Wow! What a couple of months it has been. I heard about the Pipeline Generation Bootcamp and it interested me but I wasn't sure what I would get out of it. Well, I am so thankful that I did because it has changed my entire outlook on how to grow my agency through digital sales.
The biggest thing I realized is that I never really did much sales activity. Relying on referrals and networks is a really hard way to grow. Learning how sales works these days was a real eye opener.
It seemed pretty easy at first: doing some homework, making some calls....etc. Once I got into the weekly calls and started following all the assignments, however, I soon realized how much content I needed to consume and learn.
The idea of picking up the phone and just calling someone I didn't really know seemed strange. It was really hard at first but after a while it got easier. The other hard part was to keep calling up to four times and not feel like I was harassing someone.
Top 10 things I learned about Digital Sales from the Eight-Week Bootcamp
1. How to Identify and Connect with Prospects
Figuring out who to call is the first thing to learn. I started with some existing clients and then started working on my list of closed/lost deals. This was definitely a good first step to pick up all the low hanging fruit.
2. Create an Agency Positioning Statement
Agencies who don't focus on certain industries or verticals have a wide range to target but hit nothing. This was a big problem for our agency because we have always worked on so many different types of projects in the digital marketing world.
Having a blueprint to walk through and get to our APS was a hard process but the end result was spectacular and well worth the effort.
3. Using Hubspot tools
Obviously Hubspot has the tools to use for prospecting but I quickly learned that I was not using some of them very well. A tool is only as good as the person using it and how well that person understands its functionality.
Prospecting, sequences, tasks, and the CRM are all powerful tools if you know how to use them to their ultimate capability.
4. How to speak to prospects and what to say
Learning how to talk to prospects is something that needs to be learned. How to deal with bad responses, identify triggers, and guide the conversation are important things to learn.
5. DISC profiles and how to communicate
Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DISC) are all part of everyone's personality. We just have different amounts of each, which creates a personality profile. Knowing how to communicate to each different type of personality is a skill that will help immensely while communicating.
6. Video Prospecting
I had no idea that video prospecting even existed when I learned about it. I've never received a video email and quickly realized how valuable this approach could be. This was the easiest part for me to pick up for some reason and I am already getting really great results from it.
7. Gatekeepers
Getting past the gatekeepers such as receptionists to the decision makers can be tough. I learned a lot of techniques on how to achieve this but the gist of it revolves around treating people like people, which seems pretty obvious.
8. Agency Sales Plan
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. How many times have we all heard that? Yet, like me, many don't make a plan or have goals to shoot for. The numbers don't lie, without goals, you won't grow (as much).
9. How to run an exploratory call
After you successfully connect with the decision maker, the goal is to set up an exploratory call to identify the prospect's needs. Finding gaps in their process, pain points, goals, and plans should all be uncovered during this call.
Some clients may be reluctant to share their pain points but there is always something if you keep digging. Many prospects keep their pain points closely guarded because they see them as a sign of weakness. Making them feel okay about their challenges is critical because we all have them.
10. Feel confident about delivering services
Being apprehensive about failing to deliver on new things is scary. What if it doesn't work? What if I fail?
Having the partner community available with a wealth of knowledge and resources is your secret weapon that other agencies don't have. This gives us the ability to deliver anything a client might need.
Summary
I wish I'd taken this bootcamp sooner. I don't think it's been out that long but any Hubspot agency owner will get a ton out of the program. Businesses have to pay big for training like this from other companies. Hubspot gives it to us partners for free.
I'm still learning some things in my own weaker areas but feel confident that I can deliver a high quality of services to any size client with a wide range of needs. As my agency grows, I'm looking forward to the journey in my community.
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