“Hi John, this is Chris from a company you’ve never heard of! I’m going to proceed to list about 8 different things that our company does that may or may not have anything to do with you!”
If you’ve been in the business world long enough, I’m sure you’ve received a call or email almost identical to this. The life of a BDR can be challenging. Our job is to call hundreds of people a week that we’ve never met and try and convince them that the product we’re selling is something they should buy, right?
Wrong.
The first rule of thumb to being a successful BDR is to approach every call as a simple conversation. Yes, you do represent a company and product, and yes, you do want to sell the prospect your product, but none of this happens without being able to first win over the prospect’s trust.
Your delivery of what you are saying needs to be on-point. The last thing someone wants is to answer the phone and be met with someone spewing a bunch of facts and buzzwords at them. No one enjoys getting talked at, and your prospect definitely doesn’t either.
A call with a prospect should be back and forth, filled with opened-ended questions. Don’t talk AT them, talk WITH them! These conversations will allow you to uncover their needs faster and more efficiently.
You must make the prospect feel comfortable by sounding both confident and knowledgeable. A laid back, yet informed attitude will change the tone of the conversation immediately for the better. No matter what title the prospect may hold in an organization, using a confident and knowledgeable attitude will allow you to explore the prospect’s world in a better way. A simple conversation, using this approach, will put you in a position to better assess their needs. Without this, you are simply throwing mud at a wall hoping it will stick.
Energy level and tone are two aspects of your delivery that, as a BDR, you need to pay a lot of attention to. When you engage with a prospect, you must have a high and consistent energy level. Your energy level on the phone lets the prospect know how engaged you are and allows for a better, more in-depth conversation to happen. Higher energy on your end typically means a higher engagement level from the prospect. At Reveneer, we equip all our BDR’s with wireless headsets and encourage them to walk around while on a call to maintain the high energy. If you’re slouched over at your desk, you automatically talk quieter and with less enthusiasm. If your phone allows it, get up and walk around! Don’t stay glued to your desk.
Your tone on a call is equally as important as your energy level. When you engage with a prospect and ask a question, the pitch and intonation in your voice will let them know how curious you are. Avoid speaking in monotone; You don’t want to sound like a robot, or sound like you don’t care what they have to say. Be genuinely curious about how a prospect is doing things and engage them on a higher level for a more productive conversation.
So, remember: Engage your prospects through a simple conversation by asking open-ended questions, bringing the energy, and expressing curiosity through your tone. By doing these things, you’ll notice more meaningful and engaging conversations with your prospects. Happy hunting!
