conference, and the number of people involved in putting on the show is probably about 50 to 75 people. Not only that, we actually produced two shows, one in the conference center for the live audience, and another for online attendees.
I love seeing an idea come to fruition. This is from a group of guys who said, “Let’s have an event.” And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Don’t ever allow your dreams to be kept small. More importantly, never allow those dreams to sit idly without taking action.
I want to help you dream big through my online program, The Sales Hunter University. We’ve got something for everybody.
Dreaming big can also mean challenging yourself, and working muscles that may be weak. I challenge you to invest in yourself this year so that those big goals can become a reality.
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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July 14, 2021
How Do I Make Prospecting Less Stressful?
However, for the vast majority of people, prospecting is one of the things they stress out over immensely.
There’s something we can do about that right now.
I have 8 steps to remove the strain from your prospecting plan, fresh off the press from The Sales Hunter University. This is just a peek at this month’s: Ideal Customer Profile Masterclass, LIVE for enrollment now!
Read more from this blog series–avoiding cold calls by knowing your ideal customer.
1. Have a plan.
Anything is going to be stressful if you don’t have a plan. It comes down to understanding:
Who are you going to reach out to?What are going to be the communication methods? What’s going to be your messaging? What’s going to be your process?
Have a road map. It will make reaching success that much easier.
via GIPHY2. Leverage all media.
This does not mean every tool out there. I mean it isn’t only about email, or just telephone or social media. You have so many mediums at your fingertips, so let’s not put all our eggs in one prospecting basket.
Of course, you’re going to use certain media more than others based on who you’re selling to and what your focus is, or what your messaging is. But you have to be prepared to use all media.
Why? Because people are looking for information about you before they decide to engage with you, and you better make it simple to find out about you. That’s what I mean by leveraging all media.
That includes, for instance, YouTube. Why do I put YouTube videos out every week? Because I’m leveraging all media so that you can become familiar with me. Certainly, we use social media. Of course, we don’t use them haphazardly or independently. We use them as part of the plan.
3. Focus on the next step.One of the challenges when it comes to freaking out about prospecting is people think, “I have to make this call and I have to close this sale!”
Not really. Chances are it’s going to take multiple calls, multiple contacts, multiple messages.
via GIPHY
However, when you focus on the next step, which for many people in B2B, (business to business) might be just to secure a meeting. Because you’re calling people, but might not actually reach them. Or they’re not prepared to talk. So your next step is just to get the next meeting, or get their feedback on something, or get them to review something.
4. Create a relationship.Each step along the way moves you closer to the sale.
I don’t care what you sell. It’s still people to people. Your best move is to create a relationship. Let them know that you’re human, just like them. And just as you have needs, they have needs.
When we take the time to be empathetic, or understanding, or when we take the time to listen to the other person, it allows us to create a level of confidence because we’re demonstrating competence.
That allows us to create a relationship. At the end of the day, each conversation I have, my goal is to earn the right, the privilege, the honor, and the respect to be able to meet with you again. That allows me to create a valuable relationship.
5. Think about the outcome, not the product.A lot of salespeople get so hung up on the product they’re selling that they forget the product is not the reason people want to do business with you. It’s the outcome.
What is the result they’re going to achieve from buying the product?
Focus on the outcome. My primary goal is to help you see and achieve what you didn’t think was possible. Notice that goal said nothing about my product or service. When you focus on the outcome, you focus on your customer’s needs, too.
via GIPHY6. Celebrate your past successes.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Prospecting can involve a lot of “boring” activity. Instead, I want you to celebrate.
That’s right, at the end of every day, I want you to celebrate. “Hey, I had one email that went through and I got a great response. I had a phone call and it was a great conversation.” Celebrate! Celebrate your past successes.
Regardless of how difficult it might’ve been for you to be prospecting, I want you to celebrate. Today, for instance, I was making some prospecting calls and I had one conversation that went really well. And I celebrated that success.
7. Have peer support.
If you’ve been around me for any length of time, you know that I love to say that sales is not a solo activity, sales is a team sport. You need others around you who help lift you up just as you lift them up.
I’m part of a mastermind group, and it’s amazing. We’re all in sales, and we all lift each other up. It helps us be more motivated, more focused. We celebrate each others’ success, and likewise they celebrate my success.
Peer support is a powerful tool because sales is without a doubt emotional, and prospecting is very emotional.
8. Believe in the outcomes you create. More important than what you sell, whether it be a product or a service, is the outcome you create. When you are focused on that, you reach out to people you know you can help, and you have a plan, it really feels excellent. Because it feels like, “This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
When you believe in the outcomes, then you know you’re helping others see and achieve what they didn’t think was possible.
I don’t want prospecting to be stressful for you. This is just a glimpse into some of the content and some of the strategies that I share with people who are members of the Sales Hunter University. We are ranked as one of the top 10 sales development online programs for 2020, and we’re very proud of that!
The crazy thing is, a lot of salespeople don’t even know who their ideal customer is!
I like to say that you can’t turn a Walmart customer into a Nordstrom shopper, and it’s true. Yet, too many salesmen and saleswomen willingly waste their time on customers that don’t fit their ideal customer profile, or ICP.
Or worse, they haven’t developed an ICP. Is it time your knew yours?
My ICP Masterclass is live at The Sales Hunter University. Take advantage of this early enrollment period and gain access to my exclusive webinar on July 26th.
Are you a fan of the Masterclasses? Become a Level 3 member and gain access to all past and future offerings, as well as live coaching with me, weekly “drop in” office hours, and a wealth of information in our on-demand sales video vault.
When you know your ICP and stick to it, you’ll discover you have more time to spend with better prospects. You’ll close more sales faster and at a higher price!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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July 9, 2021
Pick Your Friends Wisely
Remember when your mom told you as a kid, “Be careful who you hang out with at school.” I used to get so angry at my mom for telling me who to hang out with and who not to. And yet, it really stuck with me, and still does as an adult when I evaluate my relationships.
You may have heard, ‘We become the average of the five people we spend the most time with.’
It’s amazing how the people you hang out with influence your ideas.
via CBC on GIPHY
Of course, we see this in the political realm and in so many societal norms. But we see it in business, too. It affects how we make decisions and how we process things.
Isn’t it amazing how certain people in a certain company can achieve incredible greatness? Make simple changes to the organization, and you can drastically change your outcomes.
Questions to ConsiderWho are you associating with? Who are you hanging out with? Who are you learning from? Who are you gaining your expertise and your knowledge from? Who are you challenging? Who’s challenging you?
How Your Relationships Can Help You
I have breakfast with a gentleman who I’ve known for a number of years. We get together every couple months. I thoroughly enjoy it because we challenge each other. We discuss business. We chat about life and faith. We talk about a lot of things and it’s amazing–I always come away with ideas.
That’s the goal. You want to hang out with people who give you ideas, and encourage you to move to the next level.
via Red Table Talk on GIPHY
And when you do, those are people you want to continue spending time with. Make sure that you’re helping them, sharing ideas, helping them move to the next level.
Having great contacts can be mutually beneficial, but don’t forget to pay it forward.
A wonderful way to enhance the quality of your relationships is to join the community at The Sales Hunter University.
Choose All Access, and you and I can meet for live coaching, or office hours. We also have an exclusive online community group designed to connect you with the best of the best.
I invite you to check it out, and see how you can take your sales, and those of your business, to the next level!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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July 7, 2021
Prospecting and Avoiding the Cold Call
It doesn’t have to feel cold, and there are steps you can take to use the phone more successfully.
Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. Under what circumstances would you want to listen and engage with someone about a product or a service?
Let’s dig into these seven tips that won’t leave you out in the cold.
1. Know who your ideal customer is.
Certainly, if all you’re doing is calling people from the phone book, well, guess what? That’s going to be a cold call. That’s why it’s so important to know: Who is your ideal customer? And that is the sweet spot that you stay focused on.
Why? Because you have the ability to understand them, and know their needs better. Ultimately you can better service them. Suddenly, that changes it from a cold call to an informed, warm call.
via VH1 on GIPHY2. Focus on targeted prospecting.
What is a targeted prospect? Simply put, you don’t make one call and then never talk to that person again–or just send one email. Targeted prospecting means you have a plan. Each message you send is bringing a new value, something novel to engage your prospect.
You can argue that it’s cold, but I don’t think so, because if I have a problem and I know you can help me fix it, I want you to get in touch with me.
Targeted prospecting is when we’re zeroed in on people we know because they’ve been to our website, or they’ve engaged with us in some other manner. Maybe they participated in a webinar.
The tighter your target around your ideal customer profile, the more successful you’re going to be.
Read more about phone prospecting.
3. Use multiple communication methods.
via D2illustrate on GIPHY
People have different preferences for communication methods, so you need a diverse approach.
Social media is great in some circumstances, but please don’t click and pitch. It is about developing a relationship, and that’s why it’s called social media.
You use multiple communication methods, but it doesn’t mean you use the same strategy and the same process across each one.
Using multiple communication methods also allows people to get to know you before they decide to engage with you. This opens up a tremendous amount of doors, because again, it changes the cold to warm.
4. Have clear expectations.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, everything is cold. You might as well go stand outside and freeze in the winter, because that’s what you’re doing.
Clear expectations means you understand how you can help people, the message you’re going to bring, and to whom. All that’s left to do is execute a plan.
I’d like to help you answer these questions in my upcoming Masterclass, going live July 10th!
5. Have a clear entry point.
Having a clear entry point does not mean, “Hi, I’d like to sell you.”
It’s developing the relationship. It’s knowing how you might be able to service them because of the questions that you ask. Then, use their answers to engage the customer!
If all you’re doing is calling up people and saying, “Buy from me, buy from me,” that’s not a clear entry point. That’s a cold call, and people are going to reject you pretty quickly.
via TV Land Classic on GIPHY6. Leverage relationships.
We all have far more relationships than we ever realize, and I’m going to encourage you to leverage them.
They may be people who know people; that’s a typical referral. But if you’ve done a lot of business already in this industry, or with this type of household, or this area, this community, you may have a lot more leverage than you realize.
7. Stay people-focused.Leverage those relationships to create more relationships, because sales really is nothing more than relationships.
It’s not about being focused on what you’re selling, it’s being focused on the people you’re going to help. You see, sales is about helping others see and achieve what they didn’t think was possible.
I’m sharing some content and strategies that come from our online sales training program (ranked top 10!) because my primary goal is to help you see prospecting as something that is viable and good. You don’t have to make it cold.
I walk you through the entire process because I say, “Prospect with integrity, and you will get customers who have integrity.”
Check out what The Sales Hunter University has to offer! I’ve created three levels of access to meet a diverse set of needs.
Level 3- All Access can be a real game changer. You get every Masterclass, both past and future. Plus, I offer live-coaching sessions, “drop in” office hours, and an invitation to my exclusive online community group.
Becoming a member at The Sales Hunter University could be the investment your career has been waiting for.
Developing their ideal customer profile (ICP) and clearly laying out the outcomes they create for their customers. If there’s one thing that literally pays to get right in your sales process, it’s those two things.
Many salespeople don’t realize that this is the key to effective prospecting.
Knowing your ICP allows you to prospect and sell with integrity. And when we sell with integrity, we get customers who have integrity.
I’ll be sharing my guaranteed, actionable techniques to develop a powerful ICP of your own so you can create a more efficient and successful sales process.
Invest in your prospecting and it will 100% pay for itself. My ICP Masterclass launches on The Sales Hunter University July 10th. Sign up during early enrollment and receive exclusive access to my webinar on July 26th.
How are you doing with your annual plan?
I want you to achieve your sales goals this year in a big way.
This is the reason I’ve teamed up with Meridith Elliott Powell, my co-host on the Sales Logic podcast, to help you.
We’ve created a Mastermind, meeting monthly for six moths, to increase your prospecting, build a stronger pipeline, and design a flawless follow-up strategy.
Don’t wait, enroll now! Join the Mastermind here. Let’s finish the year strong, together.
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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July 2, 2021
Focus on One Thing
It’s been a hard lesson for me to learn again, and again, and again. How many things are we attempting to do at one time?
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We all live a crazy life. I didn’t expect it, but the pandemic has caused me to have more things on my plate with less time than ever before. On the one hand, I’ve learned to be efficient. But more importantly: the value of being focused on one thing, and staying focused until it’s done.
It’s easy for us to jump back and forth from one responsibility to the next, and then we wonder why we don’t actually get enough done.
Where Is Your Focus
Something I’ve been really driving home with myself is just focusing on one thing, and getting it done completely.
Remember, you can only keep so many plates spinning.
It feels so good to get task after task off my plate. The more I practice this, the more focused I become, and actually, the more disciplined I become. That development of discipline in myself means I get more done. It’s a beautiful cycle. And the most important parts are focus and discipline.
Sometimes in my life when I’m not getting things done, it’s because I’m not focused due to lack of discipline with my time.
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My Challenge to YouFocus, discipline and time–you put those three things together, and you create results.
I’m really challenging myself, and I challenge you to be thinking about:
What are you doing to focus?
How are you practicing discipline in your schedule?
What does that mean? It means really being prudent with your time and getting more done.
Find more information and motivation like this crafted for salespeople who desire to achieve more at The Sales Hunter University. Choose from 3 levels of membership for what best fits your needs. Everything from weekly motivation and sales tips to your email, an archive of helful videos and documents, or All Access to my Masterclasses, live coaching, and office hours with me.
I’ll give you the tools so you can get to work as a game changer in sales.
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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June 30, 2021
Email Phrases You Should NEVER Use
This is the final installment in this Email Prospecting blog series. Did you miss one? Find the links here:
Part I. 10-Step Checklist for Prospecting Emails
Part II. Email Phrases You SHOULD Use
Part III. Ground Rules for Prospecting with Email
There are plenty of gaffes that can alienate a prospect. I want to help you avoid them at all costs.
1. “I or me.”
“I” and “Me” cannot be the focus of the email. It’s about the prospect.
I love getting prospecting emails so I can play a little game. I’ll go through and count the number of times the person says “I” or “me”. It can be a lot.
Leave the personal pronouns for family emails, and just go ahead and send them to your website if they must know more about you.
You have to make sure that the email is about them.
2. “Just checking in…”
Excuse me, but “just checking in” is what I normally do at a hotel.
If somebody sends me an email that says they’re just checking in, I want to call them back up and say, “You know what, I’m sorry, but your room is not ready. Check back in about three years, would you?”
Just checking in is dumb. What that says is you don’t have anything of additional value to share.
GIPHY3. “In case you missed my earlier email…”
There are plenty of other versions of this phrase. If you’re writing this, you are being lazy and you’re confirming to the prospect that you send bad emails. In fact, they probably saw the first email, thought it was bad, and chose not to respond.
You can do better than that.
4. “I’m sure you didn’t get time to read this.”
Bring new value with each prospecting email you send out.
People are not sitting around waiting to read your bad emails, I get that, but now you’re calling it out to them?
If you can’t bring more value, don’t send the email. Don’t recycle or resend the same message.
5. “Give me a heads up when you’re ready to talk.”
Excuse me, why are you wasting my time? Bring me more value to create a sense of urgency as to why I should call you.
I have a lot of people who will send me those notes. And you know what, I’m never going to reach out to them. Why should I?
6. “This will be the last email I send you.”Your message should motivate the customer to engage with you.
The proverbial breakup email. Some might profess they get a very high response from an email like this. I hear this all the time.
Here’s the argument, however. You may get a high response rate, but do they convert?
My whole goal with a prospecting email is to set you up to become a customer, not to have a conversation with me that doesn’t go anywhere.
I have people who will consult me, “Hey Mark, we sent that email out, the open rate was amazing, and we’ve gotten an amazing response.” I say, “Great. Terrific. What percentage has gone on to convert?”
And I always wind up with, “We don’t know.”
It just doesn’t happen. You see, it may create a high engagement rate, but it doesn’t create a conversion rate, which is what you really want.
7. “How’s your day going?”
In an email, this question is worse than it is on a phone call.
Why do you care about how my day is going? You really don’t. Be honest, you don’t.
Don’t waste time. This is not the first time your prospect has ever received an email. They’re not going to want to respond to a, “How are you?”
GIPHY8. “How’s business?”
Again, why should I tell you? Why should I share with you?
9. “I’m not sure you’re the right person I should be emailing.”Don’t waste people’s time on things that they know you don’t care about.
I’ve had plenty of people say, “This really works, it helps me breakthrough.”
This is a desperate email. It simply doesn’t fly.
Instead, do your homework and you’ll create engagement.
10. Trying to be funny or cute.
You may think you’re funny or cute, but the person receiving it doesn’t. This is neither the time, nor the era, to sit there and think, “I’m going to try to crack a joke on this.”
It just does not work and could make a terrible impression. Remember, it only takes one negative interaction to tank your reputation with a prospect.
That could take a long time to rebuild!
via GIPHY
I hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of the Do’s and Don’ts of Email Prospecting. We recently went in-depth on this subject in my Email Prospecting Masterclass. Enrollment is now closed for that course, but members of The Sales Hunter University can access it at any time!
In fact, choose Level 3 – All Access and get all past and future Masterclasses, in addition to live coaching, office hours with me, and an invitation to an exclusive online community.
My next Masterclass going LIVE in July teaches about your Ideal Customer Profile.
Many of our members also look forward to the Weekly Sales Kickoff emails they receive with great tips, information, and motivation.
Check out The Sales Hunter University, and see which Level is for you.
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The 2nd half is here, and I want you to make your number. Correction, I want you to blow your annual number away!
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Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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The post Email Phrases You Should NEVER Use first appeared on The Sales Hunter.
June 25, 2021
The Light at the End of the Pandemic Tunnel
It’s amazing how quickly things have returned to normal. It’s as if the past never occurred. What does that tell us?
We are coming out of the pandemic now. Well, we’re still in a pandemic, but clearly here in the United States, it’s getting under control. Stores are reopening, mask requirements are “coming off” in a number of states.
I find it interesting how quickly things return to normal. Traffic’s building on the highway, stores are getting busy.
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I’m sitting here in a Target parking lot early in the morning, and I’m kind of amazed at how busy it is already at 6:45 a.m.
In the midst of the pandemic, we thought things would never, ever return to normal, but they did.
Now Is Not Forever
It’s a lesson that I have to learn over and over again. It’s taught me to never think that my current circumstances are going to be forever. It’s amazing how things change. Just when you think it’s nearly impossible, they do.
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So many times we stress out regarding a situation because we see our reality remain stagnant. And then boom, it changes. Sometimes overnight, sometimes it takes months.
Surely, there are always lessons we learn from it. Great learning opportunities have come out of the pandemic. For example, we’ve all become more efficient. We’ve all learned how to use time more effectively.
How We Move Forward
This tells us quite a few things. When you find yourself in the middle of a situation that you don’t see a way out–think about 2020 and how we didn’t think we’d come out, but we did it. Admittedly, 2021 began similarly to the way 2020 was, but here we are, months down the road, and things are changing.
Never accept things for what they are. Of course, sometimes it’s not in your control, I get that. But by just waiting and being patient, fix your eyes a little further down the road. You might be pleasantly surprised by a new horizon.
Did you miss enrollment for this month’s Masterclass about Prospecting with Email? Remember, becoming a member of The Sales Hunter University means your never miss a Masterclass ever!
Choose one of THREE levels of content access, and make 2021 your best year yet.
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
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The post The Light at the End of the Pandemic Tunnel first appeared on The Sales Hunter.
June 23, 2021
Ground Rules for Prospecting with Email
Email is absolutely one of the important pieces of prospecting.
Of course, it’s an easy way to “reach” people. But achieving engagement and eventually closing sales is much more complex than just sending a message.
Before moving forward with another email destined to be deleted, let’s set some ground rules for success.
Video – Ground Rules for Prospecting with Email
1. Email alone is not enough.
Too many people craft their whole prospecting strategy around email. For example, email is 95% of what they do. However, email alone is not going to fill your pipeline. It’s a critical piece, but not everything.
2. You must have a strategy.Strategy is not: “I’m going to email more.”
What is your endgame? Where are you trying to go? Who are you trying to prospect? Really think through what your strategy is.
Spray and pray is not a strategy. Take some time to analyze the goals of your emails before you send them.
This month’s Masterclass: Email Prospecting goes into great detail about creating a strategy for your emails. Today is the last day to enroll! Click here for more info.
3. Your emails are not about you.
Self-centered messages are the emails you send to your mother.
Your prospecting emails are not about you. If the customer wants to find out about you, they can go out to the website.
Instead, you want to provide them with information that’s going to get them thinking and want to engage with you.
GIPHY4. Quality beats quantity.
In the world of email prospecting, I hear people say, “Well, I’m going to send out 10,000 emails every week. That is certainly going to create some interest.”
In truth, it’s going to create a lot of spam.
Ultimately, what’s going to happen is that your email provider, or whatever tool you’re using, is going to wind up getting blocked.
I say quality will always trump quantity.
Of course, email prospecting is a numbers game, and your response rate is going to be low. Nevertheless, you better have quality to back up any number of sent emails.
via GIPHY5. Subject line and the first sentence are absolutely critical.
These are the most important parts. You could argue that the Call to Action (CTA) is the most important. However, if the subject line or the first sentence don’t pull people in, they’ll never see the CTA.
That subject line has to be engaging to them. Next, the first sentence has to be something of interest to them.
Don’t make these lines about you. That means lines such as: “Hey, I know you’re busy….you probably haven’t seen this,” aren’t a great idea.
In fact, when people get those kinds of emails, they delete them.They simply get rid of them because they know it’s a salesperson, and a bad one at that, because they don’t have anything better to share.
6. The KISS principle applies.
Keep it simple, stupid. Think about when you’re driving down a highway, the signs are simple. Google Maps, it’s simple. When you turn on Siri or whatever else, it’s simple. Make your messaging clear, and your format easy to comprehend.
7. Have a clear CTA, the call to action.
What is the CTA? Please don’t say, “Well, go check out my website,” or, “Go download this,” or, “Go do this,” and have six different links in there.
Include one call to action. That call to action should be to engage with you. This is the number one call to action that you should have in a prospecting email, because you want them to call you.
Now if they want to check you out, they can go to your website. Rather, I want them to call me.
via Apple TV on GIPHY8. Create interest in the next step.
Do not give them so much information to allow them to make a decision right away. Ultimately, that decision might be that they don’t need to work with you. Not ideal, right?
You want to create enough interest in the next step so that they engage with you.
Now you may create a little bit of interest in this first email, and then it may be a second, third, or fourth. It may be multiple emails, multiple phone calls, before they actually engage with you; especially if you’re in an educational mode versus conversion.
You have to understand: are you asking the customer to convert, to switch, or are you having to educate them? Knowing this makes a big difference in terms of how you build out your emails.
9. Do not draw conclusions from a few responses.
People send out 20 emails and they say, “Well, I didn’t get a response. So that email must not work.” I don’t think 20 emails is going to be enough to draw any conclusions.
You see, the statistical numbers are working against you. You have to get into the hundreds of emails before you can even begin to think that you have the ability to draw a response.
So yes, it’s quality versus quantity, but you still have to get to that threshold number so you can have something to evaluate.
10. Your emails reflect you.
Remember, when you engage with the prospect, they’re going to be talking with you. Your email had better reflect a professional. Don’t add comments or thoughts that are going to have you be seen as the weird aunt or the crazy uncle. It just doesn’t work.
via GIPHY
You’re ready to craft emails with confidence! Check back next week for Part IV of my Email Prospecting series.
Did you miss Part I: 10-Step Checklist for Prospecting Emails? Find it here.
What about Part II: Email Phrases You SHOULD Use? Find it here.
Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to enroll in my Email Prospecting Masterclass. Stop procrastinating, stop doubting, and invest in yourself today! At $59, this course adds incredible value to your sales skill set.
This 4-part blog series is just a sneak peak into what kind of content is offered in this course.
Give your SENT folder some meaning. It’s time to upgrade your emailing skills!
Are you looking to level up? Become a member of The Sales Hunter University.
When you choose the ‘All Access’ annual pass, you get your hands on not only this Masterclass, but all of my previous Masterclass offerings.
What’s more, your ‘All Access’ membership means we can meet face-to-face in open office hours each month.
Additional benefits of ‘All Access’ membership include:
Monthly group coaching sessionsAn exclusive library of sales videos and files24/7 access to The Sales Hunter Community GroupEncouragement and motivation via a Weekly Sales Kickoff video messageTake advantage of these great opportunities, and enroll in this Email Prospecting Masterclass today. You just can’t miss it!
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Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
The post Ground Rules for Prospecting with Email first appeared on The Sales Hunter.
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