Do you really know where you stand with the prospects in your follow-up files right now?
Come on, really now? I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but my experience is that many sales reps have no clue where they are in the sales process with a majority of the people they are following up [...]

I regularly get questions about how to use email effectively in sales/telesales. Some reps say they are doing it more these days than calling.
In general, here’s how I typically answer:
I’ve heard all the excuses about prospects being hard to reach, decision makers being busy and not taking sales calls, blah, blah, blah. Upon close [...]

The stock market has been steadily inching up over the past  few weeks. Economic indicators are showing signs of improvements. Economists who study such things are even  whispering that things are getting better. Even though some sales reps might doubt it, the worst is behind us.
And NOW is a great time to plan for the [...]

Speaking of the little things and returning phone calls, I had a little drain issue before I left Omaha a couple of weeks ago and had to call a plumber. It reminded of a great contrast in sales experiences I had two years ago with plumbers.
 
I arrived at my lake house I had at the [...]

I needed my home gutters cleaned, so I went to the classified section of the paper and called four of the advertisers and told each that "I needed my gutters cleaned."

I did NOT say I was shopping, or looking for  the lowest price.
Each gave me their price, then was silent.
The first one who asked for [...]

In response to my call, one of my vendors left an after-hours voice mail. He said he was on the road and picked up my message late, and would call back the next day, which he did. 
 
Nice touch. Sure, it seems small on the surface, but it’s the little things done consistently that build and keep relationships.  [...]

Last month I shared a post, Little Things Mean Everything, where I shared the story of my paper carrier and the personal notes she left me that made a huge impact.
I always have advocated the use of cards and handwritten notes to stay in contact with, and thank your customers and prospects. Most people [...]

“Move them forward or move them out.” That’s what I constantly preach about prospects in your follow-up file.
This means if a prospect isn’t moving closer to buying each time you speak, they’re taking your valuable time. And you can make more money, but you can’t make more time.
However, especially in today’s economy, that [...]

As promised in the post above, here are some specifics you can use in putting together your own stay-in-touch program with prospects you want to keep in contact with.
1. Define Your Follow-Up Criteria and Categories. Determine who you will discard, and who you’ll place into your system. For example, anyone now spending over a certain [...]