Two Words You Need To Understand To Set More Appointments – Info Sales

 “My sellers do not go on enough sales calls.”

– Every Sales Manager

I hear this all the time from sales managers. I also hear a similar version from sellers: 

“I could sell more if I had more quality appointments.”

 – Almost Every Seller

Imagine if every seller had one additional call per week, every week of the year. That’s roughly 50 additional appointments per year.

 Do the math and factor in a modest closing percentage and an average initial order: 

• 50 additional appointments X 30% closing ratio X $10k = $150k additional revenue per seller.

Managers can take this math to another level and factor in a typical sales team of 10 sellers: 

• $150k additional revenue per seller X 10 sellers = $1,500,000 additional annual revenue!

Now that something to get excited about! 

The Two Words

Most sellers think the words come from this list:

• Let’s meet
• Please … (or pretty please)
• Thank you
• Let’s chat

These are great words, but they are not powerful enough to help sellers stand out and appeal to a new business prospect… to get them to grant an appointment to an unknown salesperson. The competitive landscape is crowded with other sellers trying to meet with the best prospects with key account spending potential. World-class sellers know these two words are the difference makers when it comes to setting appointments: 

Trusted & Valued 

The Trusted & Valued Formula

New business prospects are more likely to set an appointment with an unknown salesperson when they:

• TRUST the seller has their best interest in mind.
• VALUE the sellers business style and the solutions they sell.

Developing TRUST and VALUE occurs when sellers use this formula:

Here’s an overview of each element:

Empathy: I understand and relate to your problem.

• WHY: You demonstrate empathy so that it’s clear that you know where the prospect is coming from. Doing this helps the prospect believe that connecting with you won’t be a waste of their time.
• HOW: You can demonstrate empathy by sharing an insight or information of interest. You may share an observation related to their social media presence, stating the upcoming peak season for their business category, or perhaps a challenge related to cash flow or a legal issue. 

Expertise: I’ve solved problems similar to ones you are having.

• WHY: You demonstrate expertise so the prospect gets a glimpse into your knowledge and the resources you use to help customers. Doing this gives the prospect a reason to believe you might be able to offer them value.
• HOW: You can demonstrate expertise by sharing an insight or industry information. In this case, look for something that illustrates your knowledge of how customers engage with your prospect. To be effective in this area, you need to continuously educate yourself and remain relevant. Don’t overwhelm yourself though—stick to a few trade publications or sources. Google Alerts and CSS Category Briefs (available in the resource center for CSS clients) are also great sources of information to develop your expertise.
• Another effective way to demonstrate your expertise is to showcase an example of how you have helped your customers—connected to the insights on their business that you’ve shared. 

Problem-Solving: I can develop a solution to your problem.

• WHY: You demonstrate problem-solving so that the prospect will engage and imagine how you might be able to help them with their problems.
• HOW: Share great solutions you have developed for other clients. Focus as much on the process you followed as the results you were able to help a customer achieve. 

The Next Step is Yours

Becoming trusted and valued is a process.

1. The first step is admitting you have a problem in this area.
2. The next step is reviewing the information in this post and conducting an inventory of your assets related to empathy, expertise and problem-solving.
3. Step three involves modifying your approach and the materials you use to communicate with new business prospects. Consider:

Go forth into the land of trusted and valued. You will set more appointments and add more revenue to your sales funnel. Plus, cash bigger commission checks!