How To Prospect If You Don't Like To Cold Call

Download a free Lead Generation Success Kit, complete with a 60-page Prospecting Guide, Proven Pre-Call Campaigns that eliminate cold calling, and targeted email marketing templates. Click Here To Download

For additional tools, also visit the Ovation Sales Blog for cold calling tips and prospecting techniques.

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How To Use E-Mail As A Prospecting Tool

E-Mail can be a great tool for introducing yourself to a prospect and keeping in touch. I recommend using Lead Generation Software like BuzzBuilder Pro. Here are a few rules about using email:

Be as brief and conversational as possible. Write like you would talk, and get rid of "fluff" and extra words that don't make your point.

Think about the Subject Line. Make sure you select the right subject, or they could confuse your email as spam. Did you realize that as much as 80% of emails are deleted before they are even opened? Personalize the subject line or mention something familiar to them.

CC other people in their company. This is a great way to build credibility and create leverage.

Click here for more B2B Email Strategies

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Sales Letter Template

If you feel more comfortable sending a letter before you make a phone call, then you'll want to make sure you write an effective letter. Here are my 3 "DON'Ts" of using letters:

1. DON'T send your company marketing materials, brochures, or anything written for you by the marketing department. You don't want the letter to sound like an advertisement or product pitch.

2. DON'T write the letter on company letterhead, and don't mail the letter in one of your company's envelopes. It shouldn't look like a standard business letter. Mail it in a black 9x12 envelope or a FedEx envelope.

3. DON'T expect the letter to generate a call-in. You'll still need to follow up on the letter and leverage it to get their attention. PS: When you follow up, don't ask them if they got the letter--just assume they have and then state the purpose of your call.

The letter format I like to use is a combination of The Circle of Leverage (by Michael Boylan) and Selling To Vito (by Anthony Parnello). However, both of these approaches tend to create letters that are too long, and they don't create enough curiosity. If you read the first 40 pages of each of these books, you'll have a good foundation for effective letter-writing. Here is a standard format you can use:

John, I'm writing to you, as well as (name others in his company). I understand that your company (mention anything you know about them and their initiatives). This is something that XYZ Company has worked with us to accomplish and we found an interesting way to help them with it. I'll plan to call you on (day). Here are a few talking points I anticipate we could cover:

1. First Benefit or problem you can solve
2. Second Benefit or problem you can solve
3. Third Benefit or problem you can solve

Thank you for your consideration.

The internet has opened up new ways to connect with people and create referrals and word-of-mouth. There are over a dozen website I use to make my prospecting easier. Here are 2 of the 10 sites that I teach salespeople to use:


www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn is a free site for business professionals to network and get to know new people. There are almost a dozen different ways I use this site to help me prospect. Here are 3 of them:

1. The Standard Approach: Ask people in your network to introduce you to people in their network. This is the typical way most people use this site. If a colleague in your network knows someone who would be a good client for you, ask them to introduce you.

2. Ask clients to join your network. Most of your clients will eventually leave their company and go somewhere else. Wouldn't it be nice if you could follow them and gain their new company as a client? Send all of your clients an invitation to sign up (for free) for LinkedIn and join your network. When they move companies and update their Linked-In profile, the system will notify you.

3. Search for past clients. Once you log in to your account, click on "Advanced Search." Type in a Client in the "Company" filed and then DESELECT the option for "current companies only." Your search results will find everyone who worked at your client's company in the past. Contact the person through LinkedIn or a phone call, and reference the fact that you're working with their past employer.

www.zoominfo.com

ZoomInfo is similar to LinkedIn, but it is also a database like Hoovers or D&B that will give you good info about the company and its recent news. The site wants to charge you a $50 subscription fee, but there are a lot of ways to use it for free. I can give you 1 way to use this site--sorry, the rest are top secret.

1. How to find new contacts for you to call: Do a company search for a client or prospect. The site will typically list several Key People on the right side of the screen. Click on one of the people in the list, and it will show you their profile, along with OTHER PEOPLE in their network. Some of these people will work at the same company, while others will be top executives at other companies.

A sample scenario: You're preparing to call XYZ Company and you notice that Bob Johnson is one of their Key People. You click on Bob's profile and he lists Betty Brown of ABC Company in his network. You call Bob, explaining that you are also planning to call his colleague Betty to discuss your services. After you hang up the phone, you then call Betty and explain that you just had a conversation with her colleague Bob. This is a great way to turn cold calls into Leveraged Calls!

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Turn Cold Calls Into Leveraged Calls

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Using Leverage To Turn Gatekeepers Into Allies

What is a cold call? In short, it's a call that doesn't offer the prospect anything familiar that they can relate to. Transforming a cold call into a warm call, or Leveraged Call, is easier than you might think. I have found 22 unique ways of creating Leveraged Calls--here are 2 quick ideas that you can implement right away:

1. Mention conversations you've had with other people in their company. This seems obvious, but we don't always remember to do it. Even more important, mention what you learned about their company from the conversations you've had with others.

2. Mention conversations you're PLANNING to have with others. This is a proprietary concept that I teach, and it's highly effective. People are influenced by your intention to call and talk to their peers or superiors. Begin a call (or even a voice mail) with a phrase like "I'm planning to make an initial call to Joe Brown and wanted to discuss the purpose of my call to him."

When most salespeople encounter a prospect who isn't ready to buy, they simply give up and move on (only to find out that the prospect eventually bought from their competition).

You'll want to create an automated follow-up campaign so that you can stay top-of-mind with prospects. Consider using a Lead Nurturing tool like BuzzBuilder Pro, which automatically sends out a series of emails at intervals that you specify. For example, let's say you spoke to a prospect who may have a need for your services someday, but not now. Instead of pestering them with relentless follow-up calls (which take a lot of time and energy), you could set the system to begin sending them a series of monthly emails to keep in touch.

The emails you send should be more than just a product pitch. They should deliver new ideas, industry trends, and information that will help the prospect make a good decision. "How to" emails and white papers are a good start. Click here for a list of Drip Email Campaigns

If you design your marketing emails the right way, it will help build your credibility over time and strengthen your relationship with the prospect. You'll also find that prospects will often forward relevant emails to colleagues at other companies, which creates new leads for you.