Ryan Stewman is known throughout the sales and marketing industry as the “hardcore closer.”
He’s a five-time bestselling author, sales trainer, and entrepreneur. He’s also a regular contributor to major publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur.
Today, Ryan explains how to get the most information out of your initial sales call and, ultimately, close more sales.
Get to Know Your Leads
Most companies recommend contacting leads within five minutes. Ryan says this is a mistake.
In order to get the most out of your call and avoid rejection, Ryan suggests spending more time really getting to know your potential clients.
Ryan’s team doesn’t call clients for about four or five days after receiving the lead. This gives them time to figure out if the potential client is a good fit and to do some research about them.
Social Reconnaissance
Prior to the call, Ryan suggests scoping out your client’s social media profiles.
People share things on Facebook and Twitter because they want others to see. This helps build familiarity with the client before you even speak to them.
This strategy also helps avoid bad leads.
Notice someone who only complains and makes excuses? Don’t call that lead. Why subject yourself to the rejection? Sales are stressful enough as it is.
Conducting social reconnaissance prior to your initial sales call helps generate positive reactions with better results.
What to Do on the Call
You want to establish two things early on in the call: show the client you have a solution that works for someone just like them and get them to acknowledge that they’ve made a decision with you involved.
Sounds complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple.
In the first thirty seconds, Ryan usually asks the potential client where they conduct business and then explains that he has successful clients in that same area.
He doesn’t lie! If Ryan doesn’t have anyone in a specific city, he opts for state or regional designations.
After that, Ryan asks the lead why they reached out to him. This gets them to admit that they’ve made a decision involving you.
Keep the Conversation Flowing
The secret to closing?
Get folks to open their mouths and they might just open their wallet.
Ryan says this is a lot simpler than people think. The key is to ask open ended questions. He recommends having about six or seven go-to questions for each sales call.
When someone knows you’re a good listener, you don’t need to be a good salesperson. If customers feel like you thoroughly understand their problem, they’re more likely to trust your solution.
Ryan Stewman: The Hardcore Closer
At Ryan’s website, HarcoreCloser, you can find over 700 blogs as well as 400 – 500 pages of other info about sales marketing, Facebook ads, and so much more.
Ryan’s bestselling book, Elevator to The Top, walks you through the funnel, upsells, and extra programs. You can score a free paperback copy at here.