Vetting Good Business

How many Salespeople do you know that lose their credibility because they make claims that they shouldn’t – and then cannot deliver? They talk too much, think too much of themselves, and then forget what they laid claim to in the first place. They are usually good in one aspect of their game of exaggeration and storytelling and then blatantly handicapped below the average acceptable norm in everything else that matters. Thus, the phrase ‘Used Car Salesman” was born. My point is simple here because it relates to why thorough – VETTING – is appropriate and critical to compiling Qualified Business Target Lists. Most especially now – in this 365/12/7/24/60 cycle of – Social Media Marketing Reach.

Whether it’s for the Supply or the Buy – you need to be careful and concise in your Questioning.

Here is a simple format for the New World Order of Millennial Flexible Packaging Vetting – that works for me – after 30 years of Dialing for Dollars. : )

1. Cold Calling is Dead / Only use the phone to identify new faces and locate qualified targets. Get the email address, put a Flag on your initial reach out and don’t sweat it – if they don’t reply. Just take note of the time and date and keep hunting. Keep moving down your – already established – target list and be sensitive to the time of your last reach out. At the bottom – reach out on the phone to 5 more SUSPECTS / PROSPECTS that you’ve previously identified prior to even picking up your iPhone. Keep reaching out until you have identified or added to your already established Qualified Target List. Make sure to do this – every time – you use the List. 5 Additional Qualified Prospects should always be your benchmark – every time. Note: This takes Applied Discipline – because it involves REJECTION – so what – do it anyway – and sooner than later – you will find yourself admiring a nice fat listing ofQualified Target Accounts.

2. Good Manners Matter / Be polite, precise and direct. State who you are, why you are calling and who you are trying to identify. This sounds easy enough – but it isn’t. I refer to it as Spade Work because you’re basically breaking new hard ground. You are taking the first necessary steps in Cultivating or Qualifying a Suspect. Objective: Get the Decision Maker / or Buyer’s Email Address. Once this is done – you’re done and now you possess the leverage of using the internet to subliminally remind this person that you’re alive and out there – eager to do business with them. If they block you out – no worries – and move on. The ocean is full of fish.

3. Specialize – Your Pitch / Having a specific reason or catch is critical to initial introductions in the Millennial Age. Look at the current day phenomenon known as Fake News and how words are used creatively to catch the attention of potential buyers. The Google SEO Algorithm is the primary cause behind this very effective, if not annoying and dishonest approach. People do it because mathematically speaking – it works. How many times have you been drawn in and then discovered you were reading something of absolutely no interest? Lesson: Know who you are talking to and be absolutely certain that your – specialty – will bring value to their current business. This is both a legitimate and professional approach. Use it – because it makes an outstanding first impression and communicates to your audience that you actually know what you are talking about and are NOT wasting their precious Multi-Task minutes.

4. Quiet Confidence – CLOSES / Being confident and enthusiastic is great. Being arrogant and overconfident gives one the cloak of RA-RA. Don’t be the RA-RA salesperson. It doesn’t fly with anyone with 1/2 of a below average IQ. It is also a turn off when the person you are reaching out to doesn’t have time to be nice to some telemarketing Guru dialing for dollars. Think of each new introduction in these terms: State Who, What and Why. Shut up. Listen. Please note that the ‘Why’ for the person you are communicating with is crucial. Keep it short and point to the obvious reason IT (whatever you are soliciting) holds Value for their company.

5. Self-Discipline & Your Management Model / We’ve all heard people brag and claim that they are experts in fields that at best they had spent ten minutes Googling Search Words for. This is a Mortal Sin if you are in Sales of anything and makes one appear like your classic Charlatan. First, know your business. Second, know why the person you are reaching out to can benefit by communicating with you. Third, good manners and use your personality. Be real. Fourth, and most important – use your 6th Sense. Don’t stray from listening to your intuition when you communicate with someone – for anything. If you sense that they are disingenuous or that at best your odds for closing are 99% that you will not sell anything – move on and don’t waste your time with HOPE.

To conclude, Vetting is hard work. Doing it properly however – can and will – create a very powerful Internet Email Marketing Tool that can become an integral part of improving your Quarterly Sales Revenue Stream. Next! : )