10 Surefire Ways to Get More Callbacks from Your Sales Prospects

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions

It's not your imagination. It isn't only you. There isn't some new problem with your product, your company, or even your sales process.

What's changed, for you and virtually every other seller, is your buyer. All buyers are immensely more empowered than they have ever been at any other time in history. In fact, buyers are so empowered that many don't even realize when and why they need sellers.

That's why they avoid your calls.

Developing new business and getting a brand-new prospect to return your call is tougher than it's ever been. Not only do buyers need a compelling reason to call you back, but they also need to understand that what you have to offer is not the same thing they could find on your website, nor is what you have to say to them the same as what every other seller has already said to them.

In other words, the one thing that has changed is the need to differentiate yourself in order to get a call back.

Here are 10 surefire tips to increase the likelihood that a prospect will call you back.

1. You need to make yourself relevant. That means that you can't come across like a seller. Instead, you need to make it crystal clear in just a single voicemail that you have something highly relevant to talk about. One way to do this is to understand exactly what's going on with this company you're calling. A quick tip for how to do this – set a Google alert for companies that you will be calling in the next one or two weeks. That way, Google will send you all breaking news items about your prospect.

2. In addition to being relevant, you also have to be timely. You need to offer something that is timed in alignment with a buying cycle, or has seasonal implications, or for some other reason has urgency attached to it.

3. Another great way to differentiate yourself is to show you've done your homework. By being relevant and timely, you have already started to demonstrate this. But every other seller is probably doing those things too. Doing a little research or some advance intelligence gathering means that you will be able to say something about the company that others might not know.  

4. Going right along with this need to differentiate yourself is the advantage you will have if you are creative. Looking at the situation in a new way or offering something they haven't heard before can be attention-getting. Even asking a thought-provoking question differentiates you and shows the value in talking with you. At a minimum, you can show just how interesting the conversation with you will be.

5. Of course, if you have any other compelling reasons that someone should meet with you, state those upfront too. This would include people that you know in common, testimonials about clients in similar businesses, references that you can bring into the conversation, etc.

6. The main objective of these first five steps is to demonstrate that you can be trusted and that you are knowledgeable. Buyers do not want to work with sellers who are only interested in making a quick commission dollar. Our empowered buyers are more sophisticated than that. They want to be challenged, and they hope to do business with people who will offer real solutions, new ideas, and knowledge-based insights. In your opening call, whatever it takes to get this across is information you should include.

7. The contrast then is to make it about the buyer and the buyers’ needs instead of about you, the seller, and your needs. The difference comes out clearly when you talk about the buyer's company instead of your own company and products. Making a shift to leave a message that's about the buyer is what you're really aiming for in each one of these steps.

8. In order to do this effectively, you will need to prepare yourself for every call. A canned script, one that you repeat over and over again, will get the fastest delete possible for your voice mail message. Your message needs to be tailored specifically to the person you're calling, and it needs to sound genuine and not scripted. Invest the time to make it personalized.

9. Don't forget about value when you ask for the appointment. Be sure that you have presented the value of time spent with you as clearly and completely as possible. The value to the buyer does not include your product features. It includes attaining a goal that is relevant and critical to the potential buyer’s business. When you can express that reaching that specific goal is a good reason to meet with you, that's when you will get a call back.

10. Last, but not least, cut out the fluff. Don't bother talking about the weather, the college that you went to or any other artificial connection that you were trying to establish. Instead, stick to the reason this buyer should call you back immediately.

When you follow these 10 steps you will get more callbacks from your prospects and buyers. No matter how busy they are, no matter how empowered they are, they will want to spend time with you IF they can see the value in doing so.