We commonly refer to inflicting pain on ourselves, either emotionally or physically, as shooting ourselves in the foot. Some American gun owners have been known to actually do this. (Ouch!)

 

For sales people, you could say that rather than putting their foot in the door, they shoot it instead. This happens when, instead of shooting from the hip, we shoot from the lip. Instead of planning what we’ll say, we say the first thing that pops into our heads. That means that before you get on the phone with anyone, you need to rehearse your scripts.

Now scripts don’t mean that you memorise word-for-word what you’ll say. The reason that that’s a problem is because if you don’t hear exactly what you expect, then you’ll stumble. You won’t know which of your scripts to use.

If you plan ahead, then you’ll know how the conversations are likely to go and you’ll be able to draw on a variety of ideas for any of them as the need arises.

Much of this can be obviated by having a great opening statement.

 

Opening statement

You have to have a great opening statement. There’s just one thing. The person who answers the phone may not be the one that you want to talk to. Instead, it could be a gatekeeper. Gatekeepers are people who either perform a valuable service or are a pain in the neck.

It depends on your perspective.

If they’re protecting you from cold callers and time wasters, then they’re nice to have around. If, on the other hand, they’re preventing you from getting to the person you want to speak to, well, then you can finish this statement yourself.

 

How do you get past gatekeepers?

 

Gatekeepers

Here you also have to have a great opening statement. If you don’t, then the gatekeeper won’t open the gate, no matter how much you protest. Here’s what you do.

“Hi. I’m Joe Bloggs from Joe Bloggs Ltd. Is Ms Prospect in today?”

“Yes. Can I say what this call is about?”

Here’s where a lot of people come unstuck.

If you say that you want to tell her about your great new product, then the gatekeeper is going to draw from his / her script and tell you in so many words, “We’re not interested”.

So what you have to do is say something that respects the role that the gatekeeper is playing and at the same time make that person realise that he / she doesn’t know enough to decide not to put the call through.

If your expertise is in strategy, for example, you might say, “I need to talk to her about how your company creates value in (name the industry), is she around at the moment?”.

Avoid saying too much – keep the content of what you say about the problems you solve or about what your prospect may be doing in the subject you want to discuss.

By opening with a statement like that, you’ve respected the person who took the call. That’s really important. You don’t want that person to feel as if you’re fobbing him / her off. You might get “accidentally” disconnected if you do.

 

Opening statement reprise

Now we’re back to the opening statement that you’re going to use with the person you want to talk to, often referred to as the Decision Maker. Whatever you say must be consistent with what you told the gatekeeper.

Why? Because the gatekeeper will tell the person you want to talk to what you said, and you don’t want to be seen as the one who changes the subject.

So, think through very carefully what you’re going to say to both parties.

You’ll shoot yourself in the foot if the two statements are different. That’s because the person you want to talk to will be unprepared and, let’s face it: You want her to be prepared for what you have to say.

That’s because you want to have a conversation.

And by the way: As this is a conversation, your opening statement with that person shouldn’t be a speech. 15-20 seconds is all you have. Instead it should immediately stir up pain by reminding her of an existing problem.

How will you know if that person has that problem?

Easy. All companies have the same problems to one extent or another.

• They all struggle to motivate at least some of their employees at least some of the time.
• They all struggle to make their sales targets.
• They all find it particularly challenging to make good strategy and then to implement it.
• They all resist radical change.
• And most of them want to keep doing things the way they’ve always done them.

 

Use your imagination. What value can you bring to the table that will enable them to get what they want?

 

Zero in on their why

Simon Sinek, author of the best-selling book, Start with Why, says that people buy “why you do what you do, not what you do”.

And so that means that if you’re going to reach your prospects, then you need to zero in on their why. Maybe they don’t know why they do what they do. A lot of senior executives don’t. They’ll tell you it’s to make money but, as Sinek says, that’s a result. It’s not a motivating reason.

Why is about beliefs and values.

So, your opening statement needs to go straight for the jugular. It needs to remind your prospects of the fact that whatever they’re doing is preventing them from achieving their why.

Don’t talk about what you do.

Talk about what you believe in, and how that positions you to help your prospect to do more of what she believes in. After you connect on her why, then you can talk about how you’ll do it.

What you do is the least important.

Why you do it is paramount, and how you do it is secondary. What problems do you solve? What value do you create? Why is that of significance to the other person? What is the connection to their “why”?

Creating an Opening Statement that is phrased in the other person’s self-interest, highlights your relevance to them and the potential importance of the subject of conversation is different.  And the thing about this approach is that it will set you entirely apart from your competitors. If you don’t believe that, then read through a couple dozen blog posts on how to create a great opening statement.

It’s unlikely that you’ll find this approach described in many places.

 

What not to say, or giving your prospect a reason to say, “No”

The list is long of things not to say. Imagine what goes through your mind when you hear these openers.

 

This is just a quick call

Don’t say, “This is just a quick call”.  Are you saying that your call isn’t important or that your prospect isn’t important? Quick calls can often be accomplished another way. Ever heard of email?

Like you, your prospect probably won’t appreciate being interrupted for a “quick call”. It’s still an interruption. Avoid the word “just” as well – it weakens the words that follow it.

 

We’re based in (location)

Who cares where you are based? How is that relevant? Are you saying that you deliver more value because of where your office is?

 

How are you? How’s your Friday going? Can you hear me?

This is mindless chatter. Get to the point.

On the Radio Four programme, Any Answers, you’ll sometimes hear the moderator ask callers to not say, “Good afternoon”. Why? Because it wastes time.

If the person can’t hear you, she will say so. If the day isn’t going very well, you’ll know. She may even tell you.

Remember the purpose of the call. It’s not to enquire on the person’s health, unless you’re in that industry.

 

I know you’re busy

Don’t waste time by stating the obvious.

 

That’s a great question

When you say this, it sounds like you’re stalling. It also sounds like you’re patronising. Neither of these is a good way to carry on a conversation. No doubt, you can think of many others. The thing to do is to write down all the common phrases you use and that you hear other people use, and then to delete them from your vocabulary.

 

A successful sales call

If you plan what you’re going to say to your prospects and their gatekeepers, then you’ll experience greater success in your sales calls. If, however, you shoot from the lip, then you’ll end up hitting your foot.

 

If you want to be more effective at open up sales calls to prospects – email me here