Great opening statements are scripted and delivered word-for-word. Far too many salespeople "wing" their opening statements. With the whole sales or presentation resting on being granted more than seven seconds, you can't afford to be making up your opening statement as you go.
Whether you execute a good opening statement or a poor one, there are only three potential responses you will get from a prospect: Yes, No, and Maybe. The odds are 100% that you will receive one of these three. The only question is the percentage of each category. If your desire is to receive an increased level of yes responses, then you either have to hope the timing is perfect for your offer or cause more interest to be peaked by your opening statement.
There are six steps to a powerful opening statement. These six steps can be crafted on paper to ensure delivery with each call that you make to a prospect.
1. State their name
The sweetest words in any language (whether it's English, Spanish, French, or any other language) are the prospect's name. When you use it, you cause the prospect's ears to turn toward you like when a cat rotates its ears toward a sound.
If they have a name that is tough to pronounce, either call in advance to find out how to pronounce it by listening to their voice mail or ask the receptionist to pronounce it for you. Do your homework because if you butcher it, you will be in worse shape than if you hadn't used it at all.
2. State your full name. This may sound rudimentary but even experienced salespeople forget. They use their first name only or none at all. This bad habit in salespeople is especially true when executing follow-up calls. We assume that they remember us... wrong assumption. A professional uses their full name every time.
3. State your company name.
Again, it might seem obvious, but it's omitted far too frequently by salespeople. For extra pizzazz, you could add a specialty statement after the company name. Add in something like: "We specialize in serving sellers who failed to sell through previous agents."
"We specialize in successfully selling homes in challenging markets."
"We specialize in selling eastside property for higher than average list price to sales price ratios." Using this technique sets you apart from the other salespeople who call. If you can craft your specialty add on to a benefit statement, it's even more effective. The question you must ask is what's in it for them.
4.State why you are calling.
It's time to get to the point. You are now going to reveal why they are taking their time to talk with you. The easiest way to get to the point or cut through the fog is to use, "The reason for my call is . . ." Put it right in your script that you use.
You need to hook in a valid reason for your call.
5. Link in a benefit statement.
The benefit statement is added to your "The reason I'm calling" statement. You are now approaching the seven second window as you are delivering your benefit statement. If the benefit statement isn't tuned to WIIFM, you will lose.
WIIFM is the radio station that plays in our brains 24/7. It stands for "What's In It For Me?" If your benefit statement doesn't answer that question, you will not get much farther on this call or even with them. If you are doing a follow-up call with an established client, the need for a benefit statement is reduced. You have already established a pattern of value with that client. If you are making a first time call or it's early in the relationship, you can't omit the well crafted benefit statement. A few examples would be:
"We've had considerable success in selling homes that were listed before with other agents."
"We've achieved significant sales increases for our client through our Seller Platinum Home Program."
6. Add in a close or a bridge.
We are now at the point where we need to segway into a closing question or a bridge question to engage them in the dialogue. With a closing question, you are asking for an appointment or closing for some level of commitment. It's a more direct way to ask a prospect. The bridge is a softer approach of "let's explore" together the options.
An example of a close is:
"Let's set an appointment to talk. Would Wednesday or Thursday work better for you?"
"Our next step would be to meet. Do you have time this week, or would next week be better?"
A bridge connects the benefit statement with the asking of permission and a small admission that you don't know if they want what you are offering. Examples of effective bridges are:
"If we could provide the same results for you, would we have a basis for doing business together?"
"Bob, I am not sure at this juncture if I can help you, and you are not sure if I can't, so let's spend a few minutes together to find out if you could benefit from __________."
The more you can craft your opening statement through the eyes and ears of the prospect, the more you can reach through the phone.
Published: March 18, 2013
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