Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 16

Getting the Most Out of Your Day

There’s a deep satisfaction in completing a workday and feeling as if you’ve accomplished everything you could have.  Still, the struggle to get there is something professionals experience daily. What is the best way to optimize your time and keep on top of your workload?

Potential Prospects Are Just a Few Connections Away

LinkedIn is a phenomenal resource for making connections, especially now that many of us are networking from the comfort of our home. There are currently about 900 million users, which is about 10% of the world’s population, and likely 90% of the world’s business population. That means you have an incredible opportunity to reach a bounty of current customers and potential prospects who are just a few connections away.

Urgency vs. Importance

You may be convinced an energy-related solution that you are proposing could drive important benefits for your prospect. However, your prospect may ignore or reject it in favor of something “urgent” because urgency usually trumps importance when people evaluate how to invest their time and money. 

Connect the Dots!

One of the most important attributes of a true sales professional is the ability to tell the prospect’s story rather than his/her own.  Moreover, that true sales professional knows to connect the dots in new and creative ways so that the prospect realizes the link between what is being sold and what that prospect is actually seeking. Doing so moves the discussion beyond features, and even beyond benefits, and toward values that the prospect really cares about.

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.”

Business Etiquette

I talk a lot about the importance of rapport building on this blog. One of the aspects of rapport building that is often overlooked in the discussion is etiquette. You may be very personable, funny, and likeable; however, etiquette blunders have the potential to damage good rapport. 

Weekly Recap, October 29, 2023

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

Rich Habits

What if you were given the opportunity to be a fly on the wall among 100+ self-made millionaires to observe their habits?  That’s what Thomas C. Corley did for his book Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, and to say the least, a pattern began to present itself, providing a blueprint to success.

How to Effectively Sell Cogeneration Systems

I was recently asked about how to sell cogeneration systems effectively. For those not in the know, Scientific American offers a definition that’s fairly straightforward: “cogeneration—also known as combined heat and power, distributed generation, or recycled energy—is the simultaneous production of two or more forms of energy from a single fuel source.”

When Is the Best Time to Ask for a Referral?

A lot of people don't ask for referrals because they think it's begging.  It's not.