If you struggle to get and keep your prospect’s attention, you are not alone.
Many sales people fail to keep potential customers on the phone or keep them interested enough for a follow up conversation. Fortunately, with the following technique you can overcome this seemingly daunting challenge and advance your sale forward.
So how do you keep a prospect on the phone?
Simple. Deliver a strong value proposition.
What is a value proposition?
Value propositions help your customer answer the question, “what’s in it for me?”. Value propositions are a way of connecting with your customer to help them understand that what you are saying is important and is beneficial to them.
Humans enjoy feeling important. Take advantage of this psychological characteristic by using impactful value propositions.
HOW TO CREATE A VALUE Proposition
Introduce who you are, explain why you are calling, and convey why they should talk to you.
WHO YOU ARE
WHY YOU ARE CALLING
WHY THEY SHOULD CARE
WHY DOES THIS METHOD WORK?
It works because it communicates value to the customer succinctly. Your customers are busy. You MUST communicate your value quickly and with impact.
Examples of Good and Bad Value Propositions
A bad value Proposition sounds like…
“Hi Frank, this is Christopher from Tech Company. I was hoping to chat with you about your software evaluation.”
This fails to provide value in the opening statement and makes it easy for the customer to say no. Frank likely does not see value in talking to Christopher because Christopher does not explain WHY Frank may benefit from the conversation.
A good value Proposition sounds like…
“Hi Frank, this is Christopher, Sales Engineer at Tech Company. I understand you are currently evaluating our software. I’d like to learn about your goals for the evaluation so we can ensure you have all of the resources you will need to be successful with the software. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
Notice how the value proposition framework is implemented. If the customer agrees, the goal of the conversation will be to further qualify the lead to see how we can turn this evaluation into a software purchase.
To Recap…
A value proposition is the foundation to opening and progressing a successful sales call. A value proposition helps the customer perceive the benefit of interacting with you.
For best results, incorporate value propositions in your call prep, qualification, and sales development. The more specific you tailor your statements to the specific customer, the better.