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The Only Thing That Is “Dead” Is Single Channel Prospecting [Roundup]

Jamie Shanks
Jamie Shanks

dangers-single-threaded.jpgWelcome to your weekly roundup for July 7-14. This week we’ve got the 5 key factors in multi-channel prospecting, 3 incredibly creative ways to get in front of your toughest prospects and what’s holding you back from improving your professional and personal self.

The Age of Multi-Channel Prospecting: Despite The Hype, Nothing Is “Dead”

Co-founder and Chief Analyst at TOPO, Inc., Craig Rosenberg, addresses confusion in the sales community that one channel or another is dead. “The truth is nothing is ‘dead,’” he says, citing research that the triple-touch, which is using email, voicemail and InMails in succession, is used by 80% of high-growth sales development companies.

Credit: TOPO

5 Key Factors for Multi-Channel Prospecting:

Prospecting is a campaign. Rather than measuring prospecting by a single channel, a more accurate KPI would be to measure campaigns in a bundle. For example, does the combination of phone, email and social create more SQLs than just email?

Email is the core channel for outreach. Email, writes Rosenberg, is the most effective way for connecting with buyers at scale. All other outreach strategies should be built around the email cadence.

The phone isn’t dead, but it is used differently. Today, it’s used as part of the campaign mix. Salespeople who leave voicemail followed by an email within minutes of eachother report email conversions up to 10%.

A social touch (LinkedIn) increases overall conversion. Companies should include social channels their buyers are active on in their campaign. One company reported a 30% lift in connect rates by including a LinkedIn touch in their campaign. Another, zero.

Campaigns should be delivered over time. The point of multi-channel campaigns are not to execute 3 triple touches and be done with it. Map out a robust initial touch and nurturing campaign to ensure best results.

*This is a summary of The Age of Multi-Channel Prospecting: Despite The Hype, Nothing Is “Dead” by Craig Rosenberg.

3 Ultra Creative Strategies to Get Face Time with Your Toughest Prospects

Regional Vice President, Sales, ON24, Samantha McKenna, writes on key out-of-the-box techniques you can use to score sales meetings.

1) No time to meet? Offer to meet your prospect during a mundane errand.

Early in her career, McKenna faced a deal that could make her entire year’s quota. She had buy-in from everyone else on the team but this one decision maker. The decision maker was impossible to get to, so one day, McKenna worked up the courage to meet her at an event she was speaking at.

The decision maker reiterated she was extremely busy… it was then McKenna noticed she had highlights in her hair. Superficial as it may seem, McKenna added a human touch by bonding over stylists, eventually suggesting they should get their hair styled together. She agreed. The result? McKenna scored a hefty portion of the deal.

2) When they’re traveling, say you’re traveling too (even if you’re not).

One of McKenna’s reps was trying to connect with a decision maker, and suggested McKenna and he connected in Washington. But the decision-maker was traveling, and wasn’t able to meet in Washington for another month. Whereas the rep was ready to book the calendar a month from then, McKenna, who sat at ON24’s San Francisco headquarters, asked the decision maker where he was headed next. Turns out he was also headed toward San Francisco. They were able to meet up the following night, and close the deal faster than expected.

3) Need to get the attention of a new executive? Time to get really creative (and personal).

One of McKenna’s reps was about to close a deal when the decision maker upped and left. A short while later, two replacements arrived. Eager to get in with the new executives, the ON24 team scoured the social profiles of the decision makers and found one of them went to a relatively unknown university abroad. So the team ordered a sweater and got a gift card to a nearby restaurant, and sent both gifts with handwritten notes. The personalized direct mail worked like magic.

*This is a summary of 3 Ultra Creative Strategies to Get Face Time with Your Toughest Prospects by Samantha Mckenna.

The Two Fears of Voluntary Education

Esteemed thought leader Seth Godin writes on the dichotomy most of us experience with voluntary education: “this might not work” vs “this might work.”

“This might not work” – It’s no secret you don’t really need any formal licensing to set up a course online. We have every reason to be skeptical. The last thing you want is to feel sillier than you did before the course started because you got ripped off.

“This might work” – If the course delivers what is promised, you might show you something you can’t unsee. This brings risk, change and fear. This means stepping out of your comfort zone.

At the end of the day Godin says, “We choose not to learn because it’s either going to fail (embarrassing and expensive) or it’s going to work (frightening).”

But what’s even more frightening is being replaced by automation, or having someone who isn’t afraid to take the leap replace you.

“We learn what we do, not what we’re told,” says Godin.

*This is a summary of The Two Fears of Voluntary Education by Seth Godin.

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