Daniel Vaczi
Initial sales calls are about first impressions. If it goes well, you are building a foundation for the rest of the relationship. If it goes poorly, you probably will not have a second call. In this blog I will share some of the resources I have on hand to help with my fist call with a prospect.
Before I get into the resources I use, I want to mention something that will seem obvious to you seasoned sales people, but I it needs to be said. Your first call with a prospect will always have a better outcome if you have done some research about the company and the person you will be talking with. Read their companies press releases, connect with them on LinkedIn, read their twitter posts and try to get the pulse of the organization. Being able to talk about or even leverage relevant topics goes a long way.
Here are 4 elements that will help you bring success to your first sales call with a prospect.
1. A well-designed slide deck
I am going to assume this prospect came from an inbound lead. Hopefully your conversion form allows the prospect to identify the product or service he is interested in and allows him to share some of the issues he may be experiencing or goals he has.
I use this form data to choose the slide deck I will use on the call. I have multiple slide decks based on the buyer persona and service offering I will be discussing.
"A well thought out and professionally designed slide deck helps me in many ways. First, I have thought through each slide and how I want to lead a prospect through a logical thought process. This helps me stay on track and reduces the chance that I will leave something out. I design the slide deck with very little words. I use it more as a visual element to support what I am talking about."
I have all my slide decks uploaded to the HubSpot CRM in the Document Tracking section. This allows me to send it to a prospect and track their interaction with the document. It will track how long and what pages they viewed and send me notifications each time the open it. This is a great way to judge how serious or engaged a prospect is in your product or service.
2. Examples or case studies about your product or service
People feel comfortable when you have successfully worked with a company similar to theirs. Especially if you are talking to an employee. When an employee chooses a vendor they are putting their reputation and possibly their job on the line. If you fail, it will reflect badly on them. Having case studies that outline the success you have had will make your prospect feel comfortable.
I also utilize the HubSpot CRM Document Tracking section for sending my case studies to prospect after a call. The tracking features give you a window into that prospects engagement level and you will be amazed who actually reads your case studies and who does not.
3. Third party validation
If you are dealing with an inbound lead chances are they engaged multiple vendors. That is just how it goes. No need to get mad about it. The key to winning new business is differentiation!
A great way to differentiate yourself is validation from 3rd party sources. This can be certifications, trade publication awards, or other unique qualifications your company has been recognized for. I like to showcase that we are ranked as the #6 Inbound Agency in the US by Clutch and we have been recognized by Davey and W3 for our designs.
As a prospect is going through their decision making process they are looking for things to set you apart from the other vendors. Be pro-active and showcase these differences. If you don’t, I can guarantee you will be asked “so what makes you different than the other companies out there” or “why should I do business with your company.” Its always better to get out infront of those question.
4. Video testimonials
This one is not on the first call, but after it. Follow up is key to a first call. Depending on your industry, product, service and even sales style you will have a different process.
For me, if the first call goes well the next step is a proposal. Shortly after the call and prior to the proposal review meeting, I follow up with an email. In that email, I include a client overview/testimonial video. This keeps them engaged and can help prevent a prospect from signing with another firm before you have provided your proposal.
I use the Wistia video platform and the HubSpot integration to track a prospects engagement. This integration will pull the prospects video engagement analytics directly in the HubSpot. Click Here To View One of the Videos I Send.