We live in an era when virtual selling has, in many industries, all but eclipsed face-to-face, in-person selling. Yet for some reason, salespeople often fail to prepare effectively for remote sales discussions. Below are some vitally important questions to ask yourself before you reach out to any suspect, prospect, or current customer \u2013 regardless of whether you\u2019re connecting in person, voice-to-voice, or by some interactive communication platform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before You Connect with the Prospect for the First Time …<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask yourself about ideal target accounts. <\/em>What qualification or demographic information can you find before you call? Which industries do you want to prioritize? Is there a specific organization you want to make contact with?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask yourself about decision-makers and influencers.<\/em> What is the typical job title of your ideal customer? What keywords would your ideal customer use to identify themselves on a LinkedIn profile? Who is typically involved in buying, using, or paying for your solution? Who influences those <\/em>people? How can you make sure you get to the right people?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask yourself about information and opportunities. <\/em>What are your ideal buyers saying on social media? What trigger events would cause you to want to call them? What else can you uncover about their personality, needs, or the competition they may be using?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ask yourself: How will you make contact? <\/em>If you are reaching out by phone: What will you say? What problems is this person likely to be experiencing? How will you point the conversation in that direction? What outcome\/next step do you want to propose? If you are reaching out by some other medium: What referral sources can you leverage and reference? How concise can you make your message?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n