by Will Rotondi
Sales guys will try to give you the whole East Coast and tell you how it’ll fit your budget. Marketing guys just want you to hear them and remember their brand.
What do prospectors want? To find out who they should even be talking with in the first place.
I make this distinction because it’s fairly common in prospecting to want to do all of these at the same time. Don’t – you’ll just scare people away. It’s like laying eyes on someone and immediately asking them to marry you. Obviously not gonna happen. In the world of prospecting, this usually happens when you want to put on the hard sell.
Just because you think you see an attractive prospect doesn’t mean they’ll be right for you.
Exercise some sales will power and start with a conversation first.
Here’s a typical scenario: you’re going to email who you’re fairly certain is your ideal prospect. But, you want to make sure that you stand out when they open your message, so you include as much information as you can about who you are, what you offer, and that you’re very interested in doing business. You also throw out buzzwords and sales lingo that you see as adding value.
What’s wrong with that? Well…
- That “value” only works on leads (people who know who you are already), not prospects.
- You’ve given away the whole show. The prospect can either take it or leave it without having to tell you.
- Your message was too long, so it wasn’t read.
- You used language that got your email flagged as spam.
Instead, stay direct and to the point. Don’t make the email about you, but about a) confirming the right person to speak with, and b) whether they’re open to talk about their products and services.
