The Prospecting Professor

"Send Me Something in the Mail": A Scripted Response

You've just made your telephonic presentation to a prospect. After a pause they respond, "Could you send something in the mail?" What they really mean is, "How compelling...NOT! Oh...Gawd. How can I  get this clown off my phone without a scene? I know...I'll ask them to send me something. That's it"

Of course, you could kill another tree and send them something. Or you could respond with something like this...

"Well, I could certainly do that. However I've found that with an investment approach like this, the literature is not completely self-explanatory. In fact, it usually raises more questions than it answers. In the time it takes to digest it all, I could give you a live demonstration that would really show you what the benefits are. And it would only take 10 minutes tops! How's Monday morning at 10:00?"

Or you could say this...

"Well, I've found that when people ask for more literature, sometimes it's because they've already decided they don't want what's being offered and are just looking for a graceful exit. If that's the case with you,  I'm sure you have a good reason for feeling that you don't want this product. I'm curious about what this is"

If your prospect doesn't bite at either response, yet you believe that they are somewhat interested, you could end the call with this...

"OK. Let me send this off to you in an e-mail document. I'll do this right away. What's your email address, and that of others who will be involved in the decision?"

Your email to the prospect will most likely not be read. Yet email-addresses are gold, because they give you direct access to the prospect.

Quote of the Day: "Imagination is one of the last remaining legal means you have to gain an unfair advantage over your competition."...Pat Fallon

An Appointment-Getting Script that Anticipates a "No"

In the March issue of The American Salesman there is an article authored by Anne Bachrach entitled, "Getting to the Right People". She outlines an appointment-getting approach that anticipates a "No". I like aspects of her script, and wanted to pass this along. At the end of this post, I'll have some observations of my own. Here it is...

Prospect: Hello?

You: Hi, Mr/Ms Prospect, John Dough asked me to give you a call and I promised that I would. John said that you are a successful manager with Acme Widget, is that right?

Prospect: Yes (sheepishly)

You: As a successful manager with Acme Widget, I assume that you are always on the lookout for...

1. Ways to make smarter choices with your money
2. Ways to accelerate the time when you can retire comfortably
3. Portfolio strategies that reduce risk and increase return
4. (Etc. The more personal and focused you can make this piece, the better. Use personal information from the referrer.

Prospect: Yes

You: By the way, Mr/Ms Prospect, my name is Thurston Howell III at Blue Chip Investments, and I specialize in strategies that do this exactly. Would you be willing to get together with me for 15 minutes to discuss how some of these strategies can work in your favor?

Prospect: No (Anticipate a negative response)

You: (Chuckling) That's interesting. A moment ago you said you were always on the lookout for proven strategies that (fill in the blank). The only difference is that when I mention my name and company you say you aren't interested. Tell me...is someone spreading rumors about me that I should know about?

Prospect: (Most likely the prospect will assure you that this isn't the case, and assure that no rumors are being spread)

You: Well that's a relief. In that case, let's get together next week and you can give me a clear idea at what you want to accomplish. In fact, I see that I'm going to be in your area on Wednesday at 10:00 AM. How about then?

My Observations

1. This approach recognizes that relationships with prospects aren't made on the phone, they are made face-to-face. The objective of this call is to sell nothing but the initial appointment.
2. In this particular instance, the prospect has been referred to the advisor. However, using the 'gimmick' of not identifying yourself to the referral in the first few sentences might also backfire. What if the advisor was given an especially strong referral from his/her best client? Would this approach work? It might not...in fact it might anger your best client too. I'd be cautious using this approach with everyone.
3. I like the distinctive use of humor. Oftentimes, selling is performance. Here is a script that mocks the tens of millions of bad phone solicitations that have preceded you. The humor also let's the prospect in on the joke...and allows prospect and advisor laugh together.
4. This approach could be easily adapted to use as a complete cold-call. In fact, it might even work better as a cold-call, than to a person who is referred to you.

Hope this helps. Talk to you soon.