Traditionally, the power has always been in the hands of the salesperson. They have been the people who held the knowledge and were able to leverage this information to push and entice a sale.
Not anymore! Buyers have the information literally at their fingertips. A simple Google search produces oodles of info on anything we want to buy! Review sites, comparison papers, case studies, in–depth reports, the list goes on… all great examples of premium, inbound marketing content.
Buyers can now find out a huge amount of information about a product or company without even speaking to a salesperson. This is a key point and sales strategies must reflect this.
But, as always, there are two sides to every coin! As well as buyers, salespeople are also empowered to a position where they can find out a plethora of information on the buyer and the company they are calling from. Approaching a sales call from a cold or uninformed perspective is a borderline crime in today’s information rich age!
Think about how sales calls are made in your organisation. The following tips can be acted upon immediately and will help to make that all too avoided first contact with a prospect a much more honest and enjoyable experience…
1. Research your prospect before the call
Understanding about your prospect or persona before reaching out to make contact is a primary objective to inbound sales. Personalising the experience for the buyer will lead to more engagement and a greater level of response.
Search online to build a profile of the prospect. Take a look over the company website, business and the potential problems they may have in the business and that you can help solve. Once you understand these issues, put together a few tips and quick wins you can give to the prospect to build trust.
Don’t stop there, look into the actual person you aim to speak with, check out their LinkedIn page, what interests they have, what you have in common with them. Take a look at their Facebook page if possible.
Remember, knowledge is power!
2. Understand if and how you can help them
If the prospect has reached out to you via your website i.e. an inbound lead filling in a form, you should have a good understanding of their needs by the activity they have had with your site.
Use this information to form the foundations of your call and expand on the topics they have researched on your site.
If you identify that the prospect may not be an ideal fit for your services don't take the conversation further. Trying to force a potential sale will not be good for both parties.Ultimately this is a waste of time and doesn't hold you in the best light.
3. Remember, you are speaking to a human
Approaching the call with a smile will ensure you have an open and friendly manner. Remember to breathe, pause and don’t talk at 100mph. Give the prospect every opportunity to talk and feel at ease. Build rapport with your prospect and communicate as a friend trying to help rather than a salesperson trying to close.
As a wise man said, “Helping is the new closing!”
As you would expect, here at Thrive we practice what we preach. If any of these points whet your appetite to learn more, give us a call. We would love to help you!
