Inside Sales Webinar Debrief Q&A

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