Lately, we humans have grown accustomed to the Short Game.
Hungry? Tap here, tap there - it’s on its way – ETA 15 minutes. No need to leave the couch.
Fridge just broke? Mouse click, mouse click, mouse click – it’s on its way – ETA 24 hours. That ships free, I might add.
Looking for a movie? Swipe, swipe, tap – ETA Now. Gotta love some Star Wars?
Don’t get me wrong; I too enjoy the convenience that our world can offer at times. But this short game has no place in sales. In sales, it’s all about the long game.
Not convinced? Let’s look at the data.
Eleven and a Half vs. Four
On average, it takes 11.5 interactions (aka touches) with a customer before they will engage with us in conversation. Most sales reps give up at four. FOUR! and I can promise that most of those four touches were a tap, a swipe, or a click. Prospecting takes time. And effort.
Ever done a puzzle? Now, that’s the long game. How many pieces do you have to fit together before you start to see the picture? A lot, yeah?
So consider this: What if your prospect sees you as a puzzle?
Think about it. You send an email with your well thought out value statement and a brief introduction. They probably have no clue who you are. At this point, they are indeed puzzled, BUT you have given them a piece to the puzzle. The puzzle that is you.
But you stop at four pieces! Your prospect needs more pieces.
Let’s stop a minute and talk about the pieces themselves. All blue pieces yield a plain blue square, right?
Your touches need to look and feel different; otherwise, you'll come across as a plain blue square. I’m not buying from a plain blue square.
First piece: Email.
Second piece: LinkedIn connection.
Third piece: An article your prospects care about - think industry trends or a valuable study with facts and figures that add value.
Fourth piece: Handwritten note – please wash your hands before writing or sending.
And keep going. We recommend having 16 unique touches lined up.
But DO NOT SELL – You haven’t earned the right to sell. Your job is to tap into your customer’s operating reality, find ways to add value, and discover their real pain points.
When they finally respond, it is because they have enough of the pieces. They see who you are, and when you combine all the pieces, there is a valuable solution staring back up at them.
Now you have earned the right to sell.
This process is the formula for successful prospecting. If you want to explore it further, contact us.