A Simple Teleprospecting Pitch Can Be Easier Than You Think
A nice benefit of working with a wide range of clients over the years has been the exposure we've had to the unique approaches in presenting a service or technology. Working with some of the brightest sales and marketing minds out there has helped to provide us fresh perspective on how to differentiate your product from the masses.
The consistent challenge we see is being able to present those differentiators in a short 15 seconds window. We could be provided with best collateral but it is a considerable challenge for us to condense it down into a teleprospecting friendly message.
It's understandable since everyone we work with happens to be passionate about their offering so they assume everyone wants to listen. Problem is the average inside sales rep shouldn't write their scripts that way. In fact you should write your introductory scripts as if no one REALLY wants to listen to you at all.
When you sit down to write an intro script I suggest keeping 3 things in mind that have helped me through the years:
1) Get to the damn point!
Prospects will appreciate this. If you yammer on they'll tune out pretty quickly, in addition to the fact that they'll resent you for wasting their time. Not the best way to set a first impression.
2) Keep it simple!
Don't ever assume people know what you’re talking about. If you were to try to explain your product to someone who has no understanding of the industry/product/service etc. How would you explain it? My suggestion is always have a guinea pig to bounce messaging off of. My mother has always been a good resource for this…although she still can’t quite explain what I do at AG. I've been here for 9 years.
3) Don't be afraid to mix things up!
Stale messaging sucks and usually won't resonate, especially if you’ve been saying it the same way for years. What worked for you 2 years ago is soooo 2011. Think about revisiting your messaging every six months. I wouldn’t say that you need to revamp everything completely but a slight tweak here or there will help to keep things fresh. Innovate or die.
Last week Mike did a great job summarizing a wonderfully simplistic way of getting a message, no matter how complex, out to your target audience.
Again, keep in mind that no one really wants to hear from you. I can count on one hand the amount of times that a prospect has actually been excited to hear from me (unless they’re from the south or Canada… but that doesn't count ;-). If all of your scripts are written with a hyperconscious awareness of a prospects time, (as long as you don’t sound like you’re over caffeinated) then you may be pleasantly surprised by the increased response.