Hot sales buttons to grab the potential customer’s attention from the beginning of their first phone contact

Always have one of these classic sales hot buttons ready to lead, and another in reserve, before dialing the call to the prospect or decision maker (“DM”) to request a meeting. (In many ways, they are similar to the short “elevator speech” you should have ready – we discussed elevator speeches in another article.)

(As a good practice, you should be aware of these sales hot buttons before you even call the prospect’s secretary the first time, so you’re ready when the screen calls it up.)

Hot sale button No. # 1: You are following up on a personal reference from someone the prospect knows and respects.

This particular sales button also tends to be a very powerful door opener. But be sure to clearly pronounce the name and organization of the referral, so the potential customer will quickly establish the connection. Here is a model to adapt:

“My firm recently completed a project with Lucas Industries, and Mr. Lucas suggested that we contact you. He thought we might have areas of mutual interest. Perhaps he has already spoken to you about this?”

Hot sale button No. # 2: Highlight the relevant key cases from your success story.

Again, be concise. Talk about “bottom line”. That is, emphasize what these cases imply you can DO FOR the prospect or organization, not the technical details of the product or service you offer.

A sales button is just that: a button to press, not a lengthy “information dump.” If the quick access button works, you will know and then you can fill in the details.

These early models are appropriate if you already have direct target experience.

“We have been able to help several other law firms in the area reduce their overhead costs. This translates to an average of ten percent more profitability. I would like to meet with you to explain how we can also help your company.”

Or, “As an art consultant, I work with several other people in the Great Falls area who are interested in art for both aesthetic and investment reasons. In about 15 minutes together we can determine if this is appropriate for you.”

Or, “I design training programs and have recently worked with two large banks in the Midwest. As a consultant to these banks, I developed teller training that increased teller productivity by over 15 percent. I think I can do what same for your bank. I’d like to meet with you for half an hour to explore the possibilities. “

But suppose you don’t have an independent experience to refer to yet. That is, what if all your work has been as a salaried employee and not as a consultant or freelance? One approach is to modify your introduction. So you could rephrase the latest model above as,

“When I was at BigBank, I led a team that developed teller training that increased productivity in …”

Alternatively, if you’ve just set up your business and still don’t have successes to refer to, you can suggest an area of ​​potential need, letting the DM infer that you have the capacity to successfully fulfill it:

“As you know, one of the most troublesome issues most law firms face is how to store and access key data. We can provide you with a solution that will save your firm a significant amount of money in the first year and increase your access to this information. “

Or, “I am an art consultant. I think it would be worth meeting me for half an hour at your convenience to discuss a program that I offer, as I believe it may have significant investment potential for you.”

Hot sale button No. 3: BRIEFLY summarize what you think you can do for this organization.

Again, since sales hot buttons are to engage the DM, emphasize what you can do FOR the prospect or organization, not the specifics of what you DO. What people really set out to buy is results, not products or services. The product or service is a means to an end for them.

An effective sales button is a concise, “offset” statement, usually no more than a couple or three sentences. You will lose the potential customer’s attention if you are too wordy. Here is a model to adapt:

“I’m calling because I have ideas to share on how my company can reduce the response time of its accounts receivable.”

Notice how this sample sales script is designed to intrigue the potential customer by mentioning one area of ​​interest – how you can speed up payments and thereby improve cash flow and profitability. It does NOT go into the technical magic of the software program you have developed and hope to install.

Your previous assignment in researching the organization may spark some initial ideas about the ways you can help:

“My readings on the difficulties your company is having in keeping up with the demand for your products told me that …”

Or, make suggestions from your experience on how organizations like this may need help:

“I have been able to help several startups like yours, and in my experience, you may be experiencing some typical difficulties at this stage of your growth.”

Don’t get bogged down at this point in the details of how you will do what you set out to do – save it for the face-to-face meeting.

Hot sale button No. # 4 – Explain that you are calling to provide information that the key decision maker previously requested.

If you’re calling in response to the prospect’s request for information, that’s clearly a door opener. But as you go through with it, be sure to make it clear that you are following up on the prospect’s request.

You may also need to refresh your memory of the context in which that request was made:

“We met after my talk last week to the local CDE Association, and you asked me if I had ever heard of the method being applied to your industry. The question intrigued me, I researched it and got some interesting results. I’d like to meet with you to share these findings. Would an evening later this week or early next be appropriate? “

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