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Courtside with Community ft. Tibor Shanto | March 16 | How to become a pro at sales prospecting

Courtside with Community ft. Tibor Shanto | March 16 | How to become a pro at sales prospecting
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Tibor
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  • March 16, 2022
rhea.desouza wrote:

It’s time for the last question - question no. 4!

Q4: Metrics are key to success. But what metrics must be captured while handling prospects and how often?

To answer this question, start your answer with A4, signifying the answer for Q4.

A4 - Metrics are key. While there are many, I like leading indicators, I measure the following:

 

Contact to Appointment

First Meeting to Discovery

Discovery to Proposal

Proposal to Close

Average Deal Size

 

Each of these require a learnable and improvable skill that can be coached to.


nivedita
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My question to Tibor and community is: Some prospects who express interest say they’d think about my proposition and get back in a few days - but they don’t until I follow up a few times. What is the ideal number of times to follow up and in what cadence without coming off as annoying?


Tibor
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Srilakshmi wrote:
Tibor wrote:
rhea.desouza wrote:

We’re mid-way through the session. 🎉 Your next question is here:

Q3: Prospects can be reached out to via email, social and cold calling. What form of communication works best for you? What are some tips to start a conversation with a prospect?

Begin your answer for this question with A3 or click on ‘quote’ below

I find the most effective way to start a conversation is by providing an example of an outcome.  They always told us not to look at the last page of a novel.  I am saying the prospecting call should start with the end of the book, if they like that the rest of the story is straight forward.  Foocus on the end, not the means.

How effective is social media when it comes to prospecting? Is it important to track social mentions of your business and engage with prospects there? Or is it best to use social media as a tool to see if prospects fit your ICP?

I think it is one tool when it comes to ICP.  I would leave monitoring mentions to others in the company.  But I do think social to understand and connect with a prospect is part of your tool kit.


Manasa Kumar
Skilled Expert
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  • March 16, 2022
rhea.desouza wrote:

It’s time for the last question - question no. 4!

Q4: Metrics are key to success. But what metrics must be captured while handling prospects and how often?

To answer this question, start your answer with A4, signifying the answer for Q4.

Some metrics I like to track include: 

  1. Email metrics - email opens, clicks and replies 
  2. Social media engagement 
  3. Sales activity metrics - downloads, demo requests, calls, meetings 

Tibor
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nivedita wrote:

My question to Tibor and community is: Some prospects who express interest say they’d think about my proposition and get back in a few days - but they don’t until I follow up a few times. What is the ideal number of times to follow up and in what cadence without coming off as annoying?

@nivedita Early in my sales career I was enticed in to a cult, the cult of Next Steps.  No encounter with a prospect should end without scheduling the next step.  When you present the proposal, and they ask for time, say “ok, how is Friday morning at 10:00 to review, answer questions and plan next steps.”  

 

I don’t think that there are too many follow ups, but I would think about your process if you are running into this regularly. There some specifics, if you want to reach out.


alyssia.correa
Community Manager
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Tibor wrote:
nivedita wrote:

My question to Tibor and community is: Some prospects who express interest say they’d think about my proposition and get back in a few days - but they don’t until I follow up a few times. What is the ideal number of times to follow up and in what cadence without coming off as annoying?

@nivedita Early in my sales career I was enticed in to a cult, the cult of Next Steps.  No encounter with a prospect should end without scheduling the next step.  When you present the proposal, and they ask for time, say “ok, how is Friday morning at 10:00 to review, answer questions and plan next steps.”  

 

I don’t think that there are too many follow ups, but I would think about your process if you are running into this regularly. There some specifics, if you want to reach out.

 Love the next steps example! Always get them to commit to a day and time - half the battle won!


rhea.desouza
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  • March 16, 2022

What a blast! It’s been an engaging hour filled with a lot of learnings and takeaways! 

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their insights, questions and experiences - it will definitely be a useful resource to many! 

Finally, thank you Tibor for taking the time to share your expertise on the subject and the many useful tips and tricks. 

We’ll see you next time!


rashmi.nag
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  • March 16, 2022

@Tibor - Thank you for your answers and explanations! A question for you based on your experience so far - what would you say have been your 3 key challenges in your sales career?


rashmi.nag
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  • March 16, 2022
rhea.desouza wrote:

What a blast! It’s been an engaging hour filled with a lot of learnings and takeaways! 

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their insights, questions and experiences - it will definitely be a useful resource to many! 

Finally, thank you Tibor for taking the time to share your expertise on the subject and the many useful tips and tricks. 

We’ll see you next time!

Loved all the insights from today’s session!! Looking forward to more of these.


Tibor
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rashmi.nag wrote:

@Tibor - Thank you for your answers and explanations! A question for you based on your experience so far - what would you say have been your 3 key challenges in your sales career?

I would say:

Learning to say NO, not everything is as important as it sounds

I have to continue to remind myself to disqualify, good conversations don’t always lead to opportunities

Staying up to date, things continue to change, and as a SME, I need to stay on top of things, as do most sellers.


Tibor
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rashmi.nag wrote:
rhea.desouza wrote:

What a blast! It’s been an engaging hour filled with a lot of learnings and takeaways! 

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed their insights, questions and experiences - it will definitely be a useful resource to many! 

Finally, thank you Tibor for taking the time to share your expertise on the subject and the many useful tips and tricks. 

We’ll see you next time!

Loved all the insights from today’s session!! Looking forward to more of these.

Had a great time, thanks for having me, bye for now!


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