Cold Calling

Cold Calling: Make the Shift to
Meaningful Performance Management
By Leslie Buterin
www.ColdCallingExecutives.com

We know we are supposed to embrace change and improve upon the ways we work, but unfortunately, for most sales professionals accountability for our own performance review process has not changed one iota.

Sales managers and sellers alike dread performance reviews because they’re seen as painful, bothersome administrivia that they can hardly wait to move past and scratch off of their to-do list.

Sellers profess to wanting feedback but find there is precious little performance enhancing feedback given. Why is that? Because managers don’t know how to conduct an effective performance review, sellers don’t know how to move to the next level in any way other than to do more of what they are already doing in a day that is full to over flowing with activity.

What are the real leverage points, the areas that if you change them ever so slightly will in fact result in higher sales?

Where can you make more time for doing what you are good at – selling – passionately presenting your product and what it can do for your clients?

What activities if improved upon will allow you to quickly and easily gain audience with high-level decision makers?

Try these three:

1. Reduce the number of clicks you make on your CRM from 200 to 2, that’ll buy you more time for selling. You’ll shave 3-5 minutes from administrative requirements, which in turn will allow you to make 3-5 more prospecting calls.
2. Increase the number of callbacks you get from Voice Mail messages. Most folks (including you) don’t answer the phone these days so you might as well plan to leave a message that’ll compel prospects to return your calls.
3. Leverage your 90-seconds of phone time (the maximum amount of time you have with each prospect) into more appointments. Figure out if your roadblocks are internal (fears of cold calling are holding you back) or external (the words you say just aren’t getting the results you want.

These are meaningful performance management measures of the skilled 21st Century sales professional who consistently, predictably and productively leverage contacts with prospects into high dollar sales.

*****

Forward this article to friends. They will thank you for it!

For your mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit www.ColdCallingExecutives.com or call New Business Development Coach, Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time)

(c) 2008 Leslie Buterin. All Rights Reserved.

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