7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s

Transcription

1 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s

2 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.2 Warm Prospecting Is a Different Kind of Marketing Warm prospecting is not your standard, everyday prospecting. This is NOT about mass ing. It s NOT about sending newsletters or trying to automate your prospecting. In fact, it s the opposite of all that. Think of warm prospecting as artisan prospecting. Each must be personally handcrafted and written for one person only. When done right, these messages position you as a knowledgeable pro with a very relevant and timely message. That s why it s one of the quickest, most cost-effective ways to attract and land high-quality clients without the unpleasantness of cold calling, or the costs and time requirements involved with most traditional marketing tactics. Before we start, it s important to understand this: The goal of a warm is NOT to land a client. The goal is to start a conversation! Your is successful when it gets your prospect to respond with a question or a statement that indicates some level of interest. Once you have a response, you can then engage the prospect in some dialogue about how you could help them. In this cheat sheet, I ll show you seven simple steps for generating a steady stream of high-quality leads with short and simple warm s. I hope you get great value from these ideas. Ed Gandia Creator of Warm Prospecting Founder, International Freelancers Academy

3 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.3 Visual Mind Map of the 7 Steps Organizations selling products that are new, expensive and/or complex Highlight your key differentiators Keep it under 125 words or less Get to the point immediately Identify and communicate a revelant meaningful connection Where are your services tied to key strategic objectives? #1 Understand and find the right kind of demand #2 Follow the warm prospecting template Should read like you took the time to write a unique message (because you did!) Resist the temptation to automate the process Turn it into a HABIT #3 Leave no doubt that your was handcrafted Keep your appointments Focus on EFFORT, not on outcome Routine prospecting #7 Treat prospecting like a doctor s appointment #6 Divide your efforts into 3 categories 7 Proven Steps to Effective Warm Prospecting #5 Follow up #4 Don t wait for the perfect script Good enough is good enough Just the fact that you took the time to send a custom message will set you apart Ad hoc prospecting Hot-List prospecting If Hot-List prospect keep checking in every 60 days, but vary medium Follow up 1 to 2 weeks later, if no response

4 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.4 1 Understand and Find the Right Kind of Demand for Your Services. Know which audiences tend to have a greater need for your services. Identify prospect categories that would be more willing to pay higher fees. Do some research to uncover what industries, sectors or markets consider your services to be closely tied to the following key strategic objectives: Revenue or profit growth Customer retention Increased donations Risk mitigation The organization s core mission The closer your work is to these key objectives, the more value you can tie to what you do. If your services are sales- or marketing-related, here s another excellent litmus test to apply: Are the products or services of your prospect viewed as: New or innovative Expensive Complex Go after prospects (or industries, sectors or groups) that sell products or services that meet at least two out of three of these criteria. That points to a stronger demand for sales and marketing support services. Create a list of potential value statements about you, your work, what makes you different and why that difference matters. Here s one way to define your value statement: In an environment of rapid commoditization, what is it about you that makes you different and able to provide a higher value? HINT: It probably has less to do with your work (the product) than it does with your work experience, track record, talents and the unique perspective you bring to the table.

5 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.5 2 Follow the Warm Prospecting Template. To be effective, your prospecting s must be relevant, timely and credible. This proven template helps you focus on meeting those requirements. So try to stick to it: SUBJECT LINE: [Meaningful Connection] BODY: [Meaningful Connection] [Value Statement] [Credibility URL] [Soft Invitation to Connect] [ Signature] Meaningful Connection: A statement that ties what you do to something you noticed about that particular prospect. It does NOT need to be some sort of trigger event. It can be something you noticed on their website. Or some company attribute that would make them likely to need someone with your skill set. Value Statement: A sentence or two that explains what you do, for whom you do it, and why you re different from many competitors. It can also explain why that difference matters. Credibility URL: A link to your About Me page, some relevant samples, testimonials, a success story about how you helped a client solve a challenge, or anything that would help you sound credible. Doesn t have to be a link. It can be a list of recent clients. Or a description of an award you ve received. Or some big accomplishment, years of experience or a unique background. Invitation to Connect: No need to be wordy or elaborate. And keep it low-key. You could ask, Should we connect? Or maybe, Would it make sense to schedule a brief call soon? Finally, keep your short and to the point: 125 words or less!

6 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.6 Here s a sample script that follows this format. Can you see why this would get more attention than the standard approach most people use when prospecting with ? SUBJECT: You have very inspiring stories Hello Mindy, I came across your website a few times over the years because I do a lot of work with nonprofit organizations. As I looked through your site this morning, I read Sabrina s story -- it was very inspiring! I m writing because I work with nonprofit organizations to create marketing materials that truly get noticed and increase donations. I helped the Arts Council for Santa Cruz increase awareness of their events and bring new donors to the organization. I was also involved in projects that were awarded a prestigious Our Town grant through the National Endowment for the Arts. Here s a link to samples of my work: [URL]. Should we schedule a brief call to discuss how I may be able to help you? Best regards, [ Signature] 3 Leave No Doubt That Your Was Handcrafted. Your should read like you actually took the time to type a unique to that specific prospect (because that s exactly what you need to do!). The idea that you re sending this message to a big list of prospects should never even cross the prospect s mind. Address the prospect directly in the salutation. For example, Hi Bill or Dear Ms. Weiss. Avoid the temptation to automate this process with technology (don t use autoresponders or management software/service, etc.). It s OK to reuse some of the copy from one to the next. For example, your value statement will usually remain the same (although you can often tweak it based on the prospect you re ing). But most of your copy should be unique to that prospect.

7 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.7 4 Don t Wait for the Perfect Script. The natural tendency is to wait to send your warm until it sounds perfect. Or until you find just the right meaningful connection. Don t wait good enough is good enough! Of course, make sure your message and value statement are relevant to the prospect. But don t assume that the fit has to be perfect for the to work. A big part of what makes warm prospecting so effective is that it s so different from 95% of marketing s your prospects receive every week. Just the fact you took the time to craft a relevant, personalized message will get their attention and increase the chances they ll respond. 5 Follow Up. If you don t receive a reply in one or two weeks, follow up by sending a second . Consider resending the original out of your Sent folder. This places that original copy (and time stamp) below your new message. And it gives you an opportunity to include a short follow-up note that doesn t repeat the content from your first attempt. Consider this simple follow-up message: Thought I d follow up after my from last week (see below) to see if we should connect. I also wanted to include a link to my About page, which will tell you more about how I could potentially add value to your team... If this is a Hot-List prospect (see Step #7), keep checking in every 60 days, but vary the medium.

8 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.8 6 Divide Your Efforts into Three Categories. To increase the chances that warm prospecting will turn into a weekly or monthly habit, it helps to categorize your efforts into three groups: 1. Routine prospecting 2. Ad hoc prospecting 3. Hot-List prospecting Routine prospecting is nothing more than establishing some sort of routine or habit that guides your prospecting efforts. So rather than being a haphazard activity you do whenever you feel like it or whenever fear strikes you carve out time for your warm activities either weekly or biweekly. Consider using industry, trade or business publications (their free online versions) to jumpstart this effort. Skimming these magazines will often trigger ideas, prospect names and meaningful connections. Look for companies that are getting press, are advertising, or are getting publicity via articles or news releases. Ad hoc prospecting is all about crafting and sending warm prospecting s as you come across the right opportunities. In other words, as you think of a prospect or meaningful connection you could use, craft the and send it. Don t wait! Hot-List prospecting is about creating a hot list of 10 to 20 prospects you would LOVE to work with some day. But rather than hope and dream, you proactively reach out to key contacts in those organizations in a methodical and steady fashion over a period of up to one to two years. With Hot-List prospects, add regular postal mail and occasional follow-up calls to the mix. And wait about 60 days between your prospecting messages. You could even add elements to this campaign such as bulky direct mail or other clever outreach that stands out and has a good chance of getting noticed and generating a positive response. Why all the effort with this strategy? Because these aren t your standard, everyday prospects. So they re worth the extra effort.

9 7 Proven Steps to Generating a Steady Stream of Hot Leads with Short and Simple Prospecting s p.9 7 Treat Warm Prospecting Like a Doctor s Appointment. The most important factor for long-term success with ANY type of prospecting is to turn prospecting into a habit. Schedule time every week (or every month) for prospecting. Treat it like you would a doctor s appointment, your child s school play, a client meeting or some other important event or activity you would never consider blowing off. Stick to your scheduled time. And have a plan of action for that time. What will you do first? What will you do next? Know these things before you start. It s best to focus on effort than on the outcome. For example, rather than saying you ll send out three s, tell yourself that you ll spend one hour surfing through two specific online publications, looking for potential prospects. How many s you end up sending doesn t matter as much as the fact that you ve spent focused time looking for potential prospects. At the end of the day, one solid warm is better than five mediocre ones. Consider starting the process by scouring industry, trade or business magazines that can give you prospect ideas. Then, move on to your Hot List. I have more actionable tips and ideas coming your way! I realize that some of the things in this cheat sheet might not make 100% sense to you. That s OK this is meant to be a primer. I ll be back in a few days with some more cool stuff to help you generate hot leads with warm s. Stay tuned! ;-)