Photo by Jan Jespersen
I have a client who routinely reaches out to potential customers via phone calls and email. Smart man that he is, he’s trying to figure out how to do what he does better with a more targeted approach to getting in front of his buyers.
As part of this effort, he recently asked one of his customers how best to get his attention. Email? Phone calls? Texts? E-newsletters? Blogs?
He quickly found out it’s not uncommon for customers to get 25-50 phone calls each week from vendors. Often, if someone doesn’t recognize a number or name, they don’t even think about answering the phone, much less responding to a voicemail. They get even more emails, and most of these go straight to junk folders where they probably are never seen at all.
A Better Way
So how do you get past all that and get your message to someone who might actually pay attention and buy from you?
It helps, of course, to know when the customer is actually in the market for what you have. And that’s pretty much impossible. So you cast a wider net with something customers can use—with something that will get their attention, perhaps even educate them and let them know their needs come first.
A blog can do that. There’s one young woman who has gotten the attention of customers (and even potential customers) by routinely sending out interesting blog posts. These posts don’t always focus solely on her company (one time she recommended a Netflix show), but they eventually do touch on her products and services.
The thing is, she’s offering something unexpected, she’s even giving something away for free, and that gets her some welcome attention. It puts her in front of clients and keeps her and her company in the backs of their minds. Likely, she’ll still be there when it’s time for them to buy.
Here’s what I know for sure:
- It is naive to think someone would schedule time with a stranger/new vendor—especially on a cold call.
- Buyers don’t want to talk to vendors unless they have a real need. That’s logical, and it’s the biggest challenge for salespeople who rarely know of a buyer’s timeframe. They don’t know the tipping point that makes a buyer ready to buy. That’s why they have to call/email/text regularly, it’s a difficult circle.
- Buyers are inundated with solicitations! Make your message count by saying exactly what you’re trying to accomplish/offer in the subject line and the very first sentence of an email, voicemail or text.
- Buyers really do want an advisor in a salesperson. They want to be educated or coached and not simply sold something. Be the person who does that on a consistent basis, and you’ll stand out from the crowd.
Put Yourself in Your Clients’ Place
I’ve always coached that when you educate a buyer—with their best interests in mind—you add extra value to the transaction. When I first started coaching over 25 years ago, I did what everyone said not to do: I gave my advice away for free in a newsletter hoping readers would then buy my services. And lots of people did!
My logic was this: If they don’t know me, how can I expect them to buy from me? How can I expect them to trust what I have to say if they don’t know about my expertise?
It worked out for me, and that’s why I continue this practice with my blog. I want to be part of my clients’ teams—sharing info and ideas that I think will help them succeed. I’m not alone in this; consider the blog I referenced above.
Cold calling will never go away, but you should find new—and interesting—ways to get your message in front of people. That’s how you do what you do better.