In all the noise and all the clutter you must stand out or your human-to-human connection will not ever take place. Once you have a human connection, you can help move others to take action - but not before.
We receive hundreds upon hundreds of emails weekly. It takes something special to stand out. Imagine me stopping to read the one that came in with this first sentence:
I'm a sales guy. I love your blog.
Now lots of folks say nice stuff to get a response, right? But then he did something additional - he went on to say,
I came across your blog a while ago and I was a big fan of your post on "Use Energy and Enthusiasm to Set Appointments". I found this blog, like your others, vital in helping me grow in my young sales career. I try to be energetic and positive on a daily basis to help connect with people in a meaningful way as opposed to making them feel like another number.
It wasn't until THEN that he went on to tell me about the company he works for with the amazing sales app he wants me to know about.
Is it possible he used the same opener to get other sales bloggers attention? I imagine he may have.
What was different though was that it sounds genuine. He took time to reference a post I wrote and then demonstrated by his email that he does that too - something that is music to my ears. He showed some transparency - that he's young, and learning. You cannot buy genuineness. My take is that he is learning as he is building his base of sales and is somewhat appreciative for what he's learning. Instead of treating it like two different issues - learning about an industry and making inroads communicating with people in that industry-- he is merging the two together.
You can do the same thing. Learn about the industries you are calling into. Reference that learning - especially when it comes from the company you are calling on.
Make your pitch, or your email or your note sound at least somewhat personalized.
If you can do that, you'll stand out, and are likely to make a successful connection. Just don't patronize, or sound like a suck up. I would not have replied with just the "I love your blog" comment.
So you might be wondering what the status is of this young rep connecting with us. We are setting up a meeting.
What works to get your attention, or what have YOU found works to get some one else's attention?
Lori Richardson is recognized as one of the "Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012" and one of "20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management". 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.