Labcast Podcast by OpenView Labs

It doesn’t take long to get burnt out and discouraged from going to trade shows. After a few long days of meaningless mingling in over-crowded convention halls, it can be hard to find to motivation to go to them. But that’s because you’re going about them all wrong. Luckily, sales executive and educator Jeff Hoffman has some pointers on what to do to ensure you get the most out of the investment and come back to your boss with real results.

In this episode of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman, Jeff reveals his secrets on how to effectively work a trade show. Listen in below.

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Key Takeaways

“When I started in sales, in enterprise sales, I hated trade shows. Hated them. It doesn’t take long to get really dejected from attending, and it took me a while to figure out how to work them effectively. Be creative and have fun with it and chalk it up as paying your dues as a sales rep, which you’ve got to do.”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* Recognize the shelf life of a trade show lead. This typically expires once the show is over.

* Wear comfortable shoes. You’re going to be on your feet all day, so make sure you’re as comfortable as possible.

* Switch up the venue when you’re talking to a lead. Someone is more likely to remember you if you talk to them in a place where they haven’t talked to everyone else, so walk with them to a hallway or somewhere more quiet.

* Put your booth right near the exit of the largest keynotes. This area gets the most foot traffic.

* Be creative, have fun with it.

Transcript

 

Announcer: This is strictly sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or MJHoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi everyone, and thanks so much for tuning in again to Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff, welcome back.

Jeff: Yeah, thanks. Thanks, CeCe.

CeCe: We have heard from some people, and one of the questions we’re getting a lot is it’s coming up on trade show season and people in sales are starting to think, okay trade shows happening, let’s end marketing. It’s a waste of my time. My feet are tired. I feel like I have nothing to say.

Jeff, let’s talk trade shows for sales. What are your thoughts?

Jeff: Yeah. Boy, when I started in sales, in enterprise sales, I hated trade shows, hated them. You know, it’s two or three days in a windowless basement of the Javits Center or the Moscone Center or wherever you are or whatever city you’re in, and you’re scanning people’s badges all day to get your requisite lead queue up. You’re having the same kind of mindless conversation time and time again. You’re probably positioned within earshot of a competitor or two. You’re just kind of having that kind of same smile, and the worst bit is 95% of the people who attend a trade show are probably not your buyers. Probably a third of them are just there looking for jobs and are walking around with their CV or their LinkedIn profile. Then you’ve got another group that’s really just people on break from their trade show responsibilities.

CeCe: Totally.

Jeff: And then, of course, you’ve got the people that maybe are in your named accounts, but my goodness they’re so down in the org chart that they have Wednesday free at 2 o’clock to walk around a tradeshow and get free Frisbees and coolies. Probably not your main lead. It doesn’t take long to get really dejected from attending, and it took me a while to figure out how to work them effectively.

CeCe: So what’s the secret?

Jeff: Well, there’s a but.

Whether you’re catching your prospect on the phone, or via email, you typically only have a short window to let them know what your company and your solution is all about. But while the tendency can be to try to cover all the bases as quickly as possible, according to sales executive and trainer Jeff Hoffman, that’s an urge reps need to resist at all costs.

Instead of bombarding your customer with everything you can do for them, it’s far more constructive to give them an extremely tailored and targeted taste of what you can provide and to leave them curious to learn more. Of course, that’s something easier said than done. In fact, for many salespeople, saying more by saying less can be one of the most difficult — but effective — skills to learn.

In this episode of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman, Jeff explains what makes a perfect elevator pitch by outlining five key points to success.

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Key Takeaways

“Many people take all the things that makes their product or service unique, and then they try to boil it down in some perfectly crafted 15 second diatribe. They vomit all over a prospect or customer when they say, “What do you do?” Thinking that the question was, ‘What do you do, can you describe it to me?’ That’s not really what it is about.“

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* Be interesting and inspire curiosity. You don’t want to be complete in your description, you can to capture prospects attention just long enough where they form a question. [2:36]

* Consider your audience. What is the question that you want your prospect to ask?  [3:59]

* Use hyperbole. [5:35]

* Sell your strength. Whatever your do that sets you apart from competitors…this is your time to share it. [6:40]

* Limit your pitch to one thought. [6:49]

Transcript

Jeff: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or MJHoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi everybody, and thank you so much for coming back, and joining us for Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff, thanks so much for being here.

Jeff: Oh, yes, CeCe Great to be back.

CeCe: We have had such a great response to the first series of podcasts that we’ve done. We’ve decided to bring Jeff back in, to talk a little bit more about sales. This time we want to talk about something really important, Jeff. We want to talk about elevator pitches. When you get a prospect either in person, or on the phone, or via email, you have a very short window to let them know what you do. Let’s talk a little bit about elevator pitches. Is it a buzzword or is it something that’s real?

Jeff: It’s definitely real, unfortunately, it’s been kind of rendered almost ineffectual by the label elevator pitch, but it’s definitely real. You know, the challenge with it, you said it well. I mean, we do need them. We need them in a very specific place, usually early in the sales process. Some of the problem we have is in that term elevator pitch, which can be very misleading. The notion of it, you know, is that you’ve got this elevator ride with one of your prospects.

CeCe: Right.

Jeff: You’ve got this captive audience for a select number of floors. You’ve got a limited amount of time, which I think is probably true with an elevator pitch. You have a captive audience, which is also true in a real elevator ride. I think that’s where a lot of people, you know, tend to write something that isn’t very, you know, elevator pitch worthy. That’s probably the first thing we should probably talk about.

CeCe: All right. What do you think makes the cut when you’re writing...

Multitasking is one of the hardest habits to break for sales professionals. Sales expert Jill Konrath explains how sales prioritization will actually allow you to accomplish more in less time.

Let’s face it sales professionals: You’re addicted to multitasking. Chances are you’re glancing at email notifications and stopping to respond to texts as you read this post. Multitasking is understandable — you’ve got calls to make, meetings to attend, emails to reply to, and 20 other things to do before lunch time — but that doesn’t make it effective. You may think you’re accomplishing more when your brain is going 100 miles per hour, but think again.

As Jill Konrath, author of Snap Selling, Selling to Big Companies, and most recently Agile Selling, explains, multitasking can actually degrade your thinking. It can cause a woman’s IQ to drop 5 points. For men, that rises to a 15-point drop!

In this week’s Labcast, Konrath explains the dangers of multitasking and offers tips for how sales professionals can achieve greater success through sales prioritization.

This Week’s Guest

“If you really want to do less while achieving more you need to be cognizant of what’s getting in the way of it and how we can improve. Paying attention to getting better is the key to enjoying the profession and having maximum success.”

— Jill Konrath, author of Agile Selling

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How to Gain Success by Doing Less

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Key Takeaways

* Multitasking is dangerous: It’s scientifically proven — instead of helping you get more done, multitasking actually makes you dumber.. [4:15]

* Look at your day as 15 minute chunks and then block them out. For example, schedule isolated chunks of time to read your email rather than constantly checking in. [5:30]

* Prioritizing has to always come first. Know your priorities at the beginning of the day so that when you get in the office you know exactly what you should be doing first.[6:30]

* Use applications on your computer to keep you focused. Apps like AntiSocial and BackDrop can work wonders. [10:00]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Labcast, insights and ideas for the expansion stage senior manager. Hosted by OpenView Labs.

CeCe Bazar: Hello everyone and thanks so much for joining us again. This is CeCe Bazar with OpenView Labs and I am joined once again by bestselling author Jill Konrath. Jill, thrilled to have you back.

Jill Konrath: I am delighted to be back one more time.

CeCe: So Jill, we’ve been talking a lot about Agile Selling, your newest book. It came out in late May, and we talked a lot about rapid learning and mindset. And now I have a question that came out of reading this book, but I think a lot of people want the answer too.

Are you struggling to close sales while also absorbing new information and skills every day? Jill Konrath, author of Agile Selling explains how embracing rapid learning is the key to staying ahead of the sales curve.

 

As a sales professional, you’ve probably encountered this situation: You’re interacting with a prospective customer, and they seem genuinely interested in your product. Multiple missed calls and unanswered emails later, you hang up the towel and accept they’ve vanished into the sales black hole.

What did you say (or didn’t say) to drive them away? According to sales expert Jill Konrath, author of the new book Agile Selling and one of OpenView’s Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2014, it’s probably not something you did. In fact, it’s not about you, at all. 

These days, businesses are changing faster than ever before. Customers are just as busy and stretched thin as the rest of us. Rather than take rejection personal, sales professionals need to embrace change and learn how they can be more relevant, insightful, and helpful than ever. That means employing some “meta skills” and mastering the art of “Rapid Learning.” In this week’s LabCast, Jill explains how you can apply three skills of Rapid Learning to improve your entire sales process — whether it’s closing more deals, adapting to change in market, or onboarding new sales hires more effectively.

This Week’s Guest

“These days, everyone has to learn more in a faster amount of time. The real challenge is to learn new skills every day, not getting better at one thing in particular.”

— Jill Konrath

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Key Takeaways

* When a company doesn’t get back to you, don’t take it personally. Regardless of whether or not they are interested in doing business with you, the truth is that companies are “just crazy busy.”

* Always be learning. Make sure you’re a good learner and focus on harnessing that skill in general. The sales world is changing rapidly, and you need to constantly be flexing that muscle. [2:30]

* Avoid getting overwhelmed. Constantly keeping up with change — whether it’s changing markets or products — can send your brain spinning. Organize your thoughts and adapt to change through “rapid learning.” [4:45]

* Master “Rapid Learning” by harnessing these skills: [2:45]

* Dumping: Stop cluttering your brain with information. When tasked a new challenge or skill, write the information down on a piece of paper or post-it. For example, trying to learn GoToMeeting? Stop and write your process down. [6:50]

* Chunking: Break things down into units. Our brain has a filing system, and it stores things in different mental files. Don’t try and tackle all the chunks at once. Focus on one and then move into the next chronologically sensible chunk. [8:55]

* Sequencing: This skill is especially handy when it comes to onboarding. Don’t overwhelm your new sales hires with unnecessary information. Divide training into what needs to be learned now versus what can be acquired over time. What information you need to know now and what information you need to know later. Not everything is crucial. Figure out what things you absolutely need to know to succeed and what things you can learn over time. [9:45]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Labcast, insights and ideas for the expansion stage senior manager,

When it comes to hiring the right sales reps, there are certain qualities that separate the best from the rest.

If you’re at a growing tech company then you’re likely on the hunt for top sales reps — constantly. Of course, the only thing worse than desperately needing a new sales hire is dealing with the costs associated with making a bad one.

How can you ensure you’re hiring fast and smart? In this episode of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman, Jeff outlines three crucial qualities a candidate must have to be hired, and why lacking them can be so detrimental to you as a manager. He also covers the key questions you need to ask during an interview to cut through the crap and pick out a winner.

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Key Takeaways

“No matter how good you get at hiring, it’s still a bit of a fool’s pursuit. You’re going to basically make a decision from a few minutes of interaction with someone. Great managers shouldn’t be judged by how they hire, but rather what they do with bad hires.”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* There are three things that I look for in a sales rep:

* Are they a closer? [1:45]

* Are they intellectually curious? [2:15]

* Do they have a history of achievement? [2:50]

* You don’t need to throw curveballs to decide if someone is a good rep. It’s more important to see how they prepare. Forget the “pop-quiz” — even consider giving them the questions ahead of time. [4:00]

* Ask for references of previous customers (within the last 6 months). They can be incredibly telling and show how the rep handles their customer relationships. [5:20]

* Close them at the interview. Don’t give the best prospects another chance to get a better job. This means you must be prepared to hire before the interview begins. [8:35]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or mjhoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi everyone! And thanks so much for joining us today with Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff is back and we’re here to talk to the sale’s managers this time. We’re getting lots of questions. We’ve done a bunch of podcasts recently geared right for the BDR’s. But managers are starting to get wind of this, their teams are talking, and now they have some questions, so we’re here to answer them.

One question that we get all the time Jeff, is what should the interview process look like when I’m bringing in sale’s individuals or sale’s candidates? And what questions should I be asking them? Are there three that I can boil this down to, or is there a whole list that we need to look at?

Jeff: I’ve been interviewing and hiring sale’s people for a long time, and I think we all kind of know what we want as far as the vision of the profile of this hire. We all clearly know the importance of making a good hire. But I have learned a few things on the interview process which have helped me, which I love to talk about.

I will say this, though, no matter how good you get at hiring, it’s still a bit of a fool’s pursuit. You’re going to basically make a decision, on a grand total of 60-90 minutes interaction with someone. And I don’t really think that great managers should be judged by how that they hire. I think that great managers should be judged with what they do with bad hires. I mean that’s really what you want to focus on.

But certainly the interview process, there’s some things that I care about, and I want to blog about this.

When it comes to making a strong impression, nothing has more impact than how you enter and exit a room. As sales educator Jeff Hoffman explains, the same holds true for your emails.

Want to make a strong impression with your prospects? Of course you do. Well, these days that means getting one thing absolutely right — a killer email subject line and a killer close.

In this episode of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman, Jeff provides a set of email sales pitch guidelines that will help you avoid some costly mistakes and send emails that get responded to now.

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Key Takeaways

“Grace — which is unfortunately a word we don’t use a lot anymore or think about anymore — is often determined by the way one enters or exits a room. That entry and that exit matters.”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* 3 things to avoid in your subject line: FW: or RE:; questions; summarizing the entire email

* Emails have to have a clean close: Don’t include attachments or legal notes at the end of the email [5:00]

* Keep your signature simple: Only include name, company, and one phone number. No title or social media accounts [6:35]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or mjhoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi again, everyone and thanks for joining us for Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. We’re here to talk all about emails. Well, not all about them really. Let’s talk about the start and the stop of an email. Let’s talk about this.

 Jeff: The book ends.

CeCe: The book ends — the subject line and the signature — because I think those are two places where reps get really confused. What do I do? Where do I go? What is the right way to start and stop those emails?

Jeff: Yeah, and you know what’s important? We could argue that the middle of that sandwich is the most important part, but I’d say it’s probably not. The definition of grace — which is unfortunately a word we don’t use a lot anymore or think about anymore — in my mind has always been you’re judged. Your grace is often determined by the way one enters or exits a room. I think it’s a really good way of kind of capsizing that. That entry and that exit matters, so yeah, that subject line has some value and the way you kind of close has some value not that the middle doesn’t, but no one’s going to pick up that sandwich if it’s soggy bread. I think it’s an interesting question that comes up, so why don’t we talk about both?

Let’s start with the subject. I think we spend a little too much time worrying about it because 80 to 90 percent of the people that you send emails to are reading them on their smartphone, which is going to have a grand total of 15 characters to read. But let’s start with some things that you don’t want to do in a subject line.

CeCe: Yeah.

Jeff: Let’s not do the FW colon, RE colon, space, space colon, little things that look to make the reader think that this is some long string I’m involved with. That’s just so dishonest.

CeCe: That is why salespeople get a bad rep, right?

Jeff: Of course! And they deserve it if they’re going to do crap like that. You’re not getting points for that. These aren’t tricks. It’s about technique, so let’s not do that. I don’t want to say things like, “are you free at 3 o’clock?” I don’t need to ask questions in my subject line unless I know the person. I think that’s kind of weird too.

CeCe: Definitely.

Jeff: But then I also think about what’s the subject line’s purpose and I’d argue that it’s not to summa...

We’ve all been guilty of it — adopting a phony “phone voice”. Sales strategist Jeff Hoffman explains why it’s a common tendency for sales reps to change their voice on sales calls to sound more experienced or credible — and why that’s a big mistake.

In this latest episode of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman, Jeff tackles a classic problem many sales reps may not even be aware of — the “sales voice”.

It is very common for people to change the way talk when they are on the phone with someone they are unfamiliar with. With sales reps, there is no exception.

Jeff explains that the main reason people alter their sales voice is because they are trying to make themselves sound more credible — which he describes as a big mistake. Instead, managers should actively work with reps to establish a level of comfort on the phone so that they can speak more naturally. Not only will it help the call go more smoothly, it will result in more comfortable and interested prospects, too.

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Key Takeaways

“I think it’s really a symptom of us being insecure with our ignorance. But the truth is that it’s our ignorance that is going to let us discover what we need to learn to sell this stuff. It’s our best weapon — our ignorance.

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* Stop trying to sound credible: The customer typically isn’t expecting you to be in expert in their field. [1:35]

* Stop pretending you’re someone you’re not: With sites like Linkedin, customer’s can easily see your background — there is no hiding behind the phone and act older or experienced. [2:45]

* Steps to get rid of the bad sales voice: Practice leaving sales voicemails to friends and family [3:30]; leave voicemails to self [4:00]; with a customer, admit you aren’t an expert [4:30]

Transcript

Jeff: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or mjhoffman.com.

CeCe: And we’re back for more Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff, here again at OpenView Studios.

Jeff: This is a really short drive for me so I don’t mind it. No, I’m so happy that the response has been good and I know that both your site and mine, we get a lot of questions. And keep them coming, because a lot of the sources for these podcast topics are really coming from you guys and from the audience.

CeCe: Yeah, and we had one that came in the other day, and this one actually made me laugh a little bit, because we’ve all been there, and it was a really simple question; why do I sound like such a tool on the phone? I mean, we all have a phone voice, I probably have a podcast voice right now, and I’m sure my mom’s listening in being like, ‘that’s not my daughter!’ But we all have it. Why do we do it, and how do we break out of it?

Jeff: Yeah, it’s like that kind of like studio voice, or that sales voice that people have.

CeCe: Hi, this is CeCe Bazar from OpenView Labs.

Jeff: Yeah, it’s funny, because I hear people who don’t sound like that at all and then they jump on the phone and they get there, and I think that it’s pretty [inaudible 00:01:20] of this sale’s rep to write it in and to ask that question. Well, first let’s talk about why people do this because I think that it’s a big part of fixing it. Obviously, it’s because we’re nervous, but it actually has to do with something more complicated than being nervous.

I think one of the worst kind of ideas we’ve been sold in sales,

Sales executive and educator Jeff Hoffman shares his secrets to effective voicemails that will make — not break — your sale.

If you’re a salesperson, you’ve been in this situation countless times — you’ve invested a significant part of your morning in researching your next call. It’s going to be a big one, you can feel it. You dial the number and listen eagerly as the phone rings. You know exactly what you want to say. The phone rings . . . it keeps ringing . . . boom — voicemail.

The question for many entry-level salespeople is what do you do next? Do you leave a voicemail or not? Is the buyer really going to call you back? Should you even bother or should you just call again later? What do you even say?

In this episode of “Strictly Sales”, Jeff Hoffman tackles voicemails head-on, and explains how to leave effective messages that will keep the ball rolling.

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Key Takeaways

“[People are] always asking me, ‘Do I leave a voicemail?’ I think the better question is, how do we leave decent voicemails? Because to not leave a voicemail is a bad decision for a variety of reasons.”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* There are a few reasons that you should leave a voicemail: You put a lot of work into research just to make the call; if you hang up at the voicemail level, you are guaranteed not to connect with client; the customer often has caller ID, and can recognize you if you call again

* Voicemails should be under 15 seconds and shouldn’t include your plan of action [3:45]

* Your reason for calling should always change in each voicemail [5:00]

Transcript

CeCe: Hi, everyone and thanks for tuning in to Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff, thrilled to have you back.

Jeff: We’re doing it again. I can’t believe it.

CeCe: And we’re back for more.

Jeff: There’s at least a couple people listening because we’re doing more of these.

CeCe: Exactly. So, on our last couple podcasts, which you should check out if you haven’t already, we’re talking about how to get into companies and how to get out of companies. Now, if you’re thinking like “Hansel and Gretel” here, let’s talk about leaving those little breadcrumbs along the way. And it’s something I hear from people all the time. You’re always asking me “Do I leave a voicemail”? Yes or no? So, when do you know, Jeff?

Jeff: Well, I hear it, too and I hear interesting arguments on both ends. Particularly people who think leaving voicemail is a bad idea. We know that people don’t often return voicemails. And the last thing we want to be is that annoying voice leaving three or four voicemails for a complete stranger, only to be kind of looking like a stalker. So, I get why people are reticent to not do it. But you know, I think it’s bad form. I think the better question is, how do we leave decent voicemails? Because to not leave a voicemail is probably a bad decision for a variety of reasons, the simplest reason why it’s a bad idea. Because think about all the work you had to do to make the call. You probably had to research them a little bit, write something down, get your pitch ready, find the lead, find the right person in the account. See if they purchased or if they’ve talked to anyone in my company before. You might have spent five, ten, 15 minutes getting yourself to a point where you can make this phone call. You went as far as to dial the number. And it actually rang into a real person’s voice. And then you’re going to hang up? That doesn’t make any sense to me. You’ve literally done all that hard work, you might as well finish. It doesn’t make a great investment of time...

Nothing can sap your productivity like chasing a bad lead who is never going to close. In this episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” you’ll learn how to sniff out the tire kickers and kick them to the curb before they waste your time.

In our first episode of “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” we dove into how to navigate one of the biggest hurdles salespeople face — office gatekeepers. This time around, Jeff sets his sites on a different target standing in the way of higher close rates — tire kickers, aka bad leads who will never close. Listen in to learn how to spot these productivity-sappers fast, and the best way to break up with them so you can move on to greener pastures.

There are two steps to breaking up with bad sales leads: First, you have to clearly identify that the lead is actually one that isn’t worth your time. Second, you have to end the sales process with them carefully so that they don’t react poorly. If you manage both steps smoothly, there is still the opportunity to make contact with someone else in that same company.

Ready to ditch your bad leads and focus your time on the ones with real potential to close? Listen in to the podcast below.

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Key Takeaways

“The easiest way to break up with [bad leads] is to give them responsibility to move the ball forward. Ninety-nine out of a hundred tire kickers will never call me…because they’re really not interested, because they really don’t have any authority, because they really don’t want to do this. Doesn’t that now free me to call other people in the organization?”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* Three signs you need to dump your dead-end lead: He or she uses the pronoun “we” instead of “I” [2:10]; they don’t seem genuinely passionate about their job [2:40]; they don’t seem to be very busy when it comes to work within the company [3:16]

* Once you notice these signs you need to stop pushing and give them the responsibility to move forward. That puts the impetus on them and, at the same time, you don’t look like you are the one ending the process. [4:50]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information, go to OpenView Labs or MJHoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi again, everyone, and thanks so much for joining us for Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. We were so excited to kick off our series last time, where we talked a lot about gatekeepers and how to leverage them and had such great responses from everyone. So thank you so much. Keep those questions coming.

Last time we were talking a lot about how to get into a company, and people loved it. I heard the BDRs sitting in our office using a lot of these tactics. It was great to hear them actually be able to get through and talk to the person that they wanted to talk to.

Jeff: Outstanding.

CeCe: But now, people want to know about how to get out. So let’s talk about breaking up with your prospects, especially those “tire kickers,” who are eating up your time.

Jeff: That can be equally as painful, particularly when you realize, “Wow, this is a great opportunity in this company. I am with the wrong person or worse than the wrong person.” You know, it’s one thing if the wrong person is rude. That’s easy. But what happens when the wrong person is really interested and loves to take up your time, and all that rapport-building that you were so eager to do is working? It’s just working on the wrong person. How do you handle it?

The hardest part of making a sale is often simply getting on the phone with the right person. Tune in to the first episode of our new podcast series “Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman” to discover the secrets to getting past the gatekeepers holding you back.

As any salesperson knows, having a good product or solution is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes completing a sale. Being a sales superstar requires a rock-solid dedication to prospecting, unwavering patience and persistence, and of course the ability to be a killer closer. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’re proud to be partnering with sales training, management, and strategy expert Jeff Hoffman on a new podcast series we’re calling “Strictly Sales”.

Get ready for a weekly dose of the latest sales tips, insights, and real-world advice all geared toward helping you become the top sales rep at your company and boosting your entire team’s performance with real impact and results.

In this first episode, Jeff is taking on one of the toughest potential roadblocks in any sales process: getting past gatekeepers. You’ll learn the secrets not just bypassing these crucial contacts, but how to actually engage them to convert them from potential obstacle to an integral part of your success.

Looking for more insights from Jeff? Don’t miss Episode 2: Breaking Up with Bad Sales Leads.

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Key Takeaways

“Virtually every salesperson deals with assistants, gatekeepers, and receptionists all day. But my guess is none of them have ever had one of these people working for them. So, everyone’s guessing how they think, how they behave, and how we’re supposed to work with them — and we’re probably wrong.”

— Jeff Hoffman, M. J. Hoffman and Associates

* One common mistake that sales reps make is acting as if they are familiar with the person they are trying to reach. It is better to admit you don’t know anyone at the beginning of the call. [4:00]

* Don’t just tell them that you can help, talk about how prospects are similar to your current customers. [5:50]

* Close by asking a specific question about helping you determine the best person to contact within the organization. [7:00]

* The “Call Back”: As soon as you hang up the phone you can try the “Call Back” technique to disarm them. [9:00]

Transcript

Announcer: This is Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman and CeCe Bazar. For more information go to OpenView Labs or mjhoffman.com.

CeCe: Hi there everyone, and thank you so much for joining us on our first podcast of Strictly Sales with Jeff Hoffman. Jeff, thanks so much for being here today.

Jeff: You’re welcome, CeCe. It’s great to be here.

CeCe: We’re so excited to have you here. Everyone from the prospectors to the closers want more tactics. They are asking us whether it’s through our newsletter or through Twitter. We hear you people. We’re here to give you those golden nuggets of information that are going to help you win more deals. One of the questions, Jeff, that I’m getting all the time whether it’s in the portfolio or I’m seeing it on Twitter is I’m getting stopped at the gatekeeper.

Jeff: Right.

CeCe: It doesn’t matter how many calls I’m making, how many people I’m talking to. Every time I dial in and I get that gatekeeper live on the phone I feel like I’m hitting a wall. Let’s talk a little bit about how we cannot just navigate those g...