Surprise can be a strong sales and marketing tool. Confusion is rarely so.
Author and trainer Wendy Weiss (WendyWeiss.com) says if your value proposition isn’t clear from the outset, don’t expect to get your prospects’ attention. She recounts the story of this voicemail she recently received:
“The purpose of my call today is to introduce myself and take a moment to briefly describe for you two core-based technologies; laser Internet online office and an Internet broadcasting technology. I don’t know whether or not any of these applications may be of interest to you, I would appreciate a brief moment of your time to review that.”
Weiss didn’t know if the applications were of interest either because she didn’t know what “core-based technologies” might be. “There was nothing in his message that enabled me to understand the value he had to offer. There was, therefore, no reason for me to call him back,” she states. She received a second call from this sales rep a few days later and, following a five-minute discussion with him, still did not understand what his product was or how it would benefit her. He promised to send a follow-up email that would clarify everything. Nothing showed up and she got another voice mail
a few days later with the exact message he’d left the first time. The key lessons for your sales reps provided by this unsuccessful one:
• Keep good records. You need to know whether or not you have spoken with a prospect, what you talked about and what is your next step.
• If you promise to send something to a prospect, send it. Always lead with value. Prospects will not guess, read your mind or figure it out on their own.
• Be crystal clear. It is a huge mistake to assume that your prospect knows or understands the value of what you have to offer. You must make your message so clear that even a child would understand the value.
Bottom line: confused prospects do not buy.
