The pressure is on to move the needle forward and show significant revenue increases this time of year. Many managers are examining their Inside Sales talent and wondering why they don't have many hunters on their team. Where have they gone? Why aren't they hunting anymore? Has hunting become a lost art? Today, we are experiencing a sharp decline in actual “talk time” which is averaging 1-1.5 hours per day. These metrics reflect our lack of new business prospecting and hunting efforts. What's happened to the hunting muscle?

How do I flex my hunting muscle? The hunting muscle is just like every other muscle; it needs to strengthen with consistent attention. That attention includes momentum, courage, curiosity, aggressiveness and motivation.

Okay, now what? With the abundance of tools out there to help from pre-call to post-call stages, which do you use? Which do you use first and at which part of the sales cycle? What is the most efficient path? Update your hunting strategies, learn to prioritize the various tools available and maximize how you utilize them.

Are we hunters or telemarketers? The perception of hunting has become distorted. There's a sense of entitlement about going after new business as opposed to aiming for low-hanging fruit or holding on to dead-end leads.

Is hunting out and farming in? Both are in and require different skill sets. Hunting is prospecting for new business opportunities, uncovering needs and connecting with real decision-makers to move a sale forward. Farming is managing an installed base or existing business and growing those existing accounts.

Is hunting contagious? Yes, if everyone around you is making new introductions and looking for opportunities, we become inspired, motivated and competitive, and find it is easy.

Ready to develop some hunters? TeleSmart 10 Training for Inside Sales Is Like Miller Heiman for the Field.

Our TeleSmart 10 methodology is the only program exclusively designed for global Inside Sales teams and complements the field training programs you already have in place. Companies such as Agilent, Apple, Cisco, EMC, Harte-Hanks, HP/Mercury, Microsoft and VeriSign have all received training on our methodology.