Every so often we all need
to have a reality
check.
At a social event I ran
into Rick, someone I had
not seen for some time and
had lost track of what he
had been doing.
At lunch a few days later
we were talking about sales
and our approach to selling
and customers. It was
amazing how we used
different words yet said
the same thing.
Then I asked about his
prospecting and how he
found his better customers,
much less how he got them
to meet with him.
Rick indicated others had
asked him to write out what
he did to get prospects and
customers to call him back.
Of course I asked for a
copy and he obliged.
Thanks to Rick I can share
with you his key points
that get prospects and
customers to return his
calls. ….
- The
first is to be aware of
your own actions. What is
it you are doing now and
how and what it is
conveying to the other
party? Are you tracking the
number of dials, contacts
and conversations? Are you
able to determine if
something is working or not
working statistically? The
other day I dialed 30
numbers, got through to 4
and got 4 appointments. If
you’re not tracking it is
hard to evaluate what is
working.
-
Persistence is a key. Today
with all the electronic
communications people can
be overloaded with
messages. How many
voice mails and
emails might anyone
person be getting and
can they even get to
them all if they wanted
to? Then add the mail
and faxes as well. Rick
indicated that he rarely
gives up and may take up
to 8 attempts or more to
connect. Yet he
cautioned that he does
not call a prospect 2-3
times a day. He also
added that some of his
best customers today are
ones that took weeks if
not months to finally
get in contact
with.
- Call
consistently on a regular
schedule. One of Rick’s
techniques is to say,
“If we do not connect
today, I’ll call you back
on the
10th.” Then
do it, get it on your
action
planner for the
10th. He said
the prospects often
times call him back
before that because they
know he is serious about
his business.
- One
of the biggest secrets Rick
indicated was always being
focused on the customer and
their needs and wants. It
is not about you or your
product, rather what are
the results they can
receive. One of his
strongest tools is a quick
comment about a similar
customer and the results
they were able to see.
Customers want to know
about results, even if it
someone they don’t know.
But it must be relevant to
your customer, not some far
flung disjointed
connection. If your talking
about manufacturing use
examples about
manufacturing.
- Let
your prospect off the hook.
Rick said he has found this
tool very useful. “If
you’re too busy this week,
that’s ok, just let me know
so I don’t become a
follow-up pest.” He
says the following will
happen; they’ll call you
back and say their busy or
apologize for not getting
back to you. Either way you
now know what is going on.
This also follows with Dr.
Knowles Omega Strategies on
resistance, once the
resistance is on the table
it tends to dissipate. I
have also used a similar
strategy and the number of
return calls is
significant.
- Use
pre-approach hand written
notes. Rick said he always
targets a customer, and
then asks around about the
person to find out their
likes and dislikes. He can
then fashion a very
personal hand written note
that focuses on them
personally and the results
they can have. Rick went on
to say he was amazed at the
emails he received thanking
him for the hand written
note. Obviously it had some
impact that a phone call or
email does not!
-
Add impact to your
note, Rick indicated
one salesperson he
knows sent lottery
tickets with the
statement “Take a
chance, call me!” and
the prospect did!
Others have sent
aspirin or Tylenol,
books, cd’s or other
catchy items with a
relevant statement or
question. Some quick
stats that Rick
provided:
-
98% of respondents
bring the mail in
the day it is
delivered
-
72% get it
ASAP
-
77% sort it right
away
-
55% look forward to
getting mail
-
67% feel mail is
more personal than
the web
The mail still has an
impact even with all the
electronics we have today.
People
love
to get things and it is
more memorable. By the way,
Rick is in the direct mail
business.
-
Always get a deadline in
you planner! With every
conversation always get a
commitment for the next
action and by when. Then on
your follow-up calls and
the prospect is not calling
back you can keep them
accountable with something
like this: “(their
name), this is (your name)
and I’m calling because
when we last spoke, we
agreed to ….” This
puts the Law of Expectation
to work for you. If they
still do not return your
call keep gently reminding
them of your agreement,
they will now “owe”
you.
- Find
the best time to call your
prospects. Many times early
in the day or late in the
day works best. They are
not in meetings, less tense
and may answer their own
phone. When I worked in
another area there were
several C level customers
that were in their office
at 6 or 7 am and would take
calls. It is interesting
how many return calls I’ve
received after 5 or even 6
pm!
-
Change or mix your media,
use a multiplicity of
tools. Use a phone call and
indicate in your message
you will also email them
and in the email indicate
you will also call. If you
send an email and there is
no response, call and ask
if they have received it.
Find out which form of
communications they prefer
and then use it. One of
Rick’s friends calls and
indicates they will also
send an email as well in
case that works better for
them. This increases their
chance of connecting but
also indicates they are
thinking of the prospect.
What about phone
calls, email, fax,
postal mail or other
forms of communication,
are you using them
all?
-
Always use some type of
planner or tracking system.
Keep track of who is
responding to what and not
responding. This can be
very valuable in
determining what is
working. It also can keep
you in control and
directing your prospect on
the next call. “When we
last emailed on November
1st , we agreed
that …” Without a
tracking system you can
miss a great many
opportunities.
- Set
up your plan and work it
daily. If you set out to
make so many calls or
contacts a day, DO IT!
Action is what makes any
plan work.
Well, there are a dozen
ideas that work well for a
very successful
salesperson. How
does your plan fit?
What ideas could you
be adding to your
plan?
Take these ideas and
implement them, track them
and see what your results
are.
Thanks Rick!
Till next week, make it the
best as only you can!
Harlan Goerger
National Training Director
© Harlan
Goerger 7/2007
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