Jul 31, 2013 By Amanda Nelson

4 Stellar Sales Tips to Communicate with Prospects

in Sales, Small Business

Sometimes the missing link between a closed deal and lost deal is a stellar first impression. Whether it’s the first call, voicemail or email to the prospect, you want it to be the best. So I asked John Barrows, sales coach and speaker, for his top tips to succeed at these communication methods. Here is his advice.

1. The sales discovery call

“Do your homework and have thoughtful questions to ask about their business before diving into BANT or your typical qualifying questions,” says Barrows, “Also, try to uncover the decision making process and where the person you are speaking with falls in that process as quickly and as detailed as possible.”

2. Leaving a voicemail

“Don’t sell, focus on getting their attention by ensuring your message is aligned with the priorities, speaks the language of the role/title you’re calling (CFO, CEO, etc), and brings some sort of value to the table right from the start,” says John.

3. Writing emails

John shares a few tips for email best practices, including:

Keep them short (approximately 2 scrolls on an iPhone)
Use ‘Your’ as the first word in the subject line
Start your e-mails with “in researching your company I noticed…X”
Have a very specific call to action

4. The perfect sales attitude

John sums it up with, “Relentless optimism.” No matter what, keep on selling when times get tense. The best salespeople maintain balance throughout the highs and lows that accompany a sales process.

Download our free ebook, Tips for Sales Success: A Step-by-Step Guide, and get more tips on the perfect sales call, voicemail, email attitude, and more.