The First 100 Days in Your New Sales Territory: Winning Correspondence and Responsiveness Tips

In my series, “The First 100 Days…”, I offer tips and tools I’ve learned during a sales career spanning 3 decades. Poor communication habits and mistakes made by a new sales professional in your territory can make success extremely difficult. This is very true when it comes to a sales professional’s responsiveness to customers and how correspondence is handled. Here are some good tips and rules of thumb to help you avoid the pitfalls and boost your sales success.

Let’s start with the most basic of good ideas.

“Have an unwavering personal policy to be timely with all of your callbacks and written communications.”

We all know that we must promptly return calls, texts, and emails from our customers. But calling or emailing to say “I don’t have the answer” or “The answer is no” or “The part is on back order and I don’t know when it will be available” causes even the most experienced sales professional to hesitate. . You may think that the problem is not your fault, but you are the one who is going to take the heat when you call. Or you think it’s best not to call until you have good news. The best option is simple. Make the call immediately. Let the customer know that you are aware of the situation and that you will provide regular updates on their progress. Interestingly, this is an opportunity to positively differentiate yourself in their eyes. By empathically and diligently striving to find a solution, you will be growing your personal relationships with the customer at the same time. The issue they are having with your business may be out of your control and may not affect a quick or positive outcome. Handled correctly, you will be seen as someone who went out of their way to help. And regardless of their frustrations with your company, they will remember your efforts and something to keep doing business with you.

“Use your free time for customer service and to grow your business”

My wife spent time as the general manager of a fine dining corporation. Employees at new restaurants her here famous adage, “if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” In other words, if you’re working, then stay busy. The same applies to road warriors. Driving to your first appointment or from one appointment to another can be good customer contact time. I like music, radio sports and socializing on the phone with my friends as much as the next sales professional. But, effective business use of Travel Time will set you apart. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your time behind the wheel.

Upgrade your car’s “hands-free” technology (microphone and speakers) to give you the highest quality of clean sound. Your customers will be just as irritated as you are when you receive a call with poor or inaudible sound quality.

Practice the discipline of updating your business contact lists daily on your business CRM, laptop, and mobile phone. You’ll thank yourself for years to come and your time on the road will be much more productive when you use voice command calling and voice texting.

Take a moment to pre-plan each day’s travel in and around your Sales Zones (Sales Zone = a segment of a sales territory that can be explored or worked on in 2-4 days). Often, they draw you into a territory zone to further develop targeted sales, qualify leads, or address customer needs. The best use of your free time is to extend the length of your stay and develop your relationships in the Sales Zone. Before you get in the car, make a list of all the people in and out of your sales funnel that you’ll want to make appointments to visit. Making plans by searching contact lists and reading texts and emails while driving is much less effective. More importantly, I’m sure it breaks the “Distracted Driving Laws” of many states.

Apply these 3 tips to work while driving and you will add several effective hours to your sales week. You really will be “working smarter, not harder.”

“Your voicemail incoming message should relieve anxiety”

The smart practice of turning off your mobile phone during an appointment will send your clients to your voice mail. The most common last words of an introductory voicemail message are “…and I’ll get back to you right away.” Your interlocutor has heard this promise thousands of times. They know that many company representatives don’t do anything “… right away.” A simple way to help alleviate customer “callback anxiety” is to have your incoming message reassure them that you’re at work and actively working today. And always remember to keep your introductory message short. Callers no longer need to be told to leave a short or detailed message, wait for the tone, leave a callback number, etc. This is just one example of a short introductory message to relieve callback anxiety that you can use for your business voicemail.

“Friday, December 23, this is John with ABC Corp. I’m sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I’ll call you back today.”

It only takes 45 seconds to re-record your company’s voicemail incoming message. Get in the habit of updating your entry at the end of a work day. Colleagues and clients in Eastern time zones who call before the sun rises will also be very impressed.

“Less is more when leaving a voice message for clients and colleagues”

The best rule of thumb is to simply request a callback in your voicemail message. It is a very good idea not to try to achieve more. But often in business, it’s expedient to let the person you’re calling know why you’re calling. If your verbal message is going to be long or have multiple topics or points, get in the habit of letting the voicemail recipient know early on in your message. Say that you have, “…2 quick topics” or, that your message, “…may take 30 or 40 seconds.” This will give your recipient the option to save your message for later. It will also prevent the person you are calling from accidentally deleting your message ahead of time; not realizing you had a second theme. Most importantly, be the “Champion of Brevity.”

Here are some “best practices” for emails from sales professionals in the field.

“Make time every day for emails”

Obviously, respond to or, at a minimum, personally acknowledge receipt of emails and text messages as soon as possible. If it’s a busy day, be sure to schedule 2-3 times during the day to return written communication.

“Keep your emails short”

Practice the “Economy of Words” when writing business emails. Years ago, while boarding a plane, I noticed a sign overhead. He said: “Bathrooms aft.” It would be difficult to elaborate a clearer message sooner. When I think of short emails, I think of the “Bathrooms Aft” example. Lovers can read every word of a partner’s email, but everyone else, especially in business, wants the sender to get to the point, fast! I appreciate the old adage, “If I had more time, I’d write a shorter letter.”

“Keep your emails sweet”

A sweet hello or greeting is a good way to offset the smart brevity of a business email. Something as simple as starting with “Good morning John” or “Sally – Good afternoon” can let your email reader know that all is well and is friendly below. And yes, first names are almost always acceptable. If you’re in a real gray area when it comes to using the recipient’s name, or if you need to be a little more formal, try “Dear Mr. Jones (Dave).”

“Business Emails: Nowhere to Practice Your Stand Up Routine”

Over time, many learn that written humor is a skill and a risky endeavor in business emails. What you think is funny or a cute reference in your written communications can easily be misconstrued. In business, comedy writing is best left to comedy writers. Unless you’re really good at writing a joke, just say “no” to your urge to write something funny.

“Don’t complain and don’t explain”

It’s never a good idea to handle a hot topic or misunderstanding in an email. You may think your straight, logical paragraph will win a following, but all too often, it does the opposite.

“If you are going to disconnect from the network, let them know”

If you won’t be able to read your emails for a day or more, be sure to use the “Out of Office” notification feature. Many of your colleagues in the field only use this feature if they are on vacation for a week or more. Make sure your push notification alerts them when you’re back and provides alternate people to call in case there’s an urgent matter.

“A handwritten note sent by mail distinguishes you”

Emails are the accepted business standard for most written communications. But handwritten notes and cards in the customer’s mailbox are number 1 of all forms of written communication in business. Statistically, they are read, remembered and responded to more often. I’m not suggesting that sales professionals should start handwriting their sales communications. I am suggesting that handwritten thank you notes can be a powerful tool. I send notes to clients, prospects, and colleagues when I want to convey a sentiment or evoke a response where an email would fall short. Few would disagree that proper handwritten notes in sales can be a powerful business tool for building relationships.

These were my excuses for not sending a handwritten note.

My handwriting was average at best.
I have become dependent on the “spell checker”
I am a slow proofreader of my own work.
Stamps, cards and envelopes require advance planning
It was significantly faster and easier to text or email.
I don’t have time right now to write a note and mail it.

Technology has solved all of the above. However, I trust that only a few in sales are aware of or take advantage of recent advances and web services. I took the time to fill out a handwriting font form and provided several of the ways I write my signature. I submitted the form to the web-based service. I can now access my handwriting font for sending business postcards and envelope cards from my laptop or mobile phone. The service fills and addresses the envelopes, uses real stamps, and sends my personal notes, in my handwriting, the next morning. Cards and envelopes look and feel very professional. I use my company logo image on the front with a header that says “from the desktop of…”. Now I can send a handwritten message as easily as sending an email.

The tips I’ve provided here have been learned over decades. They have saved me time, gained sales, and helped me avoid problems and pitfalls. Pick the ones you like and make them good habits for the future, and especially for “The First 100 Days in Your New Sales Territory.”