It's too easy to sit in a chair all day making dials and reciting a script. Scripts sound canned, and they ARE canned. If you spend part of your day calling prospective buyers, you must find a way to connect with them on some level in order to earn ten or fifteen more minutes of their time. Building trust takes time. It differentiates who moves forward with a buyer and who does not.
Calling people you don't know yet, also known as "cold calling" - or "warm calling" when you have an introduction or referral DOES work still. It works every business day of every week. That's why there are dozens of successful lead generation companies all over North America.
You maybe are frustrated (furious?) by not reaching many (if any?) of the people you are trying to connect to. That's because of one of a few reasons -
- They are not the right contact for your message
- Your message is not crafted well
- You have not found a way to be interesting, intriguing, or add value to your caller's day.
- Perhaps you have some mechanical issue around how you are speaking and that's solvable too.
Telling a quick story can help pique a buyer's interest IF it relates to your potential buyer's world.
It works as part of a well crafted voice mail message - "When we connect I want to share with you how we helped Home Depot reduce redundant billing and gave their accountants 20 hours back each month." (assuming you are Lowe's or another of their larger industry counterparts)
Once you have a live conversation and you start with the sentence, "I'd like to share with you a story" - the recipient's physiology shifts from "this is a salesperson giving a pitch" to "I like stories- hope it's a good one".
No matter the science we employ, or the technology tools we use, people still buy from emotion and justify rationally. We are human and we like stories.
Just try it and see how it goes.
Make it a good one - like:
- How one of your clients now has piece of mind for the first time in years since they started using your security software
- The three other customers in the aviation space using the tools your company sells and why they won't ever give them up
- How the new program you rolled out last year has made huge changes in the way your clients get work done - in the best way
Do you see how you can incorporate a very brief but compelling snippet of a story into a voice mail or email and a longer version on a phone call?
Start crafting your messages, and contact us if you are a B2B midmarket company and want 30 minutes of time to discuss your story lines to lead with.
It is a strategy that could be a game changer for you.
Lori Richardson is recognized as one of the "Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2013" and one of "20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management for 2013". Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside and outbound sellers in technology and services companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.