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  • Casual Articles - Sales Prospecting - How Effective is Your Elevator Pitch?

    Customer Service Hell
    When I am referred to the customer service department of a large company I let out a big groan. The dreaded customer service department is often a clearing house for questions and complaints. This is a typical telephone conversation I have had with a one of these departments:Ring Ring. Recorded message: "We are sorry but all our representatives are busy right now. You are held in a queue...." you know the rest. Mozart Jupiter Symphony. The "held in queue" message and Mozart cycle many times as 2 minutes pass, then 3, 4 until, after 6 minutes a female voice says:"Thank you for calling customer service. What is you customer number?". Now what kind of state will a typical caller be in at this point in time? I mean what are customers expected t
    >A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter

    Why Didn't I Get The Job
    If you're like most of us, you've been on many job interviews in your life and haven't been offered a job after each one. You might have thought you did really well during the interview and that the person you spoke with really liked you. A few weeks later you get a standardized “Dear John” letter in the mail, or perhaps you never hear from the company again. You might be a bit confused as to why you didn't get the job. If you have the nerve, you might contact the interviewer and ask him/her why you weren't hired, but chances are good you wouldn't get the real reason why you weren't offered the job.So what are some of the reasons why you might not get a job? The first reason (and probably the biggest reason why someone doesn't get a job) is the ch
    Do you truly believe that your company's products and services will help your prospects? Have you ever thought, "I know I could find ways to help (company name) if I could just get (prospect name) to talk to me for 20 minutes!"

    Why is it so difficult to convince prospects to schedule time to talk with us? There are two main answers to this question. First, dozens (or even hundreds) of salespeople may be asking for your prospects' time. If prospects gave everyone who asked the time they ask for, they would never have time to get any work done!

    Second, chances are that your prospects are not just sitting around waiting for salespeople to contact them. They are focused on their own (business and personal) objectives, issues and concerns. When you contact them, you need to find some way to break through this "mental clutter", grab their attention, and focus it on what you are saying.

    This makes developing an effective "elevator pitch" the single most important step in sales prospecting. After all, what good is it to have fabulous solutions to problems if you can't get the people who have the problems to talk to you? Plus, how many times a day are you asked, "What do you do for a living?" How many prospects (and referrals) might you uncover if you had a highly effective and intriguing answer that rolls right off your tongue?

    The concept behind an elevator pitch is simple

    Imagine you are riding in an elevator. The doors open and one of your top prospects steps into the elevator. You now have a very brief (thirty to sixty second) opportunity to introduce yourself and convince your prospect that they need to have a longer conversation with you. What are you going to say?

    To be effective, your elevator pitch must differentiate you from all the other salespeople who contact your prospects, and break through your prospects' mental clutter and grab their attention. The best way to begin to develop an effective elevator pitch is by considering the following questions:

    1. Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    2. How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    3. What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company's products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?
    Here are sample answers to these questions based upon my own company's products and services

    Q1: Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    A1: My target prospects are business owners, executives, and managers. Because I address sales performance issues, and these issues occur in all vertical markets, I do not focus on specific vertical markets.

    Q2: How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    A2: My products and services help my customers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales.

    Q3: What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?

    A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter l

    Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes
    If you want to promote your company or brand, then Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes prove to be handy. Everyone uses Sticky Notes. Every time your client or customer writes on that Sticky Note he will see your company’s logo. This helps maintain brand recognition. Use sticky notes along with other forms of promotion, and you'll be well on your way to success.These customized Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes provides you with outstanding advertising value, and the message and logo on it provide maximum brand recall. Sticky Notes comes in various sizes and colors. Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes comes in a price range that is not too high and not too low. What makes these Sticky Notes such successful Advertising Specialties is that they are seen
    t on what you are saying.

    This makes developing an effective "elevator pitch" the single most important step in sales prospecting. After all, what good is it to have fabulous solutions to problems if you can't get the people who have the problems to talk to you? Plus, how many times a day are you asked, "What do you do for a living?" How many prospects (and referrals) might you uncover if you had a highly effective and intriguing answer that rolls right off your tongue?

    The concept behind an elevator pitch is simple

    Imagine you are riding in an elevator. The doors open and one of your top prospects steps into the elevator. You now have a very brief (thirty to sixty second) opportunity to introduce yourself and convince your prospect that they need to have a longer conversation with you. What are you going to say?

    To be effective, your elevator pitch must differentiate you from all the other salespeople who contact your prospects, and break through your prospects' mental clutter and grab their attention. The best way to begin to develop an effective elevator pitch is by considering the following questions:

    1. Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    2. How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    3. What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company's products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?
    Here are sample answers to these questions based upon my own company's products and services

    Q1: Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    A1: My target prospects are business owners, executives, and managers. Because I address sales performance issues, and these issues occur in all vertical markets, I do not focus on specific vertical markets.

    Q2: How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    A2: My products and services help my customers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales.

    Q3: What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?

    A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter

    School Fund Raising Program
    School fund raising program is very common these days when schools are often on restricted budgets. A lot of schools find it increasingly necessary to survive on raising capital through school fund raising programs to be used for school activities such as filed trips, equipments, and some school facilities.And because they have become so common with schools, a school fund raising programs should have fresh ideas. Past ideas that have worked well such as bake sales and car washes are outdated and because a lot of people have already seen them, their effectiveness is declining. And nowadays, it is no longer suitable to encourage children to approach people door to door for school fund raising campaigns.One school fund raising program that has a
    g>differentiate you from all the other salespeople who contact your prospects, and break through your prospects' mental clutter and grab their attention. The best way to begin to develop an effective elevator pitch is by considering the following questions:
    1. Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    2. How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    3. What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company's products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?
    Here are sample answers to these questions based upon my own company's products and services

    Q1: Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    A1: My target prospects are business owners, executives, and managers. Because I address sales performance issues, and these issues occur in all vertical markets, I do not focus on specific vertical markets.

    Q2: How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    A2: My products and services help my customers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales.

    Q3: What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?

    A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter

    Credit Bureaus
    “Fix your credit”, easy process. So says many internet ads I read daily. I thought, well, that should be easy without their help since the FEDERAL law requires it. THE law says “a credit bureau, when proven their data are wrong, must correct the error[s] within 30 days. REALLY? Ok. NOW, has anyone CONVINCED the bureaus? Apparently not!HOW can I say that with such conviction? Cause I am now dealing with the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] to get my bureau reports corrected!!! THE BLOODY FTC had to be contacted. That SEEMS like having to call the FBI when the neighbors steal your newspaper when you have a front-of-the-house security camera!My story is important, thus my rantings! It can help you.I am a real estate broker.
    strong>Q1: Who are your target prospects? What do they do? What job titles do they hold? What vertical markets are they in?

    A1: My target prospects are business owners, executives, and managers. Because I address sales performance issues, and these issues occur in all vertical markets, I do not focus on specific vertical markets.

    Q2: How will your products and services help your prospects? How will their lives be different after they work with you?

    A2: My products and services help my customers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales.

    Q3: What are the quantified impacts (dollars or percentages and time frames) that have been produced by your company’s products and services? How (specifically) has your company helped its customers?

    A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter

    Postage Meters
    Postage meters save money and time on any type of mailing that people need for their business. They can be easily made use of for mail, handouts, or invitations.Postage meters are an excellent way to handle precanceled stamps or sanction imprints, as well as bulk mailing of a business. Individuals can make use of the same postage meter for any of their mail. However a special permit is required in order to be able to use it for bulk mail. Additionally, special markings are required for bulk mailings that must be applied with the meter stamp. Individuals have to visit a local branch of the post office, in order to get the permit that is required, and they also need to find out exactly how are they are suppose to stamp their mail.A lot of business
    >A3: Some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months.

    Once you have answered all three questions, combine your answers to create an elevator pitch

    Here is an example based upon the preceding information:

    "I help business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance (where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales). In fact, some of my customers have seen their sales DOUBLE in as little as eight months!"

    If you have never measured the quantified impacts of your company's products and services, that's OK - it is a new concept for many salespeople and companies. However, it is crucial that you collect some quantified impact information as soon as possible! Why? Because nothing breaks through a prospect's mental clutter like quantified impacts!

    Here are several questions you can ask yourself and your customers to define quantified impacts for your company's products and services:

    1. What business problems is your company especially good at solving? (Make a comprehensive list - it will provide a useful outline for your conversations with customers.)


    2. How have you or your company helped a customer in a way that was unusual or especially valuable? In other words, when have you or your company really been "a hero" in a customer's eyes?

    3. What (specific dollar value or percentage) increase in revenue or reduction in expenses can the customer associate with each identified example of "unusual value"? Over what time frame was this value delivered?
    Conclusion

    If you want to pump up your sales prospecting success rate, develop a truly compelling elevator pitch. Make sure your elevator pitch identifies your target prospects, how they will benefit from using your company's products and services, and one or more examples of quantified impacts that you (or your company) have actually produced for other customers.

    A properly designed elevator pitch will help you stand out from other salespeople, break through your prospects' mental clutter, and grab their attention. These are crucial first steps to convincing prospects to schedule time for more in-depth conversations!

    Copyright 2005 -- Alan Rigg

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