Sales buttons to capture the potential customer’s attention at the beginning of their first phone contact

Always have one of these classic sales hot buttons ready to lead and one in reserve, before dialing the call to the prospect or decision maker (“DM”) to request a meeting. (In many ways, these are similar to the short “elevator pitch” you should have ready; we cover elevator pitches in another article.)

(As a best practice, you should be aware of these sales buttons even before dialing the prospect’s secretary for the first time, so you’re ready when the screen calls.)

Sales Button #1 – You are following a personal referral from someone the prospect knows and respects.

This particular sales button also tends to be a very powerful gateway. But be sure to spell out the name and organization of the referral clearly, so the prospect makes the connection quickly. Here is a model to adapt:

“My company recently completed a project with Lucas Industries, and Mr. Lucas suggested that we contact you. He felt we may have areas of mutual interest. Perhaps he has already spoken with you about this?”

Sales Button #2: Highlight key relevant cases from your success story.

Again, be brief. Talk about “bottom line”. That is, emphasize what these cases imply you can DO FOR the prospect or organization, not the technical details of the product or service you offer.

A sales button is just that: a button to press, not a long “information download”. If the shortcut button works, you’ll know about it, and then you can fill in the details.

These first models are appropriate if you already have experience that you are directly on target.

“We have been able to help other law firms in the area reduce their overall costs. This translates to an average of ten percent higher profitability. I would like to meet with you to explain how we can help your firm as well.”

Or, “As an art consultant, I work with others in the Great Falls area who are interested in art for both aesthetic and investment reasons. In about 15 minutes together we can determine if this is right for you.”

Or, “I design training programs and recently worked with two large banks in the Midwest. As a consultant to these banks, I developed teller training that increased teller productivity by over fifteen percent. I believe I can do the same.” “. same for your bank. I’d like to meet with you for half an hour to explore the possibilities.”

But suppose you don’t yet have an independent experience to refer to. That is, what if all your work has been for someone else, and not as a consultant or freelancer? One approach is to modify your introduction. Therefore, you could reformulate the last model above as,

“When I was at BigBank, I led a team that developed teller training that increased productivity by…”

Alternatively, if you’ve just set up your business and don’t yet have successes to refer to, you can suggest an area of ​​potential need, letting the DM deduce that you have the necessary ability to fulfill it successfully:

“As you know, one of the most problematic issues facing most law firms is how to store and access key data. We can offer you a solution that will save your firm significant money in the first year and increase your access to this information.”

Or, “I’m an art consultant. I think it would be worth your while to meet with me for half an hour at your convenience to discuss a program I offer, as I think it may have significant investment potential for you.”

Sales Button #3: Briefly summarize what you think you can do for this organization.

Again, since sales hotspots are to capture the DM’s interest, emphasize what you can do FOR the prospect or organization, not the details of what you DO. What people really intend to buy are results, not products or services. The product or service is a means to an end for them.

An effective sell button is a concise, “netted” statement, usually no more than a couple or three sentences. You will lose the potential customer’s attention if you are too wordy. Here is a model to adapt:

“I’m calling because I have ideas to share about how my business can reduce accounts receivable turnaround time.”

Notice how this sample sales script is designed to intrigue the potential customer through a mention of an area of ​​interest: how you can speed up payments and therefore improve cash flow and profitability. It DOES NOT get into the technical wizardry of the software program you have developed and expect to install.

Your previous assignment in organization research may trigger some initial ideas about ways you can help:

“My reading of the difficulties your company is having in meeting the demand for its products told me that…”

However, make suggestions from your experience on how organizations like this one may need help:

“I’ve been able to help several startups like yours, and in my experience, you may be experiencing some typical challenges at this stage of your growth.”

Don’t get bogged down at this point in the details of how you will do what you propose to do: leave that for the face-to-face meeting.

Sales Button #4 – Explain that you are calling to provide information that the key decision maker previously requested.

If you’re calling in response to the prospect’s request for information, that’s clearly an open door. But as you go, be sure to make it clear that you’re following the prospect’s request.

You may also need to refresh your memory about the context in which that request was made:

“We met after my talk last week to the local CDE Association, and you asked me if I had ever heard of the method applied to your industry. I was intrigued by the question, did some research, and came up with some interesting results. I would like to meet with you to share these findings.