Next Generation Prospecting Tools

I recently read Dana Vanden Heuvel’s blog and was intrigued with a talk she hosted titled Better Selling Through Technology.

We already know that telesales teams incorporate more technology into their prospecting efforts than field sales teams. Just the nature of how they work allows them greater control of their tools and increased access to more technology choices. This opens up new possibilities for connectivity and real-time interaction. The days of static Websites are gone as social networking’s popularity through blogging and creating communities grows by the day.

Dana outlines the various parts of the sales process where effective use of technology makes sense. The timing is right for telesales professionals to push the envelope with their sales efforts and incorporate more technology into the mix. Take your typical sales cycle and analyze ways to include more technology with the following: 

Pre-call research–going beyond Hoovers and Google; Outlook–synchronizing and using it as a sales force management tool.  Maximizing real-time interactions–instant messaging and chat; Social and interactive media–blogging, podcasts, video presentations–on-line demos, webex demos, live webcasts. 

Dana observes how salespeople are always on with increased response time to satisfy customers’ expectations. How can we better prospect to customers who are also always on but may not respond as quickly to a new vendor?