How To Get Your Prospect To (Willingly) Accept Your Next Call

Having trouble building a relationship with a prospect in that first phone call?  Yes, me too.

Ever wish you had a simple, effective method to get that 2nd-call welcomed, that you could use time and time again.  And it worked every time.  Yea, me too.

Hey wait! here’s a solution! It’s about getting the client to willingly accept your second call.

It’s also about providing additional service to the potential client, proving your diligence, showing benefits and blah blah blah, zzz, zzz, zzzz… Isn’t this where your eyes glaze over and you head nods?

Speaking of that – I got pulled over the other day and the cop asked me, “Have you been drinking, because your eyes are a bit red?”  I immediately shot back, “Have you been eating donuts, because your eyes look a little glazed…” Yes, I learned never shoot back at a cop.  $145 plus court costs.

Here’s the set up. The client calls as a  response to ad, to your mailing piece, to your soliciting call, or referral, or whatever.

Even though you have the client on the phone, since it’s the first conversation with you the client simply isn’t ready to buy anything. The client doesn’t know you, is uncomfortable with you at this point, or maybe the large amount of $$$ you mentioned is concerning. Basically, you haven’t established his trust.

To be honest, always am, it’s tough to establish a bonding relationship with the client in the first phone call.  First phone call sales are for high pressure: pieces of land, office supplies and toner. Your new prospect simply ain’t buying anything you’re selling at this time.

Too much pressure now and the prospective client will be reluctant to set up additional phone calls. Even though you know you’re honest and a heck of a nice guy, he doesn’t. So, how to overcome this?

Answer: The client mentions something — anything really — in passing and you say, “That’s a great question!” (or “That’s a very interesting comment”) followed without pausing by “and I’m not sure about that answer.”

Continue immediately, ”I’ll research that question and have a firm answer for you by Friday morning. I’ll give you a call later that day and I’ll have some solid answers for you.”

What does this 20 second statement do? It establishes

1. A reason to call back and talk to the client directly.

2. Proves trust and reliability: when you call back you have performed the research and called back diligently with the correct information as promised.

3. Establishes your call as one the client will accept – it’s no longer a soliciting call, you are calling the client back with an answer to his question.

4. Gives you a screen pass – if your call is screened by a secretary, you can tell her the call is about a question from a question the client asked in an earlier conversation.

You have created the golden second opportunity: a welcomed call. If there is still no comfortable relationship, apply this same exact method in the new conversation – prove your diligence further and call again.  Hope this is helpful.

– Jeffrey