The Best Way to Sell to Time-Strapped Prospects

When you approach a new prospect, what do you have to offer? Whether you're sending an email or cold calling, you need to grab the attention of your contact and make them want to talk with you. But too often sellers spew on about their service or lead off with a trap question that screams salesperson.

The solution to this prospecting dilemma used to be to start your discussion as a business conversation rather than a traditional semi-scripted cold call. You based it on needs you uncovered in research before ever approaching your prospect.

But even that isn't enough anymore.

Business owners and executives are busy people, with too many responsibilities, too little time, and too few staff to pick up the slack. They don't have time for a conversation unless it will help them do their job more efficiently and effectively.

Too often the prospecting business discussion is one designed to gather a prospect's needs and covertly qualify if an opportunity exists. While you begin the conversation discussing the business issue you uncovered in your research, it quickly deteriorates into a series of questions that feel much like a sales call.

Your contact ends the conversation without agreeing to a first appointment and you don't know why.

You never mentioned your service and you were only talking about them. So what happened? It used to work. What changed?