January 30, 2007
Big news in the telebusiness community was revealed with yesterday’s announcement. This is a good move for Symantec who wants Altiris to help position them in the enterprise space. I did some training with Altiris last summer and found their inside sales organization to be one of the brightest and talented teams I’ve ever worked with. Perhaps the leadership of Tracy Walton and Shane Eliason had a lot to do with it.
January 29, 2007
For those of you who want to know what is happening in the inside sales world, last week Jean Tali from Genius and I came together and talked about Inside Sales: The Five Essentials to Take Control in 2007. We had a very lively Q&A discussion at the end of the session and I’m going to attempt to answer a few questions that came up.
1. Can you provide stats on the UC Irvine study on desktop distractions and information overload?
I talked about the increase of desktop distractions today and sited a UC Irvine study which showed that a knowledgeable worker can expect, on average, to do 3 minutes of uninterrupted work on any one task before being interrupted, and 11 minutes before switching to a different “working sphere” (i.e. project).
2. Do you have information on blogs you recommend?
Absolutely, there are so many places to start. I would first check out the BlogSquad ladies who really know their stuff and can get you started. There are so many more as well. Check out Darren Rowse who is with Problogger; you should have a good idea of blogging after this.
3. What is the best method of going from the no-po’s to the right person in negotiations?
When we feel stuck and the sale isn’t progressing as fast as it could, it is time to call around and higher to find out if your no-po has any influence or authority. Remember you don’t want to leave tracks when calling around the no-po, which means no voicemail or email. You must get to that other contact live. Once you do, don’t lead with “hey, sign my PO, I’ve been waiting and nothing is happening.” They get tons of vendors calling about this so stand out. You’ve invested a lot in learning more about their business in the last few months so use that. Here’s a quick check-list to keep in mind when you call them:
A. Thank them for their support and immediately name the person you’ve been working with
B. Restate your knowledge of their current situation and how your solution will help them
C. Reconfirm and gain agreement on business needs, pains and drivers
D. Gain agreement on the sequence of events
E. Reconfirm commitment to stay in the loop and reassure them that you’ll continue to work with your contact
F. Create urgency and suggest that their influence will move things forward
January 24, 2007
The best part of my day was having lunch with Jim Fowler, CEO of Jigsaw, a smart guy who came up with a bright idea to design a contact management tool that provides complete, accurate and fresh data. Most lists we get today have old phone numbers, email addresses and names of contacts that are no longer with a company. The time it takes to scrub data takes away from our time selling.
The coolest part of Jigsaw is it puts YOU in control of the data. That’s right, it’s entered, managed and maintained by the ones who are dialing away every minute of the day. I know what your next question is: who will ever find out if I just put funky data in there? It works on a point system so you get dinged if you put bad data in there. That’s what I like, consequences.
Everyone is talking about these guys. Read their latest Inc. article titled Turning Sales Into Science and an interview with Jim Fowler. Many of you who have been in my training know how much time I spend on calling the right people and not spending your time with the No-Po’s. Well, this tool helps you build a robust org chart in minutes instead of weeks. The sooner you focus on targeting the right people the better.
So next time you can’t find your corporate Hoovers password and you are spending too much time Googling your prospects, check out Jigsaw. But email me first for a secret password so you can check it out. Shhhhh, don’t tell Jim about this. 
January 23, 2007
Listen to this insightful interview with Benjie, Inside Account Executive with Sophos. 
I coached and trained his team about 4 years ago before they were acquired by Sophos and now they own the market on anti-spam and anti-virus solutions.
Benjie’s come a long way on his road to inside sales success. In our interview, we discussed creative ways to stand out in our prospecting efforts and he’s had success faxing prospects, simply because no one else does these days.
His winning traits are building rapport and listening to customer’s needs. Listen to this podcast for more.
January 18, 2007
This prospect has been on your radar for months. Every 6 weeks, you diligently call and get updated on his initiatives, hiring goals, systems roll-out and new management. You continue calling and ask for the meeting. Your prospect tells you to call back at the beginning of the next month and your notes field looks like a sea of c/b action items.
Finally, you call at 7:45 a.m. one morning and the decision-maker picks up the phone. He is calm, ignores interruptions, is very ready to finally talk, and agrees to clear his calendar for the Wednesday 3 weeks from today. He opens up 40 minutes and suggests you include your solution specialist on the call and he’ll invite a few managers. He accepts the Outlook Meeting Maker and you are in good shape.
You assemble the team, brief them on your strategy, poke around into the prospect’s organization and prepare, prepare, prepare. One week before, you send a confirmation and yes, the meeting for next week is on. 24-hours before, you send a reminder and they acknowledge the meeting, bridge number and who will be attending. Most excellent.
The day comes; you load up your slides, prepare for your discussion, contact your partners and prep for the call. 10 minutes before the call, you get a call from his assistant who informs you that an all-hands meeting has been called and they will need to reschedule today’s meeting.
Sound familiar? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Take advantage of the guilt factor on your prospect’s end and set another appointment sooner than later.
2. Find out what was announced in the all-hands meeting and tie it into your convincing email of why they need your solution.
3. Don’t take it personally and don’t accept this as their excuse, find out what is behind this.
4. Use the “3 strikes you’re out” rule, don’t let this happen again.
5. Find out how much influence this person really has or go higher.
January 17, 2007
How many of you are leaving voicemail messages these days? Voicemail may be dying but there is still room for good voicemails. I landed one of my biggest clients last year by leaving one simple voice mail message so keep the faith and don’t give up on voicemail too soon. Check out the article, The Art of the Perfect Voicemail and review the 6 tips for effective voicemails:
1. Be clear about the goal of the message
2. Be authoritative yet upbeat in your tone
3. Find a bridge to the person you’re calling
4. Be brief
5. Be specific in your request
6. Leave your contact information slowly and clearly
Also cast your vote on Caller No 1, 2, or 3. Which call would you return and why?
January 15, 2007
I had the pleasure of interviewing a true champ. Theresa’s enthusiasm and great customer skills are some of the keys to her success. Theresa’s been in inside sales for 4-5 years. She started in the hospitality industry in San Francisco and transitioned to the software industry. She now works in Oracle’s inside sales organization and here’s what she had to say:
What are the top traits that make for a successful inside sales rep?
Theresa: You have to find what your strong suit is. I believe you must demonstrate that you can really engage the customer and listen to what their business needs are and ask questions so that you build a rapport with your prospect.
Are you finding the competitive climate is getting tougher out there?
Theresa: Absolutely. Right now the tech industry in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley is on the upswing again. You are finding a lot of niche players out there want the best product for the best price and the best service. It is highly competitive and they are looking for a partner who is going to understand their business and listen to their needs. If you can push the envelope to understand what they really need, they are going to appreciate that.
Everyone seems to be complaining about lack of time. Are you finding that time management is a big challenge?
Theresa: Time management is key in this role and if you can start the day managing your calls, determining who you are going to call and what you need to do on the calls you can leverage your day. You are getting pulled in many directions from answering your email, cell phone, land lines, and walk-ups that you really have to focus on how you plan your day from the very beginning and stick to that.
What are common misperceptions you confront about inside sales?
Theresa: That this role is very transactional. That you move on from the customer, get the deal done and just move on. A lot of my customers and prospects may believe that. Although you have a number to hit and a quota to fill, the little extra time you spend with them they will appreciate and it goes a long way. If you can understand their business and their solution, you’ve made a customer for life.
What has changed today in inside sales?
Theresa: There’s a lot, it’s hard to nail down. The biggest change is that it is no longer a stand-alone product that customers need. They no longer need a straight CRM solution. You have to put yourself out there and create a partner network and include a lot of resources in your tool belt and provide your customers with a lot more. If they need integration, if they need back office application, you can direct them. It’s not a straight transactional sale, it’s really trying to figure out what the strategy is to run their overall business. You now must engage people on their end and on your end to make something happen.
What’s your personal measurement for success?
Theresa: It’s being dedicated to this role. I think once the deal is closed and I hear the customer say the reason they chose Oracle is because you understood our business. That’s a big achievement that stands out for me.
January 14, 2007
I had two calls this past week with No-Po’s, so my radar has been activated. Remember a No-Po is someone who has no influence or authority within an organization. I’m not sure I’m going to use this term because my book agent thinks it sounds like a Hawaiian snack. So here’s a sample of what happened and the words I heard from two separate encounters with my No-Po’s.
First one was a scheduled conference call with 5 participants including myself; it was a call to update me on how things were coming along on a potential project. The client started the call by saying this was the Hurry up and wait project that’s had to take a back seat once again because there has been a budget freeze. But we can keep talking about a potential roll-out strategy once they get a green light on it. Doesn’t that sound promising? I found myself asking the same questions I usually ask No-Po’s and never get a straight answer. These include questions such as:
How much longer do you estimate on this? Who is still involved? What is their knowledge of this project? How does it map on this list of priorities? What do you recommend? What do you need from me?
Second one was a first call at a very high VP level who supported other VPs. This person was all over the board in what he wanted to know and understand about my services. I would like to get you in touch with my secretary and have you come in and meet, I’ll carve out about 3 hours so I can learn more about your services and what explain to you what we are trying to do here this year. What? 3 hours? I can redesign my web site and blog in 3 hours.
Words of warning at the beginning of a new year: major power shifting is happening now. Pay attention to who is in the driver’s seat and taking ownership with budget dollars. Get in front of them and listen to clues that will help you learn you are talking with a voice of non-influence.
January 10, 2007
This is the time of year where everyone is curious about how the year will unfold, what decisions they should make and what direction they should take. I like to forecast trends and have always worked in an industry that moves fast and stays ahead of the curve. Each year I put together my Hotlist of what’s in and what’s out.
It takes time to gather this information, especially in our industry. The CRM Lowdown blog beat me to it when they published The 10 Best (and 10 Worst) Companies for Call Center Service. I also scour other sites to see what’s hot in pop culture, politics, technology, etc., and checked out the Washington Post list.
Last week we sent out a brief survey to our target audience and asked them about the trends they forecasted this year. So I’ve pulled out my trusty crystal ball and put together my what’s hot and what’s not in 2007 hotlist. What do you forecast this year? 
January 5, 2007
Joshua Hurst with Mercury Interactive/HP shares his secrets for inside sales success. Some key points:
Top Success Traits–Working smart versus working hard; the vital few versus the trivial many activities. Working on the 20% that brings you 80% of the revenue. They know the numbers and know how to work the numbers.
Trends–Lots of software company consolidation and increased product focus.
Success Measurement–Mentally showing up every day and having both personal victory and public victory.
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