You’re probably familiar with the children’s nursery rhyme involving three little pigs and a big, bad wolf that huffs and puffs and blows houses down. When you work in sales, it can sometimes feel like you’re the big bad wolf, trying to get a prospect to acknowledge your existence.
Rather than being the annoying wolf, Kimberly Alexandre, a digital sales coach, encourages sales reps to strive to be a partner. While there’s no magic formula to get your prospects to notice you, she says there are some ways you can add value early in the sales process to help establish trust. We share Alexandre’s tips to get acknowledged by your prospects in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.
Position yourself as a thought leader. Alexandre encourages salespeople to pay attention to their professional brand online. This goes beyond your photo, headline and summary to include your activities as well. Take time to post, comment on and share articles that you feel are relevant. If you post often, remember to check up on your followers. You may be surprised to see who hasn’t connected with you but values what you say. Take a moment to view your LinkedIn profile. Scroll down to your activity dashboard and click “Manage Followers.” You could be surprised at what you see.
Humanize your emails. When you’re trying to connect with someone you’ve never met, emails can feel impersonal. Alexandre says the two easiest and most effective ways to humanize your email content are to add a photo to your signature or embed a video when delivering a message. Don’t overlook the importance of adding a compelling subject line too. Authenticity is an important part of the decision-making criteria at the top of the sales funnel. Before you send your next email, consider if you’re being authentic and whether you’re providing value. Is what you’re sharing worthy of moving to the top of your prospect’s priority list?
Know when to let go. If you continue to huff and puff until you blow the house down, you won’t accomplish much. Some houses just aren’t ready to fall down. Unless a prospect is in growth mode or pain mode, he or she might not be ready for your solution at the moment. Alexandre says to keep this in mind and give yourself permission to let go of any prospects who just aren’t ready. There are others out there. Use your time to uncover potential sales-ready leads.
If you want your prospects to notice you, it’s important that you stand out as a partner and add value from the beginning of the sales process. Use the tips above to show your prospects you’re a worthy partner—not a big, bad wolf.
Source: Kimberly Alexandre has more than 23 years of experience providing an individualized approach when it comes to developing strategies and tactical implementation for sales organizations. She is a client lead and consultant, as well as a digital sales coach, workshop facilitator and sales and management coach.
