Harness Digital Technology To Find And Close Prospects

OWINGS MILLS, Md., March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Prospecting, once the bane of a salesperson's existence, has been reshaped by the advent of digital media such as LinkedIn and e-mail.  In DIGITAL PROSPECTING: Finding, Nurturing and Closing Sales with Social Technologies (https://www.sandler.com/resources/sandler-books/digital-prospecting), published by Sandler Training, Mike Jones and Ken Guest share a system for getting in front of decision makers and closing sales at rates unheard of before the online revolution.

The book provides proven strategies for:

• Boosting prospecting efficiency
• Harnessing social media and e-mail to develop a consistent stream of quality leads
• Managing the sales pipeline
• Territory management
• Using LinkedIn to get referrals and testimonials
• Plus many other best practices around prospecting with e-mail

The book supplies an e-mail template for outbound cold calls that has a 10% success rate of getting a reply.  For follow-up e-mails, the success rate is 20%.

The structure of the template e-mail is as follows:

• Pattern interrupt statement  An introduction that represents a clean break with traditional marketing hype
  Example:  "This is William Rogers with ABC Company. I am guessing my name is not ringing any bells."
  
  
• Pain statements Words that communicate an understanding of the customer's business issues
  Example:  "Using our inventory system, our clients no longer are frustrated with deliveries being missed."
  
  
• Negative hook question A closing statement that gives customers the right to say no
  Example:  "I don't know enough about your business to know if what we do is even worth having a further discussion or not. Let me know either way."

The template is a form of reverse psychology.  By giving customers the freedom to opt out, it provides a refreshing alternative to typical communications that force the customer to make a choice.  "It's not what the reader is expecting.  Pre- supposing the negative takes the pressure off, and you do not sound like everyone else.  More importantly, isn't this honest?" say the authors.

DIGITAL PROSPECTING provides templates for managing every step of the sales process from prospecting to closing. For salespersons and manager, DIGITAL PROSPECTING provides the essential tools for navigating the new digital business landscape.

Please note that some recommendations in this book are not intended for markets outside the U.S. that are covered under recently enacted data privacy regulations.

SOURCE Sandler Training

Related Links

https://www.sandler.com/resources/sandler-books/digital-prospecting