Ask One Simple Question
I know it can be discouraging when you call and email (and call and email some more) the prospects you want to work with and they just don’t respond.
They may be so inundated that they can only respond to what’s urgent or at the top of their “to do” list.
But you could probably also make it easier for them to respond. Here’s how:
One technique my clients and I are using to increase response, to get prospects into a dialogue, is to ask one simple question.
For example, when you give your short introduction (via email or voice mail), do you ask your prospect directly whether they are open to working with companies like yours?
I've found that a simple question often spurs action.
Here are some examples of simple questions you can ask:
• Are you the right contact or is there someone else I should be talking to about (fill in the blank)?
• Would you like to receive our tips about (blank) via email?
• Did you see the article in (blank) in which you are featured? (That’s good for prospects you find in the press.)
• Did you see the piece in our portfolio that we did for (fill in with their competition)? We’d love to tell you more about that project. (This is good for follow up calls.)
Again, I’m not suggesting you use all of these questions, just one (or maybe two at the most). If you’re successful, you’ll have time to ask the others later.
Remember: the goal of an introduction is to find out whether they are open to speaking with you, either now or at some point in the future. If you ask them, they will often tell you.
