Your customers are inundated with marketing messages, financial statistics, economic indicators, and competitive analysis forms. What can you possibly say to a customer that would grab their attention, stimulate their interest and even make them want more information?
The answer is offering what you might be able to do for them and then asking a question.
Here’s an example: “Fred, we have helped other companies in your market save over $87,000 using our Lean Six Sigma processes. I’d like to ask you a few questions to see if it would make sense for us to speak further.”
If your approach is on the phone, you have 10 seconds or less to grab the customer’s attention away from their current work, place them in a positive, receptive frame of mind and get them ready to listen to you. Approaches like the one above will help you get your foot in the door and have a productive face-to-face sales call.
Here are some other ways to get the customer’s attention:
1. Get a referral from a current happy customer. Nothing works better than a current customer “singing your praises” to a new, potential customer. Ask them for the complete contact information and have them call the potential customer, introducing you before the meeting.
2. Send an introductory letter or e-mail. Warm up that call by sending preliminary information. Grab their attention with a statement, something free, a pilot class, etc.
3. Do your research. Don’t cold call a company without doing any research. Look at their website, do a Google search, utilize LexisNexis, Hoovers, Yahoo Finance, etc. to learn about the company and their specific needs. Refer to your research when talking with the customer.
4. Demonstrate that your products and services could be a solution to their problem. If a customer has a need or a “pain” and you have a solution for that need or “pain”, it’s a match! Talk about what you can do for the customer to solve their problems.
5. Talk about return on investment. Show how you can save the customer money, time or wasted motion, reduce their turnover, increase their sales, become more competitive, etc. Talk about pre and post tests, assessments, and how to measure their return on investment.
6. Be excited about what you do. Notify your face! If the customer approach is on the phone, smile while you talk. Have good voice inflection and speak with conviction. Call your own voicemail and leave an approach message. Listen to your voicemail. Would you want to talk with you?
7. Invite the customer to do something they want to do. Depending on your marketing budget, ask a customer to hit a bucket of golf balls, go to a special location for lunch, take in a ballgame, or tour a special exhibit. Use this time to build the relationship and trust, talking only a bit about business.
8. Have a luncheon meeting with one of your top current customers and a prospective new customer. The current customer will help sell you and your services to the new potential customer. You just have to eat.
9. Utilize social media to grab attention. Twitter a message to a potential customer. Send a YouTube video about how you helped another customer in his market. Determine how the potential customer wants to receive marketing messages.
10. Offer fall specials. Even though the economy is beginning to turn, companies are still mindful of their money. Offer discounts, tiered pricing, one free hour of consulting or coaching, coupons, etc. Look around—many organizations are utilizing this marketing method.
If you are having trouble filling the pipeline with quality leads and can’t seem to get the customer’s attention, try these approaches. Your new potential customers will be excited to hear what you have to say—just grab their attention first!
Kathy Yeager is President of Contract Training Edge, LLC, a firm specializing in workforce development sales training, coaching and consulting.