Imagine someone not understanding how to open his garage door, or not knowing how to back his car out properly. Sure, once on the road he can do a reasonable job of driving, but he often does not get that far without incurring some damage. He experiences frustration, futile efforts, and as a result, avoids driving completely.
That's what it's like for lots of salespeople as it relates to opening their telephone prospecting calls. I’ll share some of these common mistakes with you, then give a simple word-for-word prospecting template that’s easy to adapt.
Common Opening Mistakes:
- "I want to talk about myself, my company, and my products." As in, "The purpose of my call is to introduce my company to you and explain many of the great products/services we sell."
- "I’m going to actually give you a long presentation of my products/services, right here in the opening, before you even have a chance to speak, even though I don’t know anything about you or what you’re interested in. There’s a good chance I’ll talk about a lot of things that have no relevance to you, and you’ll be bored out of your mind." These are the openings that begin with a presentation. "Mr. Prospect, I’m calling to tell you about ABC Industries, and our line of grobblestymers. We are the largest in the business, and have a full line of yadda, yadda, yadda . . ."
- "I’m going to use a salesy, slimy-sounding line I read in a book written by a guy who made tons of money selling swampland timeshare properties. This will paint you into a corner, cause you to roll your eyes, and grab both sides of your chair as you brace yourself for the sales pitch." You’ve been on the receiving side of this sales profession-disgracing pap, I’m sure: "Mr. Prospect, if I could show you a way to get everything you’ve ever wanted, ensure your health and financial security, and have eternal youth, of course you’d want that wouldn’t you?"
- "I’m going to ask you to buy something (or otherwise make a commitment) before you’re emotionally or logically ready to go there." Quick decisions make many people nervous. Especially when they involve money, being sold, or investing time. Ask—or insinuate that you’ll be asking—for a decision in the first 10 seconds of a call, and you get a similar response to approaching a stranger on the street and saying, "Hey, let’s have a relationship." Here are actual call examples.
- ". . . calling today to discuss switching you over to our service . . ."
- " . . . and I’m calling to set up a time for us to get together . . ."
- "Even though you get piles of unsolicited mail every day, I’m calling to see if you read the stuff that I sent you." "I’m calling about a letter and catalog/brochure/folder I sent you. Did you have a chance to read that?"
- "I’m going to ask you questions and take your time, but you don’t know why, and I haven’t given you any reason to listen to me, or answer my self-serving queries." "I’m Joe Buffoon with Scuzzbucket Supply. We’re a major supplier. What kinds of supplies you guys using there?"
A Simple, Fill in the Blanks Alternative for Successful Prospecting Openings
Avoiding these mistakes and creating interest on a call is not that difficult. All you’re really trying to say is, " I might have something here that can help you, and I’ll need some information so I can find out for sure, and then you specifically how."
Here’s a fill-in-the-blanks formula to use:
- "Hello ________, I’m ________ with ________. I’m calling because depending on what you’re now doing/using/experiencing in the area of (fill in with your area of specialty) there’s a possibility we might be able to help you (fill in with an ultimate benefit or result you deliver.). If I’ve caught you at a good time, I’d like to discuss your situation/ask a few questions to see if this is something you’d like more information/would like to take a look at/would be of value to you."
And of course, you can adapt the wording to your own situation and personality. Here’s an example:
- "Mr. Grillo, this is Jill Nostrel with Landlord Services. We specialize in working with multiple-unit property managers. Depending on how you’re now tracking your accounting and owner reporting, there’s a possibility we might be able to help you cut down on the hassle and paperwork involved in those tasks, and enhance the amount of useful information you can put in a report, along with making them easier to read. If I’ve caught you at a good time, I’d like to ask you a few questions to see if this is something that you’d like to take a look at."
Prospecting calls need not be difficult. Avoid these mistakes, follow this formula, and you’ll have more success at generating interest right away.
Collect Info in Advance to Create More Compelling Openers
The more you know about a prospect and his/her situation, the better able you are to generate interest by appealing to their specific situations. Collect information from operators, screeners, salespeople, or anyone in the prospect's organization. After introducing yourself, say to these folks,
- "I'm hoping you can help me. I'm going to be speaking with Mr. Bigg at your company, and I want to be sure I'm on target with my questions. There's probably some information you could provide that would be useful."
Then proceed with questions about the areas you specifically work in.
Then you could use whatever you collect to tailor an interest-generating opening . . . one that sets you apart from smilin' and dialin' shotgun-in-the-dark feature-spewers:
- "Ms. ____, I understand you're now in the process of (whatever change you know they might be going through/project they're working on), and I might have something here that could make that process easier as it relates to the (pick an area: installation, implementation, staffing, funding, etc.) If I've caught you at a good time I'd like to discuss a couple of ideas to determine if you'd like more information."
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