Using the Right Metrics with Service Provider Customers

November 10, 2009

Targeting customers in the service provider space? If you want to gain credibility and create differentiation, you’ll have to brush up on that market’s unique industry-specific metrics.
But how do you find the right metrics for your targeted customer?
We’ve developed this short format overview for exactly that purpose. In addition, use Analyst Reports. These reports used [...]

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Want to Know How Executives You are Targeting Are Compensated? Snoop Proxy Statements.

November 3, 2009

If you could find out how a customer executive you’re targeting is compensated, would you? Of course you would.
An insider secret: Outside of the U.S., in many parts of the world, details regarding how and why executives are compensated are spelled out in remuneration reports.
Thanks to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements that companies [...]

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Take a Look at Great Sales Give

October 29, 2009

Interested in free resources?  Then check out Great Sales Give, a new site that colleague and best selling author Jill Konrath launched to share her expertise with those who need it, but may not have budget available. Each month, she’s giving away one of her audio programs, ebooks, etc. and conducting other drawings for free goodies too.Â
There’s just a couple more days left in October [...]

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Three Steps to New Sales Opportunities in Changing Government Markets

October 26, 2009

Money is tight and budgets are strapped, whether you’re talking about the euro, yen or dollar.  Anyone selling to government entities today knows it’s a problem. As a result, many officials are turning to the private sector for help.
Now’s the time to capitalize on this increasing trend toward public-private partnerships (PPPs). Structure your proposals around these [...]

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How to Read an Annual Report in 20 Minutes: And Get the Info You Need

October 21, 2009

If you regularly obtain your customers’ annual reports, you know that reading the entire document is impractical, if not impossible. Use the shortcuts below to help you quickly find the critical information you need.
Start with the Letter to Shareholders
The Letter to Shareholders is your best source of information about a customer’s business and written in [...]

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How to Use Hurdle Rates to Win More Deals

October 16, 2009

Want to win more deals? Don’t we all? Obtaining and leveraging your customer’s Hurdle Rate can be a very effective strategy to win deals or to save a deal you thought you lost.
Here are two sales techniques to apply to your own portfolio:
1. To accelerate commitment ahead of schedule
When you reach the point in the [...]

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5 Prospecting Myths Debunked

October 13, 2009

Prospecting isn’t fun, nor is rejection. Here, we debunk five common myths about executive prospecting and replace them with a prospecting action plan.
Don’t worry; when it comes to prospecting, you aren’t alone. Few people enjoy it. Many blame failure on these insurmountable barriers:

I need the perfect grabber line.
Marketing [...]

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Three Steps to Keeping Your Sales Strategies Current

October 8, 2009

Any change in your account’s business performance or an unexpected market shift may signal a new selling opportunity. So how do you stay current on the latest challenges faced by your customer’s executives? Review transcripts from the company’s quarterly earnings calls. All it takes is three easy steps.
Step 1: Find your customer’s transcripts
Many companies make [...]

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What to Do When an ROI Seems Too Good To Be True

October 5, 2009

Sometimes in sales you run into a curious dilemma: the business solution you’re offering is perceived by your customer as “too good to be true.” It happens to the best of us!
The return on investment you’ve calculated seems improbably high, which in a customer’s mind calls your credibility into question. This is a tricky issue [...]

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How to Convert Executive Access to Value

September 29, 2009

You finally got a meeting with a key customer executive that you’ve been pursuing for months. Congratulations! Now it’s time to prepare. Here’s what you need to do before you show up to the executive suite.
Do your homework and have a strategy in place before you walk through that door. Never improvise in a sales [...]

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