c o n T e n T s

The Business of selling

Who are evolve consultants?

Prospecting Principles

Making Appointments by Phone

Using email as part of the sales Process

Preparation for sales Meetings

Meetings with sales Prospects

Tips for sales Proposals

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e are a very commercially focused training organisation.

We work with organisations that face important

strategic challenges or opportunities

and we work with their teams to develop capability

to deal with the challenges well or capitalise on the

opportunity well.

We work in three main areas;

• Sales Development

• Leadership Development

• Personal Development

We work mainly with Blue Chip multi national insurance

companies and their respective broker channels,

although based in Dublin, Ireland, we work all over the

world.

We are sufficiently experienced to have worked through

both good times and previous recessionary times. We

believe we can improve your sales performance.

Who are Evolve Consultants?

W

i n T r o d U c T i o n

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c h A P T e r 1

riving demand for your insurance products and services and building a solid,

predictable and extensive sales pipeline is at the very core of every successful B2B sale.

So before we start to look at specific approaches for prospecting, we need to establish some recognised guidelines / definitions for prospecting and selling.

selling definedIn the world of insurance companies, selling is the process of analysing a potential buyers need for the protection provided by one of your insurance policies and recommending the policy which best satisfies that need and by persuading the buyer that the premium price is fair, the source of supply is satisfactory and that the time to buy is now.

“Everybody lives by selling something.” - r.L. stephenson

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The Business of

Selling

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What is a sales Target?A target is a business person/ entity that fits your ideal ‘target’ profile, but you have not yet managed to speak with.

TargetingRegardless of the method of prospecting potential prospects you intend to use, and depending on your role and area of sales responsibility, you have an informed mental picture of what ‘an ideal target’ might look like. This ‘ideal target’ will normally be determined by things like your geographical sales territory, the type of industry that exists in your locality, the type and size of customer who you have ‘signed up’ in the past and specific businesses with the right type of profile and profitability for you. Based on this, you should then create a target listing of companies/people you intend targeting.

Typically, targets break into three categories;-

> suspects: are those people/ companies who are on your

marketing database listing and who you believe are capable of doing business with you at some point, but have not yet indicated their interest.

> Prospects: are those companies or individuals who have indicated a need for your products or services either by responding to some form of marketing or by contacting you directly.

> existing customers: They have bought from you in the past and they may be able to present you other sales opportunities or sales referrals.

* A better route to getting better qualified leads is using complimentary solution providers (CSP): These are people who target the same suspects as you do, but who work in non-competing business. Typically, you connect with a CSP to gain market information, swap business leads and/or to provide sales introductions

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for each other. For example, a CSP for someone in the B2B insurance market might be a fleet sales representative from a car dealership or a rep from a farming Co-op or even a rep from a wholesales company.

Typically, the type of places you might find “targets” are as follows:-

> Local and national print media

> Classified Ads – companies that advertise buy and sell services

> The recruitment pages – decision makers are often listed as contacts

> Company notices - gives you names/faces/divisions to prospect

> Local Independent directories

> Local Chamber of Commerce

> Professional Trade

Associations (Local Chapters) – see appendix at back of book

> Local Lions and Rotary Clubs

> Radio advertising

> Local area business development internet pages: (For example: - www.galway.net, www.cork.com)

> Kompass Directory and the like

> Your existing database

> www.google.ie local search by sector. “Hotels in County Clare”

> IDA Industrial Estate directories

> Business Journals: Local business magazines

> Web based local business networks – such as those found on www.linkedin.com

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so what does your ideal client look like?Here are some factors you should take into account.

Your ideal should be;-> Clients who have or will have

a specific requirement for your policies

> Clients whose business relies on customers coming to their premises to do business

> Clients who distribute product from a physical location

> Clients whose business would cease to function in the event of their company premises being out of action

> Clients who work in the sectors which are most profitable to you

> Clients who are manageable from a geographic perspective

> Clients whose size is manageable from a sales targeting, service support

and relationship

management perspective

Therefore your ideal client profile could be;-1. Businesses with a retail or

warehousing presence

2. A business with a commercial fleet on the road

3. A business location that is not in a flood plain or similar undesirable location

4. Business with a sales team/commercial vehicles on the road

5. A Business that uses expensive/unique

equipment

6. Companies that place a high value on risk management

7. Pubs and hotels

8. Companies that have multi locations around the country

9. Businesses that have high turnover and movement of equipment, stock and people

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e x e r c i s e What would you add to this list of pointers on the previous page?

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step name Activity

1 Targeting the Ideal Defining what ideal customer Prospect looks like by a) Industry, b) Size, c) Location, d) Spend

2 Prospecting for Trying to get into a conversation with a appointments with decision maker about a potential sales decision makers opportunity via some of the following options: a) Telephone prospecting, b) E-mail, c) Networking, d) Asking for Referrals

3 Qualifying the sales Typically, via a sales meeting with opportunity decision makers and (sometimes) review of previous product history (claims) etc.

4 Presenting the solution Typically, via a policy proposal & pricing quotation

5 Negotiation / objection Trading concessions etc handling

6 Closing the deal Signing the contract

7 Client account On going relationship management for management purposes of a) Cross selling, b) Up selling, c) Renewals, and d) Referrals

Table 1: steps in the sales Process

A sales process is a structured and systematic approach to finding and executing sales opportunities for you and your company. The process is made

up of a number of systematic steps that reflect the customer contacts/interactions that are required to complete a sale from start to finish.

What is a sales Process?

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A well defined and executed sales process brings the following advantages to the seller;-

> More predictable results: A higher likelihood of more successful desired and predictable outcomes because the seller is following a set of agreed best practice steps.

> Winning habits: A high likelihood that repeating the correct structured sales activities will lead to the development of “winning sales behaviours.” As Gary Player, the famous South African golfer says, “The more I practice and do the right things, the luckier I

get.”

> improved Time Management: It follows that if you engage in the correct sales activities with the appropriate sales targets, you will use your available selling time more effectively and efficiently.

> Ability to track and measure results: When you use a structured sales process your outcomes can be measured and compared. This also leads to greater self awareness of your performance as a seller.

Remember, an effective sales process, if executed correctly, should manufacture new prospects and customers for you. Just as a car manufacturing plant combines fibre glass and steel, best practice assembly line processes and technology to manufacture the car; a sales process represents the raw materials required to manufacture new insurance policy holders for you.

So whilst having a sales process doesn’t guarantee success, it should lead to you creating more selling opportunities. And in these recessionary times a structure that can stand up to the rigours of market conditions is a must for every professional seller.

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sales Pipeline ManagementPeople often mix up the sales pipeline and the sales process. Firstly, the sales pipeline is part of the over all sales process. It’s a sales management tool used to track the steps the customer takes while buying one of your insurance policies. Typically the steps in the sales pipeline should mirror the decision making steps the prospect takes along the journey to purchasing a policy from you. So a monthly pipeline report presents a “snapshot” of your sales activity and the progress you have made (or not) at a given point in that month.

The best sales pipeline tools have the following commonalities;-

> They mirror the steps/ interactions the seller has with the buyer.

> They track the next steps the seller must undertake to move the sale forward.

> They focus the seller’s efforts and create urgency in the areas that require attention.

> They accurately forecast the likelihood of a sales closing and when that might happen.

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Wha

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Tabl

e 2:

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ages

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Pipe

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The stages in the typical sales Pipeline (in more detail)

Pre – Pipeline: You have devised/sourced a target list of potential buyers or suspects for your sales activities.

self analysis questions for this stage:

> Have you created a profile for your ideal buyer/ customer?

> How many targets are you going to try and contact on a daily basis?

> Can any CSP provide you with introductions to any of these targets?

> Have you identified the individuals in the target companies you want to speak with?

stage 1- You have (typically) to make a cold call to a sales company, hoping to get to speak with a decision maker

next step: Your next step is a formal meeting to qualify the

sales opportunity on a certain date.

self analysis questions for this stage:

> How much time are you dedicating to cold calling on a daily basis?

> How many companies are you targeting per session?

> How many people do you get to speak with per session?

> How many dials does it take you to reach an individual within a sales target company?

> How many sales targets agree to meet with you after one telephone conversation?

> Why are they meeting with you?

> Is there a date in the diary for the meeting?

> What will happen if the meeting goes well?

P

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2

3

4

5

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1st C

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> Is the person you are meeting a decision maker? If not why not?

> Is this meeting exploratory or have/had they something specific in mind?

> What will the next step be if the meeting goes well?

> What will the next step be if there is no sales opportunity on the table at the end of the meeting?

> Is there a date in the diary for that agreed next step? If not why not?

> What movement has there been on this opportunity in the last week?

stage 2 - Meeting with decision maker to qualify sales opportunity

next step: Your next step is to move the opportunity to presentation / proposal stage (assuming it still exists) with a time frame for the decision making process.

* If it’s a complex scenario there may be further meetings/contacts required. However, if it’s a more traditional opportunity the next step will get agreement to go to sales proposal stage (in writing).

self analysis questions for this stage:

> What was the purpose for the meetings?

> Did the sales suspect the same business agenda as you?

> What movement did you achieve at this meeting?

> What information did you obtain that will help progress the sales opportunity?

> What is their time frame for doing business?

> What will it take to move this sales opportunity forward to proposal stage?

> How does the prospect feel in principle about

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the offering and pricing proposition?

> What might the value of the business be?

> Are they considering any other suppliers?

> Specifically, what do they want in the proposal?

> What is the date for the proposal?

> What will the next step be if they like the proposal?

> Is this sales opportunity still on schedule with all the calendar dates agreed with the prospect?

> What is the next step if there is no business opportunity at present?

stage 3 - You put a sales proposal in writing

next step: Follow up the proposal and get verbal agreement (often in principle) to do business.

* You may have to tease out issues or objections to get to this point.

self analysis questions for this stage:

> What criteria are being used to evaluate the proposal(s)?

> When will they decide?

> Have you already met / spoken with all decision makers?

> Can the individual you are dealing with make the decision?

> If you presented the proposal (verbally) what feedback did you get on the day?

> How does your proposal compare against the other potential suppliers?

> What will the next step be if they like your proposal?

> When will that next step take place?

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> How long since the last contact?

> Is this sales opportunity still on schedule with all the calendar dates agreed with the prospect?

stage 4 - contacts prospect to obtain commitment in principle (verbal) to purchase service (often verbal). The seller may also have to tease out issues or objections to get to this point.

next step: Contracts to be sent out for signing

self analysis questions for this stage:

> When will this case close?

> Are there any issues for the underwriters?

> When will this prospect close – or sign? (Need definite date.)

> What will the value of this case be?

stage 5 - contracts signed – 1st premium paid - sale closed

next step: Policy documents dispatched to new customer

self analysis questions for this stage:

> Are their other sales opportunities still from this business entity?

> How accurately did I forecast this sales opportunity through all stages of the pipeline?

> What other companies do I know that might have similar circumstances to this one?

> Who can I introduce this new customer to – that they should know?

> How many contacts did it take me to close this case?

> Could I have done anything differently to move it along faster?

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Key to successful pipeline management: Is to ensure there is always movement through the different stages of the pipeline. A lack of movement at any one stage of the pipeline will have a knock on effect on your sales results at some future point.

Furthermore: -

1. The seller should report on the movement / progress that they have made within the stages of their sales pipeline on a weekly basis.

2. The seller must constantly be adding new opportunities

to stages 1 and 2 of the pipeline.

3. The seller needs to be aware on the “attrition rate” that takes place to move a sales opportunity from stage 1 to stage 5 of the sales pipeline. This attrition rate is also known as a “Ratio”.

4. It doesn’t matter whether you use an electronic sales pipeline tool or a paper based pipeline tool, what matters is that you use it to drive movement through the sales process not record the sales activity that you have just completed.

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A B c d e F Number of Stages

Sales Activity

Next Step

Probability of salesbeing completed(As a %)

e x e r c i s e What are the stages in yoursales pipeline?

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sales ratios – Your Key Performance indicators

“If you want to light a big fire – you need to know how many logs it’s going to take to get the blaze going.” – John Adams

All successful sellers use key sales performance indicators (also known as the sales ratios) to manage the movement of their sales prospects through the various stages of the sales pipeline. So, if you have a weekly sales target, it’s useful to know how many sales appointments you need to be creating on a weekly basis to make your sales target happen. This is an example

of an appointment to sales closed ratio. Here at Evolve, we find that the majority of under performing sellers we meet on training workshops have no idea of any of their sales ratios. Simply put, they are not putting enough logs on the fire to keep it burning and they have no idea how many logs they will need in the first place. Know your sales conversion ratios:

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no: ratio What it indicates Key points

1 Telephone dial This ratio represents the This figure takes into to Conversation number of telephone dials account all the you have to make to get to telephone dials speak with a sales suspect. where any of the following happens:

o Gatekeeper block o Straight to voicemail o Not available o Engaged tone

2 Conversation This ratio represents the Remember, when to appointment number of completed we say meeting, we conversations you need mean a calendar to make to suspects on date in the diary your target list to win a agreed and meeting confirmed by both parties. 3 Appointment to This ratio represents the Depending on the sales proposal number of sales meetings complexity of the you have to attend to policy you are move the sales opportunity selling it is possible to formal sales proposal the qualification stage stage and the proposal stage might be one and the same meeting. 4 Sales proposal to This ratio represents the This figure assumes sales close number of sales proposals that an amended you need to submit to a or discounted sales prospect to make a sale. proposal and an original sales proposal count as one proposal.

Table 3: sales activity conversion ratio

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no: ratio Your activity Your ratio (The Maths)

1 Telephone dial It takes you 5 dials to get to Your ratio

to conversation speak with 1 business owner here is

1:3

2 Conversation Here you need to have a Your ratio

to appointment conversation with 3 decision

makers to get 1 sales meeting 1:2

(with a sales opportunity).

3 Appointment to Your hit rate is now improving. Your ratio

sales proposal For every two sales meetings

you attend you then make 1:2

1 formal sales proposal.

4 Sales proposal to Here you notice that for every Your ratio

sales close three proposals you put here is

forward you win 1 piece of 1:2

business.

Table 4: sales ratios: A worked example

sales ratios (a worked example)Your Monthly sales Target: 10 Policies underwritten

conclusions we can draw: * Start at ratio number 4 and work backwards.

1. If your monthly sales target is to sell 10 policies, then Ratio

Number 4 suggests you need to put forward 20 proposals to make the 10 sales. (1:2)

2. To be able to put forward 20 proposals, based on the above

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ratios you need 40 partially qualified appointments. (1:2)

3. To get 40 partially qualified appointments with decision makers you need to speak with 80 decision makers. (1:2)

4. Therefore, at the start of the month you need to target 240 (1:3) ideal sales suspects to have any chance of hitting the above numbers

Notes on this example:

* The above exercise does not take into account a scenario where the seller may have an “average policy value” target as opposed to just numbers of policies underwritten.

* The above exercise assumes you are only getting sales leads via cold calling, it is not taking into account networking, referrals and the like where ratios should be much more favourable to the seller.

Here are some ideas improve your sales ratios

Better qualified leads

> Stategic networking

> Better qualification on telephone calls

> Better qualification at sales meetings

> Getting stronger commitments at meetings

> Asking for the business earlier (if appropriate)

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e x e r c i s e Please conduct the following self analysis exercise based on your current sales targets and activity levels.

Metric € Volume

Ratio 1 My Telephone dial to conversation ratio Ratio 2 My conversation to appointment ratio Ratio 3 My appointment to sales proposal ratio Ratio 4 Sales proposal ratio to sales close ratio Metric 1 My annual sales target Metric 2 My monthly sales target Metric 3 My weekly sales target Metric 4 My average sale value Metric 5 My average sale volume (if applicable) Metric 6 The number of proposals I need to write to hit my monthly sales target (based on my average sale value)

Be aware most of the above ratios are assuming that you have to find business leads by “cold calling”. While you may have do a large degree of cold calling, it’s fair to say that your

ratios and metrics will improve drastically if you are securing some of these appointments by referral or via introductions at networking events.

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notes/Actions:

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notes/Actions:

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c h A P T e r 2

rospecting for new business is the life blood of all professional sellers. After identifying your

sales targets, the next step is to get your sales pipeline populated. When it comes to prospecting there are two types of sales targets

> Cold targets

> Warm targetsA cold target is a person or company that fits the profile of your ideal buyer. However, you

have no relationship with this type of target. Furthermore, you have no means of being introduced to this buyer. This type of target sits at the top of your “cold calling list.“

A warm target is a person or business that fits the profile of your ideal buyer. However, the difference between this type of target and a cold one is that you have found someone within your circle of influence that is prepared to introduce you to this target. This type of target

“Opportunity’s favourite disguise is a troubled economy” - evolve consultants

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is called a warm one because the target will already have a relationship with the person giving you the introduction, and as such are more likely to agree to speak with you out of respect for the introducer.

> Cold calling provides you with the volume for your sales pipeline

> Warm leads provide you with quality leads

Every professional seller needs to be prospecting for both types of lead. Cold calling should be an almost daily activity, driven

by process, habit and a “hard neck”. Attaining warm leads is more strategic, requires time, networking, skill and again process. In this chapter we will look at the key prospecting protocols that will give you that combination of cold and warm targets, namely:

> Networking

> Virtual Networking via Linked In

> Complimentary Solution Providers

> Asking for Referrals

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The sales success equation

The business contacts that know and trust me and buy from me now

+ / - The new / additional business contact that know and trust me and buy from me by year end.

= My sales results for 2010

section 1

networking skills Its not who you know, it’s who knows and trusts you that counts” – J. Gitomer

In 2010 business development is tougher that ever before. Buyers are more cautious preferring to spend their budgets with trusted suppliers. For this reason cold callers are finding doors slamming in their faces faster than ever before. On top of this decision making process in many organisations’ has moved up a level to more senior levels, and this may mean your old contacts may not have the power or autonomy to make purchasing decisions any more.

To be successful in sales in

2010 it’s not who you know that counts, it’s who knows and trusts you that does.

The sales success equation: Your ability to have a successful sales year in 2010 will be determined by the following sales success equation.

Everyone has a circle of influence. It may be your family, your friends, people you worked with, people from past jobs, people you studied with at school and college, your neighbours, fellow members

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of sports or social clubs or even fellow members of trade associations. In 2010, your ability to meet new people to sell your products and services to will be determined by the number of leads, referrals and introductions you get from your circle of influence. Trust and avoiding unnecessary risks are two of the main purchasing criteria all buyers are using at the moment. Potential customers may agree to meet you because someone in your circle of influence is a trusted colleague of theirs. They won’t buy from you if they don’t know and trust you. It’s time to network.

What do you want from networking?There is a multitude of networking opportunities available for you to choose from. So before you head off to attend all and sundry, it’s important to make sure the people you want to connect with will be at the events you are going to attend. This means you need to be clear on what is the right type of networking event for you. Let’s start by looking at the type of

person you want to network with.

(A) - Who> Who do you want to network

with?

> What industry might they be in?

> What sized organization?

> What parts of the country are they located?

> What level will they be working at within their company?

(B) Where> Where are they most likely to

network?

> What type of events do they attend or network at?

> Where do these events take place?

> What is the regularity of these events?

> How do I attend one of these events?

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Type example Typical Attendee

Chamber of Local Chapters Everything from sole trader right up toCommerce nationwide large companies

Networking BNI Sole trader / SME / Local sales Clubs First Tuesday Clubs representatives of larger organizations

Local Business Street trader Depends of mix of businesses in locality associations

Professional Sales Institute of Executive Managers, business developers,Bodies Ireland departmental managers in specific CIPD professions (Tends to be corporate as opposed to sole trader)

Trade Vintners Association Owner / managers, Executive managersAssociations RGDATA with commercial functions

Table 5: networking opportunities

(c) What> What am I trying to get

by investing my time in networking and making connections?

(d) My networking to date – self analysis> Who am I connected with

already and what have these connections meant for me?

> Where do I network?

> Do the people I need to

meet attend my networking events?

> Apart from sales, how do I measure success in my networking efforts?

> How much planning do I put into my networking activities?

> Do I need to have a more structured networking plan for this year?

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e x e r c i s e Please complete the following based on your answers to the previous questions?

1. describe the type of person(s) you want to meet at a networking event?

2. Which types of networking events are most appropriate for you?

3. Are you currently attending the correct type of networking events?

4. explain, how you could improve the quality and quantity of your networking activity?

5. What will you do differently?

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Once you have identified what you want to get from networking, the next step is to target the appropriate type of events to meet these people. If the networking is to be at a regular event run by a group such as a local chapter or networking club, you should consider obtaining a position of power by joining the organising committee. This will afford you more visibility within the group.

Alternatively, if you can’t join the committee, you might need to become a more structured event attendee. Start by asking the event organiser, to give you a list of attendees in advance of the event. This will enable you to target the specific people you want to meet. Consider asking the event organiser (in advance of the event) to provide you with the necessary introductions at the event. And, remember as mentioned in the previous

chapter, targets for the event can be potential customers, complimentary solution providers and existing clients who can provide you with introductions.

Consider bringing some of your existing clients to networking events. This gives you an opportunity to spend time with them and, at the same time give them an opportunity to network with others. Also, they may be able to introduce you to others at the event.

Tactics for the networking eventMany people find going to networking events a daunting proposition. It’s often really awkward to walk into an association meeting, trade show or after-hours event when you don’t know anybody who is there. Everyone else seems to be engaged in discussions

networking strategy

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with friends and business acquaintances, while there you stand “Johnny-No-Mates” drinking free beverages, whilst desperately looking around for a friendly face to take pity on you and pull you into a conversation.

Here are some tips for overcoming the awkwardness and getting into that opening conversation.

1. Firstly, get a list of attendees in the days prior to the event.

Check the list for * People you want to meet, * Existing customers who

could introduce you to others or act as endorsees, and people you know already who could introduce to new people.

2. Get there early. People tend to be open to entering into conversations before networking events – they tend to be in a rush to get back to work or home after the event is over.

3. Think first impression. ‘You never get a second

chance to make a first impression’. When approaching someone be aware of the following; Body language: Smile, look them in the eye, and shake hands with them. Introduce yourself and state that you are with [the name of your company].

4. The best location for networking is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the coffee dock, or near the food.

5. If you don’t know anyone at the event, stick close to the event organiser’s/association officers – a lot of attendees will want to talk with them.

6. When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the Ireland as many cultures treat them with very high regard.

7. When receiving a business card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where

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you met. If you do this while you’re still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.

8. During the course of a conversation, use the other person’s first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

9. Ask questions: Prepare some general questions before you start networking. Before you give information it is important to break the ice with a question that is non-threatening. For example, it might be “How are the road works in front of your shop

effecting business?” Ask questions about

them, and their business. Remember, the purpose of your questioning strategy should be to differentiate yourself from the “crowd” by asking questions that show a genuine interest in their business. Make sure you listen to their responses. Remember, networking with new contacts is like reading a daily newspaper. Let your new contacts speak so as you can discover which news headlines are most relevant to your agenda. Remember, open questions work better than closed ones as they get people talking. Here are some additional questions you should consider asking:

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> “What brings you here today?”

> “Where else do you network?”

> “How did you get your start in the “ABC” business?”

> “What changes are happening within your industry?”

> “What does your ideal customer look like?”

> “What separates you and your company from the competition?”

> “Who else do you know here today?”

> “What is the best way to refer someone to you?”

Table 6: sample questions to ask somebody you meet at a networking event

People will usually reciprocate and ask you a few questions about your business, but remember you are there to make them feel important. Since you want to meet all the people you identified before the event, keep conversations to a maximum of ten minutes and then move on

how to Follow UpWhen you attend a networking event, whether a conference,

seminar or business-club meeting, your work has just begun. It’s the follow up after the event that moves the relationship on and eventually will enable business happen.

Follow up includes trading information that is valuable to each other via e-mail and gaining other introductions from your new connection and vice versa. However, too

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many people walk away from networking events feeling good about the event and the number of business cards collected but doing nothing to move names on business cards into potential business associates.

here are some ideas to make the most of your post networking event follow ups:

> After the event, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them. Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them.

> consider introducing someone to your new contact.

This is a straight forward process. All you have to do is introduce a new contact from a networking event to someone else you in your sphere of influence who you feel they should know.

Where, these two people take the relationship is up to them, but you will be remembered as the

person who made the introduction. You should

try to this after every networking event.

> Within twenty four hours, send an e-mail / hand written note.

Don’t wait until you have something meaningful to say or don’t wait until next week for fear of looking to keen! Chances are you won’t get around to sending a note if you wait around, and even if you do, the recipient may not recall who you are. Send an e-mail to everyone you took a card from. Better again; send them a hand written note. Remember, even if you don’t see them as an immediate connection, just say thanks.

> Make notes on your experiences.

Whenever you return from events, take about ten minutes to write down some

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notes from the networking event. Bullet-point ideas, or write them across your whiteboard. Just get them down!

> Thank the host, if applicable.

This especially applies to events that are put

together by one individual. A quick note thanking that person for their efforts will go a long way and they will be more prone to respond favourable to your request for introductions in the future.

> Phone them and meet up. Pick up the phone after

a couple of weeks and continue the conversation you started to explore at the networking event.

Don’t pitch for business without creating obligation by following up in one of the ways mentioned above. Remember, networking is the skill of building relationships that are mutually beneficial. So be prepared to ‘give

something to get something’. Networking takes planning and regular practice and execution.

Sample List of Networking Opportunities (* Excluding Insurance related trade associations)

Web Based networking

> Linked In the worlds largest online networking community - http://www.linkedin.com

Local Business community

> Chambers of Commerce - http://www.chambers.ie/index.php?id=1

Professional Associations

> Sales Institute of Ireland - http://www.salesinstitute.ie

> Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association - http://www.isme.ie/

> Irish Internet Association - http://www.iia.ie/

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charity related Business networking Groups

> Rotary Club of Ireland - http://www.rotary.ie/

> Lions Clubs of Ireland - http://www.lionsclubs.ie/

Private networking Groups for Business

> Cork Business Association - http://www.corkbusiness.ie/

> BNI Networking Groups - http://www.bni-europe.com/ireland/-

> 121 Dublin Business Networking Group - http://121biznet.com/blog/

> Southside B2B Referral Network (Dun Laoghaire) - http://www.southsideb2b.org/

> Irish Business Women’s Networking Group - http://www.irishbusinesswomen.com/forum/

> Galway Business Club - http://www.galwaybusinessclub.com/

> Open Coffee Club - http://www.opencoffeedublin.com/ / http://corkopencoffee.org/

http://mayo-open-coffee-club.org/ http://opencoffeesligo.org/

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1 Try and get a list of the attendees for the networking event in the days prior to the event taking place. This will enable you identify who you want to meet.

2 Try and arrange some introductions via the event host / organiser

in advance of the event. More than likely they will already know the people you want to meet.

3 Arrive early and stay late. If the networking is taking place around

a speech or formal event all the networking takes place before and after the event. Don’t miss the action.

4 If you don’t know anyone at the event, stick close to the event

organiser’s / association officers – a lot of attendees will want to talk with them and you can meet new people in their company.

5 Avoid colleagues from work. Ascertain who you know already and

see if they can provide some introductions for you and visa versa. You should initially acknowledge people you know already and then immediately find someone new to introduce yourself to. This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you went to the event.

6 Always have business cards and keep in a place where they are

easy to access 7 Stop selling and start connecting. When you meet someone for

the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them. Don’t try to sell them anything.

8 Prepare four or five questions that you can ask people that you

meet. Make sure the questions are not overly intrusive 9 When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful

when dealing with people from outside the Ireland as many cultures treat business cards with very high regard.

10 When receiving a business card from someone, take a moment to

write yourself a note on it such as where you met. If you do this while you’re still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.

networking checklist 1-10

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11 When in groups act as the host, introduce each new person who joins the group to the others in your company.

12 During the course of a conversation, use the other person’s first

name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.

13 Know how you can help them. People don’t care what you do,

unless what you can do can help them. Get to know which of their problems and challenges you can help with.

14 Tell people you will be following up with them while you are still

talking with them. Tell them what you will be sending and how you will send it to them. Then they will be watching out for it.

15 When you meet someone for the first time, you have 24 hours

to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.

16 Back at the office, use the back of their business card to jot a note

about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place

17 Send a handwritten note to your new contacts acknowledging the

fact that you met. 18 Connect with your new contact via Linked in within a week of

meeting with them. 19 Keep in touch, especially when you no longer have a specific

requirement to fulfil. 20 Review the usefulness of the networking events you attend on a

regular basis.

networking checklist 11-20

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It’s almost impossible to talk about best practice networking skills without bringing “virtual networking” or networking via the Internet into the conversation. Because of the role email plays in business and with the ever increasing popularity of online business networking communities like “Linked In,” the professional seller would be remiss not to leverage this media. We find many people place their personal profiles on these websites and wait for business contacts to contact them by the score. This rarely happens. Virtual networking is no different to face to face networking – as with everything

in life you only get out of it what you put into it. So here are some ideas to get more from your “Linked In” account.

Using “Linked in” on the WebIs it just me or do you wonder whether its worth your while linking up with someone you’ve found on “Linked In” that only has five contacts and no profile information? What might other people say when they see your Linked In account and profile? Could they think the same thing about you? Are you worth connecting with? Do you get any useful business leads from Linked In? Its possible to get more from Linked In that merely looking up contacts?

section 2

networking on the internet

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Here are some ideas;

> Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.

> Avoid hard-sell tactics.

> Write honest and valuable recommendations for your contacts.

> Request a LinkedIn recommendation from happy customers willing to provide testimonials.

> Grow your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your business.

> Share survey and poll results with your contacts.

> Publish your LinkedIn URL on your marketing material.

> Use the advanced search feature to find people (targets) by company, industry and city.

> Start and manage a group for your industry.

> Research your prospects before meetings. For example, you could try and find out have you common business acquaintances.

> Share useful articles and resources that will be of interest to customers and prospects.

> Post your presentations on your profile using PowerPoint.

> Ask your first level contacts for specific introductions to their first level contacts.

> Set up to receive LinkedIn messages in your inbox so you can respond right away.

> Update everything regularly.

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Working with a Complimentary Solution Providers (CSP) is a form of networking. A CSP is a person who sells into / (or has a circle of influence that includes) the target companies and people that you want to prospect for new insurance business. Typically, the CSP does not work in competition with you, but may sometimes offer a complimentary service to yours. The main point is that they have access to the people you need

to meet. So for example, at Evolve we deal in sales training and the decision makers we often need to meet are Sales Directors or Training Managers. A possible CSP for us could be a recruitment agency, or the sellers of sales related software. Therefore, if we were trying to get an appointment to see the Head of Training at ABC Limited a CSP might be able to provide us with that introduction.

section 3

Working with complimentary solution Providers “Many hands make light work”- Anonymous

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The advantages of networking with a csP

> May know your sales targets already

> Can provide introductions because the target already trusts them

> Can provide valuable information about the market place which may lead to a business opportunity

The type of professionals that might be an appropriate csP for you

> Professional Services: Accountants, Solicitors, Estate Agents

> Heavy Machinery Distributors

> Fleet motor vehicle sellers

> Committee members of local trade associations

> Hotels and pubs

Tips for networking with a csP

> Identify three ideal CSPs and go connect with them

> Meet/talk at least once a month with each

> Describe your ideal target for them

> Give introductions to get introductions

> Give them feedback on any sales opportunities you make and take

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Every business to business seller knows that getting referrals from existing customers or a complimentary solution provider is by far the best prospecting lead to get. Yet, we often find very few sales people have a referral process in place and therefore don’t get many of them. A sales referral is not an existing client tipping you off about the opening of a new factory down the road. It’s not a complimentary solution provider giving you a name and a phone number.

A referral is where somebody provides you with an introduction to a potential sales prospect. When we say introduction, we mean that they have lifted the phone to somebody in their circle of influence and asked them to take a phone call from you.

During the introduction they will tell the referral who you are, where you work, and why you will be phoning. Typically, they will endorse your services.

so here are some ideas to help you get more referrals from your circle of influence:

> Ask for referrals: If you don’t ask, how do you expect to get them?

> Ask at the right time: The time to ask somebody for a referral is when they trust you, when they rate you highly and when they are obligated to you.

> At the end of your account review meetings consider asking for referrals (if appropriate)

section 4

Asking for referrals“A referral is the key to the door of resistance.” – evolve consultants

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> Let the client know who’s a good referral: There is no point asking a client for a referral at the end of a meeting. Typically, sellers with one foot already out of the door state “If you can think of anybody who could use my service please let me know.” So firstly it’s a statement not a question. Secondly, the client won’t be inspired into miraculously pulling your ideal looking referral out of thin air. Early in your conversation describe to the client what a good referral looks like. Tell them the type of business you want to be introduced to etc.

> Help them: Make some suggestions as to people who they might know. If you’re a builder’s providers, who do you think they might know? Builders, Estate Agents, Publicans, Hoteliers and Trades people. Suggest some of those companies you’d like to get referred to – they just might know them.

> Give them time to think: Don’t ask for referrals and stand there waiting for them. When you put your client on the spot like that they aren’t going to come up with a ton of great referrals. Ask and then let them know exactly when you’ll get back to them to get the referrals.

> Don’t get names and phone

numbers. Get introduced to the prospect through an introduction letter or phone call.

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notes/Actions:

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TechniqUe: The ability to design and deliver a sales message in a way that appeals to the sales suspect.endeAVoUr: The ability to persevere and continue to cold call even when things aren’t going well.disciPLine: The discipline to do the target number of dials without cutting corners or distracting yourself.

Table 7: Key skills and Traits for successful telephone selling

Ted

he vast majority of sales professionals do not like cold-calling. Yet at the same time, it is an

activity that most of us need to do on a regular basis. Unless you can come up with a more

effective way of getting new sales prospects into your sales pipeline – then you need to try and make appointments by phone. The three main ingredients to making more appointments by phone are;-

c h A P T e r 3

“We control fifty percent of a conversation. We can influence one hundred percent of it.” – F. Tyger

Making Appointments by

Phone

T.e.d. – The key to successful cold calling

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don’t ad-lib, have a call planIf you want to sound confident, competent and in control, I strongly suggest that you write out/design a call plan for yourself. You may notice that I am not using the phrase call “script” because to use a call script, requires both parties on the call to have the exact same script. Designing and then using a call plan for the opening, questioning and closing remarks stage of your call will give you the structure that is required to hook and connect with a potential sales prospect. It will give you the opportunity to ask some questions about their circumstances and will ascertain whether it’s worth both of your whiles taking the conversation to the next stage.

A good call plan is essential for the following reasons

> More people will accept your call

> It keeps your message on track and allows you be respectful of the prospect’s time

> Ensures you gather all necessary information

> Guarantees that your call ending has a conclusion or next step

> Allows you listen to prospect responses because your call structure is clear

> Allows you control the call

call structure design

have clear call objective/ result in mind.It is important to keep in mind that the primary purpose of any B2B prospecting phone call is to make an appointment, not a sale. Many sellers make the mistake of trying to A to Z their product portfolio and talking too much on the phone call in an attempt to showcase their expertise. Whilst the seller will have to present some high level policy benefits and respond to some questions, issues that require a detailed/ informed response become an excellent reason to secure an appointment.

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It’s a good idea to use phone time to gather information through the use of open-ended questions. Your objective is to build your prospect’s interest and arouse their curiosity through a series of well designed, probing questions about them and their company. So before you make that call be clear on what the objective of your call is.

In the B2B Insurance Market, the objective of the call could be to:

1. Get a qualified meeting with a decision maker

2. Get the name and direct contact details of a decision maker

3. Collect information about a

target person / company and the type of insurance policies they currently have

4. Find out details of their next tendering process and get permission to take part in same

2. Understanding best practice call structureMost stories and movies have a start, middle and an end. The purpose of the start of the movie or story is to get you interested in reading or watching more of the content. The middle of the book or movie unravels the plot and provides the detail. The last few scenes or chapters bring things to an exciting finale or conclusion. A best practice call structure is

e x e r c i s e

Finish the following statement to get your call objective;

The purpose of this call is to qualify the sales suspect to a point, where if everything goes well, the next step will be to

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very similar in that the purpose of the call opening is to get your attention and keep you on the phone.

The middle of the call provides you the seller with the prospects detail/circumstances, issues via qualification questions and conversation.

The conclusion of the call is to bring things to a finale with you, the seller, presenting the reasons why the sales prospect should consider meeting with you. Asking for that date in the diary is the next step.

Table 8: high Level – call structure

stage structure objective

Call * Exchange greetings * Courtesy

Opening * Results based opening statement * Create interest

* Permission to proceed plus agenda * Get control

Middle * Qualify the suspects requirements * Gain understanding

* Summarize your understanding of * Get commitment

issues and priorities

Conclusion * Suggest options * Create buy in

* Obtain feedback on options * Get commitment

* Ask for the next step * Get date in diary

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3. call opening

Nothing is more important to an outbound telephone prospecting call than the quality of your opening lines. When a sales target picks up that phone and says hello, you have between ten and fifteen seconds to get them to accept your call!

The opening lines of a call are actually the only lines of the call you can script 100% – every other line you use is determined by the impact your opening statement makes. This means that to maximise the impact of your opening statement, you have to plan and practice it.

Below are some guidelines for creating your opening statement(s) as well as some samples for you to rework.

The purpose of the opening statement is to get the attention of the sales prospect to accept your phone call. You must “hook” the sales prospect onto your telephone line and away from what they were doing

before you called. Your ability to qualify the sales opportunity, ask for permission to tender, ask for a meeting, or even introduce them to your new offering doesn’t count if they decline your invitation to have a brief conversation.

Your opening statement is comprised of four elements

> Who you are – “Dave Malone”

> Who you are with

> What you sell (in very simple terms)

> How your prospect will benefit from your product or service

> A question to gauge interest of the prospect

a) Your greeting:State your full name and your role within your company. Use the target’s name in the opening lines if you can. It will ensure that you have the correct person on the line. When people they hear their name they tend to

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listen very carefully. For example, “Hello, Mrs. Phillips, this is John Phillips, phoning you from ABC Insurance!”

b) Your opening statement - how to grab interest and gain attention:State the reason for your call: Your opening statement cannot be a pitch. It must create curiosity by focusing on a result that might be important to the target. It must be low on pressure and put the target in a positive frame of mind. Consider starting with a benefit statement: This statement will suggest to the prospect why he or she should listen further.

example 1

Hi Jack, This is Emmet Higgins from the ABC Commercial Insurance Team. You may recall I met you at the Chamber of Commerce lunch last month. We provide fleet insurance in order to help people like you get the best possible fleet cover at the best price for their circumstances, and I’m calling to see if this might be something

you’d like to explore further? example 2

“Hello Ms. Dillon, this is Shauna Jennings with XYZ. I’m calling today because I was in your premises buying garden furniture, and I noticed the amount of traffic and people you have moving around the store and the warehouse. It’s a very impressive set up.

(Pause – wait for response)

And because of the potential claim risks to the business and how you currently handle this issue, there’s a possibility I might be able to help you with that cover? (Wait for response)

I’d like to discuss your situation to see if this is something that you would like to explore further?” Remember, the purpose of the opening benefit statement is to get you past the first segment of a call into a qualification stage. So:> Keep the pressure low and

conditional by using phrases

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like “Depending on how your handling” and “there’s a possibility we might”.

> Avoid opening statements which are sales pitches or self indulgent about your company such as: “Hello Mr. Kelly I am ringing to introduce to a new service here at ABC,

it’s an excellent product with the lowest excess on the market.” (This is self indulgent)

> Don’t try and technique you way past the client – “Would you be interested in cheap insurance.’’

e x e r c i s e

Please develop some opening statements for the following scenarios:

1. A business you are cold calling because you write a lot of business in their locality.

2. Supermarket that was with ABC about 10 years ago, but then they left and placed business via an Insurance Broker. That brokerage has closed as of last month.

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3. A builder’s provider’s yard that your brother in law uses.

4. A new restaurant in the town centre.

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3. Getting permission to proceed

Lastly, ask a question at the end of the opening statement to check for the sales suspect’s interest.

example:

“Okay, so as I can work out how we might be able to best help you, I’d like to ask you a few questions, is that okay?” In doing this you are again giving choice and perceived control to the suspect – where as in fact you are getting the call structure to follow to call plan you prepared in advance of making the call.

4. Middle of the call (qualification and summarising the issues)The purpose of the qualification stage is to get the target’s permission to proceed with questions so as you can establish whether you can meet a business requirement or create an opportunity for them. The types of areas you need to

explore and open up (If you get the opportunity) are:

> Their business – how it is structured/works

> The way they deliver their offering to the market place

> The main challenges their business is currently facing

> The parts of their business they insure (Mandatory/ Optional)

> The insurable risks their business is exposed to

> The contingency/coping plans they have in place in the event of one of those risks happening

> Changes they would like to make to their current insurance status

> Timeframes for renewals/ policy enactments

> How they go about considering suppliers for these Insurance services

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questions like: For an existing business

1. “Tell me about your business?”

2. What risks are most important to you?”

3. “What type of fees you are charged?”

4. “Apart from price, what’s most important to you in selecting an insurance product for your business?”

5. “Could you tell me about the type of insurance you need for this business?”

6. “What aspects of their service would you like to change?”

7. “What do you really want from an insurance supplier?”

8. “How will your requirements change over the next twelve months?”

9. “What would your ideal insurance partner be doing for you?”

For a new business

1. “What type of insurance services do you think you will need?”

2. “What criteria are you going to use to decide which insurance company you are going to use?”

3. “What type of business advice would be useful to get on an on going basis?”

4. “What experiences have you had with commercial insurance in the past?”

5. “Have you any thoughts on how we might best assist you?”

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e x e r c i s e

What questions would you add to these two lists?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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5. Presenting, matching and moving to the next stage:

After you have qualified and summarised the target’s requirements and you have established and agreed a sales opportunity that they would like to explore further - they become prospects.

It is only now that you suggest/ propose a way for you to offer some solutions to their challenges. However, do remember business owners’ are only interested in one tune on the radio – and that tune is called “Its all about me” – and they only tune into one radio station W.I.I.F.M - (What‘s In It For Me).

so, when it comes to presenting on a telesales call, three rules apply;-

1. Focus on their issuesFocus on suggesting insurance solutions that focus on solving their issues. To present anything else suggests that you are not listening.

example:

“So earlier you said to me that the excess on your old policy was €750 but your average accidental damage claim was only €900. So, we can reduce the excess amount to €400 by increasing the annual premium amount by €25.” 2. Use low pressure phrasesPut forward your benefits using low pressure phrases such as “you might consider” or “might I suggest”.

3. Get feedback on every option you presentAsk the prospect for feedback on all benefits you present – this will give you an indication of whether it’s time to suggest the next step.

example:

“So, Mr Publican, given that you have separate policies for structural, public liability, employer’s liability, and product damage, I think we can come up with a package that will simplify the number of plans that you

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have, and reduce the excess levels on all policies without significantly increasing your annual commercial insurance bill. Would that be of interest to you?” 6. close the deal / Bring to the next step- ask for a commitment to meet upIf you have presented an appropriate solution, your transition to the close should be as simple and automatic as asking, “Do you have any questions?” When they respond with no, you simply ask them how they feel about your suggestion, discuss what do you think of the insurance package? Then it’s about asking for the next step –

example:

“Based on what you are saying to me, it sounds like it would be worthwhile to get together so I can give you a more detailed picture as to how we might help you?” Remember, if the prospect likes what you have to say, it’s now

time to suggest you meet up to move things to the next stage of the buying process.

example:

“Given that you intend opening the new supermarket on the 1st of May you have to get some public liability insurance in place so as you can open. I think it might be mutually beneficial to meet up next week given that the opening date is only 3 weeks away?” 7. The fall-back position:You might not get an appointment or the sale at every prospect contact, or may be the policy won’t be up for renewal for another six months. But you should try to get some type of commitment every time.

So if the renewal is not for some time, you should

> Stay in touch via email.

> Send them material in the intervening period.

> Send them a hand written

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card thanking them for the conversation.

> Get them to agree to have a further conversation much closer to the renewal date.

> Diarize a follow up phone call with them three weeks before the renewal date.

example:

“Thanks Paul for letting me know that you have another nine months to go beforerenewal time. With your permission I’ll keep in touch and maybe you’ll let me quote for the policy next time around?” Leaving Voice MailsA lot of people don’t believe in leaving voice mail, and that’s alright – however if you prefer to leave messages here are some best practice steps to consider. If you intend leaving a voice mail message, your objective is to create enough interest so as the customer will take the next call. Remember, you can only get the appointment after you have spoken with the sales suspect.

Voice mails are like opening statements in that you can script and practice them. So when that voice says “please leave your message after the tone”, you have about 30 seconds to generate a reason why that person should call you back as opposed to

Rule 1: Most decision makers delete messages after 30 seconds.

Rule 2: Most decision makers delete messages on the first time of listening.

The components of a good voice mail message

> Your name: “Frank Murphy”

> Your company name

> A statement that creates interest and intrigue:

“I have an idea to run by you that might significantly impact the way you handle commercial insurance at your superstore and warehouse”

> Call to action: “I will call you back Wednesday at 10am.”

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* Your name

* Your company name

* A statement that creates interest and intrigue

* Call to action

example:

“Lucy, this is Frank Murphy over at ABC Insurance. We have been working with a number of the big DIY stores in the Sligo area like yourself, and having worked with them I have an idea to run by you that might significantly impact the way you handle commercial insurance at your superstore and warehouse. Sorry I missed you I will call you back Wednesday at 10am.”

example:

“Conor, this is Dylan Morris from ABC Insurance. One of your colleagues Patricia Rock, asked me to give you a call regarding how we helped them increase their commercial cover while decreasing their overall annual premium this year. Sorry I missed you. I will call you back Monday at 11am.”

e x e r c i s e

develop a voice mail message for one of your prospecting campaigns:

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1 Have a dedicated time each day to prospect

2 Prospect in hour blocks of time

3 Track your results (The Sales Ratios)

4 Know the reason for calling before you call: Remember the

reason must benefit the customer not introduce a great new

service etc

5 Leave short beneficial voice mail messages that arouse interest

and attention

6 May be follow up with an email

7 Prepare your needs qualification questions in advance

8 Phone calls placed to direct numbers before 9:30 AM are

the most likely to be answered by the person you’re trying

to reach

9 Respect the gate-keeper by treating them in the same manner you

would treat the prospect

10 Anytime is a good time to make a call; don’t wait for

the “perfect” time

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checklist for running a telephone prospecting campaign (for appointment making)

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11 Prepare your opening benefit statement in advance

12 Prepare your questions bank in advance

13 Consider sending an introductory letter first

14 State in the letter that you will be making a follow up call

15 Batch your calls in clusters of ten at a time

16 Make the calls in a quiet back office with no interruptions

17 If you can consider recording a dummy call so as you can hear what

you sound like

18 Make sure you get some type of movement on every call – even if

it’s a “no thanks”

19 If you can get an introduction all the better

20 Measure your outcomes

21 Ensure you are permitted to make unsolicited calls to the business

owner e.g. that they aren’t on a protected database

22 If you are calling again avoid leaving phone messages for the

contact if they are unavailable, as it makes it easy to filter out

further calls. Try and call back

checklist for running a telephone prospecting campaign (for appointment making) contd...

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ales professionals are using emails more and more as a sales medium. Whether, it’s to deliver a

specific sales proposal or to try “cold call” a potential sales target, email is being used for it.

does email prospecting work?If done correctly it can be an effective tool for obtaining new customers.

However, a recent survey conducted by global Internet

advertising company www.doubleclick.com, suggested that 55% of e-mail recipients considered a message to be spam if it was generic and bore no relation to their business challenges. This was also true where the mails were being sent to existing customers.

email as part of the sales process: some key points to remember > email is one way: This

means it can’t be used as a

c h A P T e r 4

“The one sure way of going out of business during a recession is to try nothing new” – A. sugar

Using

as part of the Sales ProcessEmail

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stand alone sales tool. Email works best when it is part of an integrated prospecting strategy that also includes networking, prospecting by phone, asking for referrals etc. Email must be followed up with some type of voice conversation with a sales target for it to work.

> email has no tone: Email is interpreted by the reader and some times not as intended by the sender. Always make sure the tone of your sales email is as intended

example:

“I am the new ABC representative in your area and I am just contacting you to see if you needed anything?”

What tone does this message set for you? The words that come to mind for me are phrases like lazy, presumptuous and pushy. Is this the tone the sender intended? It doesn’t matter what was intended, because

if the sales targets thinks the mail is pushy, then it is pushy … and so is the seller.

> Permanent record: Once you send an email you can’t take it or it’s contents back. So you need to be very sure that;-

(a) You want to send the email

(b) That you are sending it to the right person

(c) That you understand their circumstances

(d) That you have hit the correct “note” with your composition

(e) Everything that you are suggesting is factually correct and something you can

stand over

(f) You have no spelling or grammatical mistakes

> email reflects on you and your company: If the email has lots of spelling errors and typos then you are deemed to be sloppy and unprofessional and so is your company.

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When should you consider sending a prospecting email to a sales target?

> When you can’t reach that sales target by phone

> When you can’t get a personal introduction to that sales target

> When your approach is purely speculative

> When you intend following up the email with other sales and marketing initiatives

> When you have their correct email protocol

While email is part of your prospecting “kit bag” be aware it is no substitute for speaking with an actual sales target or suspect.

The rules for writing and sending effective sales emailsRemember, everyday your sales target gets a lot of emails from people just like you. So what’s going to get them to read your mail as opposed to deleting it

without opening it? Here are some issues to get you thinking.

The facts of email life

1. Most people read emails in less than 20 seconds

2. Most people only read an email once

3. Never send an attachment with your e-mail. Sales targets who don’t know you are not going to open a file from a stranger and risk getting a virus on their PC

Focus on the potential buyer needsIf you make a generic sales pitch your email will be interpreted as spam. Like the opening statement of your telephone prospecting call, your email must have a hook or a W.I.I.F.M (What‘s In It For Me) angle in its construction. Don’t talk about your company, insurance products or trusted advisor services. Instead, focus on their issues, concerns, problems and challenges.

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Personalise every emailDecisions makers must know immediately that the e-mail was written just for them and not sent to 100 other people. Mention your research. Highlight a triggering event. Reference a referral. Keep it short and sweetAs mentioned earlier, you have less than 20 seconds to capture the attention of a potential sales prospect. After the first couple sentences, they decide if they’ll delete it, forward it or respond. Make it readable from the preview windowMost people do a quick scan of their messages in the preview window before opening them. If your message is longer than this, make it shorter. start a conversationYour goal is to engage decision makers in an on-line discussion. In order to do this, you have to give them something they can respond to. Ask a question, invite them to an event, and see if they’d be interested in an information resource on your

website. Focus on creating the dialogue.

don’t send emails too frequentlyIt annoys people and makes your emails more likely to be summarily deleted. hook them with a compelling subject line“Free Commercial Insurance Health Check Up” will get your email deleted as recipients will be thinking that there is a “catch attached to the concept of a free offer” or that your mail is just spam. However using a subject line along the lines of, “Want to know what your competition are doing to their costs?” might get them to read on as it’s more intriguing. Tactics for how you can use email as part of the sales process

> Use email as a follow up tool.

After you meet someone at a networking event follow up with an email. Similarly, after you phone someone,

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meet someone, or send them a physical document by post follow up by email. Thank them, tell them to expect the post, and talk about next steps etc.

> Use email to gather

information about decision makers or company protocols

Gather information about who the correct decision maker is for commercial insurance; get their email address and direct dial contact telephone numbers via email.

> Use email to get referrals and testimonials

Ask clients to introduce you to people in their circle of influence who may require your service.

> refer to their world “I was in with your customer

at his garden centre at Naas and I see you have all your garden furniture on display throughout your premises.”

“I was behind one of your

Articulated Trucks on the M50 yesterday…”

example:

subject Line: can you assist me with some information please?

Conor,

I heard you being interviewed on Newstalk Radio last weekend in relation to your expansion plans for your DIY business. It was a very impressive interview.

Depending on your time frame for your new superstores there is a possibility we might be able to help you get the best possible insurance cover for the new building at the best possible price.

I’m with ABC Insurance, and we specifically help companies in the retail DIY sector solve their insurance issues and manage the level of risk these types’ risks add to your business costs. If you think it worthwhile for your business, would you be able to direct me towards the person who is responsible for

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looking after insurance cover for your business. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks,

Johnny Ryan,Midlands Commercial Business AdvisorABC Insurance Low pressure start asking for help as opposed to making a sales pitch

rather than offering specific solutions, the writer is trying to grab the attention and interest of the reader. in other words, the e-mail is about the receiver, not the sender.

This reinforces that the writer’s company solves problems and provides insurance solutions.

This statement expresses the warmth of the writer’s gratitude in advance.

And some tips on writing style and grammar

> Subject line should be a request to act

> Keep paragraphs short

> Watch font size

> Use white space

> Use boldface or underlining for emphasis

> Use bullet points

> Be concise

> Avoid jargon

> Use spelling checker

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1 Never send an attachment with your e-mail. Prospects who don’t

know you are not going to open a file and risk a virus.

2 If you are sending an e-mail, send it from a named individual, not a

company.

3 Always have your company name, web site URL, telephone number

and name in the e-mail signature.

4 When sending an unsolicited e-mail, keep it short. It should be less

than four paragraphs.

5 When sending an e-mail, always use bullets and numbers in the

body.

6 Always describe in your e-mail how your offering can increase

income, decrease expenses or manage risks for the recipient.

7 Always name people who refer you on, providing you have their

permission to do so.

8 Always include an action step for the prospect to take or an action

you will take.

9 The subject line of your e-mail should be a short sentence and or it

should mention something that will intrigue your prospect

Table 9: checklist for running anemail campaign

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hen we say face to face meeting with a sales prospect, we mean an on

site meeting with a qualified decision maker resulting from a previous contact. Meetings are the key to moving to the next stage of your sales pipeline. However there are three main reasons many sellers make poor use of meetings;

> They don’t invest enough time preparing for the meeting.

> They don’t understand the components of an effective initial sales meeting.

> They focus on their own offering, not the prospective needs.

Here are some guidelines for preparing for meetings;-

step 1: - Person/company researchIf it’s a sizeable opportunity, learn as much as you can about them in advance. In

c h A P T e r 5

“Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.” – V.Lombardi

Preparing for

Sales Meetings

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a meeting with a potential prospect, your knowledge of their business is the first thing that differentiates you from most of your competitors. Plus, by understanding what is important to them, you’re able to ask intelligent questions and align your offering with their needs. Key headings to research/investigate under are:

1. Primary business (make sure you know what they do/area of their business that they specialise in etc).

2. Market segments (their

competition, their geographical spread etc)

3. Their customers (have you any mutual clients)

4. Any key strategic initiatives (media coverage etc.)

5. The type of insurable risks that typically occur in their business

step 2: identify possible conversation anglesAfter completing your research, identify where you might have a positive impact on your targeted

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person/company.

Based on your knowledge of their operation, answer the following questions;-

> How are they handling insurance risks today without your offering?

> What kinds of problems or challenges might they be facing because of how they’re currently doing things?

> Looking at their problems, challenges or gaps that may be present, what are the potential business implications?

> What opportunities might you be able to present to them.

> If this person / company used your services, what business value would they realise? What difference could it make?

e x e r c i s e

Please list 10/12 questions you should ask at a first meeting with a decision maker in a law firm.

1.

2.

3.

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

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> When was the last time they reviewed their commercial insurance?

step 3: Plan your questionsEffective questions are essential to demonstrate that you’re committed to helping them achieve their goals and remove obstacles to success. It’s imperative to write out your questions ahead of time and take them to the meeting. If you neglect this step, it’s easy to slip into a “pitch” mode that customers detest.

Good questions uncover information about their current situation, the problems and gaps they’re experiencing and the business ramifications of how they’re currently handling things and the pay-off for making a change.

step 4: Plan your meeting outcomeAs a result of this meeting, what is the logical next step? Research into sales success shows that if you’ve defined an appropriate desired outcome for your sales meeting prior to

the meeting, you’re much more likely to achieve it. Ask yourself what movement do you wish to create at this meeting?

step 5: Know who you are meetingMake sure you know the names and responsibilities of everyone you are going to meet.

step 6: Preparing your product presentationNothing should ever left to chance. Gary Player, the world famous golfer, was once asked what the secret to his success was. He replied, “The better I prepare the luckier I get!”

So here are some tips for preparing your support sales material.

(a) Your sales support material: Make sure your support material and examples are relevant to the industry of the prospect. Don’t give them the old A to Z – you’ll lose them!

(b) Your brief case / folder: Should be clean on the

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outside and organised on the inside.

(c) Business cards: Always ensure you carry a supply of up to date (with correct phone numbers etc) in your brief case.

(d) Your sales ‘support’ documentation: Should be branded with your logo and titled with the name of your prospect’s company, if possible.

(e) no spelling mistakes: Make sure you spell the prospect’s name correctly.

step 7: Mental preparation - body languageIn sales, saying what you mean isn’t always enough. You have to show it. Sales people looking for that successful outcome should keep the following body language tips in mind: nothing crossedKeep legs, feet, and arms open. This translates to honesty, saying, “I have nothing to hide.”

Leaning forwardMoving closer shows curiosity and intensity. Leaning back demonstrates aloofness or rejection. direct eye contactIn business circles, this is a sign of strong character. handshakeA good handshake reaches all the way into the other person’s hand. In addition, match the prospect’s pressure

Appropriate dress codeBlend it, don’t stick out! Look professional – be conservative and polish those shoes. The importance of body language in sales lies in the fact that many buyers are either unsure of, or reluctant to openly communicate their intentions. So you must be able to read their body language to tell you what their words do not say. What makes sales body language so challenging is that it must be taken in the context of the situation and prior relationship you have with the person.

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Table 10: checklist for preparing a sales Meeting

1st Meeting Plan for:

Sales Prospect

Contact Name:

Contact Role/Responsibility:

Desired Meeting Outcome: What is logical next step if all goes well?

i. Getting started

> Introductions

> Who do we know in common?

> What business do we already have from their industry or locality

> Who are they insured with currently?

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Table 10: checklist for preparing a sales Meeting contd...

2. What is the agenda for the meeting?

3. Which insurance services do i think might be relevant to this sales prospect?

4. Focusing on the prospect (questions i will ask)

1.

2.

3.

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Table 10: checklist for preparing a sales Meeting contd...

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

5. Which insurance solutions do i think i will be promoting and why?

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Table 10: checklist for preparing a sales Meeting contd...

6. What are the likely concerns or objections this prospect might bring up?

6a. how would you overcome these concerns or objections?

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ffective sales meetings are focused around your prospective customers and what’s important

to them – not your software

solutions and demonstrations. Good sales meetings generally follow a simple, proven process. However, unless sellers stick to it, it’s really easy to get off track.

c h A P T e r 6

“You miss one hundred percent of the shots that you don’t take” – A. Palmer

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Step Activity What should be happening

1 Introduction * Introductions * Small talk – around areas of commonality * Small talk around observations about their business

2 Permission to proceed * Question to ask permission with agenda to ask some questions * Announce your preferred structure for meeting * Ask for agreement

3 Qualifying the sales * Business related questions opportunity (Fact Find) * Insurance / Risk related questions * Supplier related questions

4 Summarising the sales * Repeat back your understanding opportunity of their circumstances and priorities as it relates to your product suite

5 Presenting the appropriate * Follow their sequence of option priorities and issues * Use their words and phrases * Give examples * Do the maths / present numbers * Get agreement on individual benefits and solutions before you move to next aspect of your presentation * Maximise potential financial gain * Minimise potential risk exposure

6 Gain feedback on option * Ask the question – “Do you think presented you will benefit from my proposal”

7 Close / Ask for Next Step * “Great, so based on what you have said, I think the next step might be to ……”

8 Objection Handling * You may have to handle objections or trade concessions (If you have the autonomy)

9 Close the Deal * Ask for the business

Table 11: Best Practice Meeting structure

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1. introductionBusiness customers don’t always have a lot of time for meaningless chitchat. Be cordial and friendly, but business-focused at all times. *Small talk may or may not take place depending on the prospects style and demeanour.

some pointers on connecting with people at the start of a meeting

> Maintain confident, open body language.

> When you say hello, don’t forget to smile!

> If the prospect offers you something (tea/water)

accept it!

> If you sit down, sit ‘square on’ to your prospect (don’t slouch)

> Look around the room especially at pictures, photos and ‘trophies’ for some common topics of interest. You may be able to identify sporting hobbies or business

club memberships via photographs, awards and plaques.

> Don’t talk about yourself unless it contributes to the process.

> Respect the prospect’s time - it’s as valuable as yours is!

> If possible and appropriate, mention mutual acquaintances.

> Match the prospects mood and demeanour.

Remember that prospects are constantly asking themselves, “Why should I give you my time?” The above questions keep prospects’ focused on their needs, problems and concerns and of your products, features and selling style. Secondly, it shows prospects you are more interested in them than you are in just selling something, to them. Being more interested in them than they are in you is one of the best ways to build trust and rapport in any relationship.

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2. Permission to proceed & your agendaBefore you get started, double check to see if times have changed since you set up the meeting. Reconfirm the purpose of the meeting to ensure there are no misunderstandings. Ask permission to ask questions next.

“So as I can work out how I might best help you, may I ask you some questions firstly?”

3. qualifying the sales opportunity (Fact Find)In selling, your ability to ask qualify effectively is highly correlated with sales success. Good questions demonstrate your expertise and enhance your credibility as a trusted insurance advisor. And, the best questions you can ask are highly provocative ones your prospects can’t possibly answer without seriously considering their business situation. Therefore, in order to be able to present compelling and relevant case for moving to your suggested option, the more information you have about the prospects

situation, the better position you are in as a seller. If you don’t get enough information it ensures you always have more meetings than necessary or that you will have to focus purely on price to get the business.

There are 3 categories of questions:

1. Business questions2. insurance related questions3. supplier questions

Business questions:

> “Tell me what do you actually do here?”

> “Who are your customers?

> “Why do people select you as a supplier?”

> “I see by your website you have been expanding since 2006 - what do you attribute your growth to?”

> “What changes will take place in your firm/company over the next 18-24 months?”

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> “What is your competition doing that you’d like to be doing more of?”

> “What challenges has the downturn brought to your business?”

insurance specific questions:

> “Can I just recap on the information that you gave me over the phone?”

> “What policies have you currently in place?”

> “When was the last time you reviewed your cover?”

> “What are the main concerns you have about the different risks that you insure?”

> “Are the insurance cover levels on existing policies appropriate in your opinion?”

> “Which areas of your business give you most concern from a risk perspective?”

> “What have you had to claim for in the past?”

> “How would the business cope if you lost the use of X for 3 months?”

> “What is the likelihood of a customer having accident on your premises?”

> “What type of goods do your delivery people carry?”

> “What caused you to take out that policy in the first place?”

supplier questions:

> “What criteria for choosing a commercial insurer?”

> “If you could change anything about your current policy what would it be?”

> “Apart from price what else is important to you in an Insurer?”

3. summarise your understanding of the issuesIt’s important to show the prospect that you have been listening to their answers to your questions and also that you understand their issues,

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opportunities and concerns. The best way of doing this is to repeat back their answers in the form of an edited summary. This should always be done in order of priority and should finish with a question to the prospect to confirm that your summary is correct.

> “Is that correct?”

> “Have I missed anything?”

4. rules for presenting the proposed offering

> Present what the prospect needs

Your presentation should only be based upon the problems and needs you have exposed at the qualification stage of the interview. Don’t information dump.

> Prioritize based on what the prospect has said

Focus on the areas of most importance to the prospect.

> Use the words and phrases used by the prospect

> Get on going feedback as you

present During the presentation, you

need confirmation that the product is going to meet the prospect’s needs and expectations. Ask questions that will give you conditioned responses as to how the prospect feels about your product at that particular moment of the presentation. Remember, positive affirmations are like a snowball going down hill. If the prospect agrees with you on an on going basis, their positive mindset about your service gains momentum and they will be unlikely to object to your proposition at the conclusion of your presentation.

5. Gain feedback on the option presented

example:“Based on what I have suggested, how does that fleet policy sound to you?” 6. close / Ask for the next stepOnce the prospect has confirmed that the policy will meet their needs and they are comfortable understanding its excesses, terms

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and conditions etc, you need to be prepared with a commitment (closing) question that verifies whether or not they will take the next step. Make sure you summarise what you learned about the key challenges facing the prospect as related to your offering. Check with the prospect to ensure you heard him or her correctly. Then based on their response suggest a next step. End by simply suggesting the next logical thing that the prospect and you need to do in order to determine if your offering is a good fit for what they need.

7. handling objectionVery often objections occur during the sales meeting. They happen for a variety of reasons ranging from a genuine reason for the prospect not to buy, to a breakdown in communications, or even a lingering purchasing concern. Often sellers respond to objections too quickly and without clarification, and this comes a across as a rebuttal or pushiness. To give yourself a better chance of overcoming the objection you must firstly acknowledge

the prospect’s right to object. In some cases it may be appropriate to go further and agree with the prospect. You then need to clarify the objection or concern before you try and overcome the issue.

example:“Okay John, so you have a concern about the excess on this policy.

You have a point there. We need to make sure there are no surprises in the event of you having to make a claim.

Can I clarify, what type of excess level might work better for you?

Okay, John, I can get you a policy with a zero excess, and that premium will only be €90 more. Is that okay?

Lastly, keep in mind, that better customer profiling and qualification, and getting on going feedback as you present can often prevent objections happening in the first place.

8. closing the deal / taking the next stepMany sellers find closing or

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asking for the business a very stressful experience. However, as suggested in this workbook, closure should be taking place at each individual step of the sales process and again at each individual stage of the sales meeting. During the sales meeting you close continually by looking for regular feedback and on going commitment from the prospect. So in reality closing the deal should be the next logical step that both the seller and prospect want to take, as opposed to it being a “let’s have a big drum roll and go for it experience.”

Sometimes you won’t be able to close the deal there and then. Sometimes you will have to put the proposal in writing. Before you put the proposal in writing you must have clearly gotten answers to the following questions:

> Who is the decision maker? > Who else might be reading the

proposal?

> What should be included in the proposal? Why?

> How long should the proposal be?

> What information do they need to make a decision?

> What criteria are they using to make the decision?

> How do you compare to the other suppliers at this stage?

> What commercial outcome will your offering help them attain?

> What is their budget?

> How they feel about your price? (This means you must tell them your price)

> What other concerns might they have?

> How they intend evaluating the technical aspects of your proposal?

> When will they be making their decision?

> What will the next step be if they like your submission?

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Following upSometimes regardless of how well your sales meeting goes, the prospect insists upon a quotation or further documentation being sent to them, before they will make a decision. While this is not an ideal step, it is the prospect’s right to ask for this additional information. So what happens when you send out the literature as agreed, and on the follow-up the prospect appears to have a bout of amnesia, barely remembering who you are, and claiming not to have received or looked at your literature!

Better again, when you make that follow up call, the only thing you can think of saying is “I am calling to see if you that quotation I sent you?”, or “I am calling to see if you got the chance to read the restaurant Insurance brochure?” Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve ever been in either of these scenarios and most of us have, chances are that your previous meeting didn’t end strongly, with a clear summary

of the situation and with a prospect commitment of what will happen before and during the next follow up conversation.

The success of your follow-up is directly proportionate to how specific a commitment (in principle) the seller gets from the sales suspect on the initial contact. You must get a contingent commitment at the end of the first contact

In other words, if your initial sales meeting ends with, “So I’ll send you that brochure and I’ll give you a call at the end of next week”, virtually ensures your demise on the next contact. And rightfully so; there’s nothing specific here, no commitment, no connectivity between this call and the next, no agreed next step other that the activity of posting a letter, and no confirmation of who’s to do what next. Assign homeworkIf you can you need to assign “homework” to the prospect.” If they are truly interested, you need to get their agreement as

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to what they’ll do between now and the next verbal contact. For example, if they’ll talk it over with their boss, find out when they will be meeting the boss. Ask them if they intend recommending your policy in the meeting. Get a commitment that if their boss likes the cover and the premium is acceptable, the next step will be to put the insurance proposal in writing and sign contracts.

This commitment in principle is critical, since if they won’t agree to do some homework before the next call, it’s a sign that they really don’t see enough value in taking that action.

At the very minimum you should get commitment they will read your material and prepare questions, analyse the premium costs and evaluate it according to criteria you’ve both discussed. Take your proposal to head office with their recommendation, and so on. This is critical. If you don’t get a commitment for action, this person might not ever become a customer.

The type of questions you might ask are as follows;

> “If the proposal reflects our conversation do you think you will be going ahead?”

> “Are you going to recommend the policy to your boss?”

> “What will happen on your end when you receive the quotation?”

> “What will happen between now and our next conversation?”

Be specific about the follow up:Set a specific time and date for the next call and link it to the commitment that they have given you. “Angie, by when do you think you will have met with the Finance Department to get figures on what you spent last year on commercial insurance?” Not only will you set a date and time, but you have their commitment, again, that they will perform their homework.

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undamentally, any proposal to do business should always reflect previous conversations

with the prospect. The effectiveness of your sales proposal will depend on the quality of information you have gotten from the client at your pervious sales meetings. Therefore, let’s take a step back and look at the type of information you must have before you attempt to write a proposal.

The first point we need to make is that there should be no surprises in the proposal. Effectively, a proposal is confirmation of what you have already verbally agreed with the prospect at your last meeting. As mentioned in the chapter on conducting the sales meeting, you must have verbally established the following with your prospect before you attempt to write the proposal:

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“In God we trust, everyone else signs a contract” – evolve consultants

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> Who is the decision maker?

> Who else might be reading the proposal?

> What should be included in the proposal? Why?

> How long should the proposal be?

> What information do they need to make a decision?

> What criteria are they using to make the decision?

> How do you compare to the other suppliers at this stage?

> What commercial outcome will your offering help them attain?

> What is their budget?

> How they feel about your price? (This means you must tell them your price)

> What other concerns might they have?

> How they intend evaluating

the technical aspects of your proposal?

> When will they be making their decision?

> What will the next step be if they like your submission?

The answers to the above questions are important because they enable you gauge how serious the prospect is about doing business with you. Furthermore, it enables you to identify decision making processes and time frames. It also helps you get to objections before they become major obstacles. Lastly, and most importantly, the information will enable you write a prospect-focused proposal as opposed to a sales pitch.

Your proposal must be written from the prospect’s perspective, be framed around what the prospect sees as issues and focus upon what the prospect expects from a possible purchase from you. We can safely say a tailored proposal is based on real expectations as opposed to a

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business pitch. Pitches normally fail.

A sales proposal should reflect the capability and ability of you and your company making the proposition. Remember, for a prospect to consider doing business with your organisation, they must be satisfied that you;-

> Understand their issues

> Understand their unique set of circumstances and structures

> Can deliver what you say you can deliver

We suggest you consider using the following sections as headers for your overall structure;-

1. The current situationThe prospect needs to know that you understand their structure, culture, and marketplace – also known as – their current insurance situation. We suggest a paragraph outlining the situation, as you the seller understand it to be.

2. The purpose of the proposalThe prospect wants to know

what you are going to do. They also want you to confirm that your proposal is consistent with what you verbally agreed at your last sales meeting. In reality, they need your checklist of offerings to measure against their requirements, their proposals and something that allows them to get comfortable with the value / results they can derive from your price.

3. Your offeringEffectively this is where you suggest the options / policies / actions / steps / services you believe will help the prospect get the results they require. This is where you connect the proposed offering with their requirement. It should clearly state what action you wish to take and give enough explanation to help the prospect make a decision on what you are proposing.

4. resultsPaint a picture of what results they can expect to attain from your offering. Define success for them. Help the prospect set the benchmark that represents improvement. Make it easy for the client to see the result. Lastly, remember the easier it is for the

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prospect to visualise the “fruits of your work” the easier it will be for them to buy it.

5. Track recordThe Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “The best indicator of future performance is your past experience”. Often the biggest fear a prospect has about making a purchasing decision is the fear of picking someone who can’t deliver what he or she has promised. This means that where a seller can point a prospect towards evidence of where they have done this before and that it’s a straightforward exercise for the company, this gives the buyer peace of mind. Don’t write testimonials. Give them a listing of prospects (and their phone numbers) in similar scenarios and suggest that they phone them up.

6. Time scalesGet the prospect off the fence of indecision. There is never a good time to start a new project. Outline the importance of time frames by linking timing of the stages in the proposal with results the client wants to achieve. You must show that

you understand the importance of target dates and show that you can hit them with ease. Your client may have a significant amount of ‘knock-on’ business riding on your ability to deliver on your proposal. This can often mean your timing is as important (if not more so) than your price.

7. supporting technical dataThis section should detail the specifications and detail on the policies you are suggesting, as in the caveats, terms and conditions. Once again, these should not be surprises since you worked them out long before you wrote the proposal. It should also be written using terms that the prospect can relate to. There should not be a surprise for the prospect. Before you close the meeting that precedes the proposal, make sure to discuss your pricing and try and get agreement in principle before you agree to write the proposal.

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David Malone is one of this country’s best known sales training coaches. He has over of 15 years sales training and coaching experience in the Irish and UK business to business market. His clients are all well known multi national names and he regularly works in the insurance sector, both with the broker community and direct insurance companies. He is a regular speaker on the Irish sales conference circuit.

Conor Morris is one of Ireland’s premier sales management coaches for over seventeen years. In that time, he has worked with nearly all the main players in the Irish insurance market. Conor’s work takes him all over Europe, Middle Africa and the USA and he also coaches business owners in Ireland on behalf of Enterprise Ireland. He is Ireland’s only master instructor for Motorola University and he is the current chairman of the Sales Institute of Ireland.

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