Connecting the Dots to More Sales

One of the biggest challenges in marketing is getting people to respond to unsolicited calls and emails. When prospects enter your marketing pipeline as the result of your cold call, their casual visit to your website, or you finding their name on a list, you are essentially a stranger. Unless they have a compelling need for the service you are offering at the exact moment you contact them, they have no real incentive to take your call or answer your email.

You can’t make a prospect need you. What you can do is identify and strengthen the personal connections you have with your prospects to increase the likelihood that they will be open to speaking with you.

When you have a particular prospect you can’t seem to get through to, one useful tactic is to ask for an introduction from someone you already know. Ask your colleagues, others in your market niche, or members of the business and personal networks you belong to if they know this person. If so, would they be willing to serve as your connection? You might ask the person to call or email your prospect and suggest he speak with you, or simply ask if you can use your connection’s name as someone who referred you.