4 ways to Just Find Someone (and forget about “the name on the list”)
Posted by Geoff Alexander on Mon, Nov 07, 2011 @ 10:02 AM
If you’re like me, you’re inundated with phone calls these days. A lot of executives are, too, as I discuss in our inside sales training courses. Those executives --- as well as loads of other prospects --- have found some great ways to avoid taking phone calls. Here are some of them:
1) They only take calls on their mobile numbers
2) When they pick up, if they hear dead silence --- even for less than a second --- they’ll immediately hang up, knowing that it’s a call center
3) They won’t take calls from blocked numbers
4) They request that everyone communicate with them by email
Pretty daunting! But there’s really nothing new under the sun. Prospects have been dodging salespeople for years, but creative salespeople always find a way to get the business. Here are some effective ways to reach these hard-to-reach prospects:
1) First and foremost, recognize that your job is to sell a solution to a company. The name you have on your call list is just that --- a name. Those initial names, whether coming from trade shows, whitepaper downloads, seminars, etc., are just clues that there may be an initiative. So when you find that you can’t reach your prime contact, “pound out,” and ask the person who picks up who else is working on the initiative specific to your solution. Then engage that new person in a conversation to determine what’s on the plate.
2) When you dial a number, expect someone to pick up, so you’ll be ready to talk. Initial dead silence may end your call before you have an opportunity to say anything.
3) When you’ve successfully had a conversation with a qualified prospect (especially when it’s an incoming call), ask for that person’s mobile number. In the real world, that may be the only one the prospect will answer.
4) Although email is an accepted practice, don’t let email control your day. It’s pretty common for initial requests for information to come in via email. A good way to take control is to call that individual and mention that you’ll need to ask a few questions in order to respond with the right solution. One phrase I use is “I don’t want to sell you something you don’t need.”
I look at problems as opportunities for creativity. So get creative, and add those four techniques to your Best Practices Playbook, and reach more people.