A potential customer’s inbox may be filled with unopened pitches. To stand out, reps need to pick up the phone, Jack Klingbiel, a sales manager at Red Canary, said. Catchy subject lines and click bait just don’t cut it anymore.
According to Salesforce research, 92 percent of customer interactions happen over the phone. But in order to hook a prospect in the first place, reps need to sell with curiosity. Leading with empathy and understanding the challenges and priorities of the future customer is the only way to sell, Klingbiel added.
If timing is off, try to learn why that is so you can better understand the prospect’s objectives.
“Know the executive priorities of your prospect and proof point in which your company helped achieve a similar priority in the marketplace,” Sam Morton, a sales executive at government software company Granicus, said.
From there, Morton said not to underestimate the “wow” factor of an elevator pitch. Reps should practice how to stand out in under 30 seconds. Direct and simple proof points make a big impact.
The humble phone call isn’t going out of style any time soon, so Klingbiel suggests that managers offer call coaching, call reviews and role plays for reps to build confidence. Tools like Chorus.ai and Gong.io help executives invest in more effective coaching sessions. From there, reps need to ensure their message not only piques interest, but also provides value to the customer.
When it comes to prospecting, what actions have you found to be critical to success?
Be authentic and sell through curiosity. Lead with empathy and put yourself in the shoes of the future customer by understanding what their challenges and priorities are and sell that way. If timing is off, seek to understand why that is so you can better understand their objectives. That has always been the strategy at Red Canary and is especially important while prospecting during COVID-19.
Ensuring that you’re doing your due diligence when researching a target paired with outcome-focused, non-creepy customized messaging is critical. However, the most critical action is picking up the phone. The phone is the fast track to understanding what a prospect’s challenges are and building positive rapport. It’s also the only way any SDR or BDR in tech sales will be able to effectively develop the skills necessary to be a successful account executive later on in their career.
What’s an underrated technique or strategy that you've found to be really effective in sales prospecting?
Some underrated techniques are call coaching, call reviews and role plays. Coaching is the key to the success of your team and the delivery of quality opportunities for sales to close. At Red Canary, we focus on outcomes and I would really like to see a shift in the sales development world from measuring activity KPIs and living in dashboards to the measurement of meaningful conversations and connections. The best way to prepare your reps for those prospect interactions is through coaching. Investing in tools like Chorus.ai and Gong.io would enable sales leaders to execute higher quality coaching sessions with their team members.
There should be some type of value in every single prospecting touch.”
What’s an overrated technique or strategy that you've found to actually be ineffective?
Messaging that piques interest but doesn’t provide value. There should be some type of value in every single prospecting touch. Catchy subject lines and click bait are not the way to go.
At Granicus, both Morton and sales director Daniel Hansen agree on the importance of a phone call. Speaking with prospects is a surefire way to know whether they are listening to the sales pitch, rather than ignoring a mass email. Once prospects are on the phone, research and credibility help make a sale.
When it comes to prospecting, what actions have you found to be critical to success?
Research and credibility. Know the executive priorities of your prospect and proof point in which your company helped achieve a similar priority in the marketplace.
What’s an underrated technique or strategy that you've found to be really effective in sales prospecting?
Ensure your 30-second elevator pitch has that “wow” moment. In reality, your contact only has 30 seconds for a call and 10 seconds for an email. Your “wow” moment can be in your positioning statement and proof point. It has to be front and center due to the limited amount of time your prospect has for you.
Emerging technologies that have helped improve sales prospecting at Granicus:
Outreach, a great sequence-based tool.
Ensure your 30-second elevator pitch has that “wow” moment.”
What's an overrated technique or strategy that you've found to actually be ineffective? Unsuccessful reps believe the phone is overrated and ineffective, and that they can hit quota via email or with the latest and greatest automation tool. Even when implementing automation tools, you still need to integrate a regular cadence of following up with prospects on the phone.
