Jill Konrath

What if you were at risk of losing your best customer?

It’s time to get your thinking cap out again. I’m here to stretch you out of your comfort zone so you can see things in new ways. Today we’re going to look at your very best customer – the one you love working with and who contributes a fair share to your income. Got it?

Good, because now I want you to put yourself in your competitor’s shoes. You want this account really badly. And you know whose currently got the business.

So as you sit now, in your competitor’s shoes, here’s some questions I want you to think about: 

Connections matter. Big time. Recent research from Reachable.com shows just how much it impacts you're ability to get a callback from a "stranger." In fact, you're: 

• 3x more likely if you contact a mutual acquaintance.
• 4x more likely if the connection calls to make an introduction.
• 11x more likely if they have an actual connection. 

See. It does make a difference. But most sellers don't know how to leverage their LinkedIn connections nearly as much as they could. 

To help you expand your thinking, here are some TRUE STORIES shared by people who took our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn Survey. By reading them, you'll discover numerous ways you can get in touch with someone even if you don't have a 1st level connection. 

I was reading a non-sales related blog post the other day when suddenly I came to a screeching halt. Two words jumped out at me. And, I immediately thought – these words capture exactly what it takes to be successful in sales today.

Since publishing my two free ebooks Cracking the LinkedIn Sales Code and LinkedIn Sales Secrets Revealed, I get asked tons of questions about how to use LinkedIn best. One of the most contentious issues relates to the use of InMail. 

Numerous people have written to tell me it's a total waste of time -- that they never get responses from it. Yet, our 2013 survey results showed that top sellers used it nearly 4 times more than all other respondents.

I want you to think about all those prospects you’re planning to close this month. Pretty confident that you’ll get their business?

Well, I’ve got news for you. Research shows that 60% of the people you’re expecting to close – won’t. And they’re not going to your competitors either. They’re sitting there, mulling it over and asking themselves …. Does it really make sense to change?

I used to hate my direct competitors—every last one of them. They were evil. They were after me, trying to steal my best prospects and clients. My guard was up whenever they were around. 

Then one day something changed. I was months into the worst slump of my career. Yes, I said months. The future looked grim; I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it.

The room was filled to capacity. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the conference to start. And I was so excited to finally hear Harvey Mackay speak.

He’s a living legend in the sales field. He wrote Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, a #1 New York Times bestseller. He followed that with five more bestsellers including Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt and Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty.

But, I wondered, how relevant is he today? It took me just a few minutes to find out. Harvey’s always talked about the importance of really knowing your customer – inside and out. And, that’s exactly where he started.

Although I’m naturally an optimistic person, I truly believe in the power of pessimism. I don’t care what all those self-help gurus tell you. If you only see the world through your rosy glasses, you’re going to run smack dab into sales-derailing situations that could have been prevented.

That’s why it’s imperative today to take time to be negative when preparing your sales strategy. For every sales opportunity you have, you need to ask questions like:

I live in Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes. Water is everywhere. That's why, when I saw this video about Charity: water at the HubSpot INBOUND 13 conference where I spoke, I was touched deeply.