19 October 2009 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Is your valid business reason concise enough to be left on voice mail or with an assistant and still elicit a response?

Some people get their calls returned simply because of who they are. If you’re Warren Buffet or Donald Trump, your phone call will surely get returned. But for everyone else, compelling and relevant messaging is the key to getting that callback.

If you boiled your reason for calling down to one sentence, would it make them stop and think: “This person clearly understands the challenges my company is facing and can help us navigate to success.”

Would your statement be clear enough to be communicated up without becoming distorted?

Sales leaders today are managing a lot of pressure, a lot of initiatives – with cramped resources. In short, time is of the essence. If they can’t speak to you when you call, are you prepared to be compelling enough to be remembered?

Previous Questions:

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1