From the ArcaMax Publishing, Business Success Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/businesssuccess/s-576484-163368
Greetings!
Think about those prospects that you just KNOW should be buying from
you, but you've come up empty thinking of new ways to approach.
Or perhaps you have customers that buy from you now, and your job
description says you need to call them every month or so, but you feel
awkward saying, "Well, I was just checking in with you to see how it's
going."
I've always said that these are some of the toughest calls to place.
Because, it requires creative thinking and lots of sales pros don't
want to think that hard.
Except the best sales pros. I bet you're in that group.
Lazy sales reps, or those or don't know any better, are content
calling to "just touch base," or to "see if there's anything on your
desk I can bid on."
These approaches are reactive, provide nothing of value, can be viewed
as nuisance calls, and leave you open to being treated as a simple
vendor who can be manipulated into a price war.
Calls to regular customers, and to prospects you're clinging onto
should always contain something of value...something that lets the
customer feel you are contributing something useful by calling.
Keep in mind that your regular customers are someone else's prospects.
If they feel they are being taken for granted by a sales rep who
simply calls and says, "Do you have an order for me?", might
eventually fall for the wooing of a competitor who is creative enough
to dangle something attractive in front of them.
Also keep in mind your prospects are likely buying from someone else,
and won't budge unless they see some value in what you have.
So, what to do?
Here are just a few ideas to spice up these calls to position you as a
value-added resource, and not just a salesperson.
Begin with "YOU"
A good way to begin these calls is by saying something like,
"I was thinking of you,"
"I heard some interesting information, and you immediately came to
mind," and,
"When this news came out, I thought about you..."
Industry News
Perhaps you have some news they might not be aware of. Or, maybe they
are aware of it, and you have something to help them take advantage of
it. For example,
"Ms. Prospect, you probably are familiar with the new regulations
regarding the reporting of waste disposal. We developed a way to make
that less of a headache for companies in your situation, and I'd like
to ask you a few questions to see how much of a problem you anticipate
this being."
New Policies at Your Company
If you change restrictive policies that would enable you to do
business with people who didn't qualify in the past, call them again.
For example, if your minimum order size has been dropped, or, you're
now carrying a line that they asked for before and you didn't have it,
or you've lessened credit requirements. And with regular customers,
calling with changes to their advantage is always welcome.
New Regime at Your Company
This can be effective for those accounts you haven't been able to
break because of legitimate, real objections they had. If, for
example, new management has cleaned house and improved quality,
decreased errors, etc., call again, since you're now selling a new
company. Also, these can be spun into reasons for calling existing
accounts.
New Capability
If you have products or services that deliver results you weren't able
to before, that is always a good reason to call. Just be sure you are
positioning them in terms of results to the listener. Not, "Hey, we
have a new product and we think it is great."
New You
Maybe you fell to pieces and self-destructed on a previous call. Since
then you've acquired more skills and confidence. Maybe you've come up
with new ideas, or a new strategy. And here's the best way I know for
you personally to come up with great value- added reasons for calling:
ACTION STEP
Have a brainstorming session with your colleagues. Invite customer
service, production, advertising, marketing, operations...anyone who
knows your products and services. Make it a game or competition. The
goal is to fill in the blank:
"The reason I'm calling is ____."
The main rule is that what goes in the blank must be perceived by the
listener as something that they would view as valuable and interesting
to them.
Believe me, I've done this many times with clients in training
sessions and we come up with 20, 30 or more great ideas to use.
So get creative, get working, and you'll find yourself converting more
of those prospects collecting dust in your follow-up file, and you'll
provide more value and sell more to existing customers.
Go and Have Your Best Week Ever!
Art
*About the Author: Art Sobczak works with thousands of sales reps each
year helping them get more business by phone. He provides real world,
how-to ideas and techniques that help salespeople use the phone more
effectively.
Visit Sobczak's Web
site.