RELATED: XANT To Host Online Sales Development Summit

In this article:

1. Who is Tom Hopkins
2. Tom Hopkins and the Sales Acceleration Summit
3. Work on Yourself
4. People Buy Emotionally
5. Empathy is a Closing Strategy
6. Sales Strategies – Turn “No” into “Yes”
7. Understand the Root of “No”
8. Be Proud to Represent Your Company
9. Tom’s Techniques for the Digital Age.

Tom Hopkins’ 6 Powerhouse Closing Statement and Closing Strategies

Closing Strategy Definition: A closing strategy is a technique or approach that salespeople make when they want to seal a deal with a customer.

Who Is Tom Hopkins?

Tom is a successful real estate agent who became a sought-after sales mentor. His techniques are honed from his 40-year career as a sales strategy consultant.

In his books, Sales Closing for Dummies and When Buyers Say No, Tom has shared tips on how to finish strong with the right closing strategy.

A leading industry expert on the technique of powerhouse closing statements,
Tom has a wealth of knowledge to share. So keep reading to find out more!

Tom Hopkins and the Sales Acceleration Summit

At XANT’s Sales Acceleration Summit, the world’s largest online sales summit, Hopkins shared simple strategies in his talk. These are strategies that sales professionals should follow in order to close more deals and build a more successful business.

Work on Yourself

One of the most important things you can do to close more deals is to be a people person. Work on becoming more likable, energetic, and trustworthy.

If people find you personable, they’ll want to listen and buy from you. Thus, you should work on your approach or sales persona.

Your biggest tool when closing a deal isn’t a closing statement. It’s you.

Therefore, you should always try and improve and work on yourself as much as possible. There’s still an opportunity to grow, so take these opportunities if it’s presented.

People Buy Emotionally

Too many salespeople try to sell their products and services based entirely on logical arguments, such as money-saving benefits. While money is essential, you need to understand what is emotionally driving your prospects and address that.

The first thing to remember is that man is a creature of emotion. Instead of looking purely into reason and evidence, you should tap into emotions as well.

This closing strategy of Tom Hopkins is backed up by evidence in a study that states that people’s purchasing decisions are emotional.

Some will argue that people don’t buy through pure emotion, and that’s true as well. Again, according to the study, people do buy emotionally, but they justify their decision through facts and logic.

Empathy is a Closing Strategy

Using empathy to improve sales

Speaking of emotion, empathy and emotional selling go hand-in-hand. Hence, salespeople need to develop empathy for their prospects.

They need to put themselves in their shoes. After all, prospects care more about feeling like they’re being understood than understanding what’s being sold.

Empathy selling is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of your prospects. When you try empathy selling, you better understand your prospect’s story.

At the same time, you can better explain how their mind works.

RELATED: 5 Secrets To Closing Seven-Figure Deals

Sales Strategies – How to Turn “No” into “Yes”

Just because a prospect might say “no” doesn’t mean its game over. Reliable sales professionals know how to transform a “no” into a “yes.”

In the case of a “no,” circumvent that argument with this closing statement/strategy. Remember this simple acronym:

• The “Y” in “yes” stands for you. You are the product or service, and if you can sell yourself, you can sell anything.
• The “E” stands for excited and enthusiastic. Enthusiasm can drive a sale more than product knowledge.
• The “S” stands for a sincere desire to serve. Be truely eager to help and take care of your prospects.

By remembering the “YES” acronym, you can better judge whether a “no” is a dead-end or an opportunity for you.

Understand the Root of “No”

Another important aspect of closing a sale is understanding the typical reasons someone might say “no.” That way, you can anticipate what someone might say and strengthen your pitch.

• Lingering questions: There can’t be any confusion. If your prospects don’t see things clearly, they put off making decisions.

• Inadequate explanation of benefits: Different buyers need different amounts of info. You need to be flexible and clearly explain how your product or service will benefit them.

• Additional discovery as required: Your prospects might not always be upfront in voicing their questions or concerns. Investigate further to find what’s unclear.

• A misstep in qualification: Not all products are right for everyone. Go back to qualifying steps and present the right solution for the buyer’s situation.

• Unrevealed questions or objections: They haven’t told you everything about their needs, and you need to find out more.

• Timing: Buyers know how to slow down the sales process and delay decision making. In such cases, you need to become a follow-up specialist.

• Not you: You can’t please everyone. If your personality is hurting your sales, work on becoming more likable in order to build trust, and reduce sales resistance.

Be Proud to Represent Your Company

Prospects can tell pretty quickly whether or not you believe in what you’re selling. They can also determine how you feel toward your employer.

If you can take a moment to express your pride in representing a particular brand, your prospects will notice.

Besides, if you don’t like the company you’re representing, it stands to reason that people won’t trust that company. It’ll be tough to prove that your products are worth buying if you don’t want to sell them in the first place.

A strong belief and pride in your company is a strong defense against rebuttals from prospects themselves.

Tom’s Techniques in the Digital Age.

Tom’s techniques and sales strategies are as relevant now in the digital age as they ever were. His points about the importance of empathy for your customer is a major marketing tool in digital marketing funnels.

Tom also advocates for self-improvement, company pride, and understanding who your customer is.

Companies in 2020 have to focus on the digital marketing funnel and not lose sight of one of Tom’s core ideas; likeability. Now more than ever, people buy emotionally.

Tom Hopkins proudly shares his sales closing techniques for us in the Sales Acceleration Summit. All in all, he highlights that a good closing strategy is all a matter of understanding.

Basically, it’s about understanding and bettering yourself and your approach. Additionally, it’s also about understanding the reason behind customer actions.

When you take these approaches, your closing statement will matter less. Overall, the opportunity to close a sales deal will become more natural for you.

As long as you do the work and follow these tips we heard on closing strategies, sealing the deal will be less of a trial for you. Good luck!

Which one of these closing strategies have you tried out? Let us know in the comments section below!

Up Next:

• Grant Cardone’s 7 Simple Tips to Improve Sales Follow-up
• Jamie Shanks Reveals 5 Must-Have Skills of Modern Sales Pros
• Working Harder VS Working Smarter Five Ways To Prioritize Your Leads And Improve Contact Rates W/ Brandon Bornancin @Seamless.AI

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 21, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

RELATED: Infographic: Sales Follow-Up Guide – How To Talk To Customers So They Listen

In this article:

1. Who Is Grant Cardone?
2. Why Should You Follow Up?
3. How Do I Get My Reps to Follow Up?
4. What Does Grant Recommend?
   1. Take Action
   2. Frequency Leads to Greatness
   3. Get Regular
   4. Don’t Wait Too Long
   5. Be Creative
   6. Have a Purpose
   7. Leave a Message

Seven Tips to Help Improve Your Sales Follow Up Technique

Who Is Grant Cardone?

What does it take to become a master of sales and transform your sales team into top performers?

Grant Cardone shared his thoughts on achieving sales greatness at XANT’s Sales Acceleration Summit, the world’s largest online sales summit.

Many people mistakenly believe that in order to be a great salesperson, you must be a fast talker or have a natural ability to read people.

That’s not true.

According to Grant Cardone, following up with your prospects is the difference-maker that will ensure you are the best in your space. And he should know.

Cardone is a “New York Times” bestselling author and leading authority on sales and entrepreneurship.

Why Should You Follow Up?

XANT conducted a lead response survey and determined that, on average, sales reps call a prospect only one or two times before giving up. Yet 80% of sales take five to 12 contacts.

This disconnect shows just how many opportunities are going to waste.

Even mortgage lenders find significant results when they conduct follow up emails and calls.

Whether you follow up through calls, email, or even through social media, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you followed up on your potential clients.

How Do I Get My Reps to Follow Up?

Motivating sales reps to perform at their best

This question keeps managers up at night and leads to hair loss. Too many sales leaders struggle to get their reps to call their leads more often.

Some reasons why sales reps forget to follow-up is they get too busy and they forget. Another common reason (and mistake) why sales reps don’t follow-up is due to a misguided assumption.

They might think that customers will contact them by themselves. However, this shouldn’t be what sales reps rely on if they want to achieve their sales goals.

While many blame laziness, the culprit behind inconsistent follow-up is that many sales reps simply don’t know what to do or what to say.

What Does Grant Recommend?

Grant is a big believer in the power of follow-ups, so he shared seven simple tips to improve sales rep follow up:

1. Take Action

Planning is great, but eventually, you need to pick up the phone. According to a study, 48% of all salespeople don’t make the call.

This means that if you just start dialing, you’re already in the upper tier of sales professionals.

Having a proactive mindset is an essential skill for any sales professional. It’s not only vital during the follow-up phase, but it’s also crucial in every other part of the sales process.

Don’t wait until months pass before you follow-up on your client. Otherwise, you’re letting a great opportunity pass you by.

2. Frequency Leads to Greatness

As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of sales are done after the fourth call. After all, sales is all about repeated jabs instead of landing a knockout punch.

Therefore, reps should make five to 12 calls, not one or two.

The reason why frequency works so well is that it helps you get to know your leads. Aside from that, your clients had the opportunity to get to know you as well.

The frequency will help you figure out a client’s pain point. Therefore, you help yourself create a sales pitch that genuinely encapsulates the needs of your lead.

3. Get Regular

Grant emphasizes a regular regimen, sometimes referred to as a sales cadence.

Sales Cadence Definition: A sales cadence is a set of sequential activities you take depending on the lead.

Managers should outline in their CRM what sales activities their reps should be following over a designated period.

RELATED: 3 Best Practices For An Effective ABM Follow-Up Strategy

4. Don’t Wait Too Long

Far too many sales professionals wait too long to follow up and between follow-ups. XANT research has found that when sales reps respond within five minutes of an inquiry versus 30 minutes, they get a 21x uplift in qualifications.

Your fast response can help you connect with a lead who’s already interested in what you’re offering. People who inquire are further along the sales funnel, so they’re ready to buy compared to those who haven’t made an inquiry.

5. Be Creative

You need to find creative ways of reaching out to customers. It doesn’t always have to be a phone call or an email.

You can text, post on social media sites, send invitations to charity events, or offer referrals.

You should ask your client while you’re in a conversation with them their preferred form of contact. Once you know what they prefer, schedule the follow-up meeting with them then and there.

6. Have a Purpose

Salespeople often become an annoyance when they don’t have a clear purpose. Although the frequency is important, each attempt must come with a reason.

Make sure your follow-up questions make sense. Furthermore, make sure you aren’t asking questions you’ve already covered before.

If you’ve scheduled the follow-up beforehand, it becomes easier to tackle this problem. Since your prospect is already expecting you, you don’t have to try too hard to show that your follow-up has a purpose.

7. Leave a Message

Always leave a message when calling a prospect. Better yet, leave a message and an email.

Decision-makers are very busy, and leaving a message can set yourself apart from the many others fighting for their attention.

Aside from that, leaving messages can be a decent reminder about what you’ve covered before. An average person tends to be forgetful, so a brief rundown of what you just talked about is sure to be helpful.

You can watch Grant’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on-demand by registering today.

A sales follow-up is a crucial step that any great salesperson knows to take. It’s a simple way of showing that you care about the person on the other end of your sales pitch.

From developing a sales cadence to leaving messages, there are many simple, yet effective steps you can take to level up your follow-up strategy. Try them out with your next prospect soon to see what positive changes happen to your sales results.

Which of the tips above have you tried, and what were the results? Let us know by leaving a comment down below!

Up Next:

• 14 Helpful Tips For Working From Home While Social Distancing
• XANT Introduces Industry’s First Mobile Sales Engagement Solution
• 4 Simple Questions That Will Transform Your Sales Process

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 18, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Learn the value of a virtual meeting, and how it can help increase your network and build your pipeline in this post.

RELATED: 4 Key Reasons You Should Use Virtual Events for Lead Generation

In this article:

1. Use Virtual Meeting to Build Your Pipeline
2. How to Do Virtual Meetings
3. How We Started Hosting Virtual Events
4. How We Built Our Speaker Profile
5. The Virtual Sales Development Summit
   1. What You Can Expect

How to Hold a Virtual Meeting

Virtual Meeting Definition: A type of meeting conducted online that allows people from all over the world can join. A virtual meeting or event allows participants to share information real-time even though they’re not physically together.

Use Virtual Meeting to Build Your Pipeline

Which is more difficult — building pipeline or closing pipeline?

We at XANT conducted a survey among Sales Leaders and asked them this question. We learned that for Sales Leaders, building pipeline is almost two times harder than closing pipeline.

To build your pipeline, you have to be creative. One of the ways to do this is to hold a virtual meeting or virtual event.

Sales Pipeline Definition: This represents sales prospects and where they’re currently at in the buying process. The sales pipeline provides an overview of a sales rep’s account. It also lets the team see how close they are to reaching their quota.

How to Do Virtual Meetings

Participating in a virtual meeting with a laptop

You can host a sales summit or marketing summit conducted webinar-style. The speakers can be from within your company, or you can also invite other industry leaders as guest lecturers.

If your main purpose for conducting a virtual event is to build your pipeline, then you should consider having synergistic partners. Your partners will help you promote your event to their own networks so you can gain more participants.

Promoting your event with synergistic partners can yield more turnouts than doing it on your own. Based on our own experience at XANT, we were able to get 20,000 to 40,000 participants with the help of our partners.

If you aren’t conducting a virtual meeting or virtual event in your own industry, you’re losing out. It’s an effective way to build your community, get a following, a killer lead-share program, and a killer pipeline program.

This is something your sales and marketing team should have on their radar when it comes to planning events.

Webinar Definition: A contraction of “web-based seminar,” this is a presentation, meeting, workshop, or lecture conducted using video conference software. A webinar is a type of virtual meeting where participants can share and discuss information in real-time.

How We Started Hosting Virtual Events

Here at XANT, we hold the Virtual Sales Development Summit. We pioneered this concept around ten years ago. You may ask, though, how did we get into hosting virtual events?

We all know that events are awesome. It’s a great way to meet people in person, network, and participate in the event activities.

The problem is, there are a lot of cons that come with physical events.

• It takes time out of everyone’s busy week.
• Also, more often than not, people have to fly in and pay for expensive tickets and accommodation.

Part of our company practice is to work and do things remotely. We want the members of our organization to be able to balance their business life and home life.

Years ago, I told our team, “What if we could take the very best of what people experience in a physical event and put them in a virtual format?” That’s how we came up with the idea to host a virtual sales event.

We also thought about how we could kick it off with a bang, so we invited the Guinness World Records to witness our event. We pitched our virtual sales event as the largest virtual meeting ever, and we actually had nearly 60,000 people register for one of the first ones we held.

RELATED: Sales Leaders: 50 Sales Trends You Need to Know About for 2019

How We Built Our Speaker Profile

Speaking at a virtual meeting remotely

Our virtual events have big-name speakers. They are the movers and shakers who continue to create an impact in the sales industry.

We were able to reach out to sought-after speakers like Guy Kawasaki. When we invited him, we asked him to participate in something really cool that no one has ever done in the sales space.

It was true. During that time, no one has ever brought together the top thought leaders in sales and put them together in a virtual lecture format.

This allowed people from all over to attend the lectures at their leisure. They could tune in through their smartphone, tablet, or computer.

We also offered the virtual event free of charge for sales reps and managers. They can watch it at any time during a certain period, so it’s very convenient for them.

Instead of having the speakers fly out to give their lecture, we had them record their session. If they had to, they could also pre-record it. They only had to send us their video file and they could go back to their daily business.

I remember some of the early conversations we had with our speakers. They hesitated at first because they hadn’t done anything like this before.

The reality is, all the speakers had to do was to find a quiet place and spend 15 to 20 minutes to share their sales secrets. We only had a few live sessions, and the majority of them were pre-recorded.

From our experience, all the speakers we invited wanted to participate in something that was different and unique. Also, it was very easy for them to give their talk because they could do it at their own time.

Eventually, we got more of the best sales speakers, trainers, and practitioners to partner with us in mounting the event. This is how it became a brilliant pipeline generation tool for us.

The Virtual Sales Development Summit

Over the last years, we decided to create a niche virtual meeting. Instead of targeting the sales industry in general, we went for a specific persona.

That’s how we came up with the Virtual Sales Development Summit. It’s the largest gathering of sales development reps and managers.

We’ve got a lot of speakers who are some of the biggest names in sales development. They committed to giving their time to conduct short, but powerful presentations.

What You Can Expect

We prepared two agendas for the summit. The first day is for Sales Development Managers and Leaders. Here we talk about structure, systems, people, and pipeline.

The second day is for Sales and Business Development Reps. We share here what I call the “4 Steps of Sales Development” — identify, contact, qualify, and pass.

We also have the “Sales Development Awards” where we recognize the best thought leaders and sales reps in the industry.

It’s a really fun event, and best of all, it’s almost free. The cost for us to mount this is minuscule, but the ROI is out of this world.

In sales development, prospecting is such an important topic. Pipeline is a huge challenge for most of us, no matter who you are or what company you’re from.

Events like this sales summit attract a lot of people, which can help you with prospecting.

This is a must-attend event! You can learn more about the Sales Development Summit by visiting our website.

Take advantage of the technology we have today to build your pipeline! Like us, you can use a virtual meeting to increase your network and generate prospects.

Virtual events in the form of webinars and sales conference can boost your profile and business. It can also open new opportunities for growth which you had never thought possible.

How else can a virtual event help your business grow? Share your ideas with us in the comments section below.

Up Next:

• Best Lead Generation Methods for Creating Pipeline
• How to Win at Sales Development — 27 Tips from the Experts
• What Is Artificial Intelligence and How Can You Start Using It to Be Successful

We’ll be discussing latest research in the sales development, sales development management and best practices, as well as proven steps for sales development success.

The State of Sales Development 2017

XANT latest research on sales development shows that the industry is changing. “The State of Sales Development” is the largest study of over 1,000 respondents that shows how companies build and execute winning sales development teams. We’ll be discussing the findings of this research and what it means for companies around the world.

The virtual event consists of two days of speaker sessions, divided up by topics:

December 13th – For Sales Development Managers and Leaders:  Structure, Systems, People, Pipeline

During these speaker sessions, you will learn:

Sales development structure and systems: How companies today structure their sales development organization and what technology they are using to win

People: How companies are hiring, motivating, and compensating for sales development

Pipeline: How companies are benchmarking against prospecting pipeline numbers against the best-in-class

December 14th – For Sales Development Reps: Identify, Contact, Qualify, Pass

During these speaker sessions, you will learn:

Identify: Proven ways to identify your best prospects

Contact: What methods companies are using to initiate conversations with prospects

Qualify: What strategies companies are using to leads conversations, qualifying and overcome prospects objections

Pass: How companies are having sales development reps partner with account executives to accelerate the sales funnel

Anyone can register for this free virtual event. The live sessions occur each day at 9AM, with registrants being able to watch the videos later at their own pace.

Sales Development Summit Speakers

Speakers for the sales development summit are a select group with ample experience in sales development execution and management. You’ll be able to learn from sales experts such as:

David Dulany – CEO and Founder of Tenbound

Mike Stevenson – Director of Sales Development at Docusign

Chris Castaldini – Director of Global Sales Development at Optimizely

Gabe Villamizar – Head of B2B Marketing at Lucid Software

Rob Jepssen – CEO of Xvoyant

Kharisma Moraski – VP of WorldWide Corporate Sales at Kaseya

Marc Bodner – Co Founder of the Sales Enablement Society

Ben Cotton – Sr. Manager of Sales Enablement at HubSpot

Jake Reni – Sr. Manager of Inside Sales at Adobe

…and many, many more!

Register for the XANT Sales Development Summit

Register now for our free sales development training virtual event!

Celebrated sales speaker Anthony Iannarino shared 25 reasons why sales teams lose deals during his presentation at the XANT Sales Acceleration Summit.

As you become familiar with these common pitfalls, you’ll change your approach to selling and ultimately become more successful in your role.

1. No compelling need

Sales teams are not going to win a deal when no deal is possible because your prospective client has no compelling need. If your prospective client has no need, you need to create one they can act on. Failure to do so will result in a lost deal.

2. Skipping stages of the sales process

Skipping stages means you’re not taking the actions you know are necessary to win. Make sure you’re following every step, from discovery all the way to close. Shortcuts rarely lead to wins.

3. Failing to control the sales process

Most of the time your buyer’s process doesn’t serve you. If you constantly agree to that process, you’re sure to lose. You can’t let the buyer control the process.

4. Failing to gain the commitments you need

By failing to get the commitments you know you need, you endanger your deal and increase the odds of a loss. Always remember to be open and ask for all the information you need.

5. Failing to create value for your prospects during sales calls

It’s difficult to gain a commitment that moves an opportunity forward if sales teams haven’t done any work to deserve that commitment. Use every interaction you have with a client to create value. Understand their needs and serve as their adviser.

6. Focusing on low levels of value in your solution

Unless you’re calling on an end user, the lower levers of value in the features and benefits of your product are not compelling enough on their own to get a win. Get strategic and focus on the right things that appeal to decision makers, not just the minor details.

7. Failing to elevate the discovery conversation to strategic outcomes

Without identifying the strategic outcomes worth pursuing, you make a “no” more likely. Find out what is compelling to your prospects outside of the features and benefits of your service.

8. Not developing a compelling case for change

The most difficult sale you make is creating a compelling case for change. Without it, you lose. You need to use evidence to help your prospect understand why they have to change now.

9. Transactional behaviors

Transactional behaviors are behaviors that make your prospective client feel as if all you are trying to do is get a quick close. There’s no focus on value creation. Unless what you sell should be sold transactionally, this will kill your deal. You need to assume the role of an adviser.

10. Choosing to communicate using lesser mediums

The most important conversations you have should be held using the best and most effective medium. Failure to do so will cost you an opportunity.

11. Being self-oriented

The more your prospective client feels your motive is purely about your commission check, the more likely you are to lose that deal. Avoid language that may convey that and instead focus solely on creating value for them.

12. Failing to identify the buying committee

In small sales, you may be dealing with a single decision maker. But in larger, more complex B2B sales, that is unlikely. If you don’t identify the stakeholders and understand their needs, you end up with a big “L.” Make sure to meet with everyone involved and solve all of their needs.

13. Failing to build consensus

One of the easiest ways to lose an opportunity is failure to create consensus among the stakeholders who will eventually vote on whether or not to choose you and your solution. You need to win them over, or they’ll vote against you.

14. Not tailoring the value to the individual stakeholders

It isn’t easy to give each stakeholder what they need in a solution, but without customizing the value to the different stakeholders, you are unlikely to gain their support. This often results in a loss.

15. Not dealing with obstacles

There are all kinds of obstacles sales teams need to overcome on the way to a deal. These can be barriers that prevent your solution from being acceptable. If you don’t address these obstacles, you jeopardize a “yes.”

16. Selling without a conversation about money and budget

At some point, you’ll need to talk about money. Frame the conversation around the investment your prospective client needs to make in order to get the results they want.

17. Focusing on price

Believe it or not, you can lose opportunities because you are so focused on price when you should be focused on creating value in a solution. Price is just an expression of the value you create.

18. Solving the wrong problem

If the customer tells you exactly what you need to address to solve the problem and you present something different, you lose. You need to solve the right problem to win.

19. Presenting poorly

If your presentation is overpowered by images of your corporate office and your executive management team, you’ll prove nothing.  

20. Presenting a solution your client hasn’t already said ‘yes’ to

There is no reason that your prospective client should be surprised by what you show them in your presentation.

21. Allowing the customer to believe price and cost are the same thing

Your client will think price and cost are the same thing unless you do something about it. Again, frame the conversation around investing.

22. Failing to justify the delta between your price and your competitor’s price

Your price is higher than the competition for a reason. If you can’t explain that reason, you don’t deserve to win.

23. Failing to provide the necessary proof

If your dream client needs you to provide evidence of what you’ve said and what you promised, you need to provide it. Otherwise, it’s a loss. Always ask what proof they need.

24. Trying to match your competitor’s price or strategy

If your competitor has a lower price, that may be their strategy, but it isn’t yours. You have to play your game and compete where you’re strong and they’re weak.

25. Poor deal strategy

If you haven’t tested the ideas you believe make up your strategy with a red team, you aren’t anticipating how you might lose. Without toughening up your deals, you risk a loss. Know how you plan on beating the competition.

You can watch Anthony’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

According to a 2016 XANT Research 

Those numbers prove two things. First, voicemail is still relevant, and second, if you aren’t leaving quality voicemails, you’re missing out on opportunities.

Art Sobczak, celebrated sales author and trainer, revealed his proven techniques for leaving quality voicemails during his 2016 Sales Acceleration Summit session.

Pre-call research

The art of leaving a voicemail requires attention to detail.

That’s why Art emphasizes that there is no magic voicemail script that can help you win over every single person you call. Instead, he points out that what you say on a call is the result of several steps that lead up to that point, including pre-call research.

That being said, Art uses a simple template to craft prospect-specific voicemails.

Art’s proven voicemail template

This template is easily learned and can quickly improve the quality of your voicemails.

“Hi (prospect), I’m (name) with (company).
(Use LinkedIn/Smart Calling Intel/Connection/Referral)
We specialize in working with
(title of buyer/type of company/organization)
who/that
(describe a situation or problem)
and help to
(the result you provide)
which means
(further describing the end result).
(Mention specific customer/client results and move to questions).”

That may seem a little cryptic, so let’s use an example right from Art to better understand how this template works in a real-life situation.

Hi Pat, I’m Art Sobczak, President of Business by Phone. I was talking to one of your sales reps and I understand that you have an aggressive new account goal for this year, but some reps haven’t embraced it yet. I specialize in working with sales teams that have new business quotas, helping them use a proven prospecting process, which means they are able to confidently get through to and sell to new buyers. Our most recent client has already opened up 10 new accounts in a week, more than they did the past four months. I’d like to ask a couple of questions to see if I could provide you with some information.

Important considerations

The key to making this template work is understanding your prospect and setting yourself apart by letting them know you’re not just another smiling and dialing sales rep. Use LinkedIn and social engineering to get to know them, their company, their industry and find common connections.

In initial conversations, or when leaving a voicemail, be sure to address a problem and follow up immediately with a solution.

In the example above, Art states:

“I understand that you have an aggressive new account goal for this year, but some reps haven’t embraced it yet. I specialize in working with sales teams that have new business quotas.”

This establishes you as an expert and shows you understand the prospect’s needs.

Lastly, always remember that people don’t buy things, they buy results. By sharing actual metrics that reflect your success, you’re more likely to get the attention of buyers.

You can watch Art’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

Brent Adamson, principal executive adviser at CEB and best-selling author, led one of the most popular sessions at XANT’s

Brent discussed the different stakeholder personas in B2B sales and which ones star performers focus on.

It’s been ingrained in our minds that success in B2B sales is all about making the right connections. And while that’s true, we have a warped perception of whom we should connect with.

Don’t let the title fool you. The best person to speak with isn’t always the highest on the chain of command. Instead of trying to reach those with budget ownership, seniority and decision-making authority, quota crushers have trained themselves to find customer stakeholders with the right personalities.

7 stakeholder personas

Through rigorous study and research, CEB has discovered that every stakeholder involved in a B2B purchases has one of the following personas:

1. The Go-Getter is constantly looking for new ideas and delivering more than they’re asked to do. They learn from their mistakes and look to champion other’s ideas.
2. The Skeptic is open to new ideas, but they like to analyze and dissect every detail. They perceive unclear projects as risky and believe that changes require small wins first.
3. The Friend is readily accessible and is always looking to network with sales reps and colleagues.
4. The Teacher is great at explaining new insights, and both colleagues and executives seek a teacher’s input. Teachers are seen as visionaries and are particularly gifted at motivating others.
5. The Guide is good at providing information typically unavailable to vendors. They are open and speak the truth when interacting with sales reps.
6. The Climber values personal gain over the company’s. They always want to know what’s in it for them and always look to brag about their personal success.
7. The Blocker believes stability is a goal in and of itself. They rarely help vendors, not because they don’t like them, but because they are opposed to change. Blockers believe improvement projects are distractions.

Obviously, these personas aren’t mutually exclusive and there will always be some overlap, but according to Brent, stakeholders always gravitate toward one of these profiles.

Who should you connect with?

As CEB spoke with top sellers and star performers, they realized there are only two things these sellers cared about when deciding where to hitch their wagon within a customer organization.

Instead of focusing on role or title, like they are trained to do, these sales reps are looking for someone with the ability to build a consensus and willing to drive change.

In our list of seven personas, there are only three that fulfill those requirements:

•      The Go-Getter
•      The Teacher
•      The Skeptic

Brent has dubbed this group the mobilizers.

Mobilizers are the ones who rally the troops. They’ve earned their nickname because they mobilize action and build consensus.

Others on the list may be friendly and talk with you (except the blocker), but they won’t get anything done.

What now?

Apply this to any prospects or customers you’re working with. Think of real accounts and the people you’re speaking with.

Which persona group do they belong to? Are you speaking with mobilizers or are you stuck with talkers and blockers?

Once you identify the people you should be speaking with, focus on these two tasks:

1.     Engage mobilizers with commercial insight, not thought leadership
2.     Equip mobilizers to coach customers toward collective change

As you work with and empower mobilizers in the companies you’re selling to, you’ll achieve greater B2B success.

You can watch Brent’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

Tim based his sales tips on these thoughts from Quotable.com contributors and added his own recommendations.

1. Salespeople vs. the Internet: Who is winning?

“Rather than reduce the power of salespeople, the Internet made salespeople more powerful than before.”

• Jason Jordan, Partner, Vantage Point Performance

Ten years ago, many people were prophesying the extinction of sales forces because of the Internet. They believed that with so much information available, buyers would no longer need salespeople. They were wrong. The sales industry is stronger than ever and reps that make use of the Internet and automate their processes will have a significant competitive advantage.

2. Salespeople and the significance of the digital footprint

“Your target customers and prospects, especially the social ones, can tell within seconds whether you’ve done your due diligence.”

• Vala Afshar, Chief Digital Evangelist, Salesforce

Customers and prospects have done their homework. Many of them have already done a lot of research before ever speaking with you. In order to better connect with them, you must be up-to-date on their company and all their needs. Leverage all the information available to you to learn more about them.

3. The hottest job in sales right now

“While sales cycles haven’t elongated exponentially, the amount of effort required to win a single sale has.”

• Trish Bertuzzi, President & Chief Strategist, The Bridge Group

We talk so much about closing deals that we often forget the importance of building pipeline. The growth of sales development is helping organizations fuel their momentum, driving more revenue and more customers.

4. How to respond to one of the biggest sales blow-offs of all time

“I’m going to tell you to send me your sales information and then bet with colleagues how many follow-up calls you’re going to make.”

• John Barrows, Owner, J.Barrows, LLC

Many times when you’re speaking with a prospect and you offer to send them additioanl information, they’ll say yes just to be polite or get you off their back. In order to beat this, you need to ask key questions. Ask the what, when and why to determine what kinds of information they would actually benefit from.

5. Sales skills that can’t be taught

“The most self-aware sales pros are more deliberate with success and know how to repeat it.”

• Dan Ross, AVP Commercial Sales, Salesforce

When sales leaders are looking to hire the right candidates, they need to find those who have the right qualities to excel. Some of these skills include curiosity, integrity and a drive to succeed. If you’re looking to stand out, work on developing these qualities.

6. Are you missing this powerful selling skill?

“Empathy creates an emotional connection, which elevates the sales conversation.”

• Colleen Stanley, President & Chief Selling Officer, SalesLeadership, Inc.

A lot of organizations are beginning to make better use of sales training and coaching to improve professional development within their teams. That being said, many are missing one of the most important skills sales people can have: empathy.

7. Sales genius is a team sport

“Salespeople are accustomed to controlling their own destiny, often seeing other departments as the ‘land of no’.”

• Tim Sanders, Author & Keynote Speaker

The playing field of sales has changed. There are so many more people involved in the buying process than ever before, which means that in order to be successful, sellers must tap into their networks and collaborate with peers.

8. When a sales manager should save a deal

“When the salesperson is having trouble closing, it’s an issue that goes way back up to the sales funnel.”

• Mark Hunter, CEO & Founder, The Sales Hunter

Sales managers and leadership might question if they need to get involved, especially at the end of the quarter or the year. However, this isn’t the right thing to do. If you’re constantly getting involved, you can’t develop the individual. Resist the urge to jump in and you’ll build up a stronger sales team.

9. Effectiveness and efficiency: Why successful leaders do both

“Doing the right things isn’t enough anymore. Nor is just doing things right.”

• Laura Stack, President & CEO, Productivity Keynote Speaker and Author, The Productivity Pro, Inc.

Improving sales effectiveness isn’t enough on its own. Sales success depends on working smart and hard. Organizations must invest in technology to improve efficiency while constantly re-evaluating processes and methods to increase productivity.

10. Content is the currency of the modern sales professional

“If sellers demonstrate that they have information, insights, resources and networks – that is, real value to add – it’s like a magnet.”

• Jill Rowley, Founder & Chief Evangelist, #SocialSelling

Instead of trying to be hunters and chase prospects down, sellers need to become someone who wants to be found. They should swim with the current, insert themselves in relevant conversations, and create valuable content for their prospects to consume.

You can watch Tim’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

Related Content

• Grant Cardone’s 7 Simple Tips to Improve Sales Follow-up
• Jamie Shanks Reveals 5 Must-Have Skills of Modern Sales Pros
• Tom Hopkins’ 6 Powerhouse Closing Strategies
• Jill Konrath on Experimenting With Sales
• Sales Acceleration Summit 2016 Breaks Records With 35,000+ Registrants

While many organizations are turning to automation to help improve performance, this alone isn’t enough. Sales leaders must also coach and grow every sales rep to get them to reach their goals faster.

Lisa Clark, VP of marketing and business development at Qstream, calls this the human side of sales acceleration. Instead of looking to hire more “A” players, companies should use data to improve the employees they already have.

To do that, Lisa recommends evaluating three metrics that are commonly overlooked.

1. Sales capabilities

Are your reps prepared for every sales call? Are they knowledgeable enough to add value to your prospect’s buying process? 

Unfortunately, far too many organizations aren’t measuring what their reps really know. While many teams measure win rate, this is a retroactive stat and often doesn’t help you in time to make the right adjustments. Instead, use data to figure out where reps stand today, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and then develop a method to change that proactively. 

2. Coaching effectiveness

What is the biggest driver of performance? Compensation? According to Lisa, proper coaching is one of the biggest indicators of sales effectiveness.

That being said, many organizations do far too little, blaming busy schedules for their inability to spend more than just a couple of days with their reps every two months.

In order to remedy this problem, leadership must provide managers with the tools they need to provide the right coaching for their teams then measure its effectiveness. Personalized coaching can boost individual confidence and lead to substantial increases in performance. 

3. Performance correlation

As you measure enablement to revenue, you’ll notice that top performers all have one thing in common; they are highly proficient in all aspects of their job, not just in selling.

The simplest way to correlate all areas of performance is to use your CRM to measure capabilities against performance. This will give you a full view of both past and future outcomes. That way you could see things like if your rep with the biggest pipeline has the weakest discovery skills. This would allow you to properly assess forecast accuracy and take action before it’s too late.

You can watch Lisa’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

Related Content

• Grant Cardone’s 7 Simple Tips to Improve Sales Follow-up
• Jamie Shanks Reveals 5 Must-Have Skills of Modern Sales Pros
• Tom Hopkins’ 6 Powerhouse Closing Strategies
• Jill Konrath on Experimenting With Sales

To help leaders overcome this problem, Amanda Holmes, CEO at Chet Holmes International, shared her favorite time management secrets at this year’s XANT Sales Acceleration Summit.

Whether you’re overseeing a small sales team or directing the efforts of a large marketing organization, these simple secrets will drastically improve productivity and efficiency.

Step 1: Touch it once

Strong leaders are able to take immediate action. Imagine how much time you waste reading emails, putting them aside and then trying to find them again. If you face a task you can get done right away, do it. If not, make sure to file it away in an organized fashion so you can quickly retrieve it when necessary.

Step 2: Make a list

Every morning, Amanda recommends making a to-do list of everything you want to accomplish that day. Next, number those items so you know where you want to start and check them off as you go.

Step 3: Allocate time for each task

Once you’ve created and numbered your to-dos, decide how much time you will devote to those tasks.

Step 4: Plan your day

Now that you know what you’re working on and how much time you’ll spend, you can plan your day. Go into your calendar and mark things off. Be specific. Amanda even recommends setting time aside for things like emails. You can’t always be in a reactive mode or else you will be too easily sidetracked and not get to your tasks.’

Step 5: Prioritize

Amanda shares a story about her late father, Chet Holmes, while he was managing a dozen companies at once. Everyone was telling Chet to write a book, but he didn’t know where he’d find the time. He decided to designate an hour each Monday for the writing, and after two years, finally finished it. If you prioritize your time around the big projects, you’ll find time to work on smaller ones as well.

Step 6: Throw things away

How many things on your hard drive are simply taking up space? So many saved items are never referenced again. To help create more time for important tasks, you can’t be afraid to throw things away. Ask if everything you have is necessary. If not, toss it in the recycling bin.

You can watch Amanda’s full presentation, or any of our other sales summit speakers, on demand by registering today.

Related Content

• Grant Cardone’s 7 Simple Tips to Improve Sales Follow-up
• Jamie Shanks Reveals 5 Must-Have Skills of Modern Sales Pros
• Tom Hopkins’ 6 Powerhouse Closing Strategies
• Jill Konrath on Experimenting With Sales