There has been a surge of headlines, content and conversations about the state of business today. We looked at aggregated data from our global customer base of 200+ B2B tech organisations to understand how business metrics are shifting as the world grapples with the global pandemic, and there’s one that stands out.

There is a decrease in the qualified pipeline. It’s time to refresh your sales pipeline and rethink how you’re doing prospecting. Prioritization and Personalisation are more important than ever when it comes to outbound prospecting.

1. Perfect your opening
Calling an executive is theatre. You have 15 seconds to capture their attention and demonstrate that there’s something in it for them.

My call opening is: “Hi Ravi, this is Lovisha from SalesEdge.” Then I’ll pause and wait for them to respond.

It’s important to sound powerful and in control. The prospect may not have any idea who you are or what your company provides. 63% prospects are more likely to respond to someone who’s confident and authoritative than a rep who’s clearly nervous.

2. Be human
A sales rep’s secret weapons are voice tone and a sense of humour. Your voice tone can put people at ease. Your ability to make people laugh will go farther in making them trust you than any sales pitch.

Prospects are extremely busy, so be as pleasant as possible and show that you understand the demands of their positions. Smile when you’re calling (they’ll be able to sense it), especially if it’s early in the morning.

3. Prepare your talking points ahead of time

Referencing a piece of specific information and asking a great question establishes a level of trust and opens the door for a professional conversation.

The key is to get as detailed as possible on a topic with which the executive is familiar. For example, here’s a talking point I often use:

“I saw that you posted a blog on LinkedIn last week on cybersecurity at your company. The paragraph about the growth of MDR was really interesting. I thought I’d pick up the phone to talk with you to see if it was successful.”

This hyper-tailored opening changes the game. It complements the prospect, engages her right away, and leads to follow-up questions about how you’ve helped someone in their position.

4. Keep the call under five minutes.

Even after a perfect opening and a solidly delivered elevator pitch, I invariably pause after 45-60 seconds and say “Hey, I know I called up unannounced, do you have a few mins now or we can schedule some time for later?”.

This may seem like a harmless statement, but it’s a very sly move because 70% of the time you’ll get some more time and

20% of the time, you’ll schedule another time and that’s exactly what we’re hoping to achieve through your outbound prospecting calls.

5. Follow up with an email

Following up with an email enhances your visibility. If you actually spoke to the buyer, they’re probably going to open your message now that your name is familiar to them. And if they didn’t do either, at least you’ll increase the odds of connecting with them by trying another channel.

In your email, thank them for their time and provide additional ideas for solving their biggest business pain. I recommend personalising your message with a short video — it’s easy to record one on your webcam.

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