How to Respond to a Live Hello from your Prospect
If you think that only losers, rookies, telemarketers, or sissies use scripts, outlines, talking points or notes for prospecting, think again. More often in today’s business environment, your phone script, voice mail messages, and their delivery separate the winners from the losers in generating productive new leads and appointments.
Most sales managers miss the boat. They do not provide the blue print for success, nor do they monitor the appointment setting process. Generally the reason stems from the manager’s lack of knowledge, or skill: which is difficult to admit to the reps they manage. What may have worked successfully in the past may not work today. When was the last time the manager gave their process a “reality test”?
If you do not engage your prospect in the first 15 to 20 seconds, you are in BIG TROUBLE. To determine exactly how to engage your prospect takes skill building, practice and pre-call planning. The likelihood that your prospect will give you an immediate commitment is slim to none. If they do, they probably are not a legitimate opportunity.
Instead of “winging it” try the Double Handshake method for a first call to someone you do not know. Establish that the two of you do not know each other. Then ask for permission to continue. Follow with the reason for the call.
No gimmicks; no deception; no manipulation. Simply be direct, professional and polite. When you call a new B2B decision maker introduce yourself out of courtesy, but do not include your company name. Too often your prospect will make an erroneous conclusion about the purpose of the call from the association with your company. That may waste valuable time.
Use a process that dovetails with your entire selling process. If you want to attain professional advisor status, you must begin at the beginning. Whether or not you set your own appointments, consistency matters.
Your current clients offer some of the best ideas and stories about what your prospects want to hear. Ask your clients why they chose to meet with you. Try to record the details of a compelling story of how you and your services helped them. Great service has no meaning unless you can illustrate specifically what that means. Then use that knowledge to connect with your prospects who may share similar problems.
Warning: Once you use BWise, you won’t want to prospect without it