Jul 11, 20218:53 PM - edited Aug 12, 202110:43 AM
HubSpot Employee
Connecting with leads can be hard. Even when people are interested in your product, they're often busy or have competing priorities. How do you get to that first conversation with a lead? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!
The "grind" of sales. The best way for me to get that first conversation would be to first slow down. 1) Do I know enough about the client? 2) Do I know enough about their needs and problems? 3) Do I have time to have the conversation right now that could lead to a discovery? Once those baselines are set, calling is easy. Assuming I know enough, I ask for the person STRAIGHT UP " Hello, can I speak to Kyle?" "Kyle, I'm glad I got a hold of you, I noticed you (insert trigger event) , AND I WANTED TO CALL TO SETUP AN APPOINTMENT FOR NEXT STEPS" (continue with questions or rebutal)
If I failed to make an appointment it's because the NEED was not strong enough or MY VALUE proposition was not good enough to see that I AM worth their time.
I initially call the customer as soon as i know it is a lead to connect, if i am unable to connect on the phone, leave a short vm, send an email with some info, do a follow up call after a 2 days difference. Sometimes, I use Linkedin to connect with the lead as well.
I have an automation collecting info from the customer what they are really interested in. After the book a meeting I always make research about the customer's company to show customers I care about them. To make it more personal I do even tell them some of my experiences related to their work field.
This is something I think salespeople don't think about enough. You've talked to dozens (or hundred!) of people who are in the same sort of situation as your prospect--that makes you an expert! Empathize with them and encourage them! Let them know that you've seen this before, you understand the situation and know the path forward.
We must connect with customer and explore more about his business problem.The lead is always in conversion mode if we facilitate potential lead before any purchase
I connect with leads by trying to find out what their interests are - but also using the "Ikea" method of investment in somethign or someone. I ask them a question in which they are offering advice or somehow also helping me.
Fascinating, @FRogers! I've heard of the Ikea effect (people tend to be prouder of things they built themselves), but I've never heard it applied to sales conversations. Tell me more!
@KyleJepson you are a sales EXPERT and this is a great question - this is the scienceof connect, which is the hardest, most time consuming part of any sales process. A few quick tips
1. Stand up when you call. Its perfectly ok to pace or walk to relieve stress
2. Practice your greeting Dan, this is Kyle from HubSpot - that part has to be really strong or you might get a much different response.
3. In today's busy world you have to attempt to connect 4X in 12 days to get a response + call, email & voicemail - wait 2 days and repeat, wait 3 days and repeat, wait 2 days and repeat.
Re: practicing your greeting--I once saw an entire TED Talk dedicated to best practices for introducing yourself. Turns out your intonation and pacing as you say your name is crucial. How many times have we met people who introduced themselves so quickly or quietly that we had no idea what their name was? You gotta lead with confidence--say your name clearly!!
Try senior decision makers outside 'normal' office hours. Call CEO on mobile - hardly anyone calls the CEO so often they'll tell you who to speak with. You can then refer to the call with CEO to open the converstaion...
+1 to curiosity! Sincere curiosity makes asking questions much easier. Geniune interest in a prospect's business is disarming and gets people to open up. Otherwise, questions can start to feel like an interrogation, which is never what you want.
Building repport while also remaining on task is hard. It's also one of the most crucial things for a salesperson to learn. Thanks for calling this out!
I love this reply, as advisors, we tend to make a lot of assumptions too quickly without slowing down first. Thank you for reminding me how challenging "chit-chat" can be at times.
