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Jeffrey Josephson

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President, JV/M B2B Telemarketing

52 points

Three years at IBM, 12 years at Western Electric and Bell Labs, and 15+ years in sales and marketing consulting. Expertise in B2B. Owner of JV/M B2B Telemarketing since 1992.

Nov. 14, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson asked a question

When does belief become delusion?

Nov. 11, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 4 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Successful Strategies for Prospecting [11/10 @ 12:30 pm]

How many times can you call a prospect in a week?

Jennifer - The "gatekeeper" is just another decision maker. You need to sell her on putting you through to the target, just as much as you have to sell the target on granting you an appointment.
Ask yourself: What motivates her? What are her needs, ... more

Nov. 11, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 4 other people answered this question

What are effective techniques to have voice mail messages returned?

There are two things to keep in mind if you want to get your voice mail returned. (I'm assuming you're in B2B.) First, it needs to be compelling. Do not leave something mysterious, like "Hi, this is Nick. Please call me back at 123-456-7890." It ... more

Information Technology

Nov. 10, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 3 other people answered this question

How do you find a good, qualified sales rep to sell to the trucking industry?

In my experience, finding a good qualified sales sales rep to sell to the trucking industry has almost nothing to do with their having industry experience. But that's just me.
Here's the issue: If you had two candidates, and one was a great salesperson, and ... more

Human Resources

Nov. 9, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 4 other people answered this question

What are some examples of rules for a lead scoring methodology?

Great answer. We find that salespeople always want us to get that detailed level of information. (Since we only do outbound TM, it's easy.) And they usually don't "start at the bottom again" once they trust us. But I guess I misread your original answer. ... more

Lead Generation

Nov. 7, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson answered this question

Have you ever worked with a VP of Sales who took responsibility for a revenue or bookings miss?

That is a REALLY funny question! Have I ever worked for a VP of Sales who fell on his sword? Never! more

Nov. 7, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson asked a question

What is a lead?

Lead Definition

Lead Generation

Nov. 6, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

Isn't sending an unsolicited email to someone the same thing as cold-calling them?

With all due respect to Focus's administrators and experts, I believe that the answer to the question is unequivocally no; sending UCE is not the same as cold calling. But you have to define your terms (such as what you mean by "the same thing") ... more

Nov. 4, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 2 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Successful Strategies for Prospecting [11/10 @ 12:30 pm]

What is a specific step-by-step example of how you would reach out to someone you don't know?

1. Understand your value proposition. Articulate it in measurable terms. Write it in the form of an Initial Benefit Statement, and wrap that into a call opening that is no more than 15 seconds. Prepare questions designed to uncover needs, pain, problems and unmet goals; ... more

Nov. 4, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Successful Strategies for Prospecting [11/10 @ 12:30 pm]

If cold calling doesn't work anymore why are appointment setting companies so successful?

The meme that "Cold calling doesn't work anymore" has been promulgated by two groups. The first is by the people who hate cold calling - either making calls, or receiving them (predominantly at home.) The other is companies with a vested interest in alternative services. ... more

Nov. 4, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson asked a question

Are B2B companies that use performance-based lead generation services setting up for failure?

Lead Generation

Nov. 3, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 5 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Successful Strategies for Prospecting [11/10 @ 12:30 pm]

What is the difference between prospecting now from prospecting ten years ago?

I agree with Trish that it's a lot easier to find out a little bit about the prospect today than it was 10 years ago. I would also say, however, that there are a lot fewer competitors calling our prospects - making it a lot ... more

Nov. 2, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 3 other people answered this question

For a new promo of a product, how do you generate leads without doing any advertising?

What kind of product is it? What market are you going after?

Lead Generation

Nov. 1, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson asked a question

What is your B2B Cost-per-Appointment?

Cost per Appointment

Lead Generation

Nov. 1, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson recommends this answer by Tibor Shanto

Is cold calling dead?

I love this question, and everyone who says that cold calling is dead, mostly because there are less people getting in the way, and less people who will mess with my opportunities to sell rather than take orders.
I think inbound marketing is a good thing, ... more

Lead Generation

Oct. 31, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson recommends this answer by Roy Luce

How can you train sales reps to have better conversations with prospects vs just pitching?

Been selling intangibles for a few decades.
Best training tool for me personally and for sales teams was and is Solution Selling.
Started with this approach when with Xerox Computer Services and continued ever since. Wikpedia has a good overview of the process. more

General Management

Oct. 31, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 17 other people answered this question

How do I compete with businesses that can offer similar products/services at a lower cost?

Another thing to keep in mind is the Woody Allen quote that "Eighty percent of success in life is just showing up." Being better at prospecting or promotion can make up for a lot of deficiency in price/cost.
And, of course, the word "similar" is ... more

Oct. 30, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

Did buyers ever like cold calls?

Craig - Interesting question. Dan - Interesting answer. Both got me thinking, so here's my $0.02, if it's okay with you guys.
I have to disagree (respectfully) with Dan about the definition of a cold call. I always thought it was a call to someone with ... more

Oct. 29, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 11 other people answered this question

When is the best time to cold call?

The best time to cold call a C-Level is anytime you need business, and he's part of the decision process. However I suspect your real concern is either: 1) When is the C-Level most receptive, or 2) When should I call so I don't get ... more

Oct. 29, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

What is the most annoying sales tactic still be using today?

What a great question. Being in the business (candidates tell us they use these techniques, and think they're going to get a job), here are my favorites:
1. The "reverse" - This is where you ask the salesperson a question (like "How much does it cost?") ... more

Oct. 28, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

Relevant Influence - Discovering and Engaging with Influencers for Effective Social Marketing [11/1 @ 11 am]

What is an example of how a b2b marketer would leverage social influencers?

This is a great question, and one for which we are very interested in hearing other people's answers - as we have yet to see a viable (read: cost effective) model. We have tested social media marketing ancillary to our B2B telemarketing campaigns several times, ... more

Influencer Marketing

Oct. 28, 2011

Jeffrey Josephson and 9 other people answered this question

What, other than the "five second slide" rule, are best practices for giving a great presentation?

1. Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em.
2. Tell 'em.
3. Tell 'em what you told 'em. more

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