Successful Sales Strategy

@PersistIQ

Brandon RedlingerHost & Presenter

@PersistIQ

Welcome to the webinar!

Nabila ParvezCo-Presenter

@PersistIQ

Today’s Agenda1. What’s the best number of touchpoints in a campaign

2. How to diversify your outbound channels

3. What the content of your touchpoints should be

4. How much time you should wait between touch points

5. How to scientifically test and improve your campaigns

@PersistIQ

Then and Now

In 2007, it took 3.68 cold touches to reach a prospect, today it takes 8+ (TeleNet and Ovation Sales Group)

@PersistIQ

The Average Salesperson

The average salesperson only makes 2

attempts at following up (Sirius Decisions)

The average salesperson prospects 6.25

hours per day (Ovation Sales Group)

@PersistIQ

Number of Touches

@PersistIQ

Persistence wins!

You must follow up at least 8 times!

But how do you follow up 8+ times without

annoying your prospects?

@PersistIQ

How to Follow Up

● Diversify your channels

● Very the content of your touches

● Deliver your message at the right time

@PersistIQ

Channel Diversity

Email is the easiest channel to use, but it's not the only channel.

Most buyers (96%) have a negative reaction to cold contacts (Strategis).

@PersistIQ

Email Isn’t Enough

@PersistIQ

Email Isn’t Enough

However, 78% of salespeople using social media as part of their sales arsenal outperform those who don’t (Forbes).

● Phone● Social● Fax● Door to door● Physical email● Etc.

It all comes back to knowing your ICP! This will help inform the best channel to use.

● Who are they? ● What does their day-to-day look like? ● How do they communicate with their team? ● How do they get news and stay current on the

industry?

@PersistIQ

Your Ideal Customer

In his book Fanatical Prospecting, Jeb Blount bold states that,

"There is no other tool in sales that will deliver better results, fill your pipe faster, and help you cover more ground in less time than the phone."

@PersistIQ

Using the Phone

Here's a quick outline for a phone script from Jeb Blount:

1. Get their attention by using their name.2. Introduce yourself.3. Tell them why you're calling.4. Bridge the gap and give them a "because." This is your value

proposition.5. Ask for what you want, then shut up.

@PersistIQ

A Framework for Phone Prospecting

“Hi Julie. My name is Jeb and I'm with Sales Gravy. The reason I'm calling is to set an appointment with you. I just read an article online that said your company is going to add 200 new sales positions over the next year. Several companies in your industry are already using Sales Gravy exclusively for sourcing sales candidates and are very happy with the results that we are delivering. I thought the best place to start is to schedule a short meeting to learn about your sales recruiting challenges and goals. How about we meet Wednesday afternoon around 3pm?"

@PersistIQ

Example

@PersistIQ

Content of Your Touches

@PersistIQ

The content of your email is largely going to determine if you come across as an annoying pest or a welcomed guest.

Content of Your Touches

@PersistIQ

Biggest Mistakes

● Sending “Just following up,” “Just checking in” Etc.● Being boring● Offering no value

@PersistIQ

4 Fixes

● Reemphasize value● Offer insight● Educate● Share news

@PersistIQ

Reemphasize Value

It’s all about what you can do for the prospect. Find a way to show them value. Talk to their pain points, priorities and motivations.

@PersistIQ

Offer Insight

Make it about them and their benefits.

● Share a different way to approach their problems ● Share a novel idea for how they can reach goals● Etc.

@PersistIQ

Educate

Don’t pitch in every single follow up.

Offer your prospect valuable content● Whitepaper● Ebook● Webinar recording● Case study● Etc.

@PersistIQ

Share News

Your prospect will appreciate helping them stay up to date with the latest news.

Sending them:● Relevant industry news● Product updates● Competitive announcements● Etc.

@PersistIQ

Time Between Touches

There’s no single right answer.

Sending an email to a CXO is very different than an entry level rep/associate.

Know your ICP!!!

@PersistIQ

No Silver Bullet

Being a little more persistent early on, then tapering off if the buyer hasn’t responded works well.

We’ve seen great results sending the second touch a day or even 12 hours after the first.

@PersistIQ

What Has Worked For Us

Most salespeople are timid and shy about follow up.

@PersistIQ

The Average Follow up

Day 1: Call and emailDay 2: Email and favorite a tweetDay 3: Follow and re-tweetDay 5: Email and LinkedIn ConnectDay 7: EmailDay 10: Call and emailDay 17: Email and TwitterDay 21: LinkedInDay 28: Call and email

@PersistIQ

Example

@PersistIQ

Putting It All Together

1. Decide on a number of touchpoints.2. Vary the channel/mediums you use to reach out.3. Assign a schedule to your touchpoints.4. Finally, decide on and create the content.

Most importantly....

@PersistIQ

Make Decisions Quickly

@PersistIQ

Scientifically Test and Improve

SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely.

“Increasing the performance of my outbound campaign” vs “Increasing my open rate by 8% in my outbound campaign targeting CXOs within the next month.”

@PersistIQ

1)Set Your Goals

@PersistIQ

1)Set Your Goals

“Increasing the performance of my outbound campaign”

vs.

“Increasing my open rate by 8% in my outbound campaign targeting CXOs within the next month.”

@PersistIQ

2) Define What You’re Testing

From your goal, what’s the most appropriate thing to test?

Open rates → Subject lineReply → Body

In a subject line:

● Custom variable vs. no variable● Question vs. statement● Long vs. short● Feature vs. benefit

@PersistIQ

2) Define What You’re Testing

In an email body:

● Value proposition A vs. Value proposition B● Call-to-action A vs. call-to-action B● P.S. vs. no P.S.● Social proof vs. no social proof● Whitepaper vs. no whitepaper

@PersistIQ

2) Define What You’re Testing

@PersistIQ

3) Create and Run

Write the template that will serve as your “control” or original template.

Then, copy that exact template and make your one change to it. This second template is called your “variant.”

@PersistIQ

4) Collect and Analyze

“How long should I run it for?” and “How many emails are enough?”

A good rule of thumb to remember is if you can get to a 90% statistical significance rate, you can be confident that your results are meaningful.

@PersistIQ

Compare Your Control

@PersistIQ

Against Your Variant

Repeated trial and error.

Retesting your findings every 6 months.

@PersistIQ

5) Iterate and Refine

@PersistIQ

Thanks for Attending!

Any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!