#SalesInsiders Chat Sales Tools, Relationships

By Romy Ribitzky, Editor at Yesware

Many of us might be sales professionals, but we’re really relationship experts.

In our first #SalesInsiders Twitter Chat, hosted earlier today by SalesLoft, The BridgeGroup Inc, and Yesware, we couldn’t help but notice that the questions we got—even those about making goals and evaluating your pipeline—mostly kept a keen focus on the customer.

We’re happy to see that. Because making sure that you’re adding value to your customers, that you’re helping them stay competitive and relevant in an increasingly cutthroat market, is what separates you from your competition.

We know that some of you couldn’t join us on our Twitter Chat. But to keep you in fighting shape, here’s a highlight of the lively conversation:

Q&A

Q: What free sales tech tools do you use?

• A: @SalesLoft uses Newsle, Indeed, Yesware, Nutshell Mail, as does @bridgegroupinc. @Yesware loves @Asana and @Evernote—who just Tuesday launched Evernote Business

Q: How do you re-engage old prospect to turn a “no” into a “yes”?

• A: @PAubry had this great advice: You have to re engage old marketing leads with valuable content. Gain their trust back
• @b2bCamp offered: Nurture them w/ great content & reach out to them with relevant sales triggers
• I love combining these two pieces of advice. To me, trust is key in any relationship. And adding value turns that key. Whenever you offer genuine assistance you’ll be surprised by how much goodwill you generate
• @bridgegroupinc adds that it’s not necessarily a particular person, but the company that is your lead. Don’t give up just because a particular person (unless it’s the CEO) said no. If the chief turned you down, find a different tactic and respectfully try to re-engage

Q: How do you analyze your current pipeline to set yourself up for closing more deals before the quarter ends?

• A: @bridgegroupinc: Use yr execs to call execs to get a deeper sense of the deal &what can be done to close it by yr end. Ask & ye shall receive.
• @johngeads had an often overlooked point: Understand if they have the ability to buy and what evaluation criteria they will use to make a decision
• @mbellows offered: Ruthlessly trim your pipeline (esp. at year end) so you only work on deals that really move the needle
• @bridgegroupinc suggested this method of analyzing your pipeline: Look at your pipeline & grade each opp on a scale of 1-4 w/4 being close by yr end. Focus on the 3s and 4s only

Always go into any prospecting situation prepared. Research the company you’re propositioning, answer why you’re relevant to them, what pain you solve, and why you stand out from your competitors. This may all sound basic, but you’d be surprised how many salespeople fail to do this first step. Always assume that as prepared as you are, you don’t fully know what their decision-making process is—and that there will be stumbles and obstacles along the way, says Trish Bertuzzi of The Bridge Group Inc. “Review & Redo,” is one of her mottos.  Ask direct questions and don’t forget to listen. That’s what we’re here for. Until next time, see you in the Twittersphere #SalesInsiders.