How should you open your 1st sales call to a prospect?
—Thomas Hancik
A: If this is your very first call with your prospect, then your first contact will depend on how much information you can gather about them before you make the call.
When you first open your call, you need to get their attention quickly and decisively. There are a few ways you can achieve this. For example, you can use a startling fact about their industry, you can compliment them on one of their achievements, or you can ask them a relevant question. Ultimately, however, the focus has to be on them and their business, not on yours.
So, if I open a call with something like, "Hi Bob. My name is Larry Prevost and I work with Acme Financial. We handle all of the financial dealings for the Fortune 500 companies in the Boston area. Bob, are you familiar with Acme Financial?" I will have accomplished a few things, none of them likely to help me win Bob over to my way of thinking:
While I lead off with his name, I quickly shift the focus to my company and me. Bob doesn't know who I am, and even worse, he probably doesn't want to know who I am. He has other things on his mind. He doesn't need me distracting him.
I'm trying to impress him and inflate the importance of my company by telling him that we do business with Fortune 500 companies. The implied message here is that he should feel privileged that we are calling him. Since we normally handle Fortune 500 companies, naturally we can fulfill the needs of Bob's tiny little company.
The last sentence is a "yes/no" question that doesn't guide the prospect in any general direction. In fact, it looks more like an ego stroke.
Instead, focus your attention on them: "Bob? I understand that you are the director of online marketing for Web Financial. Is that correct? Bob, I saw your article on email marketing in last month's publication of Financial Times Today. Since then, I have referred that piece to a number of my clients in the financial sector and they have told me that is has proved invaluable in their marketing efforts. Bob, I realize that you weren't expecting this call so I'll keep it brief. Do you have a moment?"
Now, the focus is on Bob, his position, his company and his accomplishments. This accomplishes a few things that you do want:
You make Bob the center of attention. In his mind, he was already the center of attention before I called. Now I'm in line and moving with his mindset.
You let Bob know that he is important. Not only have I taken the time to know his name, but also his title in the company.
You give Bob some recognition and appreciation. I've taken the time to find something that Bob has written and I'm promoting it to my other clients. How is that knowledge going to make Bob feel?
If you are looking to open your first call to a prospect, remember this one point: Make them the focus of your attention. You'll get a lot further and learn a lot more about them in the process than if you focus on trying to impress them with your company and accomplishments.
