We’re now more than 4 months into our “new normal”, and things don’t seem to be changing anytime soon. With so much doom and gloom in the news, how can we as salespeople be expected to continue performing at our pre-lockdown production? It’s simple, we can be the lighthouse in the storm.
Keep in mind that customers and prospects are paying attention to the news. They’re seeing the same panic and downturn when they flip on their TVs. This gives us the opportunity to be a calming voice of reason for them. When we are calm, rational, and able to present insightful ideas, we put prospects at ease and help them see a way forward through this mess. The only way to do this is to make sure we are prepared for our calls.
Come prepared with well-designed questions that are aimed at uncovering their most important Business Issues. If you’ve been working with this prospect for some time, let them know that you understand these priorities may have changed in the last few months. By asking the right questions, we can help them tease out their most important problems and may be able to help them solve problems they didn’t even know they had.
If you are calling on a new prospect, you’ll need to use a credibility introduction to gain someone’s attention. In the current “Zoom meeting” environment, you can’t rely on your in-person charming disposition to capture someone’s attention. Don’t forget you only have 60 seconds to capture their attention before it’s gone for good. You’ll need an extremely well thought out credibility intro to keep them engaged. Before your meeting, think about the following:
- Who are we calling on?
- What are the #1 and #2 most important things they need to focus on?
- How can you help them accomplish those?
Design your credibility intro around a time that you helped someone with a similar role accomplish similar objectives. Be sure to include their Business Issue, a few problems, and what value they got from working with your organization. Including metrics in the story will peak your prospect’s interest. If the prospect can see themselves in your credibility intro, they’ll lean in and share more. Ask follow-up questions to uncover their exact scenario. The prospect should be talking twice as much as you are.
Now more than ever, it is the questions that you ask that will win deals, so take the time to prepare them well.
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