Dart Folk

Sick and tired of prospective customers never calling you back?
Then it’s time to take a good hard look at what you’re doing -
or not doing - that’s creating these results for you.

Voicemail is a fact of life today. Whether you like it or not is
irrelevant. And believe me, getting through to decision makers
is only going to get worse. So if your livelihood depends on
getting in to see these people, you better learn how to use it
to your advantage.

First, let’s take a look at the basic formula most sellers use
in their voicemail messages:

•Hello, Mr/Ms __. This is __ calling. •I’m an account executive
with __ company. •We make/do __. •Our product/service is leading
edge, high quality and __. •I’d like to get together to learn
more about how you do __. •And tell you about how our __ can
help your business. •Please call me at __ to set up a time.

What’s wrong with it? It’s boring, boring, boring. No one in
their right mind would ever waste one precious moment of their
time to meet with a seller who said this.

Let me repeat myself. This approach does NOT work. I don’t care
if that’s how you were trained. The world has changed. Even your
own mother wouldn’t call you back today - and that’s pretty darn
bad!

Most buyers from big companies are bombarded with more than 50
calls like this each and every day. Your message is “bleeped”
before the second sentence is out of your mouth.

HOW TO BE ENTICING Being enticing is about saying or asking
something in a manner that truly piques a prospective decision
maker’s interest or curiosity.

You have to put on your thinking cap too. There’s no way around
it. Enticing voicemails don’t just flow out of your mouth when
its time to leave a message. In fact, lack of planning is
guaranteed to make you sound trite and cheesy - exactly like the
kind of salesperson everyone detests.

Here are five strategies you can use to increase your enticement
quotient:

1. Reference your Research Do you know how few sellers actually
invest time studying their clients before placing a call? Very
few. You’ll immediately set yourself apart if you mention it in
your voicemail.

You might say:

•”In researching your firm prior to calling you today, I noticed
that …”

•”In reviewing your company’s website and marketing collateral,
it became apparent to me that a critical issue you’re facing is
…”

•”In reviewing your organization’s strategic direction and
comparing it to others in your market segment …”

If you’re not doing this pre-call research prior to contacting a
big company, you’re making a huge mistake. Dig in. Do it. What
you learn can help make your voicemail even more enticing.

2. State a Strong Value Proposition Powerful value propositions
focus on the business outcomes companies get from using your
products or services. Framed in business terminology, they
highlight specific measurable results.

Examples of enticing value propositions include:

•”In working with another firm like yours, we reduced space
requirements by 10%, saving them over $500k on lease payments
and capital equipment reductions of over $300,000.”

•”We help shrink time-to-revenue on new product introductions -
a big issue facing companies today. In fact, research into
failed product launches shows that 70% of executives blame weak
value propositions as a major factor in their poor sales
results.”

•”After working with our firm, our average retail clients see
sales conversions increases of between 39-57% and their average
order size increase by 13-18%.”

Prospective customers are enticed by strong value propositions
because they address critical business issues AND demonstrate
significant value. To increase their effectiveness, mention that
the results come from businesses like theirs - or even name-drop
some prominent clients.

Note: for a good resource, paste this url in your browser:
http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com/sales-tools/reports/strongVa
lueProp.php

3. Share an Insightful Idea Nothing is more tempting to future
customers than an idea that can help them achieve their goals or
solve their pressing problems. You have to do some pre-work to
use this approach, but oooooh, it is seductive.

When you leave a voicemail, don’t tell your customers
everything. Only tell them enough to get them drooling to learn
more.

To be enticing with a thought-provoking idea, you combine it
with some facts you’ve gathered from your research of their
business and your value proposition. Examples might be:

•”Over the past month, I’ve invested a great deal of time
studying your website and what you’re trying to accomplish with
it. Based on my analysis, I have some interesting ideas
regarding how you could leverage it to create additional revenue
opportunities.”

•”I’ve been following your firm closely for the past six months,
since its merger with Beta Industries. After hearing about your
recent round of lay-offs, I have some ideas that I’d like to
share with you regarding how you can reduce the risks of
potential legal action.”

4. Dangle Important Information Do you know something that your
prospective clients don’t? If so, let them know you have this
lucrative information. What tempts prospective buyers? They’re
always interested in learning more about:

•Their customers •Competitors •Industry trends •Visionary ideas.

If you have access to this knowledge, use it. One of my clients
recently used this strategy to land appointments with hard to
reach decision makers. Essentially, here’s what they said:

“We recently conducted a study of how your customer’s needs are
changing relative to decisions on group life insurance. I’d like
to set up a time to review some of the key points with you. I
know people in your firm will be very interested in what we’ve
uncovered.”

5. Conclude with Confidence Today’s buyers won’t waste time
helping you learn about their business. Nor do they want to hear
your product/service pitch. Enticing voicemail messages must end
with strength, that customers will get immediate value if they
meet with you.

Several options that have proven to be effective include:

•”We need to talk. The savings I’m talking about can drop right
to your bottom line. Give me a call at 651-429-1922 and we’ll
set up a time to get together.”

•”While I can’t promise you the exact same results, I can assure
you that it will be worth your time. My number is 651-429-1922.
Give me a call and we’ll set up a time to get together.”

•”If you’d like to find out how (big, well-known company in
related industry) have utilized similar ideas to gain
significant market share, you can reach me at 651-429-1922. I
look forward to getting together.

Please notice how these closures demonstrate a quiet confidence
and assuredness in the value of an appointment.

SUMMARY Are you ready to be enticing? As you can see, it
requires some serious thinking, a good understanding of your
business case and the panache to pull it off as a professional.

While the strategies discussed don’t ensure a callback, they
will guarantee that you stand out from the crowd. Creating a
series of these enticing messages enables you to penetrate your
customer’s natural defenses. When you do actually connect,
getting an appointment should be the natural next step.

And, don’t be too surprised if you pick up the phone some day
and it’s your prospective customer - begging to meet with you!