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www.salesmba.com Sales skills, knowledge and tools for sales professionals |
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Over time, as you make repeated contact with each
of your prospects and customers, you continually accumulate a great deal of
information about each of them -- information you can use to deepen each
relationship and move closer to your next sales. This may be a good time
to browse through your contact manager, identify your best "A"
prospects, and try some of these 18 tips for using all that information you've
been collecting.
Contact manager info tip 1 - Send e-mails to individuals or a list as late in the day as possible. That will make your e-mail one of the first in each person's box the next day. Contact manager info tip 2 - You may need SFA reports with additional information the software developers have not provided. Customize your reports to give you exactly what you need. Contact manager info tip 3 - When printing an envelope from your list, use just the person's first and last name, with no title or "Mr./Ms." That makes your letter look like a personal communication. Contact manager info tip 4 - To personalize communications, use the customer's company name instead of "your company" and the customer's product names instead of "your products and services." Contact manager info tip 5 - When you send data to a customer, add a note summarizing what it means to the customer. You see the benefits, but the customer may need your help to see them. Contact manager info tip 6 - When you send e-mails to contacts at a client site, use "c.c." selectively based upon each individual's information needs and preferences. Contact manager info tip 7 - Build your sales forecast from the names in your contact manager, with an estimated close date and order value that fits each client situation. Contact manager info tip 8 - Communicate "off-peak": when it is not holiday time, when the customer is not in the news, when there are no industry events. Your message will get through more strongly. Contact manager info tip 9 - Decision influencers receive fewer sales contacts than decision makers, so you can have more impact by contacting them frequently between sales. Contact manager info tip 10 - Keep separate notes on what you learn from each person in the prospect organization. Then, when speaking with one person, you can reference what another (perhaps more senior) person told you. Contact manager info tip 11 - Set up a "drip irrigation" campaign with inactive customers and prospects: They automatically receive a fresh communication from you every month or so to keep your name on their minds until they are ready to act. Contact manager info tip 12 - When you mail anything to a prospect, always include a personal cover note about why you are sending it. Make the note very brief and totally personalized to each prospect's interests. Contact manager info tip 13 - Send small gifts at times other than December. They are more appreciated when not expected. You can use simple codes to indicate what value of gift is appropriate for each person, and add notes about the type of gift each of them would enjoy. Contact manager info tip 14 - Specific data about each of your customers is confidential, but general trends are not. Analyze the data you have and you are prepared to tell the next prospect, "The typical aged accounts receivable in your industry is . . . ." Contact manager info tip 15 - Before a meeting involving food, particularly if you are the host, look up the customer's food and beverage preferences. You can then offer refreshments exactly as the customer likes them. Contact manager info tip 16 - When you call a prospect to touch base, instead of "How are you today?" use a question tailored to the customer: "Last time we spoke, you mentioned that your company was launching a new product. How has that worked out?" Contact manager info tip 17 - The words people use matter. When you make notes in your contact manager, be sure to capture the exact words used by customers. Then use each customer's words when you next speak with them or write to them. Contact manager tip 18 - info Some people prefer a phone call at home; others want a fax or e-mail at the office. Track each customer's preferred type of communication and use it as the primary way to keep in touch with them.
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Art Siegel, senior partner at SeaBird Associates Inc, is the company's sales strategist, helping clients develop and implement strategies to increase both sales productivity and revenue. Art also is an accomplished author and columnist. |
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| Contact Art at:
SeaBird Associates Inc |
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Copyright © 1994 - 2002 SeaBird Associates Inc and the author. All rights reserved. Please see
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