Interview with Charlotte Lloyd, Founder & B2B Sales Trainer

Summary

This video script offers sales professionals actionable strategies for prospecting and engaging with potential clients on LinkedIn. It emphasizes the importance of identifying triggers, segmenting prospects, and personalizing outreach based on LinkedIn user tiers. The speaker shares insights on warming up connections with comments and voice notes, qualifying leads promptly, and maintaining discipline in the sales process. Additionally, advice is given on handling objections, such as lack of budget, and the value of continuous learning and adaptation in sales tactics.

Takeaways

• 🔍 **Triggers Identification**: Look for company triggers like funding, expansion, revenue increase, new hires, M&A, job postings, 10K reports, product launches, or upcoming events to identify sales opportunities.
• 🎯 **Focus on Personas**: Concentrate on specific personas like marketing directors or sales enablement directors and tailor your approach to their needs.
• 📈 **Segmentation**: Organize prospects based on triggers and persona types to streamline outreach efforts and avoid mixing different types which can lead to ineffective engagement.
• 📊 **Use of Sales Tools**: Utilize tools like Sales Navigator to categorize prospects into lists based on their responsiveness and engagement level, such as new, in progress, and priority.
• 🤝 **LinkedIn Engagement**: Engage with different types of LinkedIn users (tier one to three) by commenting on their posts, connecting, and using voice notes to stand out and personalize interactions.
• 🗣️ **Personalization**: Personalize outreach by addressing specific pain points and demonstrating how your solution can help, using case studies and direct, low-friction calls-to-action.
• 🚫 **Quick Disqualification**: Learn to disqualify uninterested prospects quickly to save time and focus on those who are genuinely interested and a good fit for your product or service.
• 🔗 **Sales Process Adherence**: Stick to the sales process even when dealing with enthusiastic prospects to maintain consistency and increase the chances of closing deals.
• 📚 **Continuous Learning**: Listen to top performers, both within and outside your company, to learn new tactics and stay updated with evolving sales strategies.
• 🌟 **Innovation and Experimentation**: Try new tactics like sending videos or voice notes in LinkedIn messages to differentiate yourself and improve engagement with prospects.

Q & A

What are the key triggers to look for when prospecting for sales?

Key triggers include company funding, recent expansion, increased revenue or headcount, new area expansion, M&A activities, job postings, 10K reports, new product launches, upcoming conferences or events, and social media activity.

How should sales representatives segment their prospects based on company triggers?

Sales representatives should group prospects by similar triggers, such as all VPs from companies that had a funding round, and create a targeted approach for each group.

What is the significance of creating different groups in SalesNav for outreach?

Creating different groups in SalesNav helps in managing the outreach process effectively by categorizing prospects into 'new', 'in progress' after positive responses, and 'priority' for those with booked meetings.

How does the speaker suggest engaging with tier one LinkedIn users?

For tier one users, who are hyperactive, the speaker suggests warming them up with comments, connecting, and engaging in discussions on their posts or on posts they've commented on, and then sending a personalized voice note after they accept the connection.

What approach should be taken with semi-active LinkedIn users, known as tier two?

With tier two users, who post infrequently and engage more on others' posts, the approach should be to comment on their recent posts, engage over shared interests, and move the conversation to direct messages (DMS) to book meetings.

How should sales representatives engage with tier three LinkedIn users, who are less active?

For tier three users, who are less active and mostly reposting content, the speaker advises starting the conversation on their reposts, being specific about pain points in connection requests, and using a low-friction CTA to attempt to book meetings.

Why is it important for sales representatives to not spend too much time in DMs without booking meetings?

Sales representatives should avoid spending too much time in DMs without booking meetings to prevent being overly friendly without progressing the sales process, which can lead to inefficiency and missed opportunities.

What does the speaker suggest doing when a prospect claims they have no budget?

When a prospect claims no budget, the speaker suggests empathizing, asking open questions to understand their decision-making process regarding budget, and offering a call or meeting to educate them, positioning the interaction as informative rather than a high-pressure sales pitch.

How can sales representatives improve their tactics and strategies?

Sales representatives can improve by listening to top performers' demos, reading relevant books, attending webinars, and trying new tactics like sending videos or voice notes on LinkedIn.

Why is it beneficial for sales representatives to invest in external coaching?

Investing in external coaching can provide personalized development and new perspectives, which can significantly improve performance, as many top salespeople also engage in external coaching.