Introduction. Step One. Step Two Step Three Step Four Step Five Step Six Step Seven Step Eight Step Nine Step Ten Step Eleven Step Twelve

Step four

Direct contact

All qualified appointments should be treated as the most precious treasure because of all the effort and planning that goes into generating them. In step four it is time to  prepare the exact script that will allow you to open the conversation and get directly to the qualifying questions and statements you need to qualify each individual prospect. You need to motivate the prospect to give you the qualifying information to determine if you can help them. However before any of this can take place you will need to motivate the prospect to want to talk to you.

Our formula for direct contacting is very straight forward and should be followed to the detail. We use a quick opening paragraph to introduce your company and then a quick statement to build your credibility and justify why you can help them if they have a need that you are expert at solving.

You will then follow with three to four qualifying questions or statement that will assure the qualification of the prospect. By doing this, you will determine if they are qualified candidates that can do business with you. Finally, you will close the qualified candidates for an appointment.

In some situations the prospect is not qualified now but will be in the future. You will collect the information for when you can contact them in the future. Appointments are our primary goal at this point, however, we also want to collect the information for when the prospect will be qualified. Not every prospect will be qualified at every moment. He may be under contract until a certain time or she may have enough stock to carry her a while or .............. Find out and compile a list of future times when these prospect will be qualified to do business and be diligent to follow up when they are ready.

In the script below fill in your specific company information and the qualifying questions and statements.

The Phone Presentation

The opening: Hi, (prospects name) this is (your name) and I'm calling from (your company name) I recently sent you a postcard of a beautiful sunset introducing myself. Do recall seeing it? WFA (Wait for answer)

(Generally because they just received the card they will say, "Yes", However since you did just call them with only the card as notice and when you get them on the phone the first time they might be a little surprised and they may respond "No". If so, grab their attention by elevating your voice a little and say the following, "Sure you do, it was the postcard of the golden sunrise, you remember that don't you?" WFA (wait for answer) Now they will remember.)

The justification: (Prospects name)  (your company name) has been helping companies/homeowners just like yours since (year) (Note: if your are a new company talk about how long the key people have been in the industry.)

We help companies/homeowners with their (list your solutions). "What I was wondering is ............................"

Qualifiers: (Insert and ask your qualifying questions or qualifying statements.)

Note: you will fill these questions in and there should not be more then 3 or four  questions/statements combined. Get to what you need to know to qualify the prospect as succinctly as possible. After the prospect is qualified go for the appointment as follows;

Close:  "Well (Prospects name) it looks like (your company name) can help you and your company with your ____________ needs. What I'd like to do for you is set up a time to stop by and show you how (your company name) can benefit you".

"Would (Day) or (Day) be better for you?" WFA

"And would (Time) or (Time) be better for you?" WFA

"Great, I have you down for (Day) at (Time). (Prospects name), do you have a pen handy I want to give you my contact information?" (Give your info and close as follows) "Please enter this appointment into your schedule because I have put this specific time down in my schedule for you. If there should be any problem with that time please call me and let me know. Fair enough?" WFA

"Great, I look forward to seeing you on (Day) at (Time). Have a wonderful day and I will see you then."

With the above script you will identify who is looking and can benefit from seeing you now.

You will also find out which of the demographically qualified prospects will be looking in the future (whether because they are under contract or they will be looking for your solution in the future), and specifically when they will be ready. You will close these calls as follows.

"Well (Prospects name) it looks like (your company name) could help you with your future needs. What I'm going to do for you is set up a time to call you back in the future.

"So you will be ready to look in (Time from now)?  So that would be around (Date). Would (Day) or (Day) be better for you? WFA 

And would (Time) or (Time) be better for you?" WFA

"Great I have you down for (Day) at (Time). (Prospects name), do you have a pen handy I want to give you my contact information just in case you need me before then?" (Give your info and close as follows)

I would also like to start familiarizing you with my company. So what I will do for you is send your some of my company information for you to evaluate between now and the time of our call, OK? WFA

"Great I look forward to calling you on (Day) at (Time) and I can assure you I will be on time. Have a great day and I will call you then."

After this type of call and information gathering your system of follow up is extremely important. These will be some of your most fertile future leads. I've seen many professionals limit their income because they did all the front work correctly but then they drop the ball when it comes to following though. Don't hurt yourself if you are going to play the game, play to win. Be diligent and touch every base.

When you start any marketing campaign and you work it correctly you will accumulate the current qualified leads, but what can be gleaned from information gathering and  for  future sales can be even stronger. You have the time until they are ready to see you to send them comprehensive information about your company to set the future foundation for your relationship. You can be of service and help in the prospects education so that when they are ready to see you, they are already warmed up.

There will be times when you may not be able to get directly to the decision maker without first going through what I like to call a "Champion". A Champion is a person that has the ear of and influence of the decision maker .You may need to invest time in your Champions and then have them bring you to the decision maker. When given the correct respect, the Champion can be a great help in situations from which you have been blocked. Try going back to prospects that you should be able to approach, but with whom you have not been successful. Drop down a level or two from the decision maker and see if you can find a Champion to take it up the ladder for you. Show them the benefits the same way you would with the decision maker, and let them look like a hero for finding you. These are very valuable assets. 

Note: If you are working for a company that generates leads but pays you higher commission for sales when you generate the leads yourself, figure out if their leads are as productive as your leads and which net you more income in less time. If you can produce better qualified leads and it takes you less time to close a sale then it would be worth generating your own leads. I can assure you that you will produce better leads and close more sales if you control the lead qualification process yourself. 

Summary: Take control when you get the decision maker on the phone. Talk about helping and benefiting them. Show them that you can help if they have a need, it will open many more opportunities than trying to shove what you are offering down their throats. Go with the flow. If now is not a good time for them then confirm when the time will be right. Help the prospects the way they want to be helped.