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November 12, 2019

5 Easy Sales Hacks for Seller-Doers in 2020

Hey! All you seller-doers out there… how are your sales efforts going this year? Are you going to hit your 2019 sales goals?

If not, don’t be too surprised. Being a seller-doer is hard work. You try to serve two masters, but inevitably, the “doing” gets in the way of “selling”… which makes hitting those sales goals all the more difficult.

Maybe it’s time to try something new. To help you get started, here are 5 easy sales hacks to help you kick-start your selling efforts in 2020…

  1. Play in your own backyard. How long has it been since you visited a client or prospect in your own city? If you’re like most seller-doers, “too long!” is the answer. Take a break from emails as your primary means of communications and go visit your local contacts. Tour their offices, meet over coffee, buy them a drink after work. It’s only in these face-to-face meetings that you can really develop meaningful relationships. And you don’t have to hop on a plane to make it happen.
  2. Get in the habit of saying, “Thank you.” And not with a quickie email… everybody does that. Buy some nice note cards and send handwritten thank you notes. Often. Send one after a first meeting with a prospect (regardless of the outcome). Send one after a bid opportunity (regardless of the outcome). And, for sure, send a note after a project wraps up. [Better yet, send your client a nice bottle of wine.] Things that are easy to do are also easy not to do… which is why almost nobody does this.
  3. Create an org chart. Have you ever lost a client because your key contact left the company? It’s a very common occurrence… and usually because that key content is your only contact! To keep that from happening, start sketching out (literally) org charts of your largest clients. Find out who works with your key contact – beside them, above them, below them and in other departments. And as you find out who these people are, add them to the org chart… then work to meet and establish relationships with them. Connect with them on LinkedIn. That way, if your ‘champion’ leaves (and they inevitably will), your chance of losing that client is greatly diminished because your success now doesn’t rely on just one person.
  4. If you have to send out “cold emails” to stir up activity – and if your marketing team is doing its job, you really shouldn’t have to – follow these two critical guidelines:
    • Do your homework first. Take 30 seconds to check out the website of each company on your email list to make sure they’re a suitable prospect. If you don’t, you’ll likely be wasting their time and yours (as you try following up with people who don’t have any interest in talking with you).
    • Stop sending emails that boast about everything you do and how awesome you are. Instead, use the email to show the recipient that you understand a significant problem they have and how you can help solve it.
  5. Write! Separate yourself from your competitors’ seller-doers by showcasing your Your prospective clients want their suppliers to be experts – and creating good, helpful content is proof of your expertise. Write a blog post or a series of them. Post the blog on your firm’s website and on your personal LinkedIn profile. Maybe even submit it to Quirk’s or Greenbook for consideration. Then share links to the content, frequently, on social media and via email.
Stop sending 'cold emails' that boast about everything you do. Instead, use the email to show the recipient that you understand a significant problem they have and how you can help solve it. #selldoer #mrx Share on X

As I stated at the beginning… being a seller-doer is hard work. But if you can pick up just a few smart ideas and implement them effectively and consistently, your chance of success moving forward increases by an order of magnitude.

Good luck and good selling.

 

Are you a seller-doer… or do you have them at your firm? If so, the Seller-Doer Workshop™, an online sales training event starting January 10th, is for you. Participants graduate from this program with the tools, tips and techniques to help them acquire new clients, keep (and grow) existing ones and create a personalized sales plan. Learn more at www.SellerDoerWorkshop.com. Early Bird registration has already started… and ends December 13th.


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