National Sales Center

Powerful Opening Statements For Sales Reps

Sales reps “make it or break it” with their opening statements when prospecting on the phone. You are in for a long and unproductive prospecting day if you are not delivering a powerful opening statement. On the other hand, a compelling opening statement could be the ticket to prospecting success.

I’m not a big fan of cold calling. I know of many other ways to pack a sales funnel with qualified prospects and I cover that material in my sales prospecting program. I view cold calling as a supplementary prospecting activity. That said, I’m not out to change the world. I know a lot of reps use cold calls as their primary source for finding prospects. I have some advice for these sales reps about their opening statements.

Let me explain a little about my motivation to write this article. Here is an example of the type of opening statement being taught to reps…

“Hi (Mr./Ms Prospect) this is John More with Prospecting World. We assist companies with tight sales training budgets overcome their competitors by improving their sales force’s phone techniques to penetrate today’s new cost minded consumer. I have a few simple questions to determine if what we have may be a fit for you.”

I guess that opening statement is all right but in my opinion, it’s not great. I feel it’s a little winded and it sounds like a sales prospecting call. I hear the prospects muttering a few things to themselves.

“Why should I care about who you are or the name of the company you represent”.

“Prove it!”

“So what?”

“You want to sell me something.”

Opening statements should provide prospects with compelling reasons to learn more about your product or service. Opening statements should be about benefits and the prospect’s pain or desire.

Where do we find these “compelling reasons” that should begin an opening prospecting statement? Visit a few of your clients and uncover how they are benefiting from using your product or service. Get the facts and the real numbers to support those facts. Then, ask for their approval to be a reference for you.  You now have all you need to develop a powerful opening statement when prospecting over the phone. Try this for size…

“Hi (Prospect’s Name). I just heard from Mary Smith at the XYZ Company that we, The National Sales Center, increased her sales results by 30% in just one month after meeting with us. I’m Nick Moreno and we may be able to do the same for you. If this is a good time, I have a few questions to determine if we both could benefit from meeting in person.”

Why do I like this opening statement? I’m calling for a face-to-face appointment and don’t want the prospect to think this is a telemarketing call like the ones that interrupt us at home. I’m offering proof of the type of results we can deliver. Who could resist the benefits of increasing sales by 30% in 30 days? I’m also going to ask a few questions because I don’t have time to attend unqualified appointments.

My sales training is all about taking it to the next level so let’s do that with this opening statement. I’d look up my client, Mary Smith, in a business social networking site. I’d start by calling a few of her contacts or the companies she once worked for. I want to hear… “I know Mary”. Can you see the power behind properly using this type of sales prospecting opening statement? I’m also going to thank Mary every time her reference lands me an appointment.

I know that cold calling is hard work and that’s why I also cover additional sales prospecting strategies in my sales prospecting training. My goal with this advice about opening statements is to keep you out of that rejection propeller. Salespeople should never have to beg for appointments.

I hope you’ll put this advice about opening statements to good use the next time you are prospecting.

Good luck with your prospecting opening statements!

Nick Moreno

Tags: prospecting