…Wait the kids…
Phone the neighbors. It is time…
for the podcast. My name is Pierre Holzibas, and welcome to the Technical seller podcast…
That is me Pierre Holcevus, the leader, the uh, inventor…
tech sales one ten, and the technical seller podcast…
Pom pom. Bob…
Alright. I'm excited for today I hope you're doing great today. We are ready to embark on uh a couple great ideas today hack, two hacks for us today, uh which is…
uh email automation and customer segmentation. You couldn't have two more powerful and impactful…sales…like hacks So we're gonna talk about those today. Uh as we gather this afternoon or this evening whenever or this morning depending on what time zone you are in Uh I've looked at analytics recently We have people all over the world that tune in to this particular podcast And thank you if you're a customer, uh listening to this I am here to help you identify, acquire and retain the most valuable asset your business can ever have which is…customers. That's right Customers. A lot of people think it's the product.
It is not the product It's the customers. If you don't have customers, you know what you have, You're just surrounded…by a club of grumpy people. That's called a company without a customer, uh you know you're just not gonna be around very long It's it's gonna happen People are cash is king. And uh that's why So you know everybody complains, hey where numbers are low Why are the numbers Hope We don't have any customers, right Ever walk into a store when there's no customers in there I've been working at a store when like on a Tuesday afternoon nobody's coming in the store It's like the most boring job ever. You're vacuuming the floor and you're um
you know dusting the electronics and stuff like that Uh but you're not helping customers and that's that's not a fun situation to be in…
And anyway so today like I said we're doing a couple different things Uh we've got a couple different ideas that we're gonna pass by you today, two sales hacks that we're gonna detail. Uh for you Uh one is about personalizing…
those, um uh, follow ups and on how we wanna manage follow ups That is one of the hardest things to to to juggle It's a juggling act. Uh it's the most impactful part of our whole job as sellers honestly…
Uh we…if you like me we're in the CRM business for a long time. One of the things that became really evident, uh is that this CRM can be over implemented. It can be a nanny that's the worst thing Maybe that's your experience right now or you've worked in companies where the CRM system…you know ran the show and um the manager, uh didn't trust you to have any discretion or anything like that or good judgment. So they forced you to um, put everything into the CRM system So it Uh they could keep tabs on you just uh like um, like a nanny and it's the worst nanny and nag And if you ever worked in a small company that has a CRM system it's even worse Let me tell you. Because you're not getting a lot of data out of it as a seller if there's not a lot of data in it from other systems.
So, uh I was was with Microsoft, uh for many years about nine years and been in the Microsoft CRM channel for a long time And a lot of studies of productivity were done to find out where salespeople spend their most time and they spend their most of their time Unfortunately…
not talking to customers…leveraging CRM data and putting it in what they end up spending most of their time in in the application…is in their email system and managing tasks and email follow ups. And so we're gonna talk about that today How can we automate that? How can we personalize that? And the other part is how can we prioritize…that Like who should we be talking to? Uh if you're new in sales you have let's say here's the customer list, and here's an order book And you know go run a business and go go go get us business.
And that's all some companies used to give you You had no customer list and an order pad and you would have to figure out the rest And so today we have more sophisticated tools than just a customer list and an order pad, we actually have to talk to people through electronic means and part of that then we get to…learn over time how, whoa how important that customer is My printer's printing something out right now Anyways well we're gonna have to work with that Anyways, so that's the exciting…
couple things that we're gonna be talking about today So with that said, why don't you just sit back and relax and enjoy, uh the time that we have together this afternoon…
Or this evening or morning time, whichever you're at. Alright. See you in a sec…
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Hey How you doing everybody…
Welcome back, everyone to the technical seller…
I'm your host the the air Holcebus…
You're into sales or just curious about getting the most out of your client relationships. Well you're in the right spot because…
today, we're…guess what We're talking about a strategic sales hack…that might give you a little edge. That's right. Now this this one might seem a little counterintuitive, and that is the reason. Uh why this one well it's interesting It's very interesting…
Putting more focus on the most growable customers. Those are the clients who have potential, but aren't just all in yet You know uh I know what you're thinking Uh why not just keep all the energy on our best clients You know follow the money. Well let's break it down and you'll see why there's big value in looking beyond your top tier customers. So we're gonna think about segmentation in a very simple way I'm simplifying this today. Into four different categories Let's talk about customer segments in imagine dividing your client base or your customer base into four basic types.
First is your a customers. We all know who the a customer sells are the golden ones the most valuable ones the ones who are all in loyal to your brand. They're like that friend who set up every party brings a dish never forget your birthday. We love those folks Right Those are the great customers. And then we have our b customers.
Now they're familiar with you but haven't fully committed There are casual friends who show up occasionally, but haven't quite made it into the circle of trust or that inner circle These are the most growable customers in your customer base We're gonna talk more about them today. Uh
see customers. Those are the lost ones They've drifted away Maybe even joined the competition Think of them as friends you had in high school but haven't seen you know those Facebook stalkers out there. Uh like, yeah We we don't talk to them much anymore They're familiar with us We're familiar with them, but they've moved on for whatever reason That's kind of that c customer. They've we've lost them for some reason And then d those are leads. We'll we're just gonna put that into a pile and just call that leads These are prospective customers People who have discovered your brand, their acquaintances, they're like uh they require little nurturing to get invested.
And uh they're just out there Now most of you think let's focus on the loyal top tier customers That's our best one But here's the twist for growth Now so this is what we're talking about If you're in technology sales, What you're looking for is growing…your customer base, growth It's all about growth and finding those customers that are investing in growth. That's your best like type of customer Hey we're buying this tech because we wanna We're in a growing market We have more demand for our stuff They're a growing company. And uh
you wanna put your energy into the these b level customers. These are the most growable customers They're the hidden gems of the sales world Trust me on this one. Uh why a list customers aren't the best Well, let's dive into the a level customers They're loyal…as they are They they aren't your best source source for growth Sure They're valuable. Of course, They fully integrated your product They love your brand but they're not and they're not going anywhere. But they've already invested meaning there's not much more to uncover in terms of new revenue there I know it sounds odd Right?
Doesn't it Imagine trying to convince your friend who's been a lifelong pizza lover to try more pizza. They're already sold You don't have to sell them anymore. So many customers that have a technology based system that require maintenance or ongoing, kind of support. Those types of customers, we nurture them over time We typically would transition their our relationship over to a customer relationship manager somebody who kind of meets with a customer on an ongoing basis looks at challenges, maybe they may have brings in the sales team if there's a major opportunity there but they're focused on retaining the customer listening, creating opportunities, maybe for engineering and marketing to, um
increase the value of the customer by having them become testimonials…
uh helping elevate that customer's brand by featuring their solutions and their products as a partnership with you Like there's ways to grow those relationships, but as a salesperson on a commission with a quota, these types of customers typically are not the best. And if you're a sales manager, now listen to okay all the sellers, You turn your ears off for a minute because I'm gonna give some advice to a sales manager. You gotta get your sellers out of these customers because what happens is we become uh kind of let's say lazy. Might be the just call it what it is We get a little comfortable. And uh, sellers, we built an annuity We've created this customer relationship, and uh now this customer is an a level customer It's my customer and I get something off the top every month.
Well, uh not like we're running the mafia here but we get a little taste of the of the benefit of that customer every month Now that might be great, but as a sales director or as a sales manager, I want my sellers out there growing getting new customers. I want to increase…
the revenue base of the customer So what I have to come up with is a strategy…to satisfy both of those needs and we can talk about that later But that's why I wanna bring this to the awareness of sales managers because a lot of times when we look at activities, of companies, and when I come in and look at revenue by seller, I see the top sellers often are focused on these types of customers, uh or the mediocre sellers or the bottom sellers It doesn't matter We all as sellers if Okay Now I'm gonna put my sellers hat on. I love who doesn't like talking to customers that love you Who doesn't like that Like that's easy to do and that's reassuring about and reaffirming…
uh for me personally. But they're already sold and there's not a lot of growth there So we wanna focus on growth here and we're talking about, um uh maybe, uh a relationship maintenance, um uh, that with these a customers but they're not gonna be growable customers. Now their goal for referrals and testimonials and network they're great allies, but if your goal is driving net new revenue A list customers are more like trusty cheerleaders than the ones, uh who need a little extra persuasion and a little to effort So the untapped potential of these B customers, this is where the fund begins. These are the people who think about you They've made and maybe tried one of their pro one of our products They're not fully committed. Now picture them as somebody that we're casually dating They they like you enough to go out a few times but they're not in the meet the parent stage yet Right?
They've they maybe expressed interest but you've gotta show them why the brand or the product or the solution deserves a bigger place in their life Right We gotta we gotta wine and dine them a little There's more work that needs to be done. So it's like a puzzle that just needs the right pieces to fall in place for it to come together They might hit a snag during an implementation. They may be only using one of their one of our products when they really benefit maybe from a broader portfolio of products. By targeting these customers and addressing their needs or challenges you have a real shot at converting them into those a level customers Right So that's why we wanna focus on these types of customers And if we've got opportunities and we're looking at the opportunity funnel
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And if we add you know what the customer type a b or c we'll talk about the C and D customers here in a second But if we're if we're spending a lot of time with a customers and we have low growth, well that that's probably part of the problem We're out there We're you know we're having great meetings We're talking to customers that love our stuff and they might be adding some new stuff, but they're not adding a lot of new stuff And they're not they're not gonna sign a ten year contract here maybe renewal or something like that. But they're not uh going to buy a lot of new products That's why the big customers are good Now what do we do with the leads that come in Now it just really depends on your organization. This is some of the stuff that I've done. Here's a couple different ideas We've got these d customers…that that are on the fringes. They haven't tried anything yet We've met them at a trade show.
Um we haven't formed personal relationships a lot with this Maybe we bought a list. From a trade show or a pool of potential buyers, but let's talk about these leads These are the cold leads and um
that takes a lot of work to get these um this group…motivated…And we've all been there calling down a list of leads from a form or a bot list or something like that This is a pool of potential buyers, but it's fishing in murky waters. And uh if you're smart about it you can make this process productive and fun. Okay So here's a hack that I call pizza Friday. Get it's a a team event where the goal is to reach out to as many d leads as possible within a set time frame. Get the whole team involved The person who look who books the most call or turns the most leads into prospects, gets it, uh gets some sort of prize pizza on the house, uh make it competitive It's a little goofy but it works.
Uh it not only builds team morale but it also lets newer people learn from the pros. And you'd be amazed how motivating free pizza can be Come on. We all love pizza. Now so we wanna leverage the, uh CRM data that we have to identify and nurture b customers That's right So if we get strategic, The data in our CRM system will pinpoint those be customers Once who've already taken that first step they're shown interest maybe even signed on for a single product but now it's time to build on that These customers have crossed the line from prospect to client So the foundation of trust is there already Now they're the most global part of your customer base as I've said before and it's the biggest uh
opportunity area for us So a lot of sales team overlook this segment because they're busy with the a listers or those hold leads but be customers have the highest potential for net new revenue because they're already halfway in the door. Of course as I mentioned the CRM system will help you identify what they bought and where they might be facing challenges. And we wanna use this uh data to address their specific needs Show them the next steps. And this is where, uh you know, take this advice, please Um and the final tip here for us in this area is Think of it like you're running your own business Too often we go into these conversations overconfident or what what what we call happy eyes just assuming that our success will happen. But to grow you've gotta be really be intentional, set a goal and, feel a bit out of reach you know just a little little out of our reach If it's too easy it's not big enough and take time to reflect Have a check-in with your manager appear to look at how you're doing with your B customers.
Uh
reflection is a real key here to making progress…
And uh so with that said, let's uh wrap this segment up here uh pretty real quick And uh here's your takeaway Your A list customers they're fantastic. But the real growth is with B customers. We've got the potential…to become the most loyal partners that we have with a little extra care. Leverage that CRM look where they need help make sure you're showing up, showing them value of your offering. That's it for this segment And uh I hope you have a great day and we'll talk to you really soon right after this.
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Hey everybody. Welcome back How you doing? My name is uh Pierre Holzibas, and today, and during this uh little exercise…
we're gonna take you on a little bit of journey…
Uh not journey the band but a journey through history and the evolution of task management and follow-up strategies for salespeople. That's right. YouTube can, uh create a great exciting…experience…using your tools to help follow-up And that's why the little nostalgia and the light hearted humor we have today uh to talk about these practical tips that will help you streamline your sales follow ups. Uh so let's just dive into it today. Uh let's rewind to the early nineteen hundreds.
Imagine that time before emails and CRM systems when follow ups were managed by tools called the tickler card. Picture this rose…and rows of secretaries each managing tiny cards. Detailing important tasks. They're stashed away in what we called in today's, um, vernacular, a filing system an old school filing system. The tickler file became a staple in firms where clerks would slide the cards into folders, and that would organize everything by date So deadlines…were not missed.
So if you think of a tickler card you're not alone It's not of a funny term but uh
it's a playful reminder maybe from your grandma But hey they got the job done The best part, they used a system This is how it worked They used forty three folders, thirty one days for each day of the month And twelve for each month of the year So if you had follow-up three months from now you'd count forward three folders and pop the card in the right folder pretty genius. Then what would happen is the uh, that day would come. And uh there you go You would you'd pull it out in that there that would be there would be the the task that you would need to do. So uh when we think of today you know fast forward to today, Uh we have tools that are light years beyond those particular cards like Outlook…or Gmail or many of the automated reminders. And uh even Microsoft has a co pilot which is a new system Outlook alone has so many features that would allow you to schedule follow ups and set reminders and manage tasks without needing a separate CRM system A lot of sales people manage it that way.
It's like the tickler's great, great grandchild, only just automated and smarter. Now here's a funny anecdote. A colleague once, uh
confessed that he had more faith in his outlook than his alarm clock. And uh that's the power of a well built automation tool in sales If you're using Outlook, It even starts drafting responses now based on email context. It's like an assistant or a secretary who's already writing your follow-up emails before you even realize you need to send them. And, talk about being efficient. That's uh that's what we're really, uh working on today Task management, uh can be chaotic, uh and uh coping with automation can be challenging if you've ever looked at a cluttered task list and thought There's no way I'm gonna get through all of this Well you're not alone That's kind of one of the things that's a barrier for many people when they go on the sales productivity journey They look at all the tasks that they have to do and they just go it's overwhelming.
So managing hundreds of prospects, Uh all in different stages of the sales process along with you know closing opportunities and the tasks that go along with that contracting and demos and technical follow ups There's a lot of stages in the sales process and automation really helps save the day. After an on-site visit the last thing you wanna do is let notes kind of slip through the cracks. You know CRM tools and these types of tools follow ups and reminders in place you can instantly keep track of all the requirements and to dos and where they are in the response. So let's not rely though solely on the tech As we're saying these things draft up some pretty good and creative and on…
point…
emails for us but the beauty here is blending automation with kind of that personal touch setting aside time to review these tasks that have been created or these…
emails
…
uh we're reviewing them and approving them and adding a personal touch You're not just letting the system dictate your day. You're still in control The real trick is using automation as your sidekick…and not your boss Now…
Let's just talk about personalizing those emails for a sec We talked earlier, uh in an earlier, um blog and podcast We talked about personalizing email follow ups and what you can do And let's talk about that in a little more depth I think we can all agree that a bland hey I'm just checking in doesn't do a good enough job anymore. One of the smartest moves you can make of course is to use your CRM system to personalize every interaction, not just in terms of the name of the person that's in there or maybe the company name I mean that's easy, but it's pulling data from previous conversation meeting notes even reminders about specific needs they mentioned. The more personalized…you can be the more impactful your follow-up is gonna be. So let's look at this almost like an eighty twenty rule Eighty percent of the content…that we have to send out can be automated because they're maybe way down in the funnel and then we don't know them as much And that's all we have is first name and last name in the company and maybe some demographic or behavioral information about you know their industry. But as we uh
so we can let the system send those out We wanna check them of course but have them send them out. We wanna have the system maybe draft more personalized emails on that top twenty percent ones that are maybe actively in the sales funnel at a certain stage or at an opportunity level. So if you're leveraging these AI tools you can automate those responses, but still add that personal touch You know it's a blend of automation and efficiency. And it's the in the genuine interests that help get uh prospects to take notice of you So remember the art of follow-up isn't about bombarding them, uh but engaging them thoughtfully. You know so automation isn't just for those one off emails Now those are helpful Things that are like in response to something or, uh if we're doing a sales driven campaign to have a webinar or something like that, CRM can, uh run that entire follow-up sequence based on specific triggers So the prospect clicks a link three days later they get a friendly reminder to you know register for the webinar Or you checked on it but you didn't…
follow through and and register So we're gonna call you Uh and so the system creates a call Uh but these are highly effective for folks because we're talking to them at the right time So it's personalization…isn't just about getting the name right It's about the communication being thoughtful at the right time of interaction, information at the right time, the right place from the right person. And this is where we've seen this payoff all the time, uh whether it's a single salesperson setting up an automated reminders for leads that are spaced out over weeks. So, um when when we're staying focused on the clients and opportunities, we can put the leads into a lead bucket and and a lead campaign and let the lead thing go through and do its thing And um, so when that lead is now thinking about, hey I might need a product to go you know that they that and then who are they gonna think of They're thinking of that that individual. So it's like a nudge without being overbearing. It's not a number of touches but it's the value that is behind all of those.
So you know, Building relationships through automation is is interesting. Uh
it's more than just a tool Ultimately, the CRM systems are incredible for follow-up automations. The secret to success though as I said is how you use them to enhance those human connections Think of your CRM system as a toolkit to make follow ups more authentic. Uh record what matters, uh most from each interaction, whether it's a specific product need or a casual detail the client mentioned, You know these notes become touch points that make our follow ups stand out. So, uh whether you're using a tickler card, uh outlook, or CRM, remember the golden rule the real power lies in blending automation, with personalization…
through follow ups uh use the CRM not just to manage the task but add depth to those interactions. So I the questions on this that I will get often is how do we effectively leverage Outlook…and the co pilot and the CRM tools for follow ups Now there's really three core…strategies here Uh one automate those routine follow…
ups. Uh use outlooks automation features to set reminders and task for routine follow ups You know co pilot is great at drafting responses or reminders based on the context of previous emails. Given your your on a head start on a response. So you know give it gives you that kind of place to start It also helps you prioritize tasks based on you know activity and history so that we are working on high value leads that are always top of mind and I'm gonna talk a little more about that in a second You know we wanna personalize the email That's the other part you know as we mentioned here early. And then predictive analytics, uh…
an analytics…
for timing. You know those uh CRM systems that we're talking about, um are all integrated with that are all integrated with something like, um Outlook or other tools, They can use AI to suggest the best times for follow-up based on historical value and data. They can also ensure that the message lands once the leads are most likely to respond helping you optimize outreach without as much guesswork And these insights, you know help you connect more effectively and imagine managing your time better and uh building rapport with leads a little more smoothly. Question number two that would come up How do I categorize…follow ups and prioritize those high impact tasks effectively? Now here you go This is this is uh, you know as we mentioned earlier, about focusing in counterintuitive ways on, um, on higher value, uh and growability as opposed to best customer.
And this is kind of the same way We wanna divide our follow-up by deal stage and urgency. This is like triage in a hospital or something like that It's not first in first out It is most urgent…
served first. You go right to the front of the line right If you, uh arrive with your arm chopped off versus you know hey I just got bit by um, you know my my gerbil. Uh, so we wanna start by segmenting our tasks based on where the prospect is in the pipeline. So, uh a follow-up for a prospect, nearing a close would take precedent over cold leads. And create categories like a hot lead warm lead cold leads or discovery proposal closing.
So you can quickly see where the high priority prospects need attention. And uh we we talked about ABCD…customers, well we can think about um prioritization for task impact the same way. So you know we have low impact, AR essential for closing deals or moving prospects…significantly closer to a sale. Be tasks are important but less time sensitive. C tasks might be follow ups that involve nurturing or information sharing.
Uh the system that we wanna build keeps your focus on tasks with the greatest impact reducing the chance of letting, uh a critical opportunity slip So we wanna focus on, uh
closing, uh a b c right always be closing. Thank you. Glenn Gary Glenn Ross for uh for that helpful tip. Uh average, uh, so, uh the the CRM systems, uh can help with this In fact they almost all do this kind of…stuff of having some sort of lead scoring, which is really a great asset for follow-up prioritization. The we can look at deal value, um segments, campaigns that were be getting support or that have a limited time kind of set of resources, uh, response likelihood leads with higher scores receive priority follow ups and lower scores, uh automating, nurturing touches until they get to a certain level And then we you know reach out to them directly…Data driven really helps ensure our attention is where uh it is most effective.
Right? So categorizing based on urgency and potential impact, we can systematically handle higher volumes of of people. While ensuring the high um, prospects or the key prospects receive timely and focused follow ups. So what's our takeaway here? What is our takeaway?
Uh
we've come a long way from particular card to automated CRM tools haven't we? Um the core principles they'll remain the same It's all about timely…genuine follow-up…that builds connections. So here's a challenge for you Dive into your CRM. Set up those automated reminders start building follow ups that feel authentic…and automate where you can personalizing it where it matters Now I want your follow-up game sore after that So what I wanna do is I want you to check out tech sales one ten go into the blog area, and what you're gonna see are some goals for this particular…
um, sales hack and you're gonna also see some uh a four week implementation plan So if you're a subscriber there you get all of that for free, along with free access to our community. And so, uh check it out and have a super day
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