Читать книгу Elite Sales Strategies - Anthony Iannarino - Страница 12

Even before you meet, your contacts will measure how valuable you are to them personally and professionally. When they agree to a meeting with you, they're praying that you'll use their time wisely, creating value for them through a helpful conversation. The only way you can make the conversation valuable for you is by making it valuable for your client, starting by avoiding One-Down prospecting.

For example, a salesperson who starts a cold call with “Do you have twenty-seven seconds?” reveals themselves as a joker, not a serious partner. Leading with “Is now a good time?” or “Is now a bad time?” likewise projects that they're One-Down. All of these approaches are fear-based, showing that the salesperson relies on gimmicks or tricks because they can't offer anything more valuable to earn the meeting. How could the tired old agenda of “telling you about our company and the work we are doing with companies just like yours, learn a little bit about you and your company, and discuss how we can help you” be valuable?

The One-Down salesperson is a beggar. They need a meeting more than the client needs their help, and by the widest of margins. After all, the legacy approaches to sales were designed to solve the salesperson's problems. But being One-Up means seeking to solve the client's problems, especially those beyond the scope of your prepackaged solution. The One-Up salesperson believes in their heart that their client is going to benefit from the time they spend with them, a belief that allows them to ask confidently for a meeting and provide a value proposition the client appreciates enough to block off time on their calendar. Here's what that might sound like:

Good morning! This is Anthony Iannarino with XYZ Widgets. I am calling you today to ask you for a twenty-minute meeting where I can share with you an executive briefing about four trends that will have the most significant impact on manufacturers in the next eighteen to twenty-four months. I'll also provide you with the slide deck and the questions we are asking and answering with our clients, so you can share them with your management team. Even if there is no next step, you'll know what you might start exploring, and you'll know what you might need your team to start putting in place. What do you look like Thursday afternoon?