the difference in the results I was getting.
You’re welcome to take a look at it or download on the Resources page of my website: www.tomhopkins.com. Use it as is, or as a template to create your own.
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In our online system for generating sales, it’s important to set goals for the amount of time you’ll invest in researching potential client companies and decision-makers. Set goals for the number of new contacts you’ll make monthly, weekly, daily. How many emails will you send monthly, weekly, daily to new potential clients? How much time will you commit to following up on leads generated by your efforts? Another goal would be for time invested in developing the right information for your initial contacts. Give it some serious thought now, and then revisit your plans after you finish reading this book and testing the system. Some aspects may take you longer to wrap your head around or to customize to your specific audience.
Goals that excite you—ones you’ll work hard to strive for—are best. Set goals that make you stretch. Anything less is just a “to do” list. Some sales pros find it helpful to choose a magic number for themselves and make that number part of an internal mantra that keeps them moving forward when those inevitable rejections that we mentioned earlier arise. Many sales pros set goals for each day, and what they’ll do after a rejection.
These might include:
10X – They’ll make 10 more calls after each rejection. “10X” is the foundation of success taught by Grant Cardone.
The Great 8 – Generate eight leads per day. Email eight new contacts.
The Magnificent 7 – Seven leads, seven new emails, seven follow ups daily.
Triple Threat – Three more contacts after every rejection.
You can mix the activities up as well: 8 leads, 7 follow ups, 3 contacts after a rejection. Choose activity goals that feel challenging but not overwhelming and make a commitment to them.
Once you develop your goals, put them in a place where you can see them all the time. Make them part of the background of your computer or phone screen. Place them on the mirror in your bathroom. Add a sticky note to your bank card so you’ll see your goals every time you pull it out. Tape your goals to the dashboard of your car (but don’t read them while driving). The more impacts those goals make on your brain, the more power your subconscious will give them. With that added power, you’ll find more opportunities for success and you’ll have greater will toward the achievement of your goals versus allowing yourself to backslide into old, less productive habits.
Preplan Everything!
Most salespeople have upbeat, enthusiastic attitudes. They’re excited about what they get to do every day. They love meeting new people. They love their products. They love selling! Unfortunately, enthusiasm won’t get you far without knowledge and preparation. This is where preplanning comes in.
Strong businesses adhere to specific strategies for success. One such strategy is to set agendas for meetings. Agendas help focus energy and thought. They are used to gain knowledge, make wise decisions, and direct efforts. Agendas are built on goals. They’re used to help you plan the how of achieving your goals. Get in the habit of thinking through what your goal is with each contact—even if it’s a simple email reply. Don’t just answer questions, plan what needs to happen next to move the sale forward!
Career professionals in sales think and act as if they’re in business for themselves. They hold themselves to high standards in order to build and keep their reputations strong both within their industry, and with their clients. They place a high value on the preparation stage of selling. When they invest time in preplanning—literally thinking through every client contact—they achieve greater rewards than those who fly by the seats of their pants.
Develop a brief agenda for every client contact. To do so, you would set a goal for each contact. Is the goal to simply introduce yourself? Is it to qualify the buyer? Is it to present your offering? Follow up? Close the sale? Or, just check in on client satisfaction? Each of those aspects of selling could require different actions or words, couldn’t they? Never wing it! Always prepare!
Now, it’s time to prepare and preplan the actual activities you’ll be involved in to build your online selling strategy.
Chapter 2 – Your Online Presence
When you reach out to people online who don’t know you, what do you think happens? Depending on the quality of your messages, they may simply delete them and never reply. Depending on the recipient, you might receive a general, “thanks but I’m not interested” brush off. Some might look at your online presence to help them decide if you’re credible, but remember that “cold calling” often returns a “cold shoulder.” That’s why we recommend that you warm things up through your online presence first.
We all like to think that our wonderful messages about our great products are read by everyone we contact—even though we know we don’t read all the same type of messages we receive. A 2016 study revealed that an average email open rate in North America is only 30%. This includes messages from people who are known and trusted, newsletters subscribed to, and so on. So, let’s start by understanding that your messages have a 70% chance of never being read. That’s why it’s so important to do your research about potential buyers and to craft compelling messages that are specific to them. Even more important than the content of your messages, though, are the subject lines you use. We’ll talk more about email subject lines chapter five.
With a well-crafted, curiosity-building message, you may pique the buyers’ interest enough not to delete your message, but in the world of scammers, phishers, and fake profiles, it’s likely they’ll do some research to see if you’re “for real,” before taking any action. For that reason, it’s important to build an online presence that matches your desired image before you start soliciting business.
You may offer the best product and service in your industry. You may represent the best brand in the world, but who are you online? You see, people buy you first. They have to be interested in, like, and trust you before they’ll open their minds to the benefits of your products. Do your profiles show you as being a credible expert in your field—someone your contacts should listen to? Or not?
The internet is a virtual open book where anyone can view your public, and sometimes your private, information any time they choose to look for it. In other words, you are transparent online whether you like it or not. So, give this some thought: What do people see when they look at your profiles? Do they see a professional? An expert? An industry leader? Or something else?
As of 2016, over 60% of all employers check social media before hiring a candidate. That’s an important point to note. Also, when you’re selling products or services through online platforms, you are literally being considered for hire by every new potential client who also might look you up online. That makes sense, doesn’t it? So, the question remains: Are you effectively selling yourself on each of your social media platforms?
Ask yourself, “What are people seeing about me online? Am I being perceived as a professional or is there something that is being seen that might negatively impact someone’s desire to work with me?” Answer those questions and if you don’t like the answers, it’s time to fix your social profiles.
Here is a perfect example. A young lady was interviewing for an administrative assistant position. She had been out
