I was in a meeting the other day and a long time friend and I were talking about a mutual acquaintance and fellow sales professional. I could tell my friend was genuinely impressed with this person. He asked me what I thought about her. I explained “while she is definitely a good solid salesperson she’s not a great salesperson in my eyes”. This came as a complete surprise to my colleague. He then asked “then what is a great salesperson to you?”
Over the years I would bust my behind with lead generators, network meetings, relationship building, lunches, Starbucks, etc. to get a qualified lead for my sales team. “Keep me in the loop” is the only prerequisite I ask in order for them to receive these sales leads. Simple right?
While commuting this morning, I was listening to an editorial piece on the concerns about students not raising their hand during class at school. Apparently, a local school has decided to no longer have students raise their hands to offer an answer. They feel there’s an issue with only some students answering. Their solution was a simple one. Teachers will randomly choose students and ask for answers. On the surface it makes sense, I guess. Equal opportunity and all that. Unfortunately, I hate to tell them but it probably won’t work as I have experienced low meeting participation in the business world and calling on them randomly was a disaster.
When left with no choice but to leave a message… Do you leave an impromptu message? Or even worse… Do you simply put the phone down and hang up, expecting to catch that prospect at a later time? If so… Why? Do you believe voicemail’s a waste of time? I have a question for you… Is it leaving a voicemail that’s a waste of time or could it be the voicemail you’re leaving? Let’s make sure it’s not the later.