Producer spotlight
Are you losing them at hello?
Adapted from an article by Jill Konrath, sellingtobigcompanies.com
In the movie Jerry Maguire, when Tom Cruise is in the midst of his proposal to Dorothy, she stops him with, "You had me at hello." Every seller dreams of hearing those words when they approach potential customers.
Unfortunately, the opposite usually occurs. Instead of capturing a prospect's attention, most sellers create resistance with their opening remarks and blow the opportunity.
Consider these common statements often used in prospecting for new clients:
- “We offer one-stop shopping for all your (fill in the blank) needs.”
- “We're the industry leader in (fill in the blank) and have been recognized for our exceptional (fill in the blank).”
- “We work with well-known clients such as (fill in the blank).”
These are nice benefit statements about the firm, and while they might be important at some point in the decision process, they're utterly worthless when prospecting. Why? Because they don't give prospects any valid reason for making a change from what they have now.
But by sharing a strong value proposition with your prospects, you'll:
- Pique their curiosity and entice. They'll want to learn more.
- Create a stark contrast from the status quo. They'll open up to the possibility of change.
If you want to get decision makers "at hello," you need to clearly articulate the results customers can expect from using your product, service or solution. That's what a value proposition is.
If you really want to "get them at hello," then make sure to:
- Talk results. Prospects don't care about your products or services. They only care about the results they'll see. Stress that and you'll catch their attention.
For example, in a training session I conducted for the national accounts team of a well-known media company I asked each salesperson to identify one large corporate client with whom they wanted to set up a meeting. As a result of the workshop, 87 percent of the sales force landed an appointment with their targeted accounts. Do I now use that example in my prospecting calls? Absolutely! - Get real. Refer to actual client successes and include measures or statistics. Success stories from other companies in their industry are especially compelling. By giving specific examples, you pique curiosity.
- Test your message. After you've planned what to say, ask, “If I were the prospect, would this message entice me? Would it make me want to spend an hour of my valuable time with this person?” “Would it make me consider switching vendors?”
If your answer isn't a resounding yes, keep reworking and revising your message. Don't leave it to chance or hope it will work. Your job is to make it so compelling prospects "get it at hello."
Jill Konrath is the author of Selling to Big Companies, listed on Fortune magazine’s “must read” sales books. Buy it now at Amazon. She is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and industry events. For more information, visit sellingtobigcompanies.com.
