A few years back, an exasperated industrial software Sales Manager was talking to me about one of his Business Development staff.
"This guy is absolutely meticulous in his research of the market," he said. "Name any FMCG manufacturer in the UK and off the top of his head he knows their bestselling products, where their factories are, how many people they employ and their latest financial results. He probably even knows who the MD's favourite band is."
Unfortunately, this hardworking and diligent individual wasn't performing well in the key area of his job - generating sales leads.
To try and identify the problem, I sat in with Business Development Guy for a morning. There was little to criticise. He was keen and motivated, scrupulous in his preparatory fact-finding prior to calling, confident and businesslike in his telephone conversations with prospects.
While I was watching, he got through to the Operations Director of a well-known food manufacturer. He delivered a good telephone sales pitch, after which the prospect said they'd be interested in arranging a meeting to see the software. "Just email me with further details and include a few calendar dates when you can come in and demo." Result!
Delighted with the positive response, Business Development Guy dug out the email template he'd been sending to all his prospects. I asked if I could read it first and he agreed.
It started: "My company would like to approach yourself in a professional manor."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Business Development Guy, there is a spelling mistake in the FIRST LINE of your email!"
"No there isn't," he replied. "Spellcheck would have picked it up."
I winced.
Therein lay the problem. BDG was blissfully unaware, but he was using an error-strewn email (that he'd written himself) to promote six-figure capital projects to board-level executives. He seldom received a reply.
If anyone actually had been monitoring what he was sending out on the company's behalf, they hadn't picked up on the spelling errors or the tortured grammar either. (To say nothing of using "yourself" instead of "you", which has always been a pet peeve of mine.)
I re-wrote the email, we sent it and we secured the meeting. Business Development Guy used the new template ever after and his numbers improved markedly.
Attention to detail is what wins business. Your prospects want to be reassured at every stage of the sales process that you are on top of things.
Sales leads are gold dust. Don't fritter them over something which is so easily remedied.
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