How many Qualified Leads do to you want? Well… 01/10/2013
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Uncategorized.Tags: Lead generation, leads, New York Lead Generation, sales
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It’s the perpetual tug-of-war in lead gen: quality versus quantity of leads. Being in the sales business for a long time and running a company, I’ve had to help referee this battle for a number of years and I don’t foresee a winner emerging anytime soon – but there really doesn’t need to be one.
Businesses want sales-ready leads of the highest quality, and they want a lot of them.
Makes sense, but there is a significant amount of work that goes into establishing a quality lead and often times that comes at the expense of quantity. We must weed out the bad to get to the good which is both art and science. Our goal is to provide the best quality possible for our clients while understanding that the lever must be carefully monitored to ensure quality.
You’ve got to run the numbers.
http://www.leaseasalesrep.com/CaseStudies.html
The good news as we all know is that lead gen is a numbers game. If your business receives 50 ‘”qualified” leads in a month that cost $50 each, you will have spent $2,500 for a pool of 50 potential buyers for your product or service that are qualified. Not kick the tires type of people. To get to the 50 is another discussion.
But keep in mind – all of those buyers are different. They have different needs, different schedules, different interpretations of sales techniques, and some may just flat out change their mind about what they wanted in the first place. That comes with the territory when trying to extract sales leads from multiple locations and verticals.
http://www.leaseasalesrep.com/LeadGeneration.html
Rather than measure your ROI on a lead by lead basis, remember to focus on the overall margin of your lead program. If you close just 4 of the 50 leads you received at an average sale price of $4,000 (dependent on product of course), you’d wind up with a 15.6% gross profit margin not bad, right?
Balance in all things, too often, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of individual leads rather than focusing on your lead program as a whole. Let’s not forget that even pristine leads can decide to go in another direction, so there should be an intrinsic balance between your expectations of quality and your need for enough opportunities to close sales.
In the end, your sales team shouldn’t have to pick a side here, but instead understand that quality and quantity can often be opposite forces. The key is to find the equilibrium between the two to maximize the ROI of your lead gen endeavors.
Give me a call to see how we can help.
Go make it happen!
Lease A Sales Rep
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Get Rid of Head Trash and Market your business by doing what others WON’T! 09/25/2012
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Marketing, Prospecting.Tags: direct sales, Lead generation, Marketing
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I had a conversation with a business owner last week who asked me how we have grown our business over the past 5 years to double digit growth in the South, INC 5000 status “3” years in a row and national recognition as a sales organization, here’s what I said.
Defy conventional wisdom and do what others in your industry are afraid to do or won’t do to market your business.
If your competitors are not using video, than you should;
If you competitors are not doing e-mail campaigns, then you should;
If you competitors are not providing give-aways, then you should;
If you competitors are not providing low cost entry points, then you should;
If you competitors are not doing direct mail, then you should;
You get the picture? Just because others are not doing it, is precisely the reason you should.
I was asked, but what will the marketplace, my competitors or my potential clients think of what I am doing to grab their attention. Won’t that diminish my service. Boulder-DASH!
My response was this is your head trash.
It does not matter. What you are doing is getting prospects to raise their hands to you, so you can reach out and engage them. People have different triggers and you are touching all of them by defying conventional wisdom and providing different was for them to engage. Whether that’s responding to an e-mail, a low cost offer, or a give-away, you are providing a gateway to a conversation that leads to a pitch and to closed sales.
Our organization has defied conventional wisdom by growing in a down economy and has done this by doing the opposite of what others are doing. We implement these strategies for ourselves and for our client’s.
Don’t listen to the naysayers; they are stuck in their own reality show, which is not on your channel. You want success, then be different. It does work. But you have to get rid of the head trash.
Now go do likewise.
Gil Pagan
Lease A Sales Rep
919-851-0783 x15
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
4 Ways that Businesses Grow 08/03/2012
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Appointment Setting, Cold Calling, Lead Generation, Sales.Tags: appointment setting, cold calling, Lead generation, sales
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There are 4 ways that most businesses use to grow their sales.
They are:
1. Networking
2. Marketing
3. Referrals
4. Calling
It’s interesting that the first 3 options, require that someone else do something.
# 1 requires that the person you are networking with connect you to another person, unless they are your potential customer. Not the case most of the time.
#2 requires that you invest in marketing strategies whatever that is for you, advertising, mail, e-mail, internet, to tell the customer you exist. Again you have to wait till they contact you.
#3 referrals also requires that someone else send you a referral, when they are ready.
#4 is the only one where you have control. You pick up the phone, talk to someone, pitch them if possible, get an e-mail address, etc. You start the process and follow-through. You get the point?
Stop sucking your thumb.
Do you want to be in control, or dependent on others?
Need help?? Call us.
Lease A Sales Rep
919-783-4182
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
I know this is Hard to do: When to give up on a Sale (Hint: It’s Not Never) 01/04/2011
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Prospecting.Tags: appointment setting, breakthrough, Lead generation, phone sales, prospecting, sales tips, telemarketing
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Perseverance and determination are critically important talents for a seller. No one disputes that. But, the flip side of perseverance is stalking and that of determination is mule-headedness.
The question often isn’t whether to give up, it is when.
I know, I know. Everyone’s favorite theory is “never give up
Professional sellers realize very quickly that the amount of time available for prospecting diminishes as they become more successful. One reason is because some sellers are tasked with securing the initial sale from a prospect and providing continuing service beyond the sale. The more sales one makes, the more time one spends on the service side of the equation and the less time available for bringing in new business.
This truth makes it imperative that every seller have a system for choosing prospects. A qualification process that assures each prospect is worth the time spent trying to turn them into a customer. In most service businesses, the process includes an evaluation of a prospect’s revenue potential, access to the prospect’s decision makers, product /service fit and the account manager’s desire to commit to the sales process.
Revenue Potential
Can the prospect afford to do business with you? If being a successful advertiser on your advertising vehicle requires that a customer spend $5,000 per week, you’ll need to know if the prospects to whom you are speaking can afford to spend at least $5,000 per week. There are many ways to figure this out but since it is not the crux of this article, we’ll need to tackle it at another time.
Access to Decision Makers
If there is absolutely no way to get in front of the decision maker; it will hardly matter if the prospect has all the revenue potential in the world. Let’s not confuse the advertising agency with the client in this case. If you have access to the decision makers at the advertising agency but not the client, then the advertising agency is your real customer and the revenue potential of the account is reduced to the amount of money being allocated to the agency.
Product Fit
Sellers must be rigorous in determining whether a product will appeal to the audience they reach. The temptation to chase all dollars regardless of product fit is a trap that ensnares the negligent and sucks their time.
Desire to Commit
When a seller comes across a prospect with the three characteristics described above they often conclude that they have found a great prospect. But, the final piece of the puzzle is the seller’s willingness to work hard for the prospect’s business over the course of time. While it may seem silly to think that a seller wouldn’t be committed to calling on a prospect that satisfies the first three qualifiers, it happens all the time. For example, some sellers don’t want to call on car dealers, for example. Sellers must display a passion for the industry category of the prospect or else the prospect won’t feel as if the seller really has his interests in mind. While there are some sellers who are pretty good at pretending they have an interest in everything under the sun, most don’t have a passion for digging deep into every industry and can’t fake it, either.
Determined sellers calling on prospects they have qualified using the system above might be tempted to call on them forever. But, keep in mind that the qualifying system is based on our perspective as sellers. The prospects might not agree with our conclusion and might find our advances unwanted or even annoying. In light of this, there may come a time when a seller should give up on a qualified prospect.
Experienced and wise sellers will be able to figure this out after having a meaningful conversation with the prospect’s decision makers. They might learn that the prospect doesn’t have the necessary revenue potential for the seller’s medium because the prospect just doesn’t believe in using that medium. Or, the prospect might not believe that the seller’s audience fits the product quite so much as the seller believes it.
Either way, when the prospect’s decision maker has listened to the seller and rejected his medium and/or his advertising vehicle it is almost time to give up. When the seller has offered multiple arguments in an effort to change the decision maker’s mind and is still unable, it is getting closer to the time to give up. When the decision maker has called the seller’s sales manager and suggested that his next call is the local police department, then chances are good it is time to give up.
But, of course, not forever.
Only for as long as the decision maker is in place. As soon as the prospect has a new decision maker the process begins anew!
If you are hitting brick walls with your sales, or you don’t have enough leads, can’t get the meeting with the prospect, or prospects are disappearing, poof, vanish, after you give them a proposal, lets us do the work for you.
We will get you through those brick walls, get you the leads, get you the appointments, track down the prospects and close the sale. Don’t lose 1 more day and anymore ground to your competitors, call us NOW!
Gilbert Pagan
919-783-4182
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Reality Check-Not enough Prospects-Sales Targets are Missed 12/16/2010
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Lead Generation, Prospecting, Sales.Tags: Lead generation, prospecting, sales
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The reality is, if you don’t have enough prospects, you’ll never meet your sales goals.
I wanted to share some thoughts with you. I hope you take a 5 minute break and read the following.
The New Year is few weeks away and already the anxiety and excitement is building. As many seek refuge from the negativity of the media, others look ahead to new beginnings. The economy has gotten better, but many still feel nervous. Selling professionals and management will need to be even more efficient and more productive next year. Here are some of the areas that will be affected:
Lead Generation: The issue of lead generation has increased in the last two years. Technology has helped gather leads but the conversion factor has not increased. Selling professionals and marketing departments must collaborate for better target market optimization. Simply put, leads must be converted and there will be increased attention to close more business.
Customer Service: As reported many times by Lease A Sales Rep ’Sales Tips’, 45 percent of every client interaction involves customer service. Research has illustrated that customer service has decreased in many organizations. Since customer-to-customer influences have become vital to success, it is increasingly important that selling professionals focus more on their most vital asset- the client.
Better Hiring: The days of placing cheeks in seats to fill a void are gone. Sales managers must find talent that will become immediately productive. The use of targeted sales recruitment programs and the discovery of proper talent will be an imperative focus for sales management. More pressure will be placed on finding the right people in the right positions to help increase margins.
Preparation: The last five years have provided significant tools and technology to sales professionals. From CRM systems to better search methodology in Google, selling professionals are more prepared then ever. Or are they? Customers have access to as much information as their sales professional. It is vital that all sellers be prepared for EVERY client interaction. Reading annual reports, watching the news and having a prepared list of value questions will aid every call. Sales people must have more information than their client.
Value: We are in a knowledge economy. Selling professionals must stop providing information to clients and provide value. Selling professionals must convert the information they have into knowledge that the client can immediately use to be more competitive, innovative, etc.
Process: 92 percent of selling professionals (and this includes entrepreneurs) do not have a process to build relationships and close business. 2011 will be the year of increased productivity, it is necessary for sellers to gain the knowledge necessary to build trust and close business more efficiently. Sales professionals must be better prepared and better educated. The days of “anyone can sell” ended years ago.
Training: Gone are the days of sitting in a classroom for 8 hours expecting a return on investment. Managers and business professionals do not have the time and, frankly, event based training sometimes fails. Selling is a process; therefore sales training will alter to a more succinct process oriented approach. Secondly, with the movement of selling as a profession, companies will remove themselves from education and desire that individuals take ownership of their profession.
If you are facing challanges with your sales process, generating leads, recruiting the right people, dislike doing sales for your business; Or are just plain tired and emotionally drained from having to go out into the marketplace to get business, give us a call. Leave the execution up to us, and relax.
Don’t wait another minute and lose ground to your competition. Let us be your secret weapon.
Contact us @ 919-783-4182
Gilbert Pagan
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Beating a sales slowdown 10/17/2010
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Cold Calling.Tags: appointment setting, cold calling, direct sales, Lead generation, leads, phone sales, prospecting, telemarketing
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In August unemployment basically remained unchanged at 9.5%.
According to the ADP National Employment Report, private employers have added an average of just 37,000 new jobs per month over the last six months. At that rate it will take 18.9 years to replace the 8.4 million jobs lost during the first phase of this recession.
As I was catching the news, I noticed the crawl. It said the AP-GFK Poll indicates 81% call the economy poor or very poor.
I’m not telling you these things to depress you. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if those people polled are absolutely correct or dead wrong.
What does matter is what those 81% believe because their beliefs directly impact their behaviors… their willingness to spend money… their determination to save.
This information is actually very valuable to you and your ability to sell your way out of a sales slump. Because for every revenue stream that dries up a new one opens up.
Some people are worried about Israel nuking Iran setting off a third world war. Those people are buying the things you need to survive like hotcakes.
Those who can’t seem to beg, borrow, or steal a job are looking for ways to start a business, or at the very least ways to get a competitive leg up for securing an interview.
What it means for you is…
* you may have to change the way you talk about your product/service
* you may have to change who you talk to about your product/service
* you may have to reposition your product/service or lead with another product/service
It means you can still sell your way out of a sales slump. You just need to know how to do it.
There are a couple things I want to remind you of when it comes to cold calling.
Because so few of your competitors are willing to pick up the phone and call qualified prospects… the fact that you do call gives you an edge.
And of those who do make calls… almost NONE of them know how to use the phone to get what they want.
As I often point out, no matter where or how you get leads… at some point you will need to pick up the phone and call those leads.
If you get anxious when you think about generating sales for your business
Let us remove the anxiety, pressure, fear of failure, and nausea from your LIFE!
Call us.
Gilbert Pagan
Lease A Sales Rep
919-783-4182
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Prospecting WORKS!! 07/08/2010
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Prospecting, Uncategorized.Tags: Lead generation, leads, phone sales, prospecting, telemarketing
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Prospecting WORKS!!
There’s a well known rule in sales (and in business) called Pareto’s law. It’s also known as the 80/20 rule. This is the way it works:
You will get 80% of your sales revenue from 20% of your customers
20% of your sales team will bring in 80% of your sales revenue
80% of your sales team will bring in the remaining 20% of the sales revenue
The rule is true in business as well:
80% of productivity will come from 20% of the employees
80% of problems will come from 20% of customers
And so on…
Pareto’s law applies to prospecting as well. If you are brand new to sales and needing to build your pipeline, why then, should you be spending 80% of your time prospecting. Once you have a full sales funnel (and if you’ve done this consistently for 3-6 months, you should) then the equation flips. After that you need to be spending 20% of your time prospecting.
The problem is, of course, that most new sales people or business owners don’t spend that 80% of time up front to build their sales funnel. And then they don’t spend that 20% of time consistently ensuring their funnel stays full. That is why so many sales professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners struggle. That’s why so many experience that ‘boom & bust’ cycle. They have no business in the pipeline so they panic and frantically start prospecting. They get a few new customers, feel safe again and stop. Then those projects are done and there’s nothing in the pipeline… so guess what? They panic and start frantically prospecting again.
The key to never, ever having to experience ‘boom and bust’ is to prospect consistently, every day, no matter what.
There are many ways to build a sales funnel. While my inner circle certainly knows that I am a great advocate of cold calling, networking, referral selling, and social media which are excellent tools to build a pipeline. (I do, however, feel compelled to point out that where ever one finds a lead, whether through networking, or referrals or social media, at some point you will need to speak with that prospect on the telephone.)
The important point is that no matter what else is going on with you or in your business you take the time to look for new business every single day.
If you need more help building your pipeline, give us a call.
Gilbert Pagan
919-783-4182
http://www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Lead Generation: Do you want mass Quantities or Qualified Leads? 05/17/2010
Posted by Lease A Sales Rep in Lead Generation.Tags: Lead generation, prospecting, telemarketing
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Lead Generation: Do you want mass Quantities or Qualified Leads?
It is the age-old question that has haunted sales VPs since the dawn of time: should I focus on quality or quantity in obtaining leads? Of course, ask ten sales VPs this question and all ten will tell you that they want both. But, given the cost trade off, what is the best course of action when it comes to lead generation?
Leads come in varying degrees of quality, also known as the level of qualification. Highly qualified leads include up to date contact information, access to the decision maker, and an established level of interest or need. Poorly qualified leads may be little more than a company phone number.
Outsourcing lead generation at the highest level is appointment setting. With appointment setting, the lead provider takes on the responsibility not only for obtaining the lead, but also for qualifying the prospect and actually setting a time for your sales force to meet with the prospect to close the sale. Outsourcing your appointment setting relieves your sales staff of a great deal of unproductive prospecting, but is expensive to come by. Only the best lead generation companies can offer value as appointment setters because of the high level of training and extensive manpower required to provide this service.
The textbook distinction between quality and quantity in lead generation is shown in the difference between the Broadcast and Concentration methodologies. The Broadcast methodology casts a wide net across many candidates of varying degrees of interest and qualification. Broadcast focuses on quantity in getting the message out to the widest possible audience and expecting a significant amount of qualified respondents based on statistical sampling.
For example, a credit card company may set up a booth in front of a major sporting event and offer a ‘freebie’, such as a tee-shirt or a blanket. Thousands of leads may pass through and sign up to get their gift but only a small fraction may be truly interested, and even fewer may qualify.
The Concentration methodology, on the other hand, focuses more on the quality of the prospect. Leads generated through Concentration are typically better qualified in terms of interest than Broadcast leads. As the name implies, this methodology focuses on finding (or creating) an environment in which there is a significant concentration of qualified prospects.
An example of Concentration would be a computer software company specializing in telecommunications software setting up a booth at a telecommunications trade show. Since everyone in attendance at the show is inherently involved in the telecommunications industry, the leads are pre-qualified to a large degree. Additional screening at the show can further qualify the prospects based on budget, decision maker status, current provider, and other information that can easily be obtained on the spot.
The quality vs. quantity debate will continue to rage for as long as we continue to prospect sales.
There is no right answer, no one size fits all solution to lead generation. Your industry, the size and make up of your internal sales staff, your market share, and a dozen other factors will all contribute to the direction that you take in lead generation. Understanding your options and how they align with your company’s strengths and weaknesses is the key to properly choosing the direction you take in obtaining leads for your sales team.
At Lease A Sales Rep, we train our managers and sales associates to focus on the industry for a particular client. Therefore, Lease A Sales Rep takes a Concentration approach while specifically Broadcasting to our client’s prospects demographics. As many of our clients can vouch for, we follow a stringent process to ensure every lead generation campaign delivers results. Often times we chuckle about the level of detail that we go into when setting up a new campaign. However, we have found our processes to produce the results that our clients look for in a lead generation campaign.
In the end, if our clients cannot generate enough business to afford our services and generate a profit for themselves, our clients would never come back to us. We pride ourselves in being the start and integral part of the success for our client’s sales teams.
If you need help in securing qualified leads or appointments, give us a call @919-783-4182.
We have various programs that can meet your needs.
Gilbert Pagan
Lease a Sales Rep
919-783-4182
www.LeaseASalesRep.com
Sales Tips to Grow you Business *** Lease a Sales Rep 