At Kraken Sales Funnels, our mission is to lead qualified prospects right to you. We find the best leads and book the appointment for you to help you close more prospects. All you have to do is show up to close the deal.
Easy, huh?
Sometimes it is, but more often than not, it takes savvy sales chops to move a prospect past their objections, even if they were interested enough in what you’re offering to book a 15-minute call with you (try using Calendly to make it easy for prospects to book on your calendar).
Here are some expert tips we’re going to arm you with to help you find success in the sales meetings that we book for you:
Preparing for the appointment
Everyone gets nervous before an important call, but it’s easy to underestimate just how much your emotions can influence your ability to make the sale.
When you experience nerves before having a sales meeting with a prospect, 60% of your cognitive abilities go away. To combat this, breathe deeply, focus your thoughts, and think about something to be grateful about. The calming effect of doing this will have a big impact on the tone of your voice and your ability to keep your mind nimble as you hop your way through the sales meeting obstacle course.
In other words, it’s easier to deal with a nerve-wracking sales situation when your emotions are under control and you can think objectively and creatively when problems arise. That becomes vital when a potential client doesn’t follow the script you’ve mentally written out for them.
Starting the meeting on the right footing
Here’s a helpful tip: Don’t talk like a salesperson on the phone. Talk like a doctor who is there to help the prospect diagnose and solve a problem.
Imagine yourself in a lab coat with a stethoscope around your neck if it helps. This is a surefire trick to close more prospects.
Close more prospects by Harnessing the power of the story
If you’ve ever shopped for life insurance, you’ve heard these stories before.
The agent trying to sell you half a million in coverage tells you a story about a young woman he knew who got married and got a mortgage on a new home with her husband. Life was dreamy until, suddenly, on the eve of their first anniversary, her husband was struck down with an unexpected heart attack at the age of 33.
Heartbroken, the young widow found herself financially devastated because her income could not cover the cost of the funeral, the mortgage, and their debts. In the midst of their marital bliss, her husband had neglected to take the necessary steps to provide for her in the case of his untimely death.
There’s something important to note about these stories: They work.
Even if you don’t purchase that life insurance policy that day, that story will pop into your head every time you think about purchasing a policy — until you finally do.
To close more prospects, tell them a story — a much happier one than that, depending on what you’re selling — because they’ll remember it better than a list of bullet points about what your company offers. Telling the right story can make what you’re selling more relevant to your prospect.
Telling a story disrupts expectations. Prospects are expecting a scripted sales pitch. Transitioning seamlessly into an unannounced story will get them to pause and listen.
Stories connect people. It can bridge the gap between talking to a stranger and talking to a friend.
Getting your prospect to tell you their story
Your prospect may enter the meeting with a high degree of skepticism. They may figuratively fold their arms and wall themselves off emotionally from you. Break through that barrier by prompting them to tell you their story.
If you can get the prospect to tell you a story about the difficulties in running their own company, you’ll have a great opportunity to explain to them how your solution can alleviate those pain points.
That also gives you the perfect entry point to tell them a story about how you solved the same problems for another client.
This approach can be especially useful when you’re trying to coach a prospect through the idea of breaking up with their current supplier. One of the biggest reasons a prospect says “no” is because they’re comfortable with the status quo. They would rather keep doing things the way they’ve been doing them even if it’s harder, more expensive, or less effective.
After your prospect admits to you what their problems/challenges are, get them to articulate what the solution would look like. Then you can lead them down the path of seeing your service as the solution they want to go with.
Note: This is a great way to connect with them emotionally. 50% of a buyer’s decision-making process is emotional — how they feel about you and the sales process. They’re more willing to do business with someone who understands what they’re going through and empathizes.
Staying on your feet as you approach the finish line and close more prospects
Here are a few more helpful tips:
Remember that life insurance story? One of its primary goals is to create a sense of urgency. The young woman’s husband died without warning at only 33. They were married less than a year. They shouldn’t have procrastinated on setting up a life insurance policy.
Convey urgency in your own storytelling. Even if you feel close to making the sale, tell a story that illustrates the need to make the purchase now instead of later.
If a prospect objects to the cost of your product/service, don’t get flustered. Express understanding that the cost is higher than they anticipated but move seamlessly into an explanation of why the cost is what it is and how great the value is. Soften the objection by showing the prospect that they would actually receive more than they realize.
Let’s say things are going really well. This could be your first meeting with the potential client. It could be your tenth. But if it feels like you’re close to making the deal, it’s easy to let your excitement give you a smaller win than you deserve.
When it comes to negotiating, if you have poor emotional discipline, you will end up offering your maximum discount far sooner than you need to because you get too nervous about losing the sale. You end up leaving far too much money on the table — a loss for both you and your company.
At Kraken Sales Funnels, we want to see you win big. That’s why we use a stringent process to get you the most eager prospects so you will have the greatest chance of success.