Developing a Compelling Opening Statement When Cold Calling and Prospecting
By Keith Rosen
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I’m going to share one example of the type of opening statement and cold calling approach you can create that’s sure to generate more qualified prospects than ever before. This example was one that a cost reduction company used when calling on the C suite of prospects, such as the controller or CFO.
"Hi John, Keith Rosen here from profit builders. Did I catch you at an okay time?"
“John, I’m sure you’re busy and I want to respect your time, so I’ll be brief.”
"The reason for my call is this. We just saved Universal Transport an additional 12 million dollars in shipping costs, so I thought it was important enough to reach out to you and let you know, since every company has an obligation to their customers and shareholders to reduce their expenses as much as possible."
"Now, you may be wondering how we can do this for you. Well, depending on what you’re currently doing I don’t know if you have a need for our services. But with your permission, lets talk for a few minutes to determine if there is anything we’re doing that you could benefit from. Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me on the phone now, if I stick to this timetable?"
Okay. I wanted to deliver an example of an opening statement before we dissected the steps so that you can see that the actual delivery time of an opening statement is brief. Only about 35 seconds. Now, lets dissect what I’ve accomplished here.
The first step during a cold call or in a prospecting conversation is delivering a compelling opening statement like the one I just shared with you.
Remember, your intention is to have a conversation, not to pitch them. Therefore, your opening statement must accomplish several objectives. It needs to:
First, I demonstrated respect for their time. And that sounded like this. You: Hi John. Keith Rosen here from Profit Builders. Did I catch you at an okay time?
Asking this question demonstrates your respect for their time and an understanding that your phone call is not the only thing on their plate for the day.
While you may feel asking a question sets you up to hear a no, here's a key point: Whether they say, “Yes,” “No” or “No but go ahead,” listen to the response that I used when responding to any of these 3 rebuttals.
Here it is again: “John, I’m sure you’re busy and I want to respect your time, so I’ll be brief.”
This statement still allows you to continue regardless of how they initially responded to you, rather than rescheduling another time to call. Besides, you’ve finally got a prospect on the phone, so the last thing you want to do is hang up and attempt to catch them at another time.
Second, I delivered a compelling reason. I generated interest by sharing what’s in it for them within the first 20 seconds of our conversation.
The compelling reason I used in this example was: “We just saved universal transport an additional 12 million dollars in shipping costs.”
Notice I didn’t say what I do or how I do it. Remember, at this point, prospects don’t care what you do or how you do it. They only want to know what they can expect as an end result of using your product or service.
As you may have heard in the last sentence of my opening statement, I invited the prospect to have a conversation with me by first getting permission from them to do so. This approach accomplishes several objectives:
First, it Creates A Healthy Atmosphere: This approach eliminates a potentially adversarial posture, lowers their resistance and brings down their guard. As such, it creates a healthier atmosphere rather than pushing your way through the call. Making the statement, “I don’t know if you have a need for our services” lets the person know you’re not trying to force something down their throat that they may not need or may not be ready for, whether it’s your solution or the appointment you're going after.
Second, it gets Permission: I asked the question, “Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me if I stick to this timetable?”
This question opens up a dialogue, allowing you to gain confirmation from the prospect that they are willing to have a preliminary conversation with you. You are now able to move them into the needs analysis or questioning part of your prospecting conversation.
Finally, it Establishes A Timeline: By asking, “Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me?” lets the prospect know that you’re taking accountability for the length of the call; that you’re respecting their time and that you’re not going to keep them on the phone all day, eliminating the chance of the prospect making the assumption that this call will drag on for eternity.
As you can see, once you have gotten permission to continue with your conversation, you now have a prospect engaged in a conversation with you. Now you're ready to move into step two of your prospecting approach, which is your chance to determine if there's a good fit by using the right questions to qualify them.
© 2009 Keith Rosen
LAM-001-00217
"Hi John, Keith Rosen here from profit builders. Did I catch you at an okay time?"
“John, I’m sure you’re busy and I want to respect your time, so I’ll be brief.”
"The reason for my call is this. We just saved Universal Transport an additional 12 million dollars in shipping costs, so I thought it was important enough to reach out to you and let you know, since every company has an obligation to their customers and shareholders to reduce their expenses as much as possible."
"Now, you may be wondering how we can do this for you. Well, depending on what you’re currently doing I don’t know if you have a need for our services. But with your permission, lets talk for a few minutes to determine if there is anything we’re doing that you could benefit from. Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me on the phone now, if I stick to this timetable?"
Okay. I wanted to deliver an example of an opening statement before we dissected the steps so that you can see that the actual delivery time of an opening statement is brief. Only about 35 seconds. Now, lets dissect what I’ve accomplished here.
The first step during a cold call or in a prospecting conversation is delivering a compelling opening statement like the one I just shared with you.
Remember, your intention is to have a conversation, not to pitch them. Therefore, your opening statement must accomplish several objectives. It needs to:
- Identify who you are.
- Give them a reason to speak with you.
- And finally: Guide them to the questioning or needs analysis part of your call so that you can get them involved and determine if there’s a fit.
First, I demonstrated respect for their time. And that sounded like this. You: Hi John. Keith Rosen here from Profit Builders. Did I catch you at an okay time?
Asking this question demonstrates your respect for their time and an understanding that your phone call is not the only thing on their plate for the day.
While you may feel asking a question sets you up to hear a no, here's a key point: Whether they say, “Yes,” “No” or “No but go ahead,” listen to the response that I used when responding to any of these 3 rebuttals.
Here it is again: “John, I’m sure you’re busy and I want to respect your time, so I’ll be brief.”
This statement still allows you to continue regardless of how they initially responded to you, rather than rescheduling another time to call. Besides, you’ve finally got a prospect on the phone, so the last thing you want to do is hang up and attempt to catch them at another time.
Second, I delivered a compelling reason. I generated interest by sharing what’s in it for them within the first 20 seconds of our conversation.
The compelling reason I used in this example was: “We just saved universal transport an additional 12 million dollars in shipping costs.”
Notice I didn’t say what I do or how I do it. Remember, at this point, prospects don’t care what you do or how you do it. They only want to know what they can expect as an end result of using your product or service.
As you may have heard in the last sentence of my opening statement, I invited the prospect to have a conversation with me by first getting permission from them to do so. This approach accomplishes several objectives:
First, it Creates A Healthy Atmosphere: This approach eliminates a potentially adversarial posture, lowers their resistance and brings down their guard. As such, it creates a healthier atmosphere rather than pushing your way through the call. Making the statement, “I don’t know if you have a need for our services” lets the person know you’re not trying to force something down their throat that they may not need or may not be ready for, whether it’s your solution or the appointment you're going after.
Second, it gets Permission: I asked the question, “Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me if I stick to this timetable?”
This question opens up a dialogue, allowing you to gain confirmation from the prospect that they are willing to have a preliminary conversation with you. You are now able to move them into the needs analysis or questioning part of your prospecting conversation.
Finally, it Establishes A Timeline: By asking, “Would you be comfortable spending just a few minutes with me?” lets the prospect know that you’re taking accountability for the length of the call; that you’re respecting their time and that you’re not going to keep them on the phone all day, eliminating the chance of the prospect making the assumption that this call will drag on for eternity.
As you can see, once you have gotten permission to continue with your conversation, you now have a prospect engaged in a conversation with you. Now you're ready to move into step two of your prospecting approach, which is your chance to determine if there's a good fit by using the right questions to qualify them.
© 2009 Keith Rosen
LAM-001-00217
Visit Keith Rosen's Website: http://www.profitbuilders.com
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