There are a few nuances of my job that make up my day to day duties. Try as I may to keep every single client, every now and then one will fall out for one reason or another, and it's important to keep reaching out to new business. In the same way that I need to reach out, so do these businesses I speak with. The typical challenge I encounter when cold calling is the fear of change.
There are so many reasons why a business decides not to change anything, but generally it's because they don't see the problem. And if they did see it, they wouldn't know how to fix it! The challenge with being a sales person is that a very large part of the craft is made up of people who have a great product but the product can't reach it's potential without the rep that is talented. A really nice BMW can have every bell and whistle but without a driver it's a brick. Cheesy analogy I know- but oh so true!!
The best reps are going to manage your business, keep you on your toes, ask important questions and probe, discuss things that you may not want to discuss like that nasty bathroom or the tables that should be cleaned- or a long phone message that is boring and doesn't convert.
We reps are the unsung heroes because we take so much heat for the greater good. The most needed changes are the hardest to talk about, but a good rep will go there. A good rep will comb through data for hours trying to understand why clients always call the business after hours, or whatever the challenge is. The programs we create work for you, on many levels, for 24/7- you can't hire and train a staff to do that with anywhere near the same reward.
So when you get that call, and maybe even that pitch, find out what the rep is made of. What kind of person are you talking to and how do they work? When you find the right kind of rep, with the right kind of product- sign the deal. Sign it and be glad you found that one rep who will do the job right!!
-Tim Konkle/GateList Sr. Rep "Ask the Expert"
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