It's simple messaging that we remember.
Do or Do not. There is no try. - Yoda
One way you can be more successful in remote selling - that is, selling when you are not in front of your prospective buyer in person, is to have more impact with your messaging.
To do this you need to say MORE with LESS words. You need to paint a picture or share a story. It's difficult for sellers because many of us believe we have the gift of gab - we can talk on and on and on and on. Buyers don't need that and they certainly don't want that anymore, if they ever did.
Yesterday's sales talkers must now become today's succinct "sales message givers."
Start with these three steps to craft better messaging:
Step 1:
Write out bulleted points or write the entire sales message that you say to potential buyers. You may have a few variations if you call on multiple industries or multiple buyers within a company.
Step 2:
Remove the fluff from what you are saying in voice mails and writing in e-mail messages. To do this, just read what you are saying or writing in your email and draw lines through what is not necessary to say in order to convey the same message. Think Twitter - and find ways to whittle down what you WERE saying into less words. It is very rare that this cannot be done with what most sales pros have put as their "pitch".
Step 3:
If you haven't done this already, remove any initial blurb describing you or your company other than a basic sentence. If you have gone on with several sentences about you and your company as you start out a message, change that up. Put more about the buyer first. Sometimes you can just swap out what you have said about the buyer, which is often last in a message - instead put it up front in your messaging.
Here is an example:
Initial voice mail message:
Hi John, this is Lori from Score More Sales. We're a xxx firm based in xxxx and we focus on xxxx and xxx with customers like xxx and xxx. We're the award winner of xxx and have been in business xxx years.
I'm contacting you because we work with others in your industry and thought you might be interested in hearing what we're doing with your peers that might be helpful to you. If you get a chance, it would be great to speak with you. My number is xxxx.
NEW voice mail message:
Hi, John. Lori from Score More Sales calling. We are working with 3 of your industry counterparts in packaging distribution on some interesting projects and more ideas for 2014. I thought you might want to know how we're helping grow revenues and what might work for XYZ (your) company.
I'm Lori Richardson and my number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. I'll call you back if I don't hear from you. Thanks.
What we have done is to create more of a buyer-focused message. No fluff. No wasted words. The message is more confident and focused. That makes me sound more professional, especially if I am calling C-level executives.
How are you making your messages "less fluff" and "more helpful? "
What have you learned over time to be more effective gaining someone's attention and interest?
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.
email lori@scoremoresales.com | View My LinkedIn Profile