My prospect answered the phone! Now what?

Occasionally, we hear from salespeople regarding their day-to-day sales activities. Here is one I have permission to share:

"I just made the worst sales call of my career today. I was cold-calling people and reached out to the Vice President of a very large company. She actually answered the phone! I was shocked and flustered. I guess I expected to get the usual voicemail. I was ready to leave a message. I was not prepared to speak with her! My fault. I got lazy while prospecting. Help!"

Has this happened to you? It is like the dog that catches the car. Now what? The Vice President answered the phone. What do you say? How do you ensure they do not hang up on you? We have some ideas.

Listen to our five-part podcast series, The Secret to Connecting with Everyone. We share ideas to connect with people when you first speak with them. Search for Sales Blasphemy wherever you listen to podcasts, or click here to search on Google.

Plan how to introduce yourself and how your company helps. The first sentence is essential!

Think about the first question you will ask. It is the most important one. This question is make or break. What can you ask that will win their attention and cause the prospect to move into a conversation with you?

Do you know the value you bring to your prospects and customers? Are you selling what something does, not what it is? Are you focusing on their problem or talking about the features of your products and services? Prospects become customers because you provide benefits. That is what they want to hear about. Develop questions that help you uncover what is a benefit to them specifically.