Key Takeaways: No-Pressure Prospecting in a COVID-19 World

Are you finding that hunting for new business is especially daunting in today’s COVID-19 climate? Even in perfect conditions, proactive prospecting can be overwhelming. The pressure salespeople are under at this very moment is immense. Getting people to engage is indefinitely harder and every opportunity needs to be re-qualified. It is no wonder that salespeople are reluctant to hunt for new business and fear their approach is intrusive or inappropriate in the current environment. 
 
Our latest Professional Sales Development Session, a long-time Chamber favorite, focused on, "No Pressure Prospecting in a COVID-19 World." The session’s featured guest speaker was Rich Austin, Senior Partner at Corporate Strategies and Solutions, a Sandler Training Center. Shawn Green, PhD, from Aurora University once again moderated the session.
 
The following blog addresses some of the key takeaways from the No Pressure Prospecting session.
 
With a virtual full house, Rich unpacked the ‘ethical selling’ model highlighting the top behaviors, attitudes, and techniques that high-performing salespeople are using to get their prospect’s attention and generate meaningful conversations. Rich addressed the following key items:
 

• Techniques to engage with the prospect with empathy and respect (be a human being)

• Ways to structure an effective, efficient prospecting call that sets more appointments
• How to leave a voicemail message that gets returned

• Ethical selling: Do not sell people something they truly do not need.
• Everyone is NOT a prospect: Target your audience and go after those in your sweet spot.
• One cannot control the outcome, but one can control the process and the positioning: Essentially this boils down to: hone a process that works and work the process, and then let the chips fall where they may. If you do a good job targeting your audience, be in sync with them on what they need, why who the decision maker is and their price point, and show value, they will buy. If they don’t, that’s out of you control.
• It is not how I feel that determines how I act, it is the other way around: Be open, approachable and honest and you’ll be seen a truthful and positive and you’ll find that you have those same acts and attitudes returned to you.
• Salespeople have rights: The customer is not always right. You have to understand your role as well as theirs.  

• Your prospect’s pains, not your pride (focus on their pains)
  • Who you are
  • What you do
  • Pain indicators, tiny benefit statement
  • Hook questions
• Solid execution

1. Use a positive, genuine and welcoming opening/greeting
2. Be up-front
3. Include your 30-second commercial
4. Close for the appointment
5. Close with post-sell dialogue