TIPS FOR THE INDEPENDENT SALES AGENT Nicole Scruggs Sales & Marketing Professional

The Old Business Sales Model

• High Pressure Sales Agents – Less emphasis on educating and informing the prospect and

more on pressuring the prospect to complete the sale as quickly as possible.

• Low information Prospects – Greater ability to maneuver around gatekeepers and find a

prospect not very informed about your product outside of what he may be currently using for his business.

• Institutional Sales Teams – Sales Staff working directly for the organization they represent

and reporting to a central office.

– Culture of the business (whether productive or destructive) tends to permeate the entire sales process.

The New Look of Sales

• The Outsourced Sales Team – Organizations are outsourcing some or all of their efforts to Individual Contractors or

firms specializing in various stages of the sales process saving the organization the costs associated with direct employees but decentralizing supervision of the public face of the company to potential clients.

• The Educated Prospect – Today there is a far higher probability that a prospect knows more than you think about

your product before you sit down to discuss it with her and before you even get that meeting you have to maneuver past the gatekeeper who has become very adept at recognizing and rebuffing sales calls.

The Independent Sales Agent

Whether you work autonomously for

an organization or are an independent

contractor responsible for securing your

next assignment; there is a wealth of

opportunity available to dictate and

achieve tremendous success within

this new sales climate if you have a desire

to learn and don’t mind the preparation

required to embark on this journey.

The Independent Sales Agent

This presentation focuses on the

Independent Sales Agent as a contractor

who must market to, secure, sell for,

manage and service her clients.

This Independent Agent must cultivate

skills beyond what she may have

previously utilized to achieve success as

an employee for an organization.

Building The Business Networking

• Genuine Networking is a tremendous tool for meeting potential clients.

• BEWARE - There are tons of events packaged as networking opportunities that are really giant time wasting social gatherings.

Building The Business Networking

• Attending events sponsored by your Chamber of Commerce, Business Journal and professional organizations have a far better chance of connecting you with the right audience.

• Don’t be afraid to pay to attend reputable tradeshows, conventions and meetings. The cost of admission could be reimbursed several times over with just one successful client lead.

Building The Business Social Media

• Social media is a tremendous tool for exposing your services to potential clients IF you take the time to market yourself effectively.

Building The Business Social Media

• Linkedin – Join industry related groups including groups associated with your ideal clients. Engage in discussions and take the opportunity to attend face to face forums and events when possible.

Organize your Linkedin page to clearly display your skills and availability for contract work.

Building The Business Social Media

• Facebook – Create a business page and, if they don’t mind, engage your business-minded friends to help you get attention.

• Providing educational resources, tips and advice will create top of mind awareness for anyone interest in your services.

Building The Business Social Media

• Twitter – A potentially great enhancement to your online presence is a business twitter account.

• Follow industry insiders and your ideal clients. Utilize popular industry hash tags to find contacts and comment on the industry (ex. #Sales).

• Keep your account free of personal commentary and separate from your personal account.

Due Diligence • Having a business express interest in your

Sales services can be thrilling but not every contract is a good fit for your business. A little research can go a long way in exposing potential challenges in a business opportunity.

• Research your clients Business, Industry and even Competition. Don’t be afraid to turn down a contract with insurmountable pitfalls.

• A bad contract can be far more costly than the immediate revenue from the deal.

Good Contracts are like Good Fences

• A well constructed contract should clearly outline expectations and protect both you and the client.

• The contract should reference project expectations, meeting times, working hours, compensation schedules and even contract severability.

• Working with an attorney familiar with business law can save money in the long run.

Getting to Work Prospect Lists

• Ask your client for a list of contacts he wants you to connect with or even old lists of failed contacts that may gain new life with your help.

• Get creative with list sourcing. news articles, trade publications and company directories can be great resources. Many public libraries offer free access to Mergent Online, S&P and Access Business through their online portal for library card holders.

• When needed; utilize paid list services like Jigsaw and Sales Genie. The guarantees associated with these lists can save lots of time.

• Approaching your prospects with more than the highlights of your product or service will reap benefits many times over.

• Research the industry and it’s trends and provide value to the customer BEYOND the product

• Your sales presentation should emphasize industry research expertly packaged to educate the customer while marketing your solutions.

Getting to Work Beyond the Boiler Room

Getting To Work Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!

• Whether a campaign is going great or facing challenges strong and consistent communication with your client builds trust and creates opportunities instead of limiting them.

• Providing a weekly report of your progress is a good habit that keeps clients abreast of the campaigns progress and enables them to provide guidance and additional assistance when needed.

• Scheduling standing meetings with your client ensures that you maintain the same goals for the campaign and helps to manage expectations.

Referrals

• So you’ve done a great job for a client and he can’t stop singing your praises. Asking for referrals from this client is the easiest, least costly and most reliable way to gain new business.

• Don’t leave this tremendous marketing opportunity to chance. A simple post campaign questionnaire that includes room for referrals easily incorporates this step into your client management process.

Never Stop Learning

• The world of sales is constantly evolving so becoming a student of the craft is the best way to succeed in your chosen profession.

• Besides reading materials and seminars; YouTube is a tremendous free source of education for the hungry sales scholar

• Sort through the information you gather to tailor styles and techniques that bring you the greatest success.

TIPS FOR THE INDEPENDENT SALES AGENT Nicole Scruggs Sales & Marketing Professional