Whether you’re on a first date, a job interview, or any type of initial encounter or interaction, first impressions can mean everything. If a person is confident and decides, for whatever reason, that there’s something about you they don’t like, good luck getting them to change their mind.
The pressure to make a good first impression is even more intense in the sales world. It’s almost impossible to completely win over a prospect very early in the sales process, but it’s easy to lose them for good, and you may never get a second chance.
In the words of bestselling author and renowned sales expert Jeb Blount: “First impressions are about likability, and likability is the gateway to building emotional connections with your prospect. Emotions drive sales.”
He continues: “If your prospect likes you, they will be open to answering your questions, engaging in a conversation about their needs and situation, and ultimately buying from you.”
At VSA, we know how crucial it is to make a good first impression—both during our sales process with potential new clients and when conducting lead generation and appointment-setting campaigns on our client’s behalf.
We agree with Jeb Blount that likeability and building rapport are key to helping prospects buy with confidence. If potential customers decide they don’t like you, even for a seemingly trivial reason, the deal is likely dead.
Here are five of the ways VSA strives to achieve this likeability and make a great first impression at every level of our organization:
1. Ask questions
Before telling a prospect about you, find out about them. You should always understand what their needs are before you start listing the benefits of your own offerings. It’s not about selling them (not initially, anyway); it’s about helping them and being sincere with a positive attitude.
By asking questions and showing a genuine interest in their specific challenges, you find out if your product or service is a good fit for them and whether they fit your ideal customer profile. It’s important to figure out if it’s a potential match early in the relationship to avoid wasting each other’s time later.
And if they aren’t a good fit, maybe you can refer them to somebody else who is, an act of reciprocity that could pay dividends and help generate more quality leads down the road.
2. Manage expectations
There’s nothing worse than promising results that you can’t deliver. Sure, the allure of gaudy numbers might pique a potential customer’s interest at the moment, but that relationship is destined to go south in a hurry if those numbers aren’t realistic. Overselling yourself or your services can only backfire, especially if your prospects have already been talking to your competitors.
VSA has been conducting B2B calling campaigns for 21 years involving a wide variety of industries, so we have a good idea of what goals make sense for a particular program. Still, every client is different and there are always multiple variables that can determine the success of a program. Even more important, keeping the expectations realistic from the start can go a long way toward building a solid foundation with a prospect.
3. Be honest
If a prospect asks you a question you can’t answer, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know. If they ask you about your technology, don’t exaggerate its capabilities. A savvy consumer will quickly sniff out misleading statements or, worse, outright lies, which can blow up a relationship before it ever gets off the ground.
Profitableventures.com, a website geared toward startup entrepreneurs and business owners, advises: “Never underestimate a customer’s ability to know that something’s not right. Sales prospects can detect when you’re embellishing important details about a product or service, gloating over the facts, or telling them what they want to hear.”
That’s why VSA strives to maintain full transparency with all clients, from the sales process through onboarding through the length of the campaign. If there are concerns or issues with a program, we never try to hide or sugarcoat them. Instead, we identify them quickly and work closely with our clients to find solutions and put a lot of preparation into our campaigns so we can be conscious and thoughtful with every engagement.
4. Show that you care
When new clients first meet with us during the onboarding process, they don’t just talk to the program manager assigned to their campaign. The sales executive who brought them on board and various other members of the VSA leadership team also participate in the calls, as well as the database marketing analyst, the content writer, and, often, the CEO herself. Before officially launching the program, the client also meets with the business development representatives (BDRs) who will be calling on their behalf.
This team-based approach helps clients feel welcome and immediately lets them know they’ve got a full slate of VSA staffers working to maximize the success of their program, each of whom brings a different area of expertise and an attitude and posture that helps to convey a sincere desire to ensure their program is successful.
5. Develop a collaborative relationship
From the beginning, we let our prospects know that partnering with VSA is a true collaboration. We recognize that our clients are experts in their business and we’re experts in our business, and combining those respective strengths is what produces positive results and helps fill sales funnels.
VSA’s approach is never “set it and forget it.” Just two weeks into a program, we’re already looking at how results align with expectations, and we work closely with our clients to address any areas of concern. Through weekly meetings and reports, as well as deeper data analyses, we never stop looking for ways to improve program efficiency.
Conclusion
Target prospects need to like more than just your offerings, especially when it comes to complicated B2B purchasing decisions. They also need to like you. With so many companies providing similar goods and services, likeability is often key to moving the sales process forward.
VSA knows the importance of making a good first impression with our own clients, and we use that knowledge when prospecting on our client’s behalf. We become an extension of your company, and our BDRs are highly skilled at engaging with top-level decision-makers.
If you’re looking for new ways to generate leads and grow your sales pipeline, consider partnering with VSA. We can’t promise we’ll be your perfect match, but we’d love the opportunity to find out.