In the previous post, I committed to writing a method to guarantee you never fail on another cold call – where the seller initiates contact by telephone, email or face-to-face visit.
This post addresses the topic of those initial contacts where the prospective client makes the first move.
The classic incorrect assumption by salespeople receiving an enquiry from a prospect is that the prospect is “half-sold already, and therefore I should quickly get into my sales pitch.”
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
This reaction confirms the prospect’s pre-conceived ideas about the level of self-orientation of all sellers – and any hope of establishing the first stage of a Trust-based relationship is destroyed.
Regardless of who initiates this first contact between seller and prospective client, the salesperson should employ a mini version of the steps of the Trust Building Sales Process:-
T – Talk to me.
R – Really listen.
U – Unanimous on Issues.
S – Share the future
T – Take action.
For more explanation , see the August 30 post entitled Trust Paced Selling, http://business-trust-relationships.blogspot.com/2010/08/trust-paced-selling.html
To encourage the prospect to “Talk to me”, the salesperson needs to ask the minimum number of questions to encourage the prospect to talk openly about their issue / problem / challenge / opportunity that prompted the contact.
Something along these lines should achieve the desired result, but importantly, provided it does not sound like a “script”:-
“Thank you for making contact (name). I hope we may be able to provide an appropriate solution for you.
Please tell me about the challenge you have that prompted you to pick up the phone.”
And be prepared with follow up questions , asked conversationally and with genuine interest in the prospect’s unique circumstances, to encourage the flow of information you require before being able to formulate and offer your solution :-
“And what are the most significant consequences of that issue?”
“What level of impact does this situation have on your bottom line?”
“What other benefits do you envisage from a timely fix to this problem?”
But steer clear of those insulting and manipulative “closing” questions such as :-
“If I could guarantee a minimum million dollar improvement to your bottom line, would that be of interest?”
And remember – You do have the right to remain silent!
Don’t feel you must immediately jump into every “awkward silence” with another question, or worse still, by attempting to present your solution – before you have “really listened” to the prospect talk through the issue that prompted them to make contact.
So, regardless of who made the first move and initiated contact, the seller’s objective is the same – to guide the first steps towards a business relationship based on mutual Trust, and establishing your role as the Trusted Adviser in that relationship.