Nobody Does It Better

There are lots of successful action movie franchises with exotic locations, beautiful women, and witty main characters. None; however, that have changed their title actor seven times and still remains one of the highest grossing film series for more than a half century. James Bond is the apex of cinematic secret agents, the best of the best, the super elite. He invariably overcomes the odds and always wins. The guy has a 26-0 undefeated streak. (Even Rocky Balboa has had a few losses.)

Something I've always admired about .007 is that he always has a plan.

Think about it....

James Bond doesn't walk into any random European casino, brandish a pistol and ask the croupier to direct him to the nearest bad guy.??Maxwell Smart doesn't even do that.

Every few weeks, a post will appear in my LinkedIn feed from a business leader grumbling about a shoddy sales call they recently received.?All include some variation of the following:

• They know nothing about me, my company, or my industry.
• My company is not an appropriate target for this product/service.
• He pitched a solution without knowing what’s important to me or my business.

Unfortunately, I too have received off-the-cuff sales calls like these. As a cold-call enthusiast, I could never shame someone for trying to win new business; no matter how awkward the attempt. Instead I’d like to offer a little assistance.?– Even the impeccable .007 receives some guidance from "M" -- I'd like to offer up a bit of the same. While I'll never be sophisticated enough to be a member of her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, I do know a thing or two about pre-call planning.

Bond never goes on a mission without knowing the intricate details of his target. Not just who he is; but, how he thinks and what he fears. Agent .007 always knows his objective, uses intel and a little tech to achieve it. Now, I do NOT want to infer or imply that your directive is to treat your prospects like the enemy. Quite the contrary really. Your objective is to identify their problem and help them solve it. So, you need to treat your prospects like a staunch ally; but, if you go in blind at the start, you may never get the opportunity to develop that type a relationship.?What is criminal, is knowing absolutely nothing about the companies, individuals, or industries that you are calling on.

In the age of modern selling there really isn't a valid reason why you don't have at least some knowledge about your prospects before you speak with them. Today there are countless Sales Acceleration apps that can help automate identifying new prospects for you.?In fact, there are almost infinite ways that you can configure your sales tech stack to accomplish your unique objectives.?I’m not going to get into how to choose the best sales productivity solution for your business. That is something that you would need to determine. SaaS companies like:?InsideSales.com, ScaleX and Salesloft can definitely help you get there.

Even if the "Q" at your company has yet to arm you with the latest Sales Acceleration gadgets, you can still easily get the data necessary to have relevant and credible conversations with your prospects. I know this seems so simple, yet many salespeople pick up the phone every single day without even a brief peek at the website of the company they are about to call. What's even worse, is that there are salespeople that do and they do not properly use the information that their prospect has provided.

Effective pre-call planning allows you to anticipate needs, add valuable input, and shows that you respect your prospect's time. Additionally, since you've already started your preliminary work upfront, you can convert more prospects faster. You should never get a decision maker on the phone and waste a qualifying question on something that can easily be found online.

FIVE Espionage Tips for your Next Sales Mission!

Schedule Your Research: Get more disciplined with your calendar.?– Make time to research the individuals, companies and industries you call on. – Do NOT do this during prime selling hours and your research shouldn't take all day. If your research time is scheduled and you do a little bit each day, you can avoid marathon investigation sessions. Develop a hit list of 3-5 data points that you can find online quickly. Try to find information that will provide basic organizational details and answer easy qualifying questions. This way when you do get your decision maker on the line, you can spend more time identifying needs instead of fact finding.

Top 10 Most Wanted:?Find the most desirable customers or industry segment for what it is that you sell. When you develop your Dream Top 10 customers list,?find your best call points and document it along with any other relevant details. Simply having a Top 10 List will guide your focus and sustain your momentum. It is also an ideal way to assure that you are spending your research time on your most alluring opportunities. Prioritizing your prospects gives you a clear view of who to call first and why. While this list will evolve over time, it is a fantastic way to a build a high quality pipeline of prospects as you start your new secret agent pre-call intelligence campaign.

The Dossier: Document everything you possibly can into your CRM. Not just contact names, titles, and e-mail addresses. Try to also capture things like trends from earnings calls or tidbits from non-decision makers. Having this level of detail will become critical to your future success.?If you sell to private companies or small businesses that don’t have a robust on-line presence,?immerse yourself in their industries and geographies. Join their trade associations, register for their newsletters, and participate in their LinkedIn groups.?Keeping exceptional records on your leads will help you paint a comprehensive picture of exactly who your target customer is. By having a hearty customer profile all in one-place you will be able to connect the dots and develop a sound strategy on how best to approach this prospective account.

Classy. Not Cringy: Remember this is a Covert Operation! -- Being overly eager to share all the investigating that you have done is just plain creepy.?When you are conducting your undercover cyber surveillance, please resist the urge to research B2B contacts personal pages on Facebook, Instagram or any other personal social media platforms. Showing off how much personal information you know about your contact will not impress anyone. Saying something innocent like, "I saw your daughter Becky's TikTok yesterday. I can't believe she is starting High School already. She's really growing up- fast." While this may seem like a normal thing to say to a friend. If you say that to a brand new prospect, it makes you look like you are stalking their kid. If your prospect has a Twitter Business Blog or keeps their product demos on YouTube that's great and you should visit those. Otherwise, focus your B2B research efforts on more commercial websites like: LinkedIn, SlideShare (by LinkedIn), BeBee, Secretary of State, and Manta. The sites you use for research can vary based on your industry, business type, or region; but, no matter where you get your information, when it comes time to use it: Be Subtle, Act Professional, and Keep It Classy.??

?Counter Intelligence: Preparation is obviously very important; but, please be sure not to over-prepare. You want to use the insights you've gained to ask thoughtful questions and develop rapport. Please know that it's impossible to plan every aspect of the call. Develop a strategy, know the outcome you want, and have a few key questions ready. Don't try to memorize everything that you've learned about them and please don't attempt work it all into your first conversation. You may sound too stiff, scripted, or clumsy which can unwind all of the hard work you've done. Use your intel sparingly and deliver it in a natural way. Nobody expects you to know absolutely everything about them. Your prospect just wants you be knowledgeable and be able to tell that you've done your homework.?

THIS IS YOUR MISSION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT...

Advance knowledge of your prospects will help you develop a better strategy and increase your close ratio. Search engines and LinkedIn are your most effective tools during pre-call planning.?Even a quick website review while the phone is dialing is still better than doing absolutely nothing. Sales professionals that have advance knowledge about their prospects prior to their first call, have more success than sales professionals who do not. Make time to research, document everything, use that information subtly and sparingly to identify your prospect's needs, build better questions, and move your relationships forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

My name is Whalen ... Tom Whalen

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