Five Surefire Sales Prospecting Offers
“You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day.”
Marian Wright Edelman
Sales prospecting can be tough. More than 40 percent of salespeople say prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process, according to findings from Spotio. While prospecting may feel difficult, it’s worth learning how to improve your efforts. John Doerr, co-founder of RAIN Group, points out research that shows that the best sales prospectors get 2.7 times more meetings than those who aren’t as strong at prospecting.
Whether you’re reaching out to existing clients, past clients or high-value targets, Doerr says it’s important to answer the four whys: why act, why now, why us and why trust. Today, we share Doerr’s thoughts on five ways to do this.
Share fresh insights and ideas.
Sellers who drive value for buyers in this way achieve greater success than those who don’t, Doerr says. He adds that 64 percent of buyers believe that it’s a seller’s ability to educate with new ideas and perspectives that highly influences their decision to buy.
Offer up best practices
Doerr says that with this approach, the idea is to share insights on what others are doing and what’s working to intrigue the buyer to learn more. You might say something like, “I saw your company’s press release on XYZ. We just completed a major study on that. I can share some best practices you might find interesting.”
Present the results
This approach focuses on the outcome or return on investment. For example, you could say, “I’m reaching out because I read about your company’s merger with XYZ. Given the shifts in the market, such as A and B, we’ve been changing how we approach our marketing. We’ve almost doubled our target while staying within our budget. I thought you might be interested in seeing what we’ve done. Want to have a quick chat?”
Strategically position your capabilities
Remember that buyers often need what they need when they need it, and even when they go searching for it, they probably won’t find you specifically, Doerr says. That’s why it’s important to position your capabilities in your outreach the right way. By doing so, you present a list of competencies and skills a buyer might find appealing at just the right time.
Make it easy for buyers to take the next step
You don’t necessarily need to secure a sales meeting right away. You could offer an invite to an upcoming webinar or some industry research. The idea is to share something of value with prospective buyers that they can easily say “yes” to. You can then ask for a meeting when you follow up.
Every interaction with prospective buyers should help them see why they should work with you — and why now. By applying the guidance above, you can help answer buyers’ questions and meet them where they are.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers Source: John Doerr is the co-founder of RAIN Group, a global sales training and consulting organization.
