Growing Your B2B Small Business with Robert Poole

Hiring top salespeople is one of the most difficult things small business owners do. In this episode, we are going to talk about the top 5 things that superstar salespeople have that mediocre salespeople don't. Then we are going to talk about how to use these attributes to hire the right people.

So what's one of the biggest problems with generating revenue? Consistency. How would you like to create a recurring revenue stream, regardless of your product or service? In this episode, we are going to let you in on the secret to making money while you sleep.You  can also view the video version on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/3fw1gVflr3M

Have you as a consumer ever bought something even though you didn't feel great about it, didn't like the salesperson, but you felt you needed it so you bought it in spite of the salesperson? The reason you didn't enjoy it is because the salesperson didn't sell you the correct way. Check out this episode on how to get your customers to enjoy buying from your company so much that they start referring their friends before they even use your product or service!You can also watch the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaKyamGi9NA&t=93s

In this podcast episode i'm teach you how to effectively close deals and get those sweet, sweet conversions. Below are the key topics I talk about in this episode. 1. “I'll Think About It…”Have you ever heard the classic objection in sales, “I'll think about it”? That is a sign the prospect is nervous to move forward. 2. Sales GurusMaybe you can relate to what I was experiencing. Maybe you have listened to all the sales gurus and all their slick techniques, but it still isn't working. 3. Your Secret Sales SolutionUnderstanding the importance of beliefs and identity and how to create change in our prospect is one of the biggest keys in selling. 4. What Is Closing?Simply put - closing is about getting people to act, and act right now.We all know a lot of things that we SHOULD do, things we WANT to do, and even things we MUST do.But reality is, very few of those things get done. Why? 5. How To Get Your Prospect To Take ActionSo let's assume you've got the prospect to the point where it is time to get them to act. That may be in person, over the phone, or online.How do we get someone to move forward, sign that contract, verbally agree, click that button? 6. USF of closingWhen USF is used correctly, they will help you close more sales. When abused, they will turn people off and cost you sales. 7. Double Your Ratio of Conversions and ClosingSo done right, using these 3 major closing strategies in combination with beliefs and identity which we talked about in the last episode, you are going to substantially increase your sales and conversions.It doesn't matter if you are selling in person, on the phone or even online, these 3 strategies work, and it is more than worth your time to implement.  Get Answers NOW!Do you have any questions about the USF of Closing or selling in general?If you're not sure where to start or how to implement this into your business - reach out to me. I would be more than happy to help you get started on the path to success!

When I started out in B2B sales as a young man in my 20s, I learned all I could about selling techniques. I learned all the classic sales techniques, even things like the “Ben Franklin” close.For many years I struggled as I tried to implement a lot of techniques that sales trainers taught. I memorized scripts, learned about how to close people with techniques like scarcity and urgency, but it was an uphill battle. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the prospect's whole demeanor change in front of me as I asked for the sale. Frustrating and unproductive to say the least.It wasn't until I learned how powerful our beliefs are in driving our actions that I saw what was missing and why I experienced such resistance at the closing stage. When I learned more about beliefs, I realized that even beliefs are not the strongest tool to get ourselves or others to act. That missing ingredient is identity. In this Podcast Episode i'll be talking about...1. How do you create that identity shift?In this episode learn why Adam and Eve were impacted by how Eve's identity was shifted!2. The secret to powerfully shifting identity.It's important to remember that people don't like change. They will resist anything that challenges their current beliefs. That's why you need to be careful in how you present your message.Get Answers NOW!Do you have any questions about changing your prospects' beliefs or selling in general? If you're not sure where to start or how to implement this into your business - reach out to me. I would be more than happy to help you get started on the path to success!

Understanding what Marketing and Sales actually are and how to use them allows you to minimize mistakes and the squandering of resources. It's simple, easy to understand and implement, yet powerful in drastically increasing your sales.When you understand the difference then you can apply it to knowing which one to use at what stage in customer acquisition. By knowing what tactic to use at what time, gives you clarity, consistency and will skyrocket your sales with minimal mistake costs.How does this affect you as an entrepreneur?When you are correctly using marketing and sales in the right position in your sales process then you will see the following changes!You can finally be confident you are spending your time and money in the most effective manner possible.You'll gain clarity over your entire customer's path to the sale.You'll understand where and where not to put your resources.You enable yourself to supersize your lead generation, lead engagement, conversions, and sales - all with simple understandings.Big Picture Results!By spending time to understand the difference between sales and marketing, putting each of them to work at the right stage in your selling process, and ensuring you do all of the steps, you are going to substantially increase your sales and reduce the stress in your life, the life of your team, and that of your customers.Get Answers NOW!Do you have any questions about the differences between marketing and sales or selling in general? If you're not sure where to start or how to implement this into your business - reach out to me. I would be more than happy to help you get started on the path to success!

If you are like me, then you understand the importance of revenue and sales to a business. Without sales, businesses fail. I struggled for a long time to increase sales and close deals. However, by learning about the three critical components that are essential for any sale, I was able to successfully sell anything. When you use these 3 critical components in your business you will be able to…Increases conversions and salesChanges your company from transactional to relationship basedReduces stress on you and your teamImproves the loyalty of your customersDid you know that there are listeners and clients just like you who have signed up for our VIP Insights List? Every week they get the in-depth resources for every episode sent directly to their inbox.So although we give you a brief outline below - if you're looking to take action and actually get results in your business then you're going to want to click this link VIP Insiders Access and get your weekly VIP Resources sent directly to you so you can easily increase your sales, and exponentially grow your business.VIP link: https://growingyourb2bsmallbusiness.com/joinvip 

Business challenges are expected and we can deal with them. What about the more serious, catastrophic, or even just “bad things” we encounter? How do we keep from getting totally derailed in our business?

Have you ever implemented a new tactic that seemed like it was really paying off well, but then you wake up a year later and realize it's not coming close to what you thought it would? Or even worse, you are actually losing money? I know I have. It comes down to effectively evaluating return on investment, both with hard dollars and the not so easy to quantify use of resources. Listen to this episode to find out how to keep this from slowing you down and vastly increase the speed of your company's growth.

Have you ever thought, “If I could only get through the gatekeeper, I know I could sell the decision maker?”Getting through to decision makers is the Holy Grail of marketing and sales. It's critical, but it also happens to be difficult.Let's talk about some techniques to get through gatekeepers, particularly when you are selling high ticket items that aren't an online click a button type of sale.

What is the number one problem small business owners and salespeople face when it comes to getting sales and generating revenue?It's not how competitive our product or service is, and it's not our marketing or sales presentations. It comes down to the most critical but most difficult part of the marketing and sales process - getting in front of decision makers who have the need, resources to afford our product or service, and the authority to make a decision. Without this, we will be getting nowhere.Let's talk about some methods to get in front of your ideal customers and set us up for success.

Have you ever had someone tell you or thought, “you know, I need to go back to school to learn more. That way I will make more money? That might be true for an employee in corporate America. For us business owners, however, there is only one degree that matters and will make us money in the long run. Unfortunately, it can cost us a lot more than the cost of a Harvard PhD if we are not careful.  Check out this episode to find out how to earn this degree without going broke.

Have you ever bought something and then said to yourself shortly after, “why did I buy that?” Then you returned it or felt duped you bought it? This is classic buyer's remorse. We've all experienced it in our personal lives. Buyer's remorse can cause us to lose a lot of money in the short term, but the long term damage is much worse. Listen to find out how we can prevent buyer's remorse.

We all do drugs. Yes, even you. A lot of drugs are bad for you. The ones you manufacture in your brain are natural and even more effective than illicit drugs. If you want your customers to love buying from you and get an actual physical high during the process, you need to help them trigger the release of the drugs in their brain that all humans love.

Ever had a time when things were just clicking, you were kicking butt at work, and you felt on top of the world? What about the opposite? You woke up grumpy, everything was going wrong, you didn't want to go to work, or you felt like giving up. How effective are you at work on those “bad days”? More importantly, how do you make sure you don't have too many of those “bad days” to start off with?

B2B sales is all about logical, dollars and cents analysis of options, right? All selling is emotionally based. It doesn't matter if it is selling to consumers or to sophisticated business owners and executives. Listen to this episode and I'll prove this to be true.

Ever feel like you are playing ping pong going back and forth trying to convince a customer to buy your product or service? The reason for this is rooted in objections and how sometimes we almost ask for prospects to question us. Let's talk about the three major types of objections or reasons people resist buying and how to overcome them and make the sale.

Have you ever found yourself chasing too many ideas, businesses, or strategies, and realized later that you are spread too thin and accomplished none of them? This is called Shiny Object Syndrome. The question is how do we avoid this pitfall and keep our focus on the things that really matter. Let's talk about some ideas to mitigate distraction.

As entrepreneurs and salespeople, we tend to focus on closing the big deal, getting the sale, and going after the “low hanging fruit.” While this is important, we are ignoring where most of the money is actually made if we focus just on this. Listen to find out where that money is.

Have you ever looked at a business's website and thought, “...what do they actually do?” Often, we assume our prospects speak the same language we do, and we overcomplicate both our communication and our solution, turning off a lot of prospects before we even have a chance to sell them. Listen to find out how to remedy and use communication to grow your business.

Do you sometimes feel like you are running 24/7 without coming up for air in your business? This is a dangerous place to be which will eventually put you out of business. How do you prevent this from destroying your business and continually grow?

What happens when Covid-20 hits (or the next economic crisis)? Why have so many businesses failed in the last year and why did some of us survive? Most importantly, how do we prepare for the next crisis? It's not an if, it's a when.

What's one of the biggest reasons clients and customers are dissatisfied? They have totally different expectations and perceptions of your products or service than you do. How do we bridge this gap and turn disgruntled clients into raving fans? Listen to this episode to find out more. 

So you got the appointment with the prospect. What now? How do you turn this appointment into a sale? How do you maximize your time and process to take advantage of your appointment and grow your business. This is part two on how to do this. Take a listen.

When it comes to B2B, we are all focused on getting in front of our prospects. If you are successful, that's only the first step. What do you do after setting an appointment, and how do you maximize your effectiveness? This is part one of what and how to do this. Take a listen.

Ever had someone call your office and go off on your team or you? Or maybe bravely post a really nasty review or social media post? These people are a fact of business and life, but the question is how do we deal with them. Listen to find out how.

Ever been nervous to reach out to a client and ask them what they think of your service or product? Sometimes, it's easier to stick our heads in the sand. Why? It's tough to hear both haters nasty and loud opinions, and sometimes it's equally tough to hear the truth.  Hater or truther, you can't ignore feedback as it's one of the best tools we have. So HOW do we get constructive feedback from our clients that we can implement to grow our B2B small business? 

So you don't like some of your clients, and would like to fire them? What do you do? If you realize you have some(or all) of the wrong clients, how do you get rid of them, and how do you actually attract the right clients? Listen to find out how you can rid your business of the wrong clients and replace them with the ones that will be a pleasure to work with and reduce the stress in your life.

Do you hate some of your clients (or at least dislike them)? That means you are attracting and selling to the wrong people. Yes, it's simple as that. One of the biggest stresses in our business is dealing with clients who we don't like and don't share the same values with. Listen to find out how you can wake up and look forward to interacting with your clients.HighlightsHaving unpleasant clients is not a requirement in business.Do your best to not attract and take on clients that you don't want to do business with.Most inbound customer calls are not positive. So, there are a lot of negative interactions.If your customer service employees are having bad interactions every day, then it is bad for the company. You should be looking for clients that share your company values.Having the wrong clients with incorrect expectations can be bad for the company. They will eventually leave and will not have good things to say to future prospects.Placing money over values and fit can be a magnet for poor client relations.Have intentional planning and strategies for client fit. Define the client in meaningful ways.Many businesses are not aligning their marketing to target the correct clients and repel those that aren't a good fit.

Have you ever been asked by a salesperson after a sale, “Hey, who do you know who would be interested in my product?”. That has to be one of the most annoying and ineffective ways of getting referrals. Let's talk about how to do it right.HighlightsThere are strong and weak referrals.A good referral is an introduction to a prospect that has some trustworthy source that is qualified and is looking for a solution like yours.Trust is critical and there are many ways to build trust. Time, testimonials, referrals, etc. are all ways to build trust.When someone vouches for you, they have transferred their trust to you.You need to make sure that your circle of influence understands what exactly you provide and what a great client fit is.Trying to cater to referrals can damage the relationship with the person that referred the prospect if you are not actually a good match for the prospect.A referral is only a true referral when the prospect needs the service now or very soon.Simply asking a client if they know another prospect that could use your service is a bad idea.  It can quickly turn a pleasant transaction into something sour.The best way to get referrals is to provide outstanding service to your clients.Clients that are excited about your service will not need to be asked for referrals. They will do it because they want to.Design a system to make it easy for people to refer business to you.

Is company “Culture” a fluff statement? I used to think so. We all have a culture in our company, whether we realize it or not. The real question is, is that culture intentional and has your team bought in to it? Culture can either sink your business or turn on the afterburners of growth in your company.HighlightsCulture is the unwritten rules that the members have about values and beliefs in the company.At first, Robert discounted the importance of culture in business. He saw large companies do a poor job implementing it and thought it was a waste of time.Sometimes an employee just does not share the same values as their co-workers, and it can do damage to everyone around them and disrupt the culture causing low productivity and stress.Part of culture is letting everyone know the values so that they know what to expect.An intentional culture allows workers to trust each other.A good culture lets people feel good about their job and productivity will improve.An intentional culture is a great tool to help with hiring. It is easier to identify a good fit and have a successful hire.Every company has a culture whether one is intentionally created or not. The question is whether it is the culture that you want.It is always best to have employee involvement in the creation process.

I'm not that smart. Neither are you. Most of us have heard of modeling as a way to shortcut success by learning from those more successful than us. What if there was a way to hyper accelerate this modeling to go even faster and achieve success quicker?HighlightsA mastermind is a group of peers that are all trying to learn or improve in the same thing.Robert had tried some different types of masterminds and didn't find too much value at first. They mostly seemed like support or networking events.Then he discovered paid masterminds and discovered that there could be great power with the proper mastermind.Most people do not value free information or groups. But with a paid mastermind they have some stake in the process and try.The more you can pay for a mastermind the more proximity you get to people that are at high levels of success.The brainstorming of successful people that may even be further along than you, is one of the most valuable assets to a mastermind.Masterminds have accountability attached to them. Knowing that you have to report to your peers applies pressure to make progress.It is good to have some diversity of industry in the mastermind so that there are some overlapping ideas.Reason number 1 to join a mastermind is that you can gain knowledge from other people discussing their problems.Reason number 2 to join a mastermind is the group accountability for your goalsReason number 3 to join a mastermind is that if you pay substantial money, you will likely get a lot out of it.

Story telling is a critical strategy in the sales process. In this episode we outline a 4 step process to building stories and give examples of ways that good and bad stories can influence a prospect.HighlightsA good story can get the brain to search for similarities to something in your own life.The brain needs things delivered in a story format.Without the story the brain has to search and create one and things can get confusing.In the absence of a great story the prospect will create their own story and they can decide whether your product or service is valuable to them.A story allows the salesperson to illustrate a point without directly confronting the prospect about their belief.Selling is emotional regardless of what some salespeople will tell you.Step 1 of storytelling is identifying a prospects false belief.Step 2 is brainstorm stories that illustrate the new belief.Step 3 is to catalogue the stories and organize them by false belief. Step 4 is practicing telling the stories. Pay attention to the prospects reaction to see how you are doing.Testimonials are one of the best story telling techniques to break false beliefs online.Keep the story simple. Stories must be relatable. Character must be like the prospect.The story must be authentic and must feel real.

There are 5 traits that separate a poor or average salesperson from a top producer. In this episode we go through each trait offering explanations and examples.HighlightsThe same sales skills that make a great salesperson are the same skills that leave you feeling satisfied after a purchase.The skill set is the difference between poor sales and top sales people. Sales is a skill that must be learned.Top 5 sales skills, focused on prospecting, focused on the customer, great story tellers, intentional with language and communication, belief that they are helping.Prospecting: top sellers are on the phone speaking with prospects. They understand that any time not spent prospecting is money lost.Focus: Focusing on prospects needs, helps build a relationship and trust.Great storyteller: A great storyteller can help shift a prospect's identity into someone that is a fit for the offer.Intentional communication: Use of specific words and mannerisms to help communicate effectively to the prospect.Belief that they are helping: Believing that the offer is helpful makes it easy to feel comfortable asking for the sale.

In this episode, we talk about the critical nature of understanding the identity of the prospects that you are selling to and how to think about shifting their identity in a way that aligns with your offer.HighlightsSales and marketing process of Hook, Story, and Offer.The Hook is something that gets the prospect's attention. The Story is where you get the prospect to think about the product in some way that relates to them. Telling them that you understand their problem and you can help them solve it.The Offer is when you have the prospect's interest and then help them act.Don't over complicate the process. Don't try to skip a stage of the process.Identity is what drives most of our actions as an individual.Identity can affect all aspect of your life when making decisions.Look for ways to shift the prospect's identity to match your identity.Whenever trying to sell to a prospect, we need to understand where they are, what their identity is, and how to get them to shift that identity or change.

Hollywood uses marketing techniques to promote projects far in advance of the release date and this is a great strategy for businesses to use to grow awareness and create a strong launch.HighlightsWith most companies, their customers heard about a new product or campaign the day it was released.The more people that buy a product or service the more opportunity there is for word of mouth.Hollywood starts their pre-release campaign a year or more in advance.Start talking about the concept ahead of time.Make a lot of noise and promotion to get scene.Start slow and build over time to keep customers aware and interested.Ramp up ads and promotions the closer you get to the release date.Continue to promote heavily for the first few weeks after the launch.

Let's talk about the current state of cold calling for consumers and businesses, some of the reasons that cold calling is still a good prospecting technique, and the value of outsourcing to professional telemarketers. HighlightsYou should always be asking if you are prospecting in a relevant way. Telemarketing directly to consumers is pretty much dead.Calling businesses is still an effective method for prospecting.Outsourcing your B2B cold calling can be a great way to generate leads. Professional 3rd party companies know their business and will do a better job than most people. Cold calling has a human touch that many other prospecting methods do not have.Cold calling creates a sense of urgency and pushes people to take immediate action.It is critical to have a good list of people to call.Having proper cold calling scripts is important.Good cold calling can be a critical component to marketing and prospecting.

This episode is about the importance of managing time in your daily activities as a leader. Keep focused on revenue generating activities and find a way to delegate or outsource tasks to free up critical time.HighlightsMost of us spend too much time on non-revenue producing activities.Some people spend 50 to 60 percent of their day on non-revenue generating activities.Should be spending 70% or more of time on things that generate revenue.Sometimes outsourcing is like giving yourself a raise.You can also delegate to someone else in house. There can be benefits but be sure to select the right fit.There are low-cost areas around the globe that can save a lot of money and they have good skills.Expect to have some issues but there will be improvement over time while the new person works through projects.

How do we create an irresistible offer for our product or service? Let's talk about common reasons that a buyer will reject an offer and some strategies for building an irresistible offer. HighlightsWhy don't prospects buy? They Don't trust you. They don't see the value. They don't want to make a poor decision.Having a great offer solves many problems and makes running the business easier.Find ways to increase the perceived value of the service or product. Make an offer low risk or have a guarantee.Have testimonials or referrals. People love social proof.  Formal referral programs can help sweeten an offer.Build in some emotional reasons that make an offer irresistible.

For all the entrepreneurs and type A personalities - quit trying to achieve perfection. Listen for some strategies to manage perfection when working toward goals.HighlightsIt is ok to fall short of perfection.Insisting on perfection is bad but focusing on perfection is good.Focusing on perfection to learn to improve then it can be a positive.If we demand perfection before finishing the goal it can slow the process down and even prevent it from ever being achieved.Be sure to have a short-term deadline. A short-term deadline can help ensure that perfection does not get in the way.What are the minimum actions that we need to take to get the maximum result?Focus on solving the basic goal and then worry about taking another step toward perfection.Get comfortable with outcomes that are not perfect.Be specific about the purpose of the project. With clarity it's easy to lose focus and work on non-critical processes.Break down the project into major components.Rank all components relative to how much impact each will have.Focus on the pieces of the project that will get you 80% of the way there.

It can be very easy to fall into the trap of building your business with straw instead of brick.  In this episode we discusses short-term thinking versus long term thinking and why it is critical to focus on the long-term consequences of every decision. HighlightsIf you build a business that is weak on fundamentals you will be in trouble or out of business when market issues occur.Short term thinking are things like, “we need this deal because we need cash”. Decisions that are for now and effect now without consideration for the consequences.Long term thinking considers how every decision will impact the business in the future. You should be looking at ways to get customers to spend long term money. Creating new options for products or services. Catch and keep the right kind of customers.Having strong processes that can grow is a good long-term strategy.When prospecting, think in terms of months and years. Do not get frustrated if they are not ready now.You must have the courage to say “NO” to deals that don't have a positive long-term impact.

Why it is important to understand the difference between revenue, profit, cash flow, and net cash in the bank? This understanding is critical to a successful business, but it's not as simple as it seems. Listen to find out more.HighlightsRevenue and sales are obviously critical.The market votes on your idea by using their wallet.Revenue is cash that customers pay to you.Profit is a theoretical number and should be used as an indicator.What really matters is cash in the bank vs debt and liabilities.Many entrepreneurs generally like to look at sales and revenue and miss profit issues.Make sure to stay on top of and understand financial statements and how to analyze them to make sure that you are focusing on the correct strategies.Always get comparisons to previous periods of time.

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Robert talks about what you should be talking about with clients instead of the traditional features and benefits-based sale. Highlights At some point almost everyone that works at a company is called upon to explain what the company does. Poor salespeople will focus on features.Good salespeople focus on the benefits to the prospect. How the features actually help the prospect.Many people will try to convert your benefits back to your competitors and turn it into a battle of price and features.Great salespeople focus on the result of what the prospect wants. Most prospects are looking for one major priority and that will be a result.If a prospect starts asking about features or pricing too early then you probably haven't done a good job on focusing on the result that the prospect will get.

In this episode, Robert talks about onboarding new hires quickly so that they become an asset quickly so that they can add to the bottom line instead of being an expense. He discusses a new system that his company has recently tried with great success.HighlightsIt can be difficult to convince people to take the time to explain or capture their role in a way that is efficient.There are consequences of not cross training and having multiple people that can do each role. If someone leaves the company and nobody else understands their role, then it can be a problem.Many people believe that proper training is only for larger companies.There are 3rd party people that can be contracted to write instructions and procedures for you.Using a screen capture video for each task while doing the task is a great way to document the processes.Send that screen capture video to the contractor and let them draft more professional training documents.Then the contractor can take all documents and create a step-by-step training plan.Having this process in place can accelerate the onboarding.The cost of paying a contractor can offset months of cost in a new hire's efficiency.Having an effective onboarding removes stress from many others in the company while trying to train and answer questions.

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Robert talks about the trap of competing on price, the consequences of the strategy, and how to really position your company to grow.  HighlightsIf you are the low-price leader, it can attract the wrong types of clients to the business. Most of them are not clients that can grow your business. If your offering is good, then you should charge for it. Charging less devalues the offering.Some buyers get nervous when they see a low price. It can evoke the “What's wrong with this?” mindset. Low price strategies can prevent from spending money to grow the business in the needed places.Customers that buy on price are not typically loyal. They will leave as soon as they find a lower price.Do not be the second lowest price offering. There is no strategic advantage to be the second lowest price.Being a premium price business attracts customers that have the resources and value what you are selling.People like to feel important and buying premium gives them the opportunity.No risk of being undercut if you are the premium option.Most customers that pay for premium trust the value and are easier to work with.Evaluate your offering specifically from the perspective of the customers that you want.Change your mentality from just offering a product or service to one of providing the best solution.Draw a line in the sand on pricing for new clients.Be willing to lose sales. It is an important part of the process. It is more important to have quality clients.Must focus on changing the perception of your offering in the marketplace.Find a way to enhance the perceived value. It does not necessarily have to be something big.

The most important concept for getting a meeting with the right decision-maker, is convincing them that it's in their best interest to take time to meet with you – you need to demonstrate that you're either going to save them money, make them more money, make life easier, improve their image, or solve a particular business problem.There are four parts to this: credibility, a script, the follow-up, and using simple terms.To improve your credibility, Robert suggests getting someone else to make the call on your behalf. You should also include any credentials you have in your email signature block, create and maintain a professional online image, a custom email domain, and professional phone system.Robert recommends using a script. If you don't have a script, you will lose control of the conversation. In written or online communication, it would be a template or sales letter. You need to start the conversation with a hook to give them a reason to talk to you – something relevant in the news or some event that may affect them. Then the script needs to follow a basic outline: who you are, why they need to listen to you, a brief offer of what they gain from listening to you, and close for the appointment.The follow-up is important to avoid the meeting being cancelled or the prospect not showing up for the meeting. Robert reminds us that, although we might feel like we're annoying them with emails, there's no such thing as sending too many reminders. The more you can get them to remember you, the better your chance of having a successful meeting.It's important to speak in simple terms. If a fifth grader can't understand it, it's probably too complicated.If you're cold-calling via phone, should you do it yourself or have someone else do it? If someone else does it, they just need to follow a script, and it sets you up in the eyes of the prospect as being important enough to not have to make your own calls. Robert elaborates on the pro's and cons of using third-party services and/or making the calls yourself.HighlightsIf you make the call yourself, you have to work hard to not come across as just another salesperson.“Your website is the modern version of your business card, so it better look professional.”“When you talk to them, get to the point quickly and talk to them about their needs and desires.”“A prospect doesn't care about you or your business, what your background is, or anything else. And yet, most salespeople, that's what they do immediately.”“Speak English. If a fifth grader doesn't understand what you're saying, it's probably too complicated.”“You can't send too many emails.”“People ignore regular mail, but a FedEx is always going to make it to the decision-maker's desk.”“Your whole approach to selling the meeting with the decision-maker is to figure out how you can show them that it's going to be worth their time to meet with you. Nothing else matters at this stage.”“Take action. Nothing happens until you do.”Resources Mentioned: Grab the FREE eBook “Top 10 Secrets for B2B Small Business Owners” at https://www.growyourb2bcompany.com.Website: https://www.salesdouble.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourSalesDouble