Recently I was on a call with sales managers discussing prospecting calls and the right way to make them. The universal response I heard was how their salespeople almost always lead with what they do and the services they can provide.
I asked how many of the calls lead to a next call. The numbers were abysmal! But I’m not surprised.
Your prospects didn’t wake up this morning expecting you to call, and they certainly don’t care about who you are and what you do. What they do care about are their issues, their challenges, and their problems.
We MUST start the call framing it with a question about issues they have, not solutions we offer.
Here are my 3 rules on the right way to make prospecting calls:
1. Engage immediately with a question or statement that links to a need they have.
You’re wasting your time when you lead with your title, the name of your company or, even worse, a really stupid question like, “How’s the weather where you are?”
2. Introduce what you do only after prompting from the prospect.
Remember it’s about them, not about you. As you share what you do, frame it with words they can connect with such as, “We work with other companies just like yours that are having similar types of issues.”
3. Do not look for the customer to have a “eureka moment” and immediately buy from you.
Your goal is to learn a new piece of information and secure a next step. Prospecting is about securing a next step. Don’t over inflate your expectations, and you will be amazed at how you will be able to stay focused and motivated.
Prospecting is not the big bad ugly, creepy, scary activity so many people make it out to be. When you’re focused on helping the prospect by truly listening, it’s amazing the results you will have.
I have a short video for you to watch as I share exactly what I mean. You can find it at this link. I share how a company that was starting their calls by saying their company name was getting rejected and by adjusting that approach slightly to start with an outcome improved results quickly.
I can’t stress enough the importance of prospecting. When salespeople say they’re missing their quota, I always come back and ask them how much time they’re spending prospecting. There’s a direct correlation between the amount of prospecting you do this quarter and the number of deals you’ll close next.
It’s why I’m passionate about your need to read High-Profit Prospecting. I wrote this book for one reason, and that is to help you close more sales by being able to prospect better.
A coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!
Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
2 Responses
Thank you Mark. As usual your advice is always priceless.
Many thanks Mark for a great post. Always appreciated.
Best regards
Barry.