Whether or not you make any formal New Year’s Resolutions, the turn of the calendar is always a great opportunity to look for ways to grow personally and professionally.
One of the most common ways people seek to better themselves this time of year is by making new social connections. But that goal doesn’t have to be limited to our personal lives.
For B2B companies looking to grow their business in 2024, it means building new ROI-positive relationships, and strengthening the ones already in place. But it’s almost impossible for businesses to foster these sorts of relationships during the often complex and lengthy B2B sales process without first establishing (or re-establishing) a level of trust with their prospects and lapsed customers.
For more than two decades, VSA has been helping our clients accomplish this goal via outbound lead generation and appointment-setting campaigns and inbound customer service support. We’ve set tens of thousands of appointments with qualified decision makers, leading to millions of dollars in new business.
In many cases, the road to a successful relationship started with a single phone conversation. According to recent statistics compiled by Zippia, 82% of buyers say they’ve accepted sales meetings after a connection that began with a cold call.
Here are five keys to starting productive business relationships with prospects in 2024 … and beyond:
1. Don’t sell
While this advice might sound counter-productive when the ultimate goal is to close the deal, there is a time and a place for selling, and a cold call (or even most warm calls) definitely isn’t it. Using sales and marketing language or industry jargon during initial contact with a prospect is likely to result in a “not interested” or “we’re good” (with perhaps a few rude words thrown in for good measure) and a quick hang-up.
Instead, a cold call is a perfect chance to share a problem that your company solves, find out if your prospect is experiencing that problem or something similar, and offer them the opportunity to learn more. If you’re “selling” anything during the call, it should be the benefits of meeting with your sales rep, not your product or service itself. Launching a potentially productive relationship with a prospect doesn’t require a long-term commitment right away, just a little curiosity on their part.
2. Don’t wait
There are times when lead generation requires a sense of urgency, when not reaching out to a prospect quickly could determine whether they begin a relationship with your company—or somebody else’s. According to the Zippia statistics, over 80% of buyers take meetings with salespeople who reach out to them first, and waiting more than 30 minutes after a prospect is tagged as a lead can reduce the chances of conversion by 62%.
Responding promptly to a lead after they’ve submitted an inquiry on your website, or downloaded a white paper, or initiated any sort of “hand-raising” activity, makes them feel appreciated and lets them know you take their needs seriously. There’s a good chance the prospect took similar steps with one of your competitors, and you don’t want to risk them reaching out first.
Warmer calls are also, statistically, far more likely to lead to conversions than cold calls, so they should be prioritized whenever possible.
3. Respect their time
Just getting a prospect to pick up the phone can be a challenge, and keeping them on the line can be even more difficult, especially once they realize they’re talking to a stranger. So it’s important to immediately acknowledge the interruption to their day, assure them that the call is not going to last long, and, in many cases, ask for “permission” to continue the conversation. (“I know I’m catching you out of the blue; can I have a moment to tell you why I called?”) These types of permission-based openers show the prospect you appreciate how busy they are, and let’s them know that the conversation isn’t being forced upon them.
If they do show interest and agree to meet with your sales rep, asking them to commit to no more than 15 minutes is another way to show that you respect their time. Remember, you have no idea at this point how long the relationship will last, so asking for too much too soon can be off-putting at best, and an abrupt conversation-stopper at worst.
4. Talk to them, not at them
Nobody wants to start a relationship with a company represented by somebody who speaks like a robot. While it’s important for reps to have a script in front of them when making cold calls, it’s equally important for them not to sound like they’re reading from that script. That means being familiar enough with the material to deviate from the script when necessary, and to be able to engage in back-and-forth dialogue with the prospect, even if they’re not subject matter experts.
There’s nothing worse than a rep barreling full-steam ahead through their message, without pausing to listen or react. If you’ve got to wonder if you’re talking to a live person or an automated recording, there’s almost no chance you’re going to stay on the phone very long, let alone pursue a long-term relationship.
Truly listening to what the prospect has to say also leaves you and your sales team much better prepared for follow-up conversations, which makes it easier for the relationship to flourish.
5. Be authentic
Whether in your personal life or the business world, honesty and integrity are vital for any successful relationship. On a cold call, that means not making false promises or presenting your company as something it’s not. Eventually, you will be found out.
It also means being as true to yourself as possible. Every Business Development Representative has a different style and strengths, so expecting every call to sound the same is foolish. Sure, there are proven best practices that should be followed, but often, it’s the rep’s distinct personality that leaves the most lasting impression on a prospect.
It’s all about establishing a bond with the prospect and building rapport. If you’re able to do that at any point during the sales process (and especially early), it can go a long way toward maintaining a long-term, productive relationship.
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If you’re looking to start relationships with new customers or re-energize relationships with old ones in the new year, consider partnering with an experienced and knowledgeable lead generation and appointment-setting firm that can handle both outbound and inbound calling programs.
VSA has been helping our clients grow their business through productive relationships for more than 22 years. If you’d like to learn how we can do the same for you, let’s start a relationship ourselves.
And have a happy and healthy new year!