This is a part of a series that was cre­at­ed to help you get the prac­tice of out­bound prospect­ing built into your com­pany.  This series will walk through the process, nec­es­sary roles, in addi­tion to guides for each role to help your com­pany get started quickly. As the manager of a team of outbound prospectors, it is imperative that many processes and tasks are completed/in motion before your reps start dialing. Launching an outbound prospecting initiative is not as simple as hiring a cold-caller, giving them a list/computer/phone, and saying, “Start calling!” Use this checklist as a guide to stay…

Your dream client has never heard of you. To get yourself known, you need to nurture your leads. Doing so will determine whether or not you are a value-creator, trustworthy, and if you’ll deliver on your promises during the account development phase. Easier said than done, S. Anthony Iannarino writes: “The nature of nurture is that it takes time, more time than you would want it to take. Your dream client doesn’t know who you are until you start making yourself known—and making yourself of value. Then you have to keep making…

Social networks have proven highly effective for lead generation. According to a study that Andrew Hunt of The Customer Collective found, LinkedIn leads the pack for B2B sales: “[LinkedIn] was rated a 3.1 out of 5, compared with ratings of 2 for blogs, 1.9 for Facebook and 1.8 for Twitter.” On his blog, Hunt shows you how your sales teams should set up their LinkedIn accounts. Once they have been optimized, he gives 7 tips on generating killer leads, including: Conduct an Advanced People Search Pick an executive title and search for this…

How tough are your sales teams? Are they ready to pull off their gloves? When it comes to battling the competition — and reaping great sales figures — you’re going to need to get rough. But being rough doesn’t mean being evil. S. Anthony Iannarino writes that in order to be competitive, you need to stay (somewhat) soft: “Combativeness means having heart. It means having more than a little fight it in you; it’s a fighting spirit that says you will try like the devil to win, come what may.” So…

How tough are your sales teams? Are they ready to pull off their gloves? When it comes to battling the competition — and reaping great sales figures — you’re going to need to get rough. But being rough doesn’t mean being evil. S. Anthony Iannarino writes that in order to be competitive, you need to stay (somewhat) soft: “Combativeness means having heart. It means having more than a little fight it in you; it’s a fighting spirit that says you will try like the devil to win, come what may.” So…

This is a part of a series that was cre­at­ed to help you get the prac­tice of out­bound prospect­ing built into your com­pany.  This series will walk through the process, nec­es­sary roles, in addi­tion to guides for each role to help your com­pany get started quickly. In order to have an effective outbounding team, as the CEO, you must hire an effective manager. The manager must possess integrity and be disciplined, enthusiastic, and self-directed. In addition, this person must be a true sales professional – an individual with a strong ability to communicate and a desire to be successful financially.…

Automated marketing’s effectiveness is susceptible to questioning.

And rightly so, asserts the author of this post. She contends that automation is a guessing game based on variables. Often times with leads, it falls short of the mark because of this. It’s not automation’s fault – it’s just a flawed process. No matter what sort of prospect your lead generation system will create, automation will struggle to accurately categorize that lead, thus convoluting the sales process. Because of automation’s flaws, companies implementing it with a blind eye are likely noticing that customer acquisition…

This is a part of a series that was cre­at­ed to help you get the prac­tice of out­bound prospect­ing built into your com­pany.  This series will walk through the process, nec­es­sary roles, in addi­tion to guides for each role to help your com­pany get started quickly. Use the following checklist to ensure that this effort will have the greatest probability of success. The CEO and executive team should ensure that all items are checked off and the outbound prospecting manager should ensure that the CEO and executive team is following through on the checklist. We have discussed, prioritized, and approved…

So you’ve hired an eager lead generating cold caller for your expansion-stage business. That person might be a young, savvy inside sales rep who is solely responsible for making outbound calls to engage new prospects in your target segments. The sky’s the limit, right? If that person is successful, they’ll pour qualified leads in to your sales team’s funnel. If they’re not, you should know within their first three to six months. A lead qualifier should be contributing to your sales team’s success, not simply treading water. The problem is that lead generation is an arduous and repetitive task. It…