Getting Your CRM Under Control – Call Center in a Box Success Story – Case Study 3
This is the third post in a series of Case Studies which outline the ways in which we have helped our clients. This post discusses the ways that our Call Center in a Box services helped a large corporation in Chicago get a handle on their CRM (Customer Relationship...
9 Ways to Differentiate Yourself When Cold Calling
Cold calling success is largely based on the ability to differentiate yourself from others doing the same exact thing that you are doing. It makes sense that successful cold callers catch a prospect’s attention and build a relationship by being different in their cold...
5 Things You MUST Do BEFORE You Start Cold Calling
Yes, you can just pick up the phone and start cold calling but if you want to successfully set QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS that will convert to ACTUAL SALES, you need to be prepared. At One of a Kind Sales, we LOVE Cold Calling and have years of experience training...
3 Reasons Why You SHOULD Be Prospecting This Summer
It's summer in the Northern hemisphere and hopefully, the living is easy. But that does NOT mean that you should stop cold calling! I actually believe that it is CRUCIAL that you keep making those sales calls. Here are 3 reasons why you SHOULD be prospecting this...
What to do when your Sales Associates are Struggling – Call Center in a Box Case Study 2
This, our second Call Center in a Box Case Study, outlines the ways in which we have helped our clients. This post discusses the ways that our Call Center in a Box services helped a Sales Franchise client empower a struggling sales associate. The Problems: The Sales...
What to Say to Set an Appointment
You are making cold calls. You have picked up the phone and have reached a decision maker - NOW WHAT? What do you say to set an appointment? Here are four important things you need to say and do on a call with a prospect in order to actually set an appointment that...
Call Center in a Box Case Study 1: When Your Inside Sales Reps and Sales Producers Aren’t Setting enough Appointments
This is the first in a series of Case Studies that outline the ways in which we have helped our clients. This post is a Call Center in a Box case study. About a year ago, I met a Senior Vice President of Sales from a premier insurance, risk management and financial...
Call Center in a Box – An Introduction to our Prospecting Sales Management and Training Program
Are you frustrated by the quantity of appointments set by your Sales Team? Are they delivering poor quality leads that aren't converting to sales? Are your Reps lacking the skills and management needed to effectively set qualified appointments? ...
Let Us Build Your Sales Foundation
Business owners often want to see quick sales results and instant ROI. That is like putting up the walls of a building without first building a sturdy foundation. Yes, you can throw up some walls but they will be flimsy and won't stand up to the weather or the test of...
Month to Month Lead Generation Services Deliver Disappointing Results
In our experience, retaining Lead Generation Services on a Month to Month basis leads to disappointing results and increased salesforce turnover. We have noticed that some of our competitors are offering this type of lead generation services option. We think that...
Personal Interaction is the Differentiator You Need to Succeed in Sales
Yes, you can do your banking and order everything from dinner to a washing machine to nail clippers online. You can turn on your TV, adjust the volume and lock your doors, even when you are not anywhere nearby. But you really cannot replace HUMAN INTERACTION for real...
Good Sales Reps Need Time to Produce
When hiring sales team members, keep in mind that good Sales Reps need a good six to nine months of ramp-up time before they hit their stride and start delivering real sales. If you aren't cognizant of this and cut bait before they have a chance to deliver, you...
5 Ways to Boost Your Cold-Calling Results in 2019
Are you unhappy with your cold-calling results from 2018? Know something needs to change but not sure what it is? Here are 5 ways to boost YOUR cold-calling results in 2019! 1. Be CONSISTENT Consistency is KEY to your success in this business! I HIGHLY recommend...
Know and Monitor Your KPI’s for Cold Calling Success
While psyching yourself up to make that first dial of the day may be the most daunting part of cold calling, MAKING the calls is NOT the ultimate sales goal for most organizations. Setting QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS and CLOSING SALES are what impact your organization's...
We Can Do Your Push Ups for YOU!
According to a survey done by YouGov in December of 2017, eating healthier, getting more exercise and saving money were tied as the number one personal new year's resolution for 2018. And most studies cite the number one business resolution as increasing sales and...
Is Sales Prospecting a Waste of Time?
In our last three articles we talked about: Sales Prospecting, discussing why it is crucial to business growth. Why People Don't Enjoy Sales Prospecting, along with some suggestions on how to enjoy it more. And What to do when you are too busy with the work you...
I am too busy to bother with Sales Prospecting!
In our last two articles we talked about Sales Prospecting, discussing why it is crucial to business growth and Why People Don't Enjoy Sales Prospecting, along with some suggestions on how to enjoy it more. In this post we will address the excuse that people are too...
Sales Prospecting isn’t Fun!
In our last article, we talked about Sales Prospecting, discussing why it is crucial to business growth and why people don't always do it on a regular basis. Here are the top reasons we hear for why businesses don't bother sales prospecting: They...
Sales Prospecting – Why Bother?
In the mid 1800's over 300,000 people made their way to California in the hopes of finding gold. When they first arrived, some were able to use their hands to gather flakes of gold running in the rivers and streams! Others used the pans we associate with images of the...
Are YOU Prepared for 2019?
The first snow of the season hit the Northeast recently and while the weather people had predicted precipitation, the deluge of snow clearly caught us off guard! Cancelled trains, traffic snafus, sliding vehicles, regional flight delays and a dearth of snow plows all...
Cold Calling is Scarier Than Halloween!
Cold calling can be scary. Sales people making the call are afraid of rejection. Call recipients are fearful of picking up the phone, afraid of having their time wasted. Scariest of all is the bottom line, when dozens of man hours and thousands of dollars produce no, or poor quality, leads. Try our winning approach to cold calling to drive qualified leads and bottom line results.
One of a Kind Sales, a New Brand from an Industry Leader in Qualified Lead Generation
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018, CHESTER, NJ. Nancy Calabrese, an expert in qualified lead generation and appointment setting is pleased to announce the launch of One of a Kind Sales (OOAKS), an expansion of her company’s offerings, One of a Kind Solutions. OOAKS has undergone a...
What You Need To Do Before You Start Cold Calling
People think of cold calling as picking up the phone and continually dialing prospects until you have success. But cold calling is not a random process and you will have much greater success if you set up your process and prepare the right documents before you get...
Now’s Not the Time to Deviate from the Plan
According to an Ask Your Target Market survey, 59% of Americans take vacation sometime during July and August. Certainly not everyone is away and those that are away are not gone for 2 months. Generally, those in the workforce take one or two weeks. So why do so many...
Why Your Cold Calling Isn’t Resulting in Appointments
As technology permeates every aspect of our lives, we can lose sight of the importance of staying in touch with prospects. Customer relationships are at the core of sales. When you nurture relationships, you endear your customers to your brand and your business....
Boost Sales by Matching Your Communication Style to Your Customer’s Buying Style
There are two basic approaches to selling: selling a product or selling a solution. In my experience, selling a solution will generate more sales and cultivate more valuable, long-term relationships with your customers. The key to successfully selling a solution is...
Are You Ready for a Cold Calling Campaign?
Your leads have been properly qualified as a good fit for what you are selling. But the leads aren’t getting closed. When qualified leads don’t turn into sales, cold calling campaigns can be erroneously considered to be root of the problem. The...
Are You Leaving Money on the Table?
Some people say that cold calling is dead. However, thousands of salespeople use the phone to successfully qualify prospects, set appointments and open sales conversations. When you don’t use cold calling for lead generation, here’s the impact on your effort. Lower...
In B2B Sales, The Human Touch is More Important Than Ever
Technology is constantly changing, and businesses are becoming more and more dependent on technology to run their sales process more efficiently. Sales force automation technology automates time consuming tasks and provides access to sales activities to adjustments...
Your Cold Calling New Year’s Resolution – Resolve to Avoid Unrealistic Expectations
Start the New Year off right with a resolution to avoid unrealistic expectations for your cold calling efforts in the coming year. This may seem straightforward, but setting realistic expectations actually requires quite a bit of consideration about your company and the marketplace, as well as understanding the process. Answer the following questions and then you’ll be able to set realistic expectations for your lead generation campaign.
Stop Typing and Pick Up the Phone
Why Email Can Never Replace Phone Communication We are all very attached to our electronic devices for email, text and social media communication. But when it comes to relationship building, picking up the phone and speaking to your prospect is the only way to go....
Accurately Measuring Lead Generation ROI
Cold calling is a proven way to warm up leads and secure face-to-face meetings. Lead generation working together with sales will deliver the best outcomes. It is a prolonged journey that focuses on process, vision and long-term goals. Lead generation requires...
Quality Over Quantity – The Value of a Clean Prospecting List
A customized prospecting list is critical for your cold calling campaign. Although every element of a cold calling campaign needs special attention, prospect lists need the utmost care. Selecting and cleaning your data can be tedious and time consuming but it will...
The Importance of Consultative Selling in Qualified Lead Generation
Most of us as can recall times we have been “sold.” Salespeople pushing product, being aggressive, or being unaware of, or insensitive to our needs, leading to an unpleasant sales experience. Perhaps we walk away feeling that we didn’t get what we were looking for, or...
Laying the Foundation for a Successful Cold Calling Campaign
Like building a house, cold calling campaigns must follow a process to make them successful. The first step in building a house is to excavate and pour the foundation. Once that is done, floor joists or footings are installed and walls are framed out. The process...
How Suspending Cold Calling Hurts Your Business
It is likely that you, people on your sales team and your prospects will take a week off sometime during July and August. Perhaps a few will take 2 weeks. But does that mean you should stop cold calling during the summer? The impact of suspending or delaying your cold...
There’s More To Cold Calling Than Appointment Setting
Often cold calling success is measured simply by the number of appointments made with relation to the number of calls. Some look at cold calling as a panacea for lead generation and expect an appointment for every call made. This is thoroughly unrealistic. When cold...
7 Benefits of Outsourcing B2B Lead Generation
Appointment setting is crucial for sales organizations that rely on leads and is a key element of their process. It is considered one of the most difficult parts of the sales process and often a major hurdle to meeting sales goals. If you are looking for better...
Convert 78% of Cold Calls Into Appointments
There is a misconception that cold calling doesn’t work. While this has been a topic of this newsletter in the past, it is important to note the data that specifically applies to appointment setting. It is generally quoted that that only 1-2% of cold calls actually...
Overcoming The Obstacles Between You and the Decision Maker
Whether you are pounding the pavement to get in front of prospects or on the phone to set appointments, you are familiar with the term ‘gatekeeper’. This is the person whose job it is to screen calls or visits to the decision maker. These skilled individuals make it...
Strategies Designed to Uncover Your Prospect’s Pain
Last issue I talked about the importance of uncovering your prospect’s pain and the value that it brings to your sales process. In this issue, I’ll be sharing how to uncover that pain. Talking about your products or services isn’t going to earn you loyal customers....
8 Ways Uncovering Pain Is Critical in the Sales Process
Identifying pain is a key component in the sales process. There is no sale without pain. Uncovering your prospect’s pain has value to the sales process in several ways. It helps you build trust, establish a relationship and build rapport and provides insights as well....
Messaging That Will Increase Cold Calling ROI
In my last article, I talked about different aspects of cold calling that can be used to set yourself apart. In this issue, we are zeroing in on messaging. The key to success in appointment setting is saying the right things in the right order so that the prospect...
Cold Calling Strategies That Will Impress Your Prospect
We all like to think that our company is unique. In reality, there are hundreds of companies just like your own vying for the same business. Perhaps your product or service offering is different in some way. But ultimately what sets each of us apart is our sales...
Developing Highly Qualified Leads
There are leads, qualified leads and highly qualified leads. Most people don’t differentiate between qualified leads and highly qualified leads but it makes a big difference in sales outcome. When your lead generation efforts involve sharing a lot of information about...
Lead Generation is a Sales Cycle All Unto Itself
Sales leaders often have unrealistic expectations for their cold calling campaigns. They expect appointments will materialize quickly. They can lose patience, get frustrated, and consider the whole process a waste of time when this doesn’t happen. However, meaningful...
Getting More Out of Your Sales Efforts
Bringing Sales Teams & Cold Callers Together Produces Greater Success. Many sales organizations have a team of cold callers who feed leads to the sales team. Often the leads or appointments are simply handed over from one team to the other. Your cold calling...
Internalizing Cold Calling Scripts
Cold calling is an opportunity to probe, build rapport and set the foundation for a long-term relationship. This involves improvising, asking probing questions and reacting to what the prospect is saying. That said, you still need to start with a script. While you...
Cold Calling Is More Than A Handshake
In networking, a handshake is used to introduce yourself. It conveys a willingness to engage with someone that we don't know or don't know well. In the course of networking, we've all shaken a countless number of hands. Sometimes it leads to business relationships,...
How A Well Defined Sales Process Drives Results
We’re all salespeople, at least to some extent. Every negotiation we enter into, both personally and professionally, requires us to convince other people and convert them to our side of thinking. Some are better at selling than others. While we often hear that good salespeople are born, not made, it’s just not true. Selling is mostly a science, not an art. A solid sales process provides the science for anyone to become a top performer.
How To Use The Presales Process To Improve Revenue
If you are looking for growth, (and who isn’t), it’s a good idea to pay more attention to Presales. Presales is key in obtaining, winning and keeping customers. You may not feel this way now but you’ll change your mind when you have a better understanding of what the...