Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 125

Perseverance

Winston Churchill once observed, “Success always demands a greater effort.” If you’re passionate about what you’re doing and believe it is of benefit and value to others, then perseverance can take you a long way.

Getting Through the Gatekeeper

A lot of people misunderstand the role of the gatekeeper, such as an executive assistant or receptionist. They assume the gatekeeper’s purpose is to prevent you from making a sale that allows you to send your kids to a good school or to pay your mortgage. The truth is quite different.  If you’re dealing with a gatekeeper who is good at their job, they’re making sure their boss’s time is well spent.  If someone is calling to sell timeshares in Florida, they’re not going to get through.  If the call is about creating genuine value for their boss or their company, or at least making the company easier to manage, then the chances of being put through are higher.

Successful Lead Generation Tactic

Years ago we added marketing to our offerings, teaching students about how they can utilize blogs, social media, digital media, and print materials for their business needs.  Of course, this goes hand in hand with lead generation, which involves networking and asking for referrals, both of which are underutilized.  In my opinion networking and asking for referrals should be second nature when it comes finding new customers. 

Effective Conversations with the C-Suite

When you’re discussing financial benefits with the C-suite, not every conversation should be the same.  A CEO is often the “why” guy or gal, while a CFO is more often concerned with the numbers.  To put it more simply, when it comes to CFOs, you need to prove the justifiable cost of your project’s benefits.  When it comes to CFOs, you need to prove the financial and non-financial value of those benefits.

Overcoming the “I’m Moving!” Objection

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When you’re selling efficiency solutions in landlord/tenant settings, there are times where you’ll hear the “I’m moving” objection. It comes in two flavors.

Go from Relationships to Referrals

Beginning with the fallout from the Great Recession of 2008, 7L: The Seven Levels of Communication begins with real estate agent, Rick Masters, crossing paths with a fellow professional who seems to be connected with all the right people and knows everyone’s names, thriving while seemingly everyone else is struggling around her.  While learning her methods he realizes two things: that relationships are often the basis of sales success and that it really helps to realize how many “touches” you need to make in order to close.

Weekly Recap, November 1, 2020

Here are our favorite sales-enhancing tips from this week's Selling Energy Blogs...

Setting an Intention

Successful people have knack for getting the most out of their workdays. 9 times out of 10 this is due to planning ahead. By setting goals every day, or at least an intention, you are putting your mind in the right place to get things done.

Bringing Dead Customers Leads Back to Life

Sometimes a prospect goes silent.  If you have already sent your one-page proposal and have a good relationship with your potential customer, getting back in touch with them is the logical next step.  Write something like, “I wanted to make sure you received our proposal. I haven’t heard from you in a week or so and want to confirm that it reached your inbox and that you were able to open the attachment.”

Sometimes a Change of Perspective is All It Takes

When it comes to perspective, you might be able to change a prospect’s outlook by reminding them of what’s important, or at the very least what’s at stake. Here’s an example that will give you an idea of how this works.