Posts Tagged ‘new business development’

Fill that pipeline now by Caryn Kopp, Guest Author

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Knowing how to find the decision makers to fill your pipeline can be challenging. Here are a few strategies for connecting with prospects that will help everyone jumpstart this effort.

Tip 1. The first is an email introduction. This strategy is often overlooked. Someone you know may have a connection to a decision maker. The email introduction can be as simple as Joe Smith, meet Sarah Jones. Enjoy. You know what this gives you? Permission! Permission to communicate directly with the decision maker.

sm atty on phoneTip 2. Change up your networking activities. Find out where your prospects network… and go there. A person I know was targeting large businesses yet networking with small business owners. How many sales has he closed from that? None. As the saying goes, Fish where the fish are.

Tips 3. Make a list of decision makers. And, call them with a POWERFUL message. Use words which are so compelling your prospect would be foolish not to invite you for a meeting. I know a company that used to give a one line description of their product and didn’t get many meetings. So we tweaked their message and now they say they are the company that saves their clients $100k in costs. They’re getting a lot more meetings and in a lot less time.

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Time Management-Tips for Incorporating New Business Development Into Your Busy Day by Caryn Kopp

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

three attys smFinding time for new business development can be a huge struggle. There’s always something else that seems to be more important. But what I’ve found is that people who don’t carve time for this, find themselves with an empty pipeline down the road. So I have 3 tips for fitting new business development into your busy schedule.

Tip 1. Schedule a block of time on your calendar for new business and consider it as firm as a meeting with a new prospect. You’d NEVER cancel one of those.

Tip 2. Don’t accept interruptions during business development time. Put your phone on do not disturb, turn off the IM, cell phone, Blackberry, pager and hang a do not disturb sign on your office letting others know that you’re unavailable- just as if you were out of the office at a meeting.

Tip 3. If you’re truly swamped, reduce the size of your prospect list. Focus on 10 prospects you’re drooling to do business with. If 10 is too many, pick 5. If 5 is too many, rethink your desire to earn more money.

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Being Prepared for Objections by Guest Author Caryn Kopp

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

male atty shake hands smNew business and expansion of business is dependent in part on being able to address objections.

One thing I can tell you about objections. If you can’t overcome them, you’ll never close the sale. Here are 3 tips to stay in control so you can get to the next step.

Tip 1. Identify all the objections you will face and then develop answers to overcome them (before you’re ever on the phone with someone)

Tip 2. Practice the answers until they don’t sound rehearsed.

Tip 3. Couple every response with a request for the next step. Which sounds like this. I understand you’re busy. Let’s look a little further out on the calendar, say the 3rd week of next month? How’s Thursday at 10?

If you’re prepared, rehearsed and request next steps, the sales cycle takes less time.

Next Step to Yes!

You can shorten the sales cycle with what I call Next Step to Yes! Ask for a next step during every contact point with a customer or prospect. Here’s an example. When a prospect asks for a proposal, secure a follow up date and time right there and then, at the moment when it’s most important. You can avoid all that wasted time trying to get them back on the phone.

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