Hooking a Prospect with a Great Idea: Idea Selling Strategies

Hooks in the water.

That’s a phrase I use a lot to describe sales. It’s important to put as many hooks in the water as possible so that you have as many opportunities to make a sales as you can get.

Let me push the analogy one more step. I like to have a hook for prospects and clients.

Many times I’ve walked into someone’s office or business and said something like, “Hi, I’m Robb, and I’d love to chat with the person who handles your advertising and marketing.” And many times, I’ve been met with blank stares and uninterested people. Most business owners feel like marketing is an often-unnecessary evil, and they have very little desire to chat about it with a total stranger. This approach, though common, fails a lot of the time because it does nothing to hook the prospect.

I’m positive that the same can be said for just about any other salesperson, regardless of industry, service, or product.

But there have been a few times that I’ve had a great idea. And I’ve prospected for that idea. And I believed in it. And I wanted the prospect to believe in it too. And I couldn’t wait to talk to them about it. “Hi, I’m Robb. And I’m working on this great idea that I think would be perfect for you. I came in today because I’m so excited to share it with you.” Most people can’t help but be interested in learning more. They’re hooked.

Idea selling is simply a way to bait your hook.

Idea selling is using a creative concept as the lead by which you get a prospect interested in talking to you more. Idea selling shows that you’ve already taken an interest in your prospect’s business, that you’re smart enough to be thinking about their needs (and solutions to those needs) before you ever walk in the door. Idea selling is a way to open the door and start a conversation.

But here’s what idea selling is not – it’s not selling a cookie-cutter package. When I come up with an idea that I want to sell, I make sure to not figure out every single aspect of it. I come up with a concept, a sketch of an idea, and then I work with the client to fill in all the details in a way that meets their specific needs. Idea selling is not a take-it-or-leave-it proposition; it’s an invitation to a conversation in which we’re going to customize something perfect for the client.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But I’m not a very creative person. I can’t come up with great ideas.” That may or may not be the case. Either way, here are some prompts I use to come up with ideas:

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Calendars

Some of the best ideas are seasonally appropriate ideas. What’s something that makes sense for summer? How can you creatively customize the solution you’re selling for fall? What holidays are coming up that would be a natural hook for you to utilize with prospects?

In advertising sales, I also think about specialty designations for each month. February is Children’s Dental Health Month. May is National Bike Month. August is Back-to-School. November is Adoption Month. I’ve come up with great sell-able ideas based on each of these. Every month has several designations. Just google it.

But … keep this in mind. When it comes to idea selling for time sensitive ideas, you’ve got to be thinking in advance. Give yourself a lot of lead time. Don’t start prospecting for a Valentine’s Day idea on February 1. You probably won’t have enough time to it sold. You’re likely going to hear, “We like the idea, but our budget is already set.” I once sold a Thanksgiving-themed idea in July. It was perfect timing.

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Causes That You Care About

The world is not the way it is supposed to be. So many people are doing such good things to make things a little better. What are the things you care about? Is it poverty? Awareness of a disease? Environmental issues? Veterans’ care? If you can come up with some ideas that address causes you care about, you’ll have the motivation and passion to sell those ideas.

Here are a couple of tips: once you have an idea for a particular cause, look up every organization that is currently working to address that issue, both locally and nationally. See if they have a sponsors page that lists companies that support them. Prospect off those sponsorship pages. Go to places where you know they already care about the issue.

Also, if you can, develop a partnership with a local non-profit. If you can say that you’re already working with a local non-profit, your idea has instant credibility. And, that non-profit might also be able to provide you with some great leads to prospect.

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Clever Creative

In advertising sales, it makes a difference if you can can come up with a commercial idea for a business category ahead of time. Describe the idea to a prospect so that they can picture it. Maybe even storyboard it for them. If they can see it, they may be more likely to buy it.

This works with other industries as well. Let me give you an example. I’ve had many, many pest control salespeople come to the door of my home. They have a line they all use about working at another house in our neighborhood and ask if I’d be interested in their service. Boring. I always say no. But what if that door-to-door salesperson had an iPad with them with pictures of bed bugs or termites or all the horrifying bugs I can’t see in my house. What if she said something creative about how I’m living with these bugs and showed me their pictures? It hasn’t happened yet, but I bet I’d be much more inclined to listen to her!

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I try to spend one afternoon a month just thinking about creative ideas to sell. I normally get a cup of coffee and hole myself up in a place where I can think and brainstorm without distractions. Try it and see if might work for you.

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Come back tomorrow for an article about the importance of using stories when you sell.

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