This blog post is about three things:
- The #6 ZMOT Selling strategy
- How Cold Calling TRIGGERS THE BIGGEST SALES
- FatStax – Show, Send, Sell
#6 ZMOT Selling Strategy
In my last blog post I shared the #7 ZMOT Selling Strategy – How to create content that is found by and resonates with those who recently experienced a Zero Moment Of Truth.
The #6 ZMOT Selling Strategy is having the best follow up.
When you follow up with someone who completes a form on your web site to access a resource, you first need to figure out which buying mode they are in (Status Quo, Window of Dissatisfaction, or Searching for Alternatives).
If you learn they recently experienced a ‘Want’ Trigger Event and are in the Window of Dissatisfaction™ you ask questions so you can understand what problem they are trying to solve (or what outcome they are trying to accomplish) and then pursue the sale. Following up correctly while someone is in the Window Of Dissatisfaction (aka Window of Discontent) results in you helping decision makers define the problem, develop the solution and you start developing a trusted adviser type relationship before the competition even knows there is an opportunity.
If you learn they recently experienced an “Afford” Trigger Event and are Searching For Alternatives you ask questions so you can understand who they are already talking to and how you can position myself as the least risky alternative.
If you learn they have not recently experienced a Trigger Event and are in the buying mode of Status Quo and believe they have money, authority, and influence you want to start fostering a relationship while raising their expectations.
What questions should you ask when you follow up?
In today’s world of what Jill Konrath calls ‘crazy busy buyers’ I think it’s important to respect a potential customer’s time while also coming across as succinct and professional. For that reason I think you get to ask a maximum of three maybe four questions. Here are the three questions I like to ask.
In today’s world of a million and one different spam filters you can never be sure that the email your systems automatically send out get into the recipients inbox. So, my first question is “Did you receive the email with the link to download the resource?”
I’m always curious what they saw or heard that made them willing to provide their email address and phone number in return for access to what is being offered. So, my second question is “What about it caught your attention and made you say hey I should check this out?
My last and perhaps most important questions is to learn which buying mode the person is in so I can learn if there is a pursuable sales opportunity.
I firmly believe that the statistics of those who fill in forms are similar to those who register for webinars. Patrick Cahill writes in his article “How to Pinpoint Real Sales Opportunities with Your Webinars“:
People who register for events fall into four categories: immediate opportunities (5%) and short-term leads (20%), long-term leads (50%), and perfectly nice people who will never buy related services (25%).
So my last question is “What happened recently that made it more relevant or more important?”
Depending on the answers to three questions above I often ask for permission to ask one last question.
The question I often get when I share this strategy is “Aren’t people offended by your following up right after they fill in a form?”
The answer is NO! Its’ exactly the opposite.
Almost everyone I call is amazed that I followed up so fast and because I’m not trying to sell anything they share information and I get to start the relationship building process which I take one step farther by immediately sending them a LinkedIn connection request.
How Cold Calling TRIGGERS THE BIGGEST WINS
Think cold calling is dead?
Think again.
Two years of research from the Corporate Executives Board shows that top performers hunt down “emerging” demand in the market place.
Other research shows that cold calling on decision makers who are in a Window of Dissatisfaction can result in a 60% – 90% close ratio.
Join us for a one hour webinar as Dan McDade and Craig Elias share::
- How to double your sales from the lead lists you buy
- Which leads are 5x better than BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
- Which prospects are most likely to buy from you and which ones are a waste of your time
- How to develop the competence and confidence to cold call the most important decision makers
Register even if you can’t make the live event because all registrants receive links to the recording and handout from the event.
Click the button below to sign up now!
http://bit.ly/ColdCallingTriggers
FatStax – The Ultimate Follow Up Tool
When you are on a sales call the best time to follow up on a request for information is while you are in front of them – right then and right there.
Waiting until the end of the day to send the customer the information they are looking for makes it almost impossible to build on the sales momentum you generated during your visit and often leads to the challenge of getting the prospect to reshuffle their priorities and schedule to make time to meet you again.
What started out as a great enthusiasm by the prospect fizzles away to the point where they won’t return your calls or reply to your requests for a follow on meeting and you have to explain to your sales manager why the customer decided to stick with the Status Quo.
The best way for me to describe FatStax is to say it’s a sales app for the iPad that provides instant access to all current marketing materials. This way you can continue the conversation (and the momentum) while you are in front of the customer which means they give you more face time on the spot and as a result you get shorter sales cycles and higher close ratios.
According to Rusty Bishop (Co-Founder and VP Sales) sales people tell them the two features are most important to them in the field:
- Offline Search, which basically means they can find any product or service they offer with no internet needed, and,
- Instant Follow-Up, which means they don’t have to wait until they get back to the office to send product information and ordering details to customers.
Speaking of face time with customer one of the other benefits is because you do the majority of the follow up in real time (while you are in front of the prospect/customer) you don’t have to sacrifice selling time doing follow up and you can spend more time with your wife and kids.
In the last two years their app has helped thousands of sales reps, in over 45 countries:
- Get more face time with customers
- Instantly answer product questions from prospects
- Always have the most recent marketing materials on hand
Some of the key features of our iPad application are that it:
- Works offline: No Wi-Fi, no 3G or 4G? No problem
- Integrates with Salesforce.com: Simplifies data entry
- Is completely brandable: It can look and feel like a custom built application
- Can be ready in 4 weeks or less: Send them your information and they look after the rest
Sales professionals love their tool and that’s why they help companies field test their iPad application without having to buy iPads.
In Q1 2012, their analytics showed 124,564 offline searches were performed by sales people who use their application, and 42% of users reported a confirmed sale within 2 business days of sending product information via FatStax on their iPads.
That goes to show you the power of immediate follow up. The impact of fast follow up can also be seen in MIT’s lead follow up research – which demonstrates that you are 100 times more likely to reach the person who filled in a form when you follow up in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes.
If you want to learn best practices of following up you can access the recording and handout from How to WIN THE SALE on Your First Call – a webinar I recently did with Andy Paul the Author of Zero Time Selling.
Just don’t be surprised when I follow up quickly after you complete the form to access the recording and handout.
Have an eventful month!
