July 2, 2018

Reader question: “How do you have The Why conversation when you’re cold calling?”

Reader Howard Fore wrote in recently with a question I get fairly often after talking about The Why Conversation (shared with permission):

Ok but (and you’ve probably talked about this already) how do you have the Why conversation when you’re cold calling a potential client? I want to sell them a service that they don’t currently use but that will expand their reach into their current market.

Thanks Howard!

The fundamental issue here is a misunderstanding of what selling consists of. I never go into a meeting with a prospect with the intension of selling something to them. My intension is to determine whether or not there’s a good fit between our two businesses. If there is no mutually beneficial way to engage, why would I try to force something on them?

So...

In Howard’s case, the outreach could be something like:

Hi Bob, Would like to expand your reach into [their current market]? I have a solution that helps some businesses like yours do this, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Would you be open to a quick phone call to see if there’s a good fit? If so, just reply with yes/thumbs-up and I’ll send across a few possible times. Yours, Howard

(This draft is pretty weak and could be improved significantly if I knew more about Howard and Bob. But for the purpose of this message, it’s good enough to get the point across.)

Your Takeaway

When doing outreach, your ask should be:

“Would you like to jump on a call to see if there’s a good fit?”

Given that as your opening, The Why Conversation makes perfect sense.

Yours,

—J

P.S. Not sure where to start improving your sales and marketing skills? There are still two seats available. Apply now to secure your place: jonathanstark.com/coaching