How often has that happened when you’ve made a sales call?
I do wish it were a Jerry McGuire world, but most of us are thankful we’re not in a relationship with Tom Cruise. I hear he’s complicated.
Most people are not excited to hear “Hello” from an unfamiliar voice at an unexpected time in the middle of a busy day. So, more often than not, we just don’t answer the phone! Have you noticed that just about everyone has a “phone” – yet rarely are they used to talk with other human beings?
The word “phone” is not an accurate description of the device because we no longer use them in its traditional function – to talk with other people. We still use them to communicate, but through methods other than actually speaking.
If we understand this new reality and accept it, then we can move forward in a different way as we seek to find new clients and customers.
For those of you who hate change, think of it this way: it is much more time efficient to have asynchronous communications (email, text, social media) with another person or entity. Prospects can much more efficiently review and send emails, research websites, and make connections by LinkedIn than they can by talking with salespeople – at least in the early stages.
Let’s return to your busy day. You schedule time for staff meetings, client meetings, project management, prospect research, and networking; your day is carefully scheduled and your time may be meticulously planned. You don’t have the time to focus on an interruption (i.e., a cold call from an unscheduled, unknown salesguy….Hello?). Don’t you prefer to have conversations that you know will be worth your valuable time?
So if you want to melt your prospect’s heart with your first utterance, ease into it. Email respectfully, share about yourself, Link In, ask about their needs, and set a time to talk. That way, your first “Hello” might not be your last.
