With all of the technology, tools, methodology and sales process in place you’d think there was no real simple way to help with your sales messaging.
The challenge with the messaging you say to your prospective buyers by phone, through e-mail and in voice mails is that there is no one-size-fits-all.
Why? Because people who sell are all different and our buyers are also people who are all different.
Roles vary in companies – what I say to an executive in the c-suite is different than what I say to the IT director or to the user of the services I could sell to a company.
Also, buyers are at different points of the buying process when you reach out to them. Some have initiated ideas, others are in a contract and not looking yet – how could you possibly say the same thing to people in those two scenarios and have it make sense?
Based on geography and industry, buyers vary as well. I’m talking a bit differently to a prospective buyer in Seattle, my home town, as I am a fast-paced buyer in a big city like New York.
What Helps Most?
Ultimately you need bullet-points (rather than scripts) for each scenario. Newer sales reps need to feel comfortable with what it is that they are saying and to whom. That’s why my best tool for doing this is……..drum roll……..your smartphone.
Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
Create the perfect conversation with your potential buyer. In a recent panel at LeadsCon with moderator Dan McDade and co-panelists Chad Burmeister and I proved there are 6 pillars to the "perfect pitch"
- Attention Grabber
- The Shocking Value Statement
- Listen Up & Learn
- Motivate to Act
- Objection Handling
- Qualify
If you include these well, you can double your results of getting a return call or return email reply. Double! Isn’t that worth the effort to practice and perfect?
But you need to have a good way to practice. Sure, you can role play with your boss or colleagues – although there is a simpler way. This is where your smart phone comes in.
Voicemail – Send yourself a voice mail message every week when you are new in sales or when you are really working to perfect your messaging to various buyers. It may seem silly but it is one of the greatest ways to really “hear” yourself – now and in a week as you further improve, further create a short, simplified version of what it is that you say to pique curiosity and gain interest from new potential buyers.
E-mail – Regularly, no matter how long you HAVE been in selling, send yourself the same email message you are sending out to prospective buyers in an email to yourself and read it on your phone. Since most buyers are reading (or simply deleting) your email by phone, this is the perfect way to see how many times you have to scroll down. For some sellers, it is the one exercise that gets them to see how much longer their email messages are from what they should be.
Remember your goal when contacting someone you don’t know is to pique their curiosity or add value or insight in some way that they’d be willing to talk to you for a few minutes at a later time. You don’t need to write a thesis to do that.
If you can nail down the messaging to your prospective buyers and add so much value that you don’t waste their time with long emails and voice mails – and actually add value for them, you’ll double your success in prospecting.
Look for a follow-up article on those six pillars of the perfect pitch. I'm curious, are you rolling your eyes, or are you really going to try this? We would love your feedback on how it helps you gain confidence and clarity of your message.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I've been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the "Top 30 Social Sales Influencers" worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.
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