The source was cited in a link when I originally posted -- no where in the post did it detail the requirement to use the authors full by line. But, as per your request I gladly added. BTW on the web, the link does more for spreading your content than a byline. I posted the article to highlight how generic and dated the advice is. I call it how I see it. Thanks for reading!
Yes, Chris one aspect of this doozie of a question falls onto how good the product or service is. But in most markets, the differentiation between products is minimal, and most are good enough to get the job done just fine. Even in the companies that have a wiz bang product or service there are reps that are not making the number... why? This questions fascinates me....
Keep the comments flowing... I will crowdsource all the answers to this question in an upcoming post!
@Josh: I'm glad you had some nice takeaways from the post. The sales reps that go the extra mile by providing more value that is simple to understand will be very successful. If your company does not have a blog try compiling blog articles and one-pagers that you could use in your sales process. Then get on your management to have sales and marketing align. Keep reading!
Amen, Steve! It also helps when sales reps are constantly speaking to prospects that have been engaging with your brand over time. IBM has realized this and they are capitalizing on the shift in buyer behavior and expectations.
Keep in mind sales reps can use a blog as a way to crack into their target accounts through keeping top of mind with, consistent, and relevant content. A really powerful blog for a sales rep does not need to rank in search engines. It can be used as a business development tool to get more opportunities going in addition to your normal outbound activity.
Excellent points. Also, keep in mind that if you are a farmer rep you can apply specific strategies to meet the needs of your accounts, the same goes for if you are a hunter rep. Blogs for sales reps may be less about SEO and more about creating relationships in accounts with super helpful and valuable content. Again, different strategies for different goals. The fact is that blogs garner attention.
I'm definitely with you on this one Todd. While creating and maintaining a blog will not be something every sales rep does -- the really smart ones will take advantage of the shift in the way prospects engage, do research and buy. The magic is found in providing new and creative ways to provide value, create interest and open doors to more opportunities. Blogs can be used as a very handy key.
Art, come on man! You're trying to tell me that there is a difference between a smart call and a warm call? Feel free to hash that one out for me. They are the same thing, just with different spins. No matter what you name a phone call to a prospect, it is a cold call, unless you are calling an inbound lead.
You're trying to tell me, that when you ask, "are you sick and tired of rejection?", that your book is not proposing it can reduce the amount of rejection inherent in sales. If not, the marketing copy sure reads that way.
Again, I respect the work you do, but I stand firm that the marketing copy for the book is old, out dated, and an attempt to prey on the basic human emotion of fear.
@Trish: I like to feature different posts with varying viewpoints because it gets discussion going -- much like on this post. To your point, it is always best to know as much about your prospects or buyers as possible. The more info you have the better the opening conversation will be if you use it wisely.
This easily ties into Sales 2.0. There are many companies that actively use lead generation specialists that qualify leads and fill the top of the sales funnel. They cold call -- a lot. For some organizations this reduces their cost of sale because they are not paying their high cost sales reps with non-sales activities, it is incorporated into their sales process, and it works. Other organizations choose to outsource this to companies like Vorsight or a sales productivity vendor ConnectandSell. Different viewpoints and different strategies.
Thanks for your comment.!
@Kyle: When I speak and write about enabling employees to be voices of the company brand many peoples head's explode. I call these old school, big media, more dollars than brains, the corporate dinosaurs because they will soon be extinct. If they only understood the science behind viral marketing, the cascade effect and big seed theory in social media they would encourage every employee to jump on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.
Thoughts out there?
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