My phone rang. A Las Vegas number I didn't recognize, and it was labeled “Possible Spam.”
My phone had done more homework on her than she had on me.
Depending on my mood and how busy I am at the moment, I'll take calls like these for research purposes. And entertainment.
"Hi, this is Art."
Rep: "Hi, this is Tracy with _____. We provide an intuitive text messaging service. It..." (Followed by the usual blah, blah, blah.)
Then she asked:
"I was wondering, do you do text messaging there in your call center?"
Me: "I'm not a call center."
Rep: "Oh. Well, uh... ummm, ok... heh... I guess..."
Me: "You actually could have found that out pretty easily if you just looked me up."
Rep: "Well, I just get these lists, and if I had to look everyone up it would take me all day."
Bingo.
Me: "And you would have a much better chance of getting people to talk to you."
Rep: "Yeah, well, I couldn't place as many calls... So what do you do there?"
Oh boy.
Me: "You should NEVER ask that question. Tell you what. Look me up, find out what we do, go through some of the material, then go to your manager and tell him or her that I can show you how to get more people interested instead of creating resistance in the first few seconds."
Rep: "Uh, ok. Well, whatever..."
Click.
She never called back.
STOP CONFUSING ACTIVITY WITH PRODUCTIVITY
Tracy's reasoning was that researching prospects would reduce the number of calls she could make.
She was right.
She'd make fewer calls.
But she'd probably have a much better chance of having a conversation with someone who might actually buy.
And isn't that why we're making the calls in the first place?
I've heard the same argument from salespeople and managers for decades. And especially since the first edition of Smart Calling came out in 2010.
"We don't have time to research everybody."
"We need to hit our dial numbers."
"We've got thousands of leads to work."
Okay. But how much time are you wasting calling people who aren't remotely qualified, delivering irrelevant pitches, getting shot down, and then following up with more irrelevant messages?
Tracy had enough time to dial my number, deliver her pitch, stumble through an awkward conversation, and ultimately accomplish nothing.
A quick look at my website or LinkedIn profile would have told her I wasn't running the kind of call center she was targeting.
She could have skipped me entirely.
Or, if she had a legitimate reason to believe her service could help my business, she could have approached me with something relevant.
Either would have been better than what happened.
And Now There's Even Less Excuse
When I first wrote Smart Calling, getting intel on people took more digging than it does today. It still paid off handsomely.
Now salespeople have tools that can research a company, identify likely buyers, and suggest relevant reasons for reaching out in just a few keystrokes. Tracy could have found out I'm not a call center in about ten seconds.
Yet a lot of people are using those same tools to fire generic messages at people who have little reason to care.
Before Your Next Prospecting Call
You don't need 30 minutes of research on every prospect. You don't even need five minutes in every case.
But you should be able to answer three questions:
Why this person or company? What makes them a reasonable prospect for what you offer?
Why might they care? What Intel have you found that suggests they might have a problem you can help solve, an opportunity to pursue, or a result they'd like to achieve?
What will you say to create interest? How can you connect that Intel to some Possible Value without assuming they have a problem?
Then use that information to start a conversation.
You might still hear "not interested."
Actually, of course you will.
But at least you've given the other person a reason to consider talking with you.
And you'll avoid sounding like Tracy.
If you're measuring success only by activity, you can have a spectacularly busy day and accomplish nothing.
Before you make your next call, ask yourself: Have I given this person any reason to want to talk with me?
What I offered Tracy, a way to get people interested instead of creating resistance in the first few seconds, is exactly what my First 20 Seconds Formula teaches.
Smart Calling AI Coach Update
This is one of the situations we're building the new Smart Calling AI Coach to help with. You can work with it to research a prospect, identify possible opportunities, and develop an opening and questions based on what you've learned. All using the Smart Calling principles I've been teaching for decades.
And when you're unsure how to approach someone, what to ask, or how to handle a situation, you'll have a coach to help you think it through. More on that soon.
Make it your best week ever!
