Phone prospecting doesn’t have to be so painful.
There’s a special level of dread that many people experience with prospecting calls, both the salesperson and the customer.
I know that it doesn’t have to be that way! There are tools and tips you can use to warm up that phone call.
It doesn’t have to feel cold, and there are steps you can take to use the phone more successfully.
1. Know your ICP.
ICP is Ideal Customer Profile. This allows you to focus your time and your effort, all your resources, everything that you do toward a very small focus group.
I encounter this all the time with salespeople. They’re trying to sell to the world. They’re trying to sell to the Western hemisphere, or North America. Stop right there. I want you to focus on a small slice.
When you have an ideal customer profile identified, it’s amazing how much more effective you are, because you understand your outcomes. You’re more confident with your messaging. You are able to have conversations much sooner than anybody else would because you know these people.
Why? You’re speaking to your people, to your audience!
Read more about what makes a good prospect.
2. Have a social media presence.
When you reach out to people, you really want them to know who you are because they’ve seen you on social media, or elsewhere on the internet.
This does not mean that you throw your whole life savings or company assets into developing social media. It just means have a footprint out there that speaks highly of you.
It’s one of the reasons I put YouTube videos out weekly, because it allows people to get to know me before they choose to engage with me. I’m actually practicing this right now because we have people who engage with us and say, “Oh yeah, we’ve watched your videos. We know who you are.”
3. Have a purpose for the call.
It is never about, “Hey, I just want to see if you want to buy.” Instead, having a purpose for the call means you’re always calling with some intention.
“Hey, I’ve got new information on this……. I’ve got some insights I can share with you…….. How are you handling this?” I always want to engage.
When you’re focused on your ICP, you always have that information because you pay attention to the needs of that targeted group, and you anticipate those needs. You are part of the family, part of the group.
4. Know your prospect.
Depending on what you sell, you may take anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes to do research on that prospect before you call them. You’re checking them out on the internet just as they’re checking you out on the internet.
When you know your prospect, it ups your game.
Even if you are reaching out to people who fit your ideal customer profile, there’s still individual information you want to get. It doesn’t take long. It takes 30 seconds to a minute and I can come up with two or three pieces of information that are going to help me understand and connect with them at a deeper level, faster.
5. Stay focused.
It is so easy to get distracted. Squirrel! Shiny object! But you have to stay focused.
One of the challenges salespeople have: it’s an emotional business. Therefore, they allow themselves to get distracted very easily.
“Look at that! A lead over there!” Yeah, but it doesn’t fit your ideal customer profile. Don’t chase it.
“Oh, they mentioned this. Maybe I should go look at it.” No, stay in your competency area.
Read more about how to make prospecting less stressful.
6. Play the long game.
When I’m reaching out to people, I have to be prepared that it may take six, or even sixteen times before I reach you. Each message I bring you is going to be different.
Nonetheless, I know I can help you because you fit my profile. In fact, I’ve helped other people just like you, so I know I can. As a result, I owe it to you to get in touch. I actually owe it to you. If we don’t engage, I’m actually doing you a disservice because I have the ability to help you.
Think about this for a moment. If you had an issue that you wanted fixed, and there was somebody who could help you, wouldn’t you want them to reach out to you? I bet you would.
Playing the long game means communicating purposefully and persistently because you hold their solution in your hands.
7. Have the right mindset.
The mindset I take to prospecting is this:
- Each conversation I have, I want to earn the right, the privilege, the honor, and respect to be able to talk with you again.
- I want to be able to impact and influence as many people as possible.
- My goal is to help you see and achieve what you didn’t think was possible.
When I stay focused on those three things, it’s amazing how much better I am, because I stay in the game. I stay focused. I’m no longer cold calling–I’m practically hot calling because I’m calling very specific people who I know I can help.
I want to help take the pain out of the prospecting process.
This post is just a glimpse into the variety of content at The Sales Hunter University. I have three levels of access for you to choose from.
There’s a higher level of prospecting and sales success that you’ll be able to achieve. But, you’ve got to get enrolled in The Sales Hunter University.
Want to aim higher? Level 3, All Access gives you live coaching and drop-in office hours with me. I’d love to help you on a more personal level.
All Access also gets you access to every Masterclass I have offered, or will offer in the future! I just did a Masterclass specifically about Ideal Customer Profiles! Next month we’ll focus on Phone Prospecting!
You’ve got to check out The Sales Hunter University for yourself!
Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
