The term “sales prospecting” gets a bad rap.  This is due to the fact that many salespeople and managers drive prospecting using ineffective, outdated techniques that stopped working ten years ago. This, in turn, delivers suboptimal results and leaves the sales chain of command from top to bottom scrambling for answers.  

We’ve all probably seen or participated in a bad sales presentation.  Frankly, there is nothing more uncomfortable than to be on the receiving end of an awful presentation.  Bad slide decks, pixelated graphics, inconsistent fonts and terrible messaging. All as we think to ourselves, "Here goes another presentation into the trash heap of presentation purgatory."

On an almost daily basis, I find myself talking to organizations who are looking for advice on how to increase sales, close deals faster and drive results for better sales growth. What blows my mind is that with very few exceptions, all of these organizations are doing the same things, using the same old traditional sales methods, chasing the same carrots at the end of the same sticks.

Like it or not, social media gives people a platform for commenting on your products, your service orientation, your pricing, your people, your competitors, your industry, and more. These conversations happen candidly in real time and have the potential of turning into global discussions in the blink of an eye. Ignore these conversations at your peril -- monitoring social media matters now more than it ever has.

Do you remember "The Wide World of Sports"? There was a moment in the opening that is the definition of epic. Every episode began with Jim McKay's iconic monologue on the struggle of sports that peaked with, "The thrill of victory  -- and the agony of defeat" -- complete with sporting imagery to make your heart surge, then immediately cringe in pain. That's email marketing. For marketers, few things feel better than a highly successful email send with astronomical open and click through rates. And fewer things hurt more than an email that results in bounces and unsubscribes. 

If you haven’t already done so, check out Part I here.  Below are the final three keys in creating some killer sales content.  Keep in mind that this is a long term play and not just a short term solution, so make sure you are committed to the long haul.  The results will be worth it!

In the world of sales and marketing, personas are invaluable tools. Well-made personas can help you to understand your targets' plans, challenges, behaviors and goals. They can help you to recognize that different people have different needs and expectations, and they can also help you to identify with the audience you are trying to have a conversation with. But many marketing and sales pros bypass the creation and usage of personas -- many times simply because they don't have a good idea of where to begin.

Insanity: Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.  We’ve all heard this, and yet, many continue to sell the same way they always have in a business world that has been changing dramatically over the last several years.  Now more than ever, developing TRUST as a cornerstone of your business is critical and the four keys below will start the process of developing a new orientation with your clients and prospects.