Sales Prospecting Perspectives in pleased to bring you a guest post from one of our newer BDRs, Liz Wilson
While a majority of my colleagues at AG Salesworks teleprospect on behalf of companies in the IT Industry, I have the pleasure of calling for a company that provides Legal Services. While many of the strategies used for calling into IT companies parallel those of the Service Industry, there are some distinctions as well.
One of the biggest differences I have found is that there are more conversations had when discussing services over solutions. As a result of the volume of conversations, the cliché “kill them with kindness” has become an understatement. My goal, as is the goal of most of my colleagues, is to connect with an Executive, and getting to them can sometimes feel like passing on a pair of beautiful high heels at the mall, an incredible feat for me. My advice: the Executives usually have assistants, use them and get them to share as much information as you can. Many times, you can get basic background information from them and be able to make a decision on whether or not they would be a fit. It has been said that the most pleasurable sound to a person is the sound of their own name. Learning the names of the assistants is a must and has helped insure that my information, above others, is put in front of the target Executive. There have even been a few occasions where the Executive Assistants will put me on their boss’s calendar.
A second difference is that Legal Services is an area that’s not typically “re-evaluated”. In general, IT solutions have contracts or licensing agreements that expire. Many of my contacts inform me that they have been using the same Legal Services division since the “dawn of the dinosaurs” and no matter what the cost, nothing will replace a longstanding relationship. To this, I usually respond with, “We would never hope to replace a longstanding relationship, simply supplement it by/with (insert specific content here)….” I find that respecting and acknowledging an established relationship is always appreciated and often furthers the conversation.
While maybe you can’t relate to passing up those heels at the mall, when you get the chance to prospect for a Service, take the challenge and use your people skills! Remember those who are responsible for getting you to your target and listen to what they’re telling you.
