Infographic
Six Strategies for Getting Buyers to Talk to You
1. It's all in the timing
- Rotate the time of day you call. If you can't get through to the buyer at 10 am, why not try 2 pm or 3:46 pm? You get the picture.
- Consider the time zone before you call. Your buyers are located around the globe. Think about where they hang their hat before you ring.
- Schedule at their convenience. Ask if there is another good time to call.
- Don't keep hounding the gatekeepers if they decline to forward your call or take a message. Calling before 8 am and after 5 pm may get you direct contact with your buyer and circumvent getting past the assistant.
2. Kill ‘em with kindness
- Be precise and succinct while still sounding human. You're not a robot. Don't rush the call.
- Don't be a Moody Judy. Your mood can greatly impact the mood of the call too.
- Voice inflection can make all the difference in getting a spot on their calendar.
- Show sincerity. Ask them how their day is going and mean it.
- Let them know you value their feedback and respect their time.
3. Be a great communicator
- Add details to the email subject line. For instance: Requesting a short discussion for feedback on your recent healthcare services selection.
- Customize the email message. Don't just send a generic “copy-and-paste” template. For example: “We'd like to talk to you about your recent selection of Getwell Inc. for your healthcare services...”
- Personalize your message. Every one wants to feel special. "Sorry to hear it's raining again in Seattle." "Hope you had a great vacation." "Are the Broncos playing this week in Denver?"
- Be diligent without being overbearing or forceful. No used car sales talk.
- Keep the message positive. Avoid negative words and phrases.
4. Be pleasantly persistent
- Remember the law of averages. The more touch points you have with them, the more likely they will schedule an interview.
- Email, phone, voicemail message, repeat. Got that? In that order, every 3 days, you can't fail. Consistency is really important.
- Leave detailed VM saying you’ll be sending another email to touch base with them in a few days.
- Get a referral. If the person was not part of the evaluation, find out who was involved in the decision making and get their contact info.
5. Show, don't just tell
- Make sure they understand you are scheduling a 20 minute discussion, and the interview will not be conducted at that moment.
- Give a clear and concise description of the discussion. This helps legitimize the request and avoids confusing you with a telemarketer.
- Show value. Let them know their feedback is high priority.
6. The devil is in the details
- Confirm contact info is up-to-date. Having the correct phone number and email address helps making contact a whole lot easier. LinkedIn and Google are the best sources if your POC doesn't know.
- Be knowledgeable about the client you are calling on behalf of, as well as about the interviewing process and what the information was used for.
- Log your communication. Keep a detailed record each time you touch base to schedule an interview. Then you won't run into scheduling the same person twice.
- Track your responses. Knowing the status of your scheduling conversion rates gives you a clear picture how much sample you have.