The Sales Hunter

JULY 23, 2019

Below is a list of 20 things I have found in common with the top 1% of all sales prospectors. To be great at prospecting, you don’t have to be born with the “sales gene.” Check out my video where I talk more about what it takes to be in the top 1% of all sales prospectors: As you go through the list, don’t just read it.

Prospecting 242

Prospecting Buying Cycle Social Media Segment 242

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

As a B2B marketer or sales professional you have a number of things battling for your attention at any given moment. So how can you scale communications with prospects and leads in the space between nurturing and closing a deal? Automated emails encourage leads to move from the product research phase into the buying cycle.

Prospecting 262

Prospecting Scale Lead Nurturing How To 262

Score More Sales

JANUARY 31, 2012

Sales Tips and Strategies to Grow Revenues. Sales Tips for the End of the Pipeline. You’ve listened online and are following your prospective customer – the one you are about to close a big deal with- socially via every means possible. The sales opportunity has stalled – which we talked about last week.

Lead Scoring 275

Lead Scoring Lead Rank Pipeline Top of Funnel 275

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Sales teams are drowning in tools. Your sales engagement platform might tell reps when to send an email, but it has no idea if a prospect is actually in a buying cycle. Your sales engagement platform might tell reps when to send an email, but it has no idea if a prospect is actually in a buying cycle.

Strategy 147

Strategy Scale Marketing CRM 147

The Pipeline

MAY 28, 2019

Time is a truly critical element of sales success, yet too many take a very passive approach to their time. To succeed in prospecting, in fact, in any element of sales, you need to own your time. Time Is The Currency Of Sales. More than ever, time is THE currency of sales. Time is a finite resource.

Buying Cycle 309

Buying Cycle Face-to-face Lead Rank Lead Scoring 309

SBI Growth

AUGUST 25, 2013

The software company’s VP of Sales boasted about his win rate. If the sales team was getting better, why did they keep missing quota? If the sales team was getting better, why did they keep missing quota? The Sales team hadn’t vastly improved. Instead, their buyer was engaging with sales later in their buying cycle.

Buying Cycle 314

Buying Cycle Collateral Software Software 314

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 16, 2025

We started discussing much of what we see about the “secrets to sales success.” For example one sales person at a client happens to be outstanding in prospecting. She has a high win rate, great sales results. ” We both see guru’s posting the determining secret to success.

Objections 121

Objections Face-to-face Maximizer Buying Cycle 121

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 28, 2020

They’re customers’ verbal buying signals—the cues your sales agent homes in on when talking to a prospect. And they’re online buying signals—the data trail—that prospective buyers leave as they research solutions online. Your marketing and sales teams need both. How to spot buying signals.

Lead Rank 309

Lead Rank Intent Data Closing Buyer Intent 309

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

While it is true that the only reason for a prospecting call is to set up the first formal interaction, there is so much more that can be accomplished. One thing that many fail to do in prospecting calls is set the momentum for the Discovery and beyond. This has become a lost craft in the day of sales disintegration, i.e., SaaS sales.

Prospecting 210

Prospecting Harvest Call-back SME 210

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 25, 2020

We get so much about prospecting wrong. We contact other prospects, only to pitch our products and services, ending with, “Are you interested, can I invite you to a demo.” We inundate prospects with email after email, call after call, LinkedIn messages, texts, everything. We tend to treat prospecting as an event.

Prospecting 166

Prospecting Ideal Customer Profile Sales Qualified Lead Buying Cycle 166

DiscoverOrg Sales

AUGUST 7, 2018

Your prospects are out there right now, hunting for a solution to a problem you can solve. But they’re not asking for help from your sales team. 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep. Unfortunately, sales does not reward second or third place. Demand Gen Report, 2016).

Intent Data 313

Intent Data Intent Data Lead Rank 313

The Pipeline

MARCH 7, 2019

Buying cycles have expanded more than measurably. Other sources confirm this trend in lengthening buy cycles. On the field, that is with a prospect in Discovery, sellers need to be counter-intuitive. Many working on old timeframes and presumed related work-flows, get frustrated as the cycles stretch.

Buying Cycle 244

Buying Cycle Commission Education Buyer 244

Score More Sales

FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Sales Tips and Strategies to Grow Revenues. 5 Tips for Lead Nurturing to Grow Your Sales Funnel. As a seller you are working hard to create a full pipeline (funnel) and now that you have all of these companies and some actual sales opportunities on your radar, how will you bring them to closure? Consulting.

Top of Funnel 284

Top of Funnel Lead Scoring Lead Rank Lead Nurturing 284

Sales and Marketing Management

AUGUST 14, 2017

My definition of prospecting is trying to take prospects from latent to active need. Another way to phrase that is to say that: Prospecting is looking for people that aren’t looking. Long sales cycles. If there’s little chance of a buying decision, buyers won’t waste their (or your) time. Low win rates.

Gatekeeper 249

Gatekeeper Buying Cycle Call-back Face-to-face 249

SBI Growth

JANUARY 13, 2014

A higher sales number to hit. As a sales representative these are a few of the hurdles you may face. You may need to call on customers and prospects in unfamiliar areas. Review notes in your CRM from the previous sales rep and support resources. Contact sales representatives who had the territory / customer before.

Territories 335

Territories Ideal Customer Profile Call-back Decision Maker 335

Sales 2.0

MARCH 4, 2012

I keep reading this one: “buyers complete 75% of their sales cycle on the web before ever talking to a sales person” But just over the last few weeks of selling for our Internet start up I’ve found several examples where taking this data is best ignored. But I am a fan of smart prospecting.

Top of Funnel 218

Top of Funnel Funnel Cold Calling Inbound 218

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Like retail, B2B sales has some seasonal trends that tend to fool the also-rans while bringing opportunity to those willing to make the effort. Most sellers have no clue how long their sales cycle is. As I have shared before when you ask sellers how long their cycle is, most respond “depends.” Do The Math.

Buying Cycle 203

Buying Cycle Sales Cycle Quota Retail 203

SBI Growth

AUGUST 16, 2012

As a quota carrying sales rep, you have a number to hit. Simply put, you have to drive your own brand to ensure that prospects are finding you when searching for options. Simply put, you have to drive your own brand to ensure that prospects are finding you when searching for options. Your prospects are doing the same.

Social Media 290

Social Media Lead Rank Ideal Customer Profile Networking 290

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

Sales Operations Leaders aren’t making data meaningful today. In fact, when asking Sales Operations Leaders what qualitative data they had gathered, here are their responses: Conducted internal win/loss debrief on large opportunities. The objective of the interview is to map a customer buying process.

Data 267

Data Analysis Sales Operations Buying Cycle 267

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 28, 2012

Your sales team wants one thing from you: leads that are ready to buy. Are you able to track the online behavior of your prospects and leads? Are you able to scale personalized communications to your prospects and customers? Do you have anyone dedicated to nurturing leads that aren’t “sales ready”? Technology.

Lead Generation 317

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring Lead Rank 317

The Sales Hunter

MAY 23, 2013

Every salesperson would like to think they can handle and would relish in a short sales-cycle, but here’s the problem — most salespeople can’t handle it. The sales cycle is shortening because of one thing, and that is the amount of information available on the internet. ” Sales Motivation Blog.

Sales Cycle 199

Sales Cycle Cold Calling Consultative Selling Education 199

Anthony Cole Training

JUNE 11, 2013

Over the years, I have found some very common responses to our sales and sales management training programs. Our standard operating procedure of beginning our work with a client is to evaluate their sales organization. But the people we''re working with, sales people, are in the same exact business – SELLING.

Buying Cycle 195

Buying Cycle Education Objections Insurance 195

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 17, 2013

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Last week I posted this article in reference to an Inc. This is known throughout the selling universe but sales people still suck at this. Non-Supportive Buy Cycle (the way that salespeople buy things doesn''t support ideal sales outcomes). How come?".

Decision Maker 269

Decision Maker Consultative Selling Buying Cycle Proposal 269

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 18, 2018

But there is a fundamental question that salespeople fail to take into account, and if they did, they would find it changes the way they see the prospect, and how the prospects respond as a result and become customers. But the reality in a buy/sale cycle is the exact opposite.

Buying Cycle 247

Buying Cycle Buyer Face-to-face Objections 247

No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Last week we heard from Andy Paul about the Vicious Sales Cycle —bad sales practices that lead to poor results combined with an inability or unwillingness to change, which leads in turn to a never-ending, self-reinforcing cycle of unacceptable sales performance. Change your sales around. Here’s how.

Sales Cycle 179

Sales Cycle Buying Cycle Lead Rank Lead Scoring 179

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

You might not think that automatic sales dialers have that much to offer you. What Is A Sales Dialer? A sales dialer is pretty much what it sounds like: technology that automatically dials numbers for salespeople. You’re a sales representative. Here’s where the sales dialer comes in. Streamlined Prospecting.

Closing 264

Closing Call-back How To Outbound 264

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 29, 2012

This post will help you test a redesigned sales compensation plan to ensure cultural fit. Plus, you’ll find advice on compatibility with other sales effectiveness drivers. Let’s suppose HR is fully engaged for redesign of a 2013 Sales Compensation plan. The IC plan was changed to diminish Rep prospecting.

Compensation 253

Compensation Hiring Incentives Incentive 253

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 16, 2018

The best prospecting strategies require a human touch. Far too many sales reps do. Perhaps if what you’re doing isn’t working, new sales techniques are in order? McKinsey summarizes this challenge in “ The secret to making it in the digital sales world: The human touch.” What Sales PEOPLE Bring to the Table.

Fashion 219

Fashion Buying Cycle Cold Calling Survey 219

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 22, 2012

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan If you have been reading my Blog for a while you know that there is more to selling than just utilizing skills to execute the sales process, sales model, and sales methodology. Non Supportive Buy Cycle (causes them to empathize with stalls, put-offs and objections).

Buying Cycle 196

Buying Cycle Sales Methodology Incentives Incentive 196

SBI Growth

APRIL 26, 2013

They rely less and less on a sales rep for information. What things stimulate them to enter a buying cycle. How buying decisions are made. CALL TO ACTION: If your buyer research is limited to customer & prospect surveys, there’s a gap. And share this data with the sales team.

Customer 316

Customer Buyer Persona Survey Demand Generation 316

Score More Sales

MARCH 8, 2012

In order to be most productive with the sales opportunities in your pipeline there are a number of people you need to know well. You’re done in by lost sales, missed opportunities, misaligned goals, and “no’s” toward the end of a prospective customer’s long buying cycle.

Pipeline 203

Pipeline Referrals Channels Buying Cycle 203

MTD Sales Training

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Experience: What processes does the customer go through when they are in the buying cycle? Is your social media presence attracting the kind of prospects that will be good for your business? This can identify who your ideal prospect might be and acts as a focus for you to target future customers. Happy Selling!

How To 224

How To Buying Cycle Social Media Follow-up 224

MTD Sales Training

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Here are 33 tips and techniques that I believe will help every salesperson to improve their overall sales figures and create more motivation and drive. Whether it’s a cold call on a prospect or a follow-up email after a client visit, have the clarity to know exactly what you are trying to achieve. 5) Learn from every experience.

Buying Cycle 169

Buying Cycle Cold Calling Call-back Follow-up 169

Score More Sales

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many sales reps and sales managers commented and shared about the previous post on How Salespeople Goof Up on LinkedIn so we were compelled to share more ideas to help sellers do better. First, I wanted to share that our blog is up for an AWARD – as one of the top Sales Blogs at Top Sales World. Close More Deals.

LinkedIn 247

LinkedIn Referrals Buying Cycle Twitter 247

SBI Growth

AUGUST 12, 2012

Are you dependent on the top 20% of your sales force to ensure that you hit quota? 78% of the Sales VPs we speak with are worried about the disparity of their team’s talent. At SBI, we often see Sales Talent disparaged as the result of an ineffective Sales Training program. Sales Skills Overview/Best Practices.

Ideal Customer Profile 244

Ideal Customer Profile Training Buyer Follow-up 244

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 26, 2018

Despite the plethora of martech and sales enablement technologies now on the market, most sales teams are still performing at sub-optimal levels. With all these new tools making a salesperson’s job easier, there’s no excuse for your sales team not to excel. In these three channels is where sales performance can be enhanced.

How To 218

How To Face-to-face Sales Qualified Lead Lead Capture 218

Score More Sales

MAY 16, 2012

Do You Have a Sales Funnel? Are you part of a B2B sales organization proactively looking each week at what deals are in your sales funnel (or sales pipeline)? You have no CRM system and use some combination of e-Mail, Excel, Outlook, and/or sticky notes to “track” your prospective sales opportunities.

Opportunity 206

Opportunity Pipeline Hiring Top of Funnel 206