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Monday, April 30 2018
5 Tips To Help You Write A  Money-Making e-Mail Campaign

5 Tips To Help You Write A
Money-Making e-Mail Campaign

By Glenn Fallavollita, President - Drip Marketing, Inc. & SellMorePayroll.com

  • Word count for this issue: 463
  • Approximate time to read: 1.8 minutes @ 250 word per minute

To help you deliver a better e-mail marketing message, I have listed below a few tips, based 69+ million e-mail campaigns for our clients, to help you write a more engaging e-mail marketing campaign.

Tip #1: Segment Your Databases

The number one thing you can do is segment your e-mail databases by target audiences, e.g., clients, past clients, prospects and referral partners. 

Remember, you cannot say things to a client that you could say to a prospect and vice versa.

Tip #2: BEFORE You Write A "Prospecting" Campaign, Ask Yourself These Questions

Before you start writing an e-mail marketing campaign for your database of prospects, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. What things will trigger a prospect to start looking for a new product or service that we sell?
  2. What are the most important problems our products/services solve(s)?
  3. What are the titles of people we are targeting, e.g., Owners, CFOs, HR Directors, etc.?

After you have answered each question, start using your answers as the basis for your messaging.

Tip #3: Select The Themes Of Your Campaign

After you have segmented your databases into groups, e.g., clients, prospects and referral partners, past graduates, etc., start writing down the type of "campaign theme" that make sense to send each database on file (see below).

Prospect Specific Campaigns

  • Client testimonials
  • Free whitepapers, buying guides, forms, etc.
  • How to (buy, hire or switch) what we sell
  • Introduction letter
  • Meeting request
  • Newsletters
  • Press release on a newly hired salesperson
  • Service or product spotlight
  • Talent spotlight

Client Specific Campaigns

  • Free whitepapers, buying guides, forms, etc.
  • Newsletters
  • Performance survey
  • Press release on an upgraded service/product or new service/product
  • Press releases on new feature or service
  • Refer us to someone you know
  • Service or product spotlight
  • Service or product spotlights
  • Talent spotlight
  • Thank you for your business letter 

Tip #4: Select A Low-Risk Offer Or Call-To-Action

After you have created your e-mail marketing campaign, you now need to add a low-risk offer or call to action. Why? Because it will help someone take the next step in the buying process or learn more about the value your business brings to the marketplace

Tip #5: Proof Your Campaign BEFORE You Press The Send Button

Before you press the "send" button, you need to proof your e-mail marketing campaign using the following steps:

  • Tip #1: Print the actual campaign and then proof it in printed form.
  • Tip #2: Wait about 24-hours before you actually send your final design; it's amazing what you will catch the next day!

Executive Summary: You can no longer rely on a generic "one-size-fits-all" e-mail newsletter blast to generate a sales lead for your business; therefore, it is imperative to put some thought into your content messaging.

As I tell all our clients, "What you say, how you say it, who you say it to, and the frequency you say it will all play a huge role in reader engagement."

Posted by: SellMorePayroll.com AT 07:56 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, July 21 2017

7 Reasons Why Your
e-Mail Campaigns Aren’t Working

At Your Payroll Service

  • Word count for this issue: 674
  • Approximate time to read: 2.8 minutes @ 250 words per minute

After sending more than 65 million e-mail campaigns on behalf of our clients, I have listed below the top e-mail marketing mistakes I see most people make.

Reason #1: No Follow-Up Call By You Or Your Sales Team – The #1 reason why an e-mail marketing campaign(s) fails is the lack of a follow-up call. My suggestion:

  • After an e-mail marketing campaign has been sent, call the contact associated with the e-mail address. Do this and you will see sales magic happen (I prove it all the time to our clients). 

Reason #2: Poor Marketing Copy/Subject Lines – Another top reason why your e-mail marketing results are lackluster is this: Poor marketing messaging/copy. And yes, your subject line falls into this category as well. My suggestions:

  • Create a subject line that engages a reader.
  • Send e-mail campaigns that are educational in nature (versus selling something). 
  • On mass e-mail blasts, use your company name in the “from” e-mail address field.
  • Use headlines and sub-headlines in your messages.
  • Add a high visibility low-risk offer or call-to-action.

Reason #3: Sending Too Many Or Too Few e-Mails – Were you ever placed on someone’s e-mail system and then proceeded to receive 3 to 4 e-mails in the first 72 hours? If you have, you know it does more harm than good.  My suggestions:

  • Send the right frequency of e-mails by looking at past e-mail campaign results.
  • Most marketing pros in the B2C arena send 2 to 3 e-mails per week. In the B2B environment, send 1 to 2 e-mails per week.
  • Keep in mind that you can send more e-mails to your database of past customers/active customers than a purchased list of e-mail addresses. 

Reason #4: Not Segmenting Your Databases By Target Audience - Many e-mail marketing campaigns fail because the information is generic in nature, i.e., company newsletter.  My suggestions:

  • Segment your e-mail list by clients, prospects, chamber members, past clients, referral partners, etc. After that has been done, develop a series of e-mail marketing campaigns for each database on file.
  • Personalize your e-mail campaigns by using someone’s first name, last name and company name.

Reason #5: Not Using A Low-Risk Offer – By not having a highly visible low-risk offer or call-to-action, you are missing out on some potential sales leads.  My suggestions:

  • During the design stage of a campaign, write down five low-risk offers to use (keeping it relevant to your target audience).  This could be a special trial offer, whitepaper download, special purchase price, etc. 
  • Add a coupon or headline offer within the body of a campaign.

Reason #6: Not Reviewing Past e-Mail Campaign Results Or Conducting An A/B Test - One of the top reasons why your e-mail marketing efforts fail is this: Not having an e-mail marketing strategy. My suggestions:

  • Plan a campaign’s message/low-risk offer based on its target audience.
  • Review your open and click-through rates on past campaigns.
  • Run an A/B test using different subject lines, copy, low-risk offers, send times, etc.
  • The time of the day and the day of the week will greatly affect a campaign’s “open and click through rate.”

Reason #7: Not Constantly Building A Database Of Prospect e-Mail Addresses – If you are not constantly building your database of e-mail addresses, your “prospect” open rates will flatten to a single digit number. My suggestions:

  • Make it a priority to build your e-mail database of prospects, referral partners, past customers, dealers, etc.
  • If you have a sales team, make sure each salesperson is expanding their database of prospects, referral partners, chamber members, etc. 

Executive Summary: Your e-mail marketing results will dramatically improve just by having some type of strategy in place.  As I tell all our clients, “The days of blasting a generic, one-size-fits-all newsletter to everyone in your e-mail database and expecting a sales lead are over.”  Be smart and create a plan of action, including a follow-up plan, and you will definitely see a dramatic improvement in your results.  

Posted by: SellMorePayroll.com AT 05:39 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Monday, July 17 2017

6 Tips For Hiring
A Payroll Salesperson

(By Glenn Fallavollita, President - Drip Marketing, Inc.)

  • Word count for this issue: 563
  • Approximate time to read: 2.3 minutes @250 words per minute

My studies show 50% to 60% of all newly hired payroll salespeople (at a small independent’s payroll service) will quit or be discharged in their first 12-months of employment. Nationally, studies have shown all sales teams turnover 20% to 25% each year. 

Since the process of recruiting and training new salespeople is a significant expense, you will want to be sure that you 1.) Hire the right salespeople to begin with and 2.) Do what it takes to retain your top performers.

6 Tips To Help Hire The Right Salesperson At Your Payroll Service.

Tip #1: Be Specific – The first step to making sure you hire the right salesperson is to ensure you attract the right talent. This means you need to define the role and parameters of success in a job posting. This will require you to know exactly what you are looking for; therefore, take a moment to reflect on your company’s needs before you begin your search.

Tip #2: Manage The Interview – You will want to ask the right questions during the interview process. Interview preparation will allow you to be ready to ask the most poignant and revealing questions. I recommend using a candidate’s resume to build open-ended questions you can use during the interview.

Tip #3: Have The Salesperson Give You A Presentation On What They Are Currently Selling – Step outside of the typical interview questions, such as what are your strengths and weaknesses, and instead conduct a pragmatic interview by playing out a mock sales situation. Better yet, ask them to give you a presentation on their current/last employer’s product line. Pay particular attention to the candidate’s sales pitch and their ability to answer your questions and concerns about the product.

Tip #4: Play Your Hand Close – A common mistake made by some less experienced interviewers is they reveal what they want from an employee at the beginning of an interview. A clever candidate will use this to his/her advantage and respond with what you want to hear. Maintain the power dynamic by asking instead of telling.

Tip #5: Perform A Candidate Assessment – Throughout the entire interview process, you will want to assess the candidate through a specific lens. Decide what components make up the ideal salesperson and determine if this candidate matches those criteria. If they do not seem like a good fit now, they probably will not be a good fit down the road.  

Tip #6: Do Your Research – It is not uncommon for salespeople to exaggerate their accomplishments during the interview. While flat-out lying is entirely unacceptable, exaggerating achievements can be problematic. So, it is in your best interests to jot down their claims and check their accuracy during your reference checks.

Executive Summary: To help put the odds in your favor when hiring a talented salesperson, create a list of all candidates and how well they match up to your organization’s culture. Process their responses to your questions to make sure they are the right fit. Finally, do your due diligence by calling their list of references (do not accept a "friend" as a reference) to ensure their claims of success are accurate. By the way, turnover in your sales department can and will cost your business a large chunk of change. To avoid this from happening to you, work on hiring the right salesperson from the start (hire slowly and fire fast). 

Posted by: SellMorePayroll.com AT 03:06 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, June 09 2017

6 Steps To Developing An E-mail
Marketing Strategy For Your Payroll Service

By Glenn Fallavollita, President – Drip Marketing, Inc.

  • Word Count: 1,007
  • Approximate Time To Read Article: 4.0 minutes @ 250 words per minute

Do you want more sales leads from your email marketing efforts? If you do, you will find the following six steps of particular value.

  • Step One: Segment Your Databases - Before you start designing, writing, and sending a series of e-mail marketing campaigns, you need to segment your target audience the same way you go to market; therefore, we recommend creating databases that fall into these general categories:

  • Clients - Payroll
  • Clients - HCM
  • Prospects - Association members
  • Prospects - Chamber members
  • Prospects - General
  • Referral partners - Accountants
  • Referral partners - Benefit brokers

After segmenting your lists by target audience, it will be a lot easier to develop content that is relevant to each database you have on file.

  • Step Two: Clean Up Your “Prospect And Referral Partner” Databases – After segmenting your databases, it is important to remove the e-mail addresses that will cause your account to be blacklisted/flagged when using services like Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, etc.  THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR CLIENT DATABASE. 

    Remove the e-mail addresses* that end in:

  • Aim.com
  • Aol.com
  • Att.com
  • Gmail.com
  • Hotmail.com
  • Mail.com
  • microsoft.com
  • msn.com
  • netzero.com
  • optonline.com
  • roadrunner.com
  • Yahoo.com
  • att.net
  • bellsouth.net
  • Comcast.net
  • Cox.net
  • optonline.net
  • prodigy.net
  • SBCglobal.net
  • verizon.net

Remove the “ROLE” e-mail addresses that begin with:

  • Contact@
  • Donot@
  • Help@
  • Info@
  • Mail@
  • Manager@
  • Office@
  • President@
  • Sales@
  • Service@
  • Spam@
  • Support@
  • Webmaster@

* If you are buying a database of e-mail addresses, it is critical to go through this process.

  • Step Three: Determine Your Content And Low-Risk Offer - Now that you know your target audience, it is time to think about what you are going to say. As I tell all our clients, “Content is king.” That being said, it can be helpful to outline the message you want to include in each e-mail campaign. Later, as you are putting together your strategy, your outline will be a nice reference to ensure you are staying on target – remember, don’t forget to add a low-risk offer.  ​
  • Step Four: Determine Your Company’s Sending Frequency And Goals - Not all sending frequencies are created equal as you can e-mail your database of payroll clients a lot more frequently than a prospect or referral partner.  Ultimately, you have to decide on what works best for your target audience. From my end, I always recommend sending at least three e-mails a month to help gain maximum visibility with your databases on file.  Remember, content is king and don’t be too self-serving when writing a campaign. Additionally, be careful to plan for peak buying times, i.e., year-end, upcoming holidays, webinars or events you are hosting, and the like. ​​IMPORTANT: Don’t think for one second that blasting a generic e-newsletter once or twice a month is doing anything for your lead nurturing efforts. And if someone is telling something otherwise, they are doing your business a huge disservice.​​​
    ​​
  • Step Five: Develop An E-mail Marketing Calendar – To ensure your campaigns are being sent on a regular schedule, create an e-mail marketing calendar.  Not only will this help you and your team stay on target, but it will help you avoid any last minute campaigns – which tend to be filled with grammar and spelling errors, poor links and less than engaging subject lines.  Your e-mail marketing calendar should include the following column headings:
    • Target Send Date
    • Project Manager
    • e-Mail Topic
    • Target Audience
    • Subject Line/From Field
    • Objective/Goals
    • Does This Require Follow-Up By Sales Team
  • Step Six: Determine If A Salesperson’s Follow-Up Call Is Needed – To maximize the sales leads generated from your e-mail marketing campaigns, it is imperative to determine if a follow-up phone call is necessary.  If it is, take the following steps:

    • Create an e-mail campaign that includes a low-risk offer. 
    • Advise your sales team they will be taking part in a phone blitz session to help follow-up this campaign (give them 2 weeks notice). 
    • Create two follow-up scripts; one for talking with a live person and one for leaving a voicemail.
    • Send your campaign at approximately 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
    • After sending the campaign, wait 2.5 hours and download a list of people who opened the e-mail.  Sort the list by salesperson assigned to the account, and then by e-mail addresses – then give each salesperson a list to call. 
    • After you and/or your salespeople leave a voicemail, make sure they send an e-mail to follow-up their voicemail message (see below).

First Name: I just called and left you a message as I wanted to follow-up on an e-mail we sent to you about 8:30 a.m. today (the one for the ________ offer).  

If you want to learn how we can (reduce or increase your ___________) I have a few ideas that will help your business – just return my call or send me off a quick e-mail on the best time(s) for us to talk.

Look forward to talking soon!

Name
Company Name
Phone
e-mail Address

P.S. If you want to read what some of our clients are saying about our ____________, I have attached a few success stories for you.

Posted by: Glenn Fallavollita AT 05:31 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, November 04 2016
9 e-Mail Marketing
Tips For Your Lead Nurturing Campaigns
 
(Print This Tip And Use It At Your Next Sales Meeting)
By Glenn Fallavollita - President, Drip Marketing, Inc. & SellMorePayroll.com
  • Word count for this issue: 341
  • Approximate time to read: 1.4 minutes @ 250 words per minute
Greetings from SellMorePayroll.com: 

After sending 61+ million e-mail campaigns on behalf of our clients, we assembled nine e-mail marketing tips for you to review.  They are:   

Þ Tip #1: Send More Than A Newsletter: Don’t commit marketing suicide by sending only a newsletter. Plus, in 2015 people spent 65% less time reading a newsletter as compared to 2006.

Þ Tip #2: Review The Type Of “Themes” You Are Sending: Although your “subject line” and “from” fields play a huge role in your open rate, a campaign’s  “theme/content” is also critical—avoid the “Hurry, and buy from us type themes.”

Þ Tip #3: Always Add A High Visibility Call To Action: To help generate more sales leads, we recommend adding a high visibility risk-free offer to an e-mail campaign; just don’t bury it in a wall of text. 

Þ Tip #4: Segment Your Campaigns By Target Audience: Segment your e-mail marketing campaigns the same way your business goes to market, i.e., prospects, clients, accountants, benefits brokers, chamber members, and association members.

Þ Tip #5: Create An e-Mail Marketing Calendar: Having a defined plan of action with your e-mail marketing activities will help get campaigns done.

Þ Tip #6: Focus On Your Subject Line And From e-Mail Address: Approximately 60% to 80% of your open rate is directly related to the “subject line” and “from e-mail address.”

Þ Tip #7: Call The People Who Opened Your e-Mail Campaigns: If you want to generate more sales leads, call the people who opened an e-mail campaign.

Þ Tip #8: Track The Frequency Of Your e-Mail Marketing Campaigns: Too many and too few e-mails will play a role in your e-mail marketing success. As a general rule, you can send up to four to six e-mails per month to your “non-opted in” prospect database.

Þ Tip #9: Resend A Campaign To The People Who DID NOT Open The Original Campaign: Resend an important e-mail to anyone who had NOT opened your original campaign—this is an easy process if you are using a service like Constant Contact. 

Posted by: SellMorePayroll.com AT 09:22 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, August 16 2016
9 Tips for Leaving
The Perfect Voicemail Message 
 
(Print This Tip And Use It At Your Next Sales Meeting)
By Glenn Fallavollita - President, Drip Marketing, Inc. & SellMorePayroll.com
 
  • Word count for this issue: 648
  • Approximate time to read: 2.6 minutes @ 250 words per minute
Greetings from SellMorePayroll.com: 
 
Leaving a voicemail message is a fact of life for a salesperson in the payroll industry. In fact, a salesperson will leave a message 90% of the time when calling his or her database of prospects and referral partners.
 
To help you get more call-backs when leaving a voicemail message, I have listed below a few tips to for you to consider (and share with your sales team).
 
9 Voicemail Message Tips For You.
 
#1. Turn-Off Your Smartphone - If you want to leave better voicemail messages, stay focused on the task at hand by turning off your personal smartphone!  The world isn't going to end if you do. 
 
#2. Send A Prospect Something Beforehand - To help your voicemail messages resonate with a prospect, send him or her a marketing campaign BEFORE your call.  The key is having a low-risk offer in the campaign (see below).  
 
#3. Voicemail Messages Aren't Just About Getting A Call-Back - Instead of viewing your voicemail message as an attempt to getting a response, think about your voicemail as a trigger to help build trust, credibility and brand recognition in your payroll service - AND interest in the person you are calling.
 
#4. Be Different And Relevant - Decision makers are inundated with salespeople and marketing messages on a daily basis. That said, find a way to stand out from the competition by delivering a message that arouses a prospect's curiosity. Do this and you will get more call-backs.
 
#5. Be Specific - Don't just leave a voicemail and ask someone if they are interested in a generic price quote.  The key is leaving a message that provides the listener something of interest - one that is brief, clear, and concise.
 
#6. Don't Mention Your Previous Voicemail Attempts - Instead of dwelling on past attempts to getting a call-back, state why you are calling and the value your payroll service can deliver their business.
 
#7. Use A Script - Type out a brief voicemail script and place it directly in front of you when calling.  Do this and it will help you sound like a sales pro to someone listening to your voicemail message.   
 
#8. Leave Your Call-Back Number Twice (AND SAY IT SLOW) - Always provide your call back number twice to ensure your prospect had a chance to write it down (and not play back your voicemail to actually get your number).
 
#9.  Send An e-Mail As A Follow-Up To Your Voicemail - The person you left a message for might be so busy they didn't get the gist of your voicemail message.  To get more sales activity, send an e-mail to someone telling him or her that you just left them a message. 
 
Read These Two Proven Sample Scripts:
 
  • Hi _______this is ______ from ______________. I am just quickly following up on an e-mail we sent to you about our free HR Assessment offer.  If you would like to find out how this HR assessment can greatly reduce your expose to an employee lawsuit, call me at (800) 555-1212, again, (800) 555-1212. 
  • Hi _______this is ______ from ______________. I am just quickly following up on an e-mail we sent to you about our free time clock demo offer.  If you would like to find out how our line of time clocks can reduce your payroll costs by 5%starting next week, call me at (800) 555-1212, again, (800) 555-1212.
Sample Format To Send AFTER Leaving A Message:
 
Subject Line: Re: My message today
 
First Name: I just called and left a message for you I wanted to follow-up on our free HR assessment offer.  If you would like to find out how our HR assessment can greatly reduce your expose to an employee lawsuit, call me at (800) 555-1212.
 
Look forward to talking soon!
 
Name
Company Name
e-mail address
Phone: (800) 555-1212
 
P.S. If you want to read more about our FREE HR assessment, I have attached a brief one-page overview for you to read.  (ATTACH A PDF AND NOT A WORD DOCUMENT)
Posted by: SellMorePayroll.com AT 02:57 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, February 26 2016
What Successful Payroll Services WON'T Tell You.

What Successful Payroll Services
WON'T Tell You They're Doing To Win More Sales.

  • Word count for this issue: 560
  • Approximate time to read: 2.0 minutes @ 250 words per minute

Here's a list of what fast growing payroll services are doing to grow their business (print and review this list with your leadership team). 

  • They actively approach CPA firms and discuss buying their book of "payroll clients."
  • They have one or two CRM Systems; one for sales and one for their payroll clients (focus on the under 50 employee market).
  • They make sure they hire sales hunters; not sales gathers. 
  • They make building their e-mail marketing database(s) a high priority.
  • They segment their marketing lists for targeted campaigns.
  • The owner or president is oftentimes the rainmaker (develops bigger deals).
  • They are hugely focused on building partnerships with accountants and insurance agents.
  • They develop teams of accountants, enrolled agents/insurance agents, 401(k) specialists to "unravel" the ADP and Paychex sales model.
  • When they target enrolled agents/insurance agents, their narrative is, "You don't want ADP or Paychex in your clients' account as they will try and steal your book of business." To read ConnectPay's partnership with Great West Retirement Plans, a retirement planning company, click here.
  • Their high performing salespeople are great networkers in their local community.
  • The sales leader keeps his or her salespeople accountable for hitting their sales numbers. 
  • The owner or president is the one who develops partnerships with associations, banks and franchises.
  • The owner remains vigilant on hiring high performing salespeople (they just hire slowly; fire fast).   
  • They know who is their exact target audience is (size of company by employee count and/or vertical markets). 
  • The payroll services that focus on the under 50 employee market oftentimes sells on price (that's right, they do).
  • The owner(s) worked at a sales/sales leadership capacity at ADP or Paychex.

Here's The #1 Thing Fast Growing Payroll Service Do.

They have two leaders; one focused solely operations while the other is 100% focused on sales and marketing.  Why? Because successful owners know that they can't manage both disciplines effectively. Companies who have done a wonderful job at this are:

  • Coastal Payroll
  • Dominion Payroll
  • ConnectPay
  • Paylocity
  • Paycor

Some Of The Fastest Growing Services In The Country.

There are a number of "fast growing" independent payroll services in the country; however, they are few and far between - I define "fast growing" as the number of new payroll clients they sign on/acquire each year. They are:

Executive Summary: At the end of the day, fast growing payroll services know it's all about their sales and marketing activity. Period. 

If you are looking to expand your sales and marketing efforts without breaking the bank, check out our brand new marketing packages by clicking here

Posted by: Glenn Fallavollita AT 12:58 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Thursday, August 20 2015
Hiring A Payroll Salesperson? 8 Tips To Help You Avoid A Bad Hire.

Hiring A Payroll Salesperson?
8 Tips To Help You Avoid A Bad Hire.

By Glenn Fallavollita - CEO of SellMorePayroll.com and Drip Marketing, Inc. | Author | Keynote Speaker

  • Word count for this issue: 747
  • Approximate time to read: About 3.0 minutes @ 250 words per minute

When you consider 50% to 66% of all payroll salespeople quit or are fired in their first 3- to 9-months of employment, an independent payroll service needs to ensure they are hiring the right person. But more importantly, have a formal onboarding process.

This is especially important when you consider the following costs for a new hire:

  • A recruiting company’s fee.
  • Salaries paid.
  • Commissions paid.
  • Employer taxes.
  • Car/cell phone expenses.
  • Health insurance/benefits package.
  • The cost of labor for training.
  • The cost of lost sales opportunities; remember, you are not just losing year one’s revenue if the salesperson can’t close a deal, you are losing 7+ years of recurring revenue.

This One Payroll Service Lost $200,000 With 5 Bad Hires.

I recently spoke with an owner of a payroll service that hired and fired one sales leader and four salespeople in an 18-month period - all who lasted, on average, 6.4 months.  By the way, this cost him about $200,000. 

What’s worse, these five hires generated less than $10,000 in new sales for the $200,000 spent.  If you look at the gross profits for a typical independent payroll service, this payroll service would need to generate $364,000 dollars in gross sales based on a pre-tax gross profit (before executive pay and bonuses) of 55% to offset the $200,000 spent.

Click here to read How To Hire A Sales Person by SmartRecruiters.com.

8 Tips To Help Avoid A Poor Hiring Decision.

Tip #1: Don’t Rush Things - While you may want a salesperson on your staff, keep in mind the cost of hiring the wrong person; therefore, take a careful look at your interviewing, reference checking and onboarding process.

Tip #2: Pay A Bounty - Go to your staff, database of contacts and vendors and say, “I will pay you $5,000 in cash if you can help me recruit a successful salesperson to my company.”  What you need to do next is hand this person a one-page overview of what you are looking for and how the $5,000 in cash is paid.  By the way, you will only pay the $5,000 if the salesperson produces $X in revenue in their first 12-months of employment.

Click here to contact me to learn how I can help you construct this one page document.

Tip #3: Check References - References are the best chance you have at gauging whether someone can perform a sales job at your company.  By the way, don’t think for one minute that this salesperson will have the same success at your company as they did at their previous employer; especially if they are coming from another payroll service.

Tip #4: Ask Past Employers This Question - “If you had the chance, would you hire <first name> again?” Their response, or lack of a response, will be eye opening to you.

Tip #5: Look Deep Into Your Rolodex, LinkedIn Contacts And Vendors - When you have an open sales position, reach out to your contacts to see if they know of anyone (or maybe themselves) who might be interested in a sales position at your company.

Tip #6: Test Them On The Computer - The days of not being computer savvy are pretty much over for a salesperson.  Because of this, test every candidate on their ability to use a CRM program and Outlook BEFORE you hire them.

Tip #7: Don’t Hire Salespeople Who Will Work From Home - If you can avoid it, hire a salesperson that is within a reasonable driving distance from your office.  I have seen more salespeople fail who work from home - especially when a payroll service doesn’t have a formal onboarding process and a dedicated sales manager.

Tip #8: Develop A Formal Onboarding Process - BEFORE you even consider hiring your next salesperson, heed this sage advice: Make sure you have a formal onboarding process (sales training manual, sales tracking reports, databases, sales scripts, etc.) before you hire another salesperson.

Executive Summary: When you want to hire a salesperson, here are some additional suggestions:

  • Start noticing good salespeople as you will want to approach them with the bounty ad listed above.  Why? Because you will pay them the $5,000 bonus if they are successful.
  • Check references.
  • Run every great candidate through an in-depth interview process and don’t forget to use an independent third-party to interview them as well.

Bottom line: Hiring, as with any other aspect of business, isn't something you want to do without a lot of thought and preparation. Period.


About The Author

Glenn Fallavollita is the President of SellMorePayroll.com, and is a division of Drip Marketing, Inc.  Glenn founded Drip Marketing, Inc. in 2002 and serves as CEO, lead copywriter and strategist.  He is also instrumental in developing the curriculum, format and expansion of Drip University - the training arm of Drip Marketing, Inc. and SellMorePayroll.com.  His work, insight and creative talent has been the catalyst for the delivery of more than 40 million marketing campaigns on behalf of his clients.

To learn how we can help your payroll service increase its sales, visit us on the web at www.SellMorePayroll.com or call us directly at (856) 401-9577.

© Drip Marketing, Inc. All right reserved.  No portion of this publication can be reprinted or used without the express written permission of Drip Marketing, Inc.

Posted by: Glenn Fallavollita AT 07:22 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, July 17 2015
5 Proven Tips To Close More Payroll Proposals

5 Proven Tips To Close
More Payroll Proposals

  • Word count for this issue: 478
  • Approximate time to read: About 1.8 minutes @ 250 words per minute.

It's the prime selling season for the payroll service industry - and you and your sales team should be going full bore on sending proposals. If you want to close more payroll proposals, I have listed below a number of tips that WILL help you and your team close more proposals. 

Tip #1: Summarize The Full Scope Of Your Proposal - As simple as this may sound, few salespeople summarize the scope of work before sending a proposal. You can begin the conversation by saying:

  • "Based on your payroll, ______ and ______ needs, here are the details that will be in your proposal." After going through this step, ask the prospect, "Do you want me to change or modify anything I just outlined?"

Tip #2: Ask A Prospect What The Benefits Are For Switching To YOUR Payroll Service - Before you go through the process of sending a proposal, sit back and ask the prospect some important questions like:

  •  "What are the benefits to you and your company by switching to our payroll service?"

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: Make it mandatory for all salespeople to write a prospect's benefits in their proposal pipeline report.

Tip #3: Find Out How A Prospect's Decision Making Process Works - Now that you went through tips 1 and 2, ask the prospect this question:

  • "Based on the benefits and scope of our products/services, how does the decision-making process work at your company?"

Tip #4: Establish A Timeframe To Begin The Project Or To Make A Buying Decision - In order to determine how serious a prospect is on buying what you are selling, you need to find out when they are ready to make a buying decision; therefore, ask these type of questions next:

  • "If our proposal meets 100% of your needs and budget, when did you want to run your first payroll with us?"
  • "If our proposal meets 100% of your needs and budget, what would stop you from moving forward on it?"

Tip #5: Set Up A Specific Day And Time To Review Your Proposal - Do not send a proposal to a prospect unless he/she has committed to a mandatory "15-minute proposal follow-up meeting or call" on a specific day and time. That said, now ask a prospect this question:

  • "I am going to send you a proposal via (USPS priority mail, e-mail, etc.), and it should arrive __________. Tell me, what would be the best day and time to review our proposal or answer any questions with you and your team? I only need about 15-minutes with you (and whoever else is a decision maker)."

About The Author

Glenn Fallavollita is the President of SellMorePayroll.com, and is a division of Drip Marketing, Inc.  Glenn founded Drip Marketing, Inc. in 2002 and serves as CEO, lead copywriter and strategist.  He is also instrumental in developing the curriculum, format and expansion of Drip University - the training arm of Drip Marketing, Inc. and SellMorePayroll.com.  His work, insight and creative talent has been the catalyst for the delivery of more than 40 million marketing campaigns on behalf of his clients.

To learn how we can help your payroll service increase its sales, visit us on the web at www.SellMorePayroll.com or call us directly at (856) 401-9577. 

© Drip Marketing, Inc. All right reserved.  No portion of this publication can be reprinted or used without the express written permission of Drip Marketing, Inc.

Posted by: Glenn Fallavollita AT 11:02 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Wednesday, May 27 2015

16 Things Successful
Salespeople Do Every Morning

By Glenn Fallavollita - CEO of SellMorePayroll.com | Author | Speaker 

· Word Count: 682
· Time To Read: 2.7 Minutes [based on reading 250 words per minute]
· PRINT AND USE AT YOUR NEXT SALES MEETING

Mornings are one of the most critical times of the day for salespeople  Why?   Because yesterday's momentum has died down and a new day has started.  To help you and your sales staff regain focus each day, I have listed below a number of things successful salespeople do every morning.

16 Things Successful Salespeople Will Do This Morning. 

1. They Will Get To Work Early: Successful salespeople arrive early to the office so they can get work done without the interruption of fellow co-workers.

2. They Will Schedule Time To Make Calls: Successful salespeople look at their calendar and block out a time to make their "oh by the way" calls to their database of past clients, prospects and referral partners.

3. They Will Update Their To-Do List BEFORE Opening Their e-Mail: Successful salespeople look at yesterday’s to-do list and make adjustments and new entries. Two suggestions:

4. They Will Read Their Sales/Personal Goals: Successful salespeople read their sales goals and personal goals to help internalize their success.

5. They Will Spend One-Hour Reading A Book: Successful salespeople get up early and crack open a book to read. I highly recommend reading SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham - you can buy this fabulous sales book for as little as $6.00.  Click here to read more about this book on Amazon.com.

6. They Will Post Educational Content To Their LinkedIn Account: Successful salespeople go to their LinkedIn account and post articles of interest to their account.

7. They Will Give A List Of Problems To Their Sales Manager To Handle: Successful salespeople know how to use their sales leader to handle internal problems.

8. They Will Say "No" To Non-Revenue Producing Projects: Successful salespeople know they sometimes need to say "thank you, but no thank you" to internal projects that won't generate sales revenue.

9. They Will Schedule Their Sales Manager's Time On Joint Sales Calls: Successful salespeople know that sometimes a sales manager's presence will help them close an account by taking the team approach to selling.

10. They Will Clear Their Desk: Successful salespeople know that mornings are a great time to organize their desk and prioritize any open folders sitting on it.

11. They Will Say "Good Morning" To Co-workers and The Management Team: Successful salespeople know that they need to keep their own morale high by reinforcing a sense of purpose and team work.

12. They Will Look For High Priority Items And Requests In Their Inbox: Successful salespeople scan their inbox for e-mails from clients, past clients and prospects. 

13. They Will Keep Their e-Mails Brief: Successful salespeople don't waste time typing lengthy e-mails.  When they do send an e-mail, they write one or two sentences to open the e-mail, use a bulleted list of key information and then close their e-mail with one or two sentences.

14 They Will Focus On Their Sales Goals. Successful salespeople know that their #1 priority is to "sell."  That said, they look at their sales pipeline report to see what needs to be done with open proposals. scheduling more appointments to even making more "oh by the way" calls. They also know the importance of building up their database of prospects and referral partners.

15.  They Will Rewrite Yesterday's Notes: Successful salespeople know that one of the best ways to remember what happened during yesterday's meetings and calls is to rewrite their notes from the previous day.

16. They Will Expand Their Database Of Prospects/Referral Partners: Successful salespeople know that the size and quality of their e-mail database represents 50% to 60% of their sales success.

P.S. #1: The key to managing each day is to focus, plan and have a list of actions that need to be addressed.

P.S. #2:  Reread bullet #15 - it really, really works!   


About The Author

Glenn Fallavollita is the President of SellMorePayroll.com, a Division of Drip Marketing, Inc.  He founded Drip Marketing, Inc. in 2002 and serves as CEO, lead copywriter and strategist.  He is also instrumental in developing the curriculum, format and expansion of
Drip University - the training arm of Drip Marketing, Inc. and SellMorePayroll.com.  His work, insight and creative talent has been the catalyst for the delivery of more than 35 million e-mail campaigns on behalf of his clients.

To learn how we can help your payroll service increase its sales, visit us on the web at www.SellMorePayroll.com or call us directly at (856) 401-9577. 

Posted by: Glenn Fallavollita AT 05:57 am   |  Permalink   |  Email