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Page 3 of 4
The Passive Pipeline in Action
The next few pages contain three real-world examples of the Passive Pipeline at work and the inherent benefits. These examples describe just a few of the many practices we will cover and have all occurred over the last few days.
As you’re reading the next few pages, ask yourself how these scenarios differ from your current business practices. Focus on not only the practice being executed, but also the ease and “passiveness” with which it is performed.
Real-World Example #1
Execute the most precise and effective prospecting efforts your peers or clients have ever seen.
Yesterday I received a press release from our marketing department regarding a client in the banking business. Within five minutes, every contact I had in the financial industry (or related) had been personally emailed by me. The email included a note stating that I thought their team might find the attached article of interest. I also included several links to various articles I wrote and published on the web, product pages, downloads, and a call to action.
This is pretty basic, right? You can do all of this today, right? But are you?
The real WOW factor comes a little later in the day. By utilizing one of the tools we will discuss later I was able to see who opened my email, whether it was forwarded to any coworkers, and precisely which links in the email were followed. Sounding better?
My call to action has prompted a few responses already, but what about the ones that don’t respond?
I noticed a contact I hadn’t spoken with for some time had downloaded the RFP template that was included as a link in my email. I called and told her I noticed she had downloaded the template. I had the opportunity to chat with her regarding her future business plans. I asked her the following questions:
“Is your team planning to source in the near future?”, “Would you like a sample business case that some of my clients have used in the past to sell the project to executives?”, “Anything else I can help you out with?”
Using traditional practices, this would have just been another marketing email sent off into the abyss. I would have never known that she downloaded the template, or was even interested in buying at this time. This particular contact is just one of a couple dozen that took measurable action as a result of this email.
Realistically, I probably never would have sent this email if it weren’t for my Passive Pipeline. I simply never had the time or the data for precision marketing of this nature.
If you’re like most people, you may send out a mass (untargeted) email or newsletter once or twice a month. Once in a while you may even get a response and close new business. The days of those ineffective practices are numbered. We will discuss some amazing things you can do with your marketing efforts in 2007.
Real-World Example #2:
Save hours (days in some cases) every week in building your business with exponentially better results.
This morning at 6 a.m., my computer did a couple of tasks that are fairly uncommon for a computer. It logged into my CRM system, downloaded a spreadsheet of new leads, and emailed it to me. This email was also sent to my Blackberry because I don’t like to neglect great leads just because I’m out of the office.
Next, my computer reformatted the spreadsheet, loaded it into my email program, and sent each of the new leads a personalized email telling them I appreciate their interest, would be getting back to them before the end of the day, and provided some resources to browse in the meantime.
Finally, it logged onto a few websites , captured some pertinent data I like to look over every morning, grabbed my Outlook calendar for the day, and compiled all of this information into a single email so that I could see all of the day’s vital data. Of course, this was all copied to my BlackBerry.
I should also mention that even though this process started at 6 a.m., I don’t wake up until 7 a.m. I’ve reached out to all of my new prospects, furthered my credibility, provided value and gathered all of the information I need to get my day off to a great start – all without lifting my head off the pillow!
Later, when I was ready to reply to these prospects, I checked to see who had opened my email, and which, if any, of the additional resources had been viewed. I also took a quick look at my professional network to determine if I currently knew anyone who might be associated with these contacts.
Do you think my follow-up call may go a little differently than the usual “you rang?”
After I finish these follow-ups, I will send an email with my contact information. This email also contains links to various articles I have written on the subject we discussed, and also a link to my professional networking profile which includes testimonials from all of my happy clients.
My credibility has gone through the roof, yet there was nothing that would be considered self-promotion. I’m simply sharing resources.
Can you see the different elements starting to tie together?
Real-World Example #3 (this one hits on several fronts):
- Establish yourself as a sought-after expert in your field.
- Have prospects that want and prefer to do business with you, before you ever speak to them.
- Manage your prospect’s buying and selection process with exclusive authority.
- Know who is buying before they ever tell you (or anyone else).
- Be the first person into every deal you work.
Blogging is an important component in the Passive Pipeline, so I dedicate an entire chapter to it. We’ve all heard of blogging, and tens of thousands of people make a living at it but what you might not know is that it can be the #1 source of new opportunities for your business.
Today, I noticed that a top-level manager for a company I have been courting for over a year downloaded an RFP template (the same one I mentioned in the previous example) I had posted on my blog. This in itself is a great thing because the template was authored by my company and was understandably in our favor.
I called the contact to follow up and ask him about his current plans for sourcing this solution.
As the conversation progressed, I learned my blog had a direct feed into his team’s intranet site and they had been following it for some time. Furthermore, they found my articles very useful and began to use my insight as a measure of their project strategy as they moved forward.
I cannot imagine a better example of Credibility Upon Entry (CUE). Not only did this prospect see me as an expert, they were using my materials to develop their strategy. On top of that, I’m able to manage the buying process through my RFP template. I’m now the first person in the deal and they are predisposed to rely on my expertise. How hard do you think it’s going to be for another salesperson to get the upper hand in this sales process?
These are just a few examples of how the Passive Pipeline methods can be combined to elevate your business to a new level. There are hundreds more in the pages of this book. The power when combining these strategies is even greater the more tactics you utilize.
As I was writing this book, I thought about the salespeople who are process-regimented and not creatively encouraged. I played devil’s advocate for a minute and went over the possible scenarios:
"These things won't work for me!"
“that’s not how my company works” – mine either.
“my company handles all of our marketing efforts” – mine too.
“my company dictates what email programs and relationship management software I use” – mine too.
“I don’t have time for all of this stuff” – neither did I which is exactly why I had to embrace and develop these techniques.
My point is I am well aware of the typical structure and tools available on today’s sales floor. The good news is these tools won’t turn your company upside down or mean a battle with IT is imminent. I have worked for two organizations in the past 10 years each with very different requirements and procedures. I was able to deploy and develop the techniques in this book with very little resistance. I have also used these practices in my own businesses. Those of you working independently or running your own business will have even more flexibility in building your Passive Pipeline.
You don’t need to adopt everything presented in this book to make a dramatic impact on your business. While the ultimate power of the Passive Pipeline is in using all of the tools combined, don’t be afraid to start with the few you think will provide the greatest benefit. You can do away with the tools that don’t make sense for your business. I don’t use them all in my 9-5 (err…7-7) job. Some of them are not a good fit. Some of the ideas make more sense for my other endeavors. The more ideas you can adapt to your business, the better the results.
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