Ever made a cold call from a list or Internet search, and had the door slammed in your face because the person you called didn’t have a need for your services? Did you do any research before you made the call? Did you look them up on LinkedIn or check their website BEFORE you called? If you did, you might have discovered one of three things: 1. They do plan and book hotels for meetings or guest rooms. 2. They do something entirely different. Or, 3. You can’t tell if they do or do not need your services. So, how do you open up the lines of communication.
If it it scenario #1 – you are in like Flynn. Give them your best 30 second elevator pitch and “Sell”.
If it is #2 – you move on to the next name on the list.
If it is #3 – you need to find out what they do without “assuming” what your role would be with him/her or their company. What about an opening statement like this?
“Hey XXX, I am on your website right now. We help planners like you book rooms and meetings with one-stop shopping. I don’t know if what we do would help you or not, but I’d like to ask you for 20 minutes of your time to learn a little about your goals, show you what we do, and see if there is anything we might do together. If there isn’t, we’ll both have explored it together, and if not, you may know someone else who needs our help.”
Is this a pitch you would have said yes to? Even though they might have suspected it wasn’t going to be the right fit for them – it is a much more consultative approach, and it would have been a better ask. Honestly, it’s really what you wanted in the first place…. face-to-face contact and the opportunity to make a connection.
Are you spending your time with the right targets? Is your approach effective in gaining the commitments you need from your dream clients? Rewrite your scripts or script outlines and see if taking this type of approach when prospecting yields better results.
Don’t forget to do a little research first! It is the key to getting your foot in the door.
Happy Prospecting!
Linda