Prospecting: Three Attention Grabbers to Get the First Meeting
by Nick MillerGetting that first appointment with a prospect isn’t easy. What can branch managers, small business bankers, and others responsible for selling bank products and services do to increase their chances? Grab the prospect’s attention with one good reason to meet and chances are MUCH better they’ll say “yes.”
Three points of advice for bankers:
- Find out something about the prospect – concerns, recent decisions or actions, anything that provides a clue to their thinking. Use it to form a “warm-up” sentence like: “I’ve heard you’re planning to build a new building this year.”
- Play to the dark side – raise fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Example: “We see interest rates rising in the next six months. We think companies should fix rates now to avoid paying extra interest expense.”
- Ask a question – “We’ve been able to help other companies address this challenge. I’m wondering whether you’d like to talk about how we might do the same for you starting in the next 30 days.”
Want more prospecting tips like these? Check out our June 28, 2011 live webinar – First Calls on Prospects. It’s part of Clarity Advantage’s Deep Diving into Sales Techniques summer webinar series. Coaching material for sales managers. Actionable tips and strategies for sales people. All free. Find out more here.
