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Podcast: Verbal Business Cards

Feb 27, 2023 6:45:00 AM

 

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Symptoms:

Mary was on one of her first sales calls as a new rep and the prospect, with his first question, invited her straight onto the Buyers Bus: "Tell me about your company and what you do". As is typical, she proceeded to talk about the long and successful history of her company, then described the numerous accounts they had helped, and then went for a strong finish by stating how confident she was that her extensive line of products would find a good fit somewhere within the prospects business needs.

Diagnosis:

Being a newbie, Mary thought she was doing everything expected of her by promoting her company and painting a picture that should be irresistible to even the toughest buyer. Unfortunately, she was so busy talking that she didn't notice that her prospect had glazed over after 5 minutes of stuff he wasn't very interested in. Was she here to talk about herself, or would she rather find out what was high on his pain list? 

Prescription:

As her career progresses, Mary will begin to understand that she will hear this same sort of question over and over again, and she can be better prepared to take a different angle that will get her deeper into the sales process a lot quicker. 

One way to get the dialogues going, AND perhaps find out what is high on the buyers' priority list is to use a Verbal Business Card (VBC) in answering this standard question. This is a good tool to get the emotions for buying out on the table, and develop some traction for a possible next step. The VBC describes an emotional situation that may ring true with the buyer, and in turn, compel him to think more urgently about your offer.

The 4 basic steps to building the first part of your VBC are:

1) Consider what your prospect's reason for buying might be.
2) "Our customers turn to us because they are..."
3) ...anxious, fed-up, concerned, worried, unhappy, dissatisfied...
4) ...With, by, about, over...(plug in your pain points here)

This gives the prospect a chance to hear that you offer solutions that address a burning need in his world. And maybe, you are just the person to alleviate his pain. 

It can wet his appetite and keep him engaged over the longer conversation as you begin the fact-finding and discovery process. It can be used as a general introduction, or customized for any specific product or service offering.

Critical Thinking: 

The goal of a VBC is to start a relationship or conversation, not a sales pitch. Keep this in mind as you draft your go-to VBCs. 

The Drill:

Final Thoughts for the Morning:

“You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be." ~  Wayne Dyer

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