St. Cloud, MN
619 W St. Germain St., Suite 214
St Cloud, MN 56301
(320) 203-4840
Green Bay, WI
520 N Broadway, Suite 270
Green Bay WI, 54303
(920) 884-1496
I’ve been in sales for 25+ years, and while I continually tweak and refine my sales cadences, I never invested a lot of energy in courses focused on that. When the pandemic hit, things changed. Sales outreach became harder, resulting in longer sales cycles and a smaller pipeline. So after all those years of doing it on my own, I felt it was time to call upon the experts.
The expert I turned to was HubSpot. More specifically, I applied to HubSpot’s Partner Pipeline Generation Boot Camp. I did it to inject some life into my outreach efforts and to increase my sales pipeline. I thought that if I could pick up one thing that could make me more successful, it would be time well spent. Let me tell you, after the first class I sensed there was still a lot I could learn and apply. Here are the top six tips I took from this course.
1. Always be helping.
As much as I love Alec Baldwin, Always Be Closing is dead. Enter the era of Always Be Helping. I naturally lean towards helping people, so this was not only refreshing, but it gave me a new purpose to reach out. And while I’d like to help everyone, not everyone wants the help. And that’s ok too.
2. Rock your greeting and you’re on your way.
I practiced my greeting no less than 100 times that first week. I practiced on calls and to co-workers. I practiced with my family. I even practiced out loud in front of a mirror. At first, I
thought it was a bit strange, but it got me comfortable picking up the phone again. And I haven’t stumbled with a live connect since. Admit it, we’ve all been there. You’re expecting to leave a voicemail and someone picks up! You’re caught off guard and something unintelligent comes out of your mouth. There goes your chance to make a great first impression. Practice your greeting and I promise you that won’t happen again.
3. Don’t waste your prospects' time. Do your homework.
Just as prospects do online research before connecting with salespeople, so should we before picking up the phone to them. It not only helps you pre-qualify prospects, but it’s also common courtesy and shows them that they are important.
4. Make video your new best friend.
Tools like Vidyard and Soapbox make it easier than ever to create videos. But despite the ease, few people actually use them. When was the last time you received a video message? Video is a powerful tool. It can help you sound personal and help you stand out. I’ve also found it to be fun. And it takes less time to record a video than it does to type that same message.
5. Have a plan.
Sounds logical, but sometimes I get so caught up in the “doing” that I forget why I’m doing it. A plan keeps you focused on what will drive results. My plan includes our positioning statement, our persona, along with my goals and sales cadence. It also includes a weekly connection with my marketing team to ensure our efforts are aligned.
6. Don’t make prospecting a solo endeavor. Enlist help.
My help started by participating in the course and gaining perspectives from those in attendance. One perspective was helping me realize that just because I’m the only one with a New Business Developer title in our agency, doesn’t mean that I’m on my own. Leveraging other people’s networks and connections can open more doors and speed up the sales process.
Bonus Tip:
It helps to bring energy into prospecting, and our Boot Camp instructor Dan Tyre has an abundance of it. And while energy can come from a cup of espresso, it can also come from things as simple as standing (with good posture) and smiling.
Thank you, HubSpot and Dan Tyre, for making prospecting fun again!
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Lori O’Connor is New Business Developer for Vye, and has been in sales and marketing for 25+ years, and has seen the industry evolve. And while there are more ways than ever to connect with prospective customers, those connections are more personal today than ever before.
She believes the secret to success is being uncommon. While the agency blends data and technology with creativity to create award-winning work and results for our clients, Lori uses data and technology with creativity to connect and build relationships with mid to large-sized companies who are vying for more market share, more qualified leads, and better talent.
Her uncommon trait is her ability to make anyone feel comfortable and open, and she’s vying for the next meaningful connection.
Ready to grow? Set a meeting with Lori.
