So there you are, with phone in hand, calling potential customers.
The theme from Indiana Jones starts playing as you dodge assistants, voice mails, Caller ID, people hanging up on you, people telling you “not interested” without ever hearing what you do and then . . .
You actually get through to someone!
They listen to what you have to say and you actually have a dialogue. Things are looking good, there’s some degree of interest but for whatever reason, you still don’t get the appointment.
Bummer. Right?
And Now The Sucky Part . . .
They’ve probably forgotten about you within seconds of that call!
Just think about all the things that are going on in their world.
They are dealing with internal and or external customers.
Lots and lots of work!
How many more calls and voicemails will they deal with that day alone?
FastCompany Magazine says they will be exposed to over 3,000 advertising messages each day.
They will consume 100,000 words of content (University of California, San Diego)
If they are to be considered an average user of email, they will send and receive over 100 emails each day. That’s at least 100 opportunities to forget about you. No?
They will be interrupted an average of 7 times each hour according to Wendy Cole from Time Magazine.
And since a report by the BBC states that the average attention span is 9 seconds;
They’ve probably forgotten about you . . . mighty quick.
Here’s What You Can Do About It . . .
First . . . Say thank you! Seriously, send them a card (not an email)
Do that one step alone . . . and you immediately stand out!
Nobody ever thanks someone who doesn’t buy from them and that’s why you need to do it!
Note: Was an assistant helpful or instrumental in any way with regard to you getting a chance to speak with a potential customer? Might want to thank them too! Do that, and you might just ascend to Multi Platinum Rock Star Status and, as a bonus, have someone eager to help you in the future.
Next . . . Send a Recap of the discussion.
A recap has deadly powers that the average sales person never realizes.
A recap isn’t just something you send because of protocol . . . you send it because when crafted properly they help your prospect, get back to the state they were in when you asked them the awesome questions you hopefully asked.
I would send the recap after the thank you and time it so both are received about 48 – 72 hours after the call was completed.
Mix up your “touches”
Now this is the part where the average sales rep really screws up, because the only thing they will do (out of mucho options) is make a note to call back in their CRM and then call to “Check in”
Way to sound like everyone else dude! Seriously, you do know by now that there are other things besides the phone you’re way too dependent upon.Right?
I mean, definitely schedule a call back but what will you do in the interim?
How about an invitation to connect on a social network?
How about mailing them something or even Fedexing or delivering something?
Is there a resource you could send them?
Do you have anything in your arsenal that educates people on how to buy your product or service? No? Well why the heck not?
How about a funny greeting card?
How about a “blank card”?
How about a greeting card sent on non religious holidays?
How about 40 different ways you can creatively get their attention?
How about an invite to a networking event?
Here’s the long and the short of it gang . . .
They’re gonna forget about us the moment they hang up!
How cool would it be if we anticipated that and were fully prepared with a killer “Stay In Touch” campaign?
As I’ve said before, nobody is diss’n your phone call and I’m not saying the cold call is dead . . .
It’s just really lonely and in need of some companionship!
By the way, this is the topic of our new How To Hunt More Effectively online program. Click here or the banner below to check out some other ways you can keep your prospect’s attention!
