What Do Bears and Your Prospect Calls Have in Common?

The plethora of automated systems available to sell items like shoes, cell phones, or mixers makes talking to prospects a thing of the past.

However, when you sell high-ticket items like IT services, complex software, or executive recruiting automation, not talking to people is not a viable choice. You need to talk to your prospects to get the sale.

The question you need to ask yourself is, “Should I get the prospect on the phone first, or is there another method I should consider?”

Why Bears Fight and Your Prospect Calls Go Unanswered

I keep my finger on the pulse of my audience regularly. And the same question continues to pop up: “How do I get a prospect on the phone?”

But in reality, getting the prospect on the phone is not the first thing you should do. My suggestion is to get on the same page BEFORE you get on the phone!

Confused?

Let’s use an analogy with bears.

Bears are territorial. When a strange bear meanders into another’s territory, confrontation ensues.

When two male bears meet—there’s a fight and the loser runs away.

When two female bears meet—there’s a fight and the loser runs away.

Now, if it’s a male and female bear meeting—chances are there will be a meeting of the minds and nature can take its course.

But before there is a meeting of the minds, there is friction as they get to know one another.

When you’re talking about the world of business, there are two times for possible “confrontation”: during a face-to-face meeting and, yup, the phone call.

Avoid this Cold Calling Mistake

Think of a cold call. If this is the first time you are communicating with someone, a defensive wall is fortified as soon as they hear you ask, “Is this John Doe?”

Just as nature intended, their fight-or-flight mechanism kicks in as they ask themselves, “Hang up or hang on?”

If you’re lucky enough to have them hang on, don’t get too comfortable. They are just waiting for the right excuse to hang up on you.

Let’s look at this realistically. Do you want to overcome their mindset to pitch your product or service? Will they be able to understand the full value of your product if they have already planted their feet in the sand? Do you really think you’ll get a meeting out of that conversation?

Now, at times, cold calling is all you have available to you. But there is another, more effective way to outflank their defenses, and it only takes two steps.

Step One: Your Prospect’s Comfort Zone

Think of where they are the most comfortable and create your content or messages there. For example, via email, LinkedIn, blog posts, YouTube, direct mail or Facebook.

What happens as they watch or read your material in comfort? Their defenses are down. Thus, they absorb your pitch quicker, arrive at a conclusion all on their own, and you didn’t have to force the issue.

Step Two: Don’t Pitch Immediately!

Instead, talk to their subconscious mind.

Want to turn your prospects off? Let your message or content tell them all about your fantastic wares, or worse, copy and paste what your competition says.

Instead, focus on your prospect’s subconscious pains, fears, needs, or desires. Then walk them through the progression of self-discovery that your offer will solve. This accomplishes two things: you’ve circumvented any resistance and planted an increased desire to talk with you.

Only at this point can you ask for the call.

A Welcome Call

Think of it this way: you wanted the call all along and now they want the call as well.

So, ask yourself a few questions:

1. Think beyond the surface complaints. What does your prospective customer actually want or fear?
2. How can you word that so it reaches their subconscious?
3. Where can you put these messages so they will locate them and react to them?

In other words, do the market research, discover the answers, and create the content that compels them to want your call.

The band Cheap Trick put it best, “I want you to want me!”