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August 18 - October 11, 2019
Every single word you say counts. Every-single-word.
So what do you do? First, write down what you plan to say so that you can make every word you use as powerful as possible.
If you fill up those precious first few seconds with groveling, apologizing, and pleasantries, you are communicating nothing of significance that enables a buyer to conclude that you are worth more time.
Don’t confuse being direct, prepared, professional, and getting to the point with being rude or “too salesy.”
Eliminate everything unrelated to communicating a benefit and a reason to meet. And understand this: you must provide sufficient reason to meet. And, the benefit they will get from meet...
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9. Have Reasonable Expectations. Know the Difference Between Normal And A Problem.
If a process that will make you money requires 9 or 12 dials, and you quit at 3, you self-sabotage yourself. Not because you are not doing the right things, but because you are a stop-short.
Our suspects are preconditioned to reject calls in a knee-jerk manner. They are quick to conclude that a call/email/touch is a waste of time and that the sales rep is an idiot. Gravity is working against us.
For you to achieve the purpose of your outreach efforts, you must project a more powerful force than the factors that are working against you. To break free of gravity, you must punch through with a more powerful force.
If you think that a couple of calls or touches made haphazardly or a beat around the bush poorly worded voicemail or email is going to get their attention for those critical few moments, you are deluding yourself.
You must commit to a total call/outreach process that contains sequenced calls, voicemails, emails, maybe a LinkedIn message or other touch, delivered on a pre-defined schedule.
12. Have a “Buyers” Only Focus. Throw Everyone Else Down the Stairs.
Your objective - your sole objective - is to get the most out of the time/money that you invest in prospecting (to schedule the most appointments with qualified prospects as you can).
Always speak and act as if you were speaking to someone who would be receptive to your message.
OUR SERVICE IS VALUABLE
You have to think only of those you can reach; who have a need; and who, if they can comprehend and absorb the major benefits you can deliver to them, would agree to meet with you. Ignore everyone else.
Blur out BS from nonbuyers
Don't waste precious time probing to see if they have a need or interest before you unload the heavy guns and deliver your powerful benefit-laden message.
Those who don’t recognize a need or are not buyers will reject you no matter what you say. Don’t focus on them or give that group even a moment’s thought.
Focus 100% on saying words that buyers need to hear to conclude you are worth more of their time. Assume everyone is a buyer until you learn otherwise.
Ignore everyone else and ruthlessly toss them down the stairs.
13. You Are Interrupting Those You Call. Get Over It.
You are interrupting people. You have chosen to interrupt them. Respect them, get to the point quickly, and say something of substance rather than making them listen to you grovel and apologize.
14. People Buy From Peers; Be a Peer
Don’t diminish your status. Your time is worth as much as their time. You have valuable information to share and many welcome and benefit from your offering. At this stage of the process, you can talk toe to toe with anyone at any level. Believe that and project that.
Confidence
I was not a subject matter expert. Didn’t need to be.
You are not selling the product or service. You are selling the meeting.
When questions come up that you can’t answer, that is exactly why they need to take the meeting.
Dont be afraid of unknown questions
On average it takes 9 to 12 dials to a targeted suspect to have a conversation. Not 9 dials to 9 different suspects, but 9-12 dials to a particular suspect. That number is growing.
It means that your call, email, touch, and interaction process must contain a minimum of 7 touches to be even in the ballpark of success. Not only do you need multiple consistent touches, but you need a mix of touches. Not all people respond to the same things. Phone calls, voicemail, emails, snail mail, and Linkedin are the most common touches.
16. Your Most Successful Scripts, Messaging, And Emails Will Be An Annoyance, Waste of Time, And “Too Salesy” To Most
Their response has more to do with their situation and their recognition of needs than it has to do with you.
Rant mode: One of the biggest mistakes I see, which is a great example of sales and marketing idiocy, is to water down messaging, which decreases response from those with the greatest needs and highest probability of buying so that fewer people will be “annoyed.”
Dont be too vague
Don’t overreact when you have a bad conversation or get a negative response. Getting fewer negative responses does not get you more positive responses.
Assuming you are calling the right people, it is the value and credibility you communicate that wins. Not whether it is too long, not whether it sounds conversational, not whether you are comfortable with it, not whether it seems too scripted, not whether it seems too salesy (don’t get me going) or whether your co-workers and friends like it. Value wins.
You can do a lot of things imperfectly. If you are communicating value and credibility in the eyes of the suspect, you will win big. Smooth delivery and comfort come with time and practice — stuff as much value in what you say as you can. If you are talking to a buyer, they will listen, even if you think other things are imperfect.
Your objective is not their objective.
19. Top Performers Do Not Model The Struggling, The Mediocre, And The Wannabes That Never Will Be.
Be Different From Most. Be Similar To The Best.
Yes!
I sought out those that had been successful and studied their methods. I did what those who were already successful did. Period. No exceptions.
Find out what works. Do what works without exception. Don’t do what most do, do what the best do.
20. In Any Group of Suspects You Target, Only a Limited Percentage Will Be Reachable and Receptive. Know Your Points of Diminishing Returns.
When you started calling that group of 100, it was a very high-probability list. As you worked it and booked meetings, collected info and knocked some out, what was left became a much lower probability group.
There are only so many “yes’s” in any group of suspects.
21. The Benefits You Promise Must Be Delivered At The First Meeting
They are much more likely to meet with you if they know that at the first meeting, they are going to get something they consider to be worthwhile, even if they don’t do business with you.
Need to translate omada value at the first meeting
That is just not as powerful as telling them that you have information and strategies about how similar companies have solved the same kind of problems and achieved similar goals that the suspect’s firm would like to achieve. And, the best part is that you are going to provide this information and those strategies at the time of the first meeting.
More examples during DCs
If you have to spend too much time to get a meeting scheduled, the system isn't sustainable.
23. Think “Groups,” Not Individuals.
The vast majority of people you try to communicate with will be unreachable, have no need or say “no.” So, it will be rejection rejection rejection.
Do not think of prospecting each individual in the group. If you think of prospecting in terms of results when calling a specific individual or what happens on an individual call, you are setting yourself up for failure as the vast majority of the time, you will not achieve the result you seek.
The big picture must be based not on how you do with any specific target but how well you do with any particular group of targets.
