I like to spend my morning commutes listening to sports talk radio. When I listen to call-in shows like these, I’m fascinated to hear how those who call into the show start off their calls. Similar to a sales call, the caller has a short amount of time to quickly get their point across (like a BDR). While the host (like a prospect) is trying to quickly understand if the call has merit, and is worth the time, or if they should skip it and move on.
I hear caller after caller ask the host “how are you doing today?” before launching into their hot take, or whatever nugget they want to share. If you listen closely, you will hear exasperation in the voice of the host, as they often interrupt the caller, saying ‘I’m good. Get to the point’ or ‘Why are you calling?’.
This is exactly how your prospect feels when you interrupt their busy day and start off with ‘how are you doing?’. Time is precious and let’s face it…you don’t care how they’re doing and guess what? They know you don’t care. So stop asking and get to the point!
What do they want to know, above all else, in the moment immediately after you introduce yourself? They want to know why you’re calling.
So say it. Introduce yourself, then tell them exactly why you’re calling. No ‘how are you doing today?’ or ‘how’s the weather there?’.
Instead, using these words will immediately get their attention….
“The reason for my call is…”
It’s that simple. I recommend practicing it over and over again until it becomes part of your muscle memory, and how are you doing is gone forever.
You’re not done though. To really make it work, what you say next makes all the difference. It must be about them, not you.
“The reason why I’m calling you is that we provide simple and effective backup and recovery of your customer data.” Weak. This is about you, not them and does not open the prospect up to a conversation.
“The reason why I’m calling you is I read that your customer base grew 4x last year.” This is powerful. It’s relevant to them, and more often engages them in a conversation.
Try it and you will notice yourself having more powerful conversations. When you value your prospects time they will be more open to a conversation.
