114 Opening Doors of Prospected Clients – with Chris Spurvey
“The idea is to deliver value, become known and then open up or reach out with an email, or a connection request, and then take it from there.”
Today is going to be a solo episode. Now, I have been working with a client and we’ve been trying to get in the door of some new clients. I spent the last couple of weeks doing a little bit of research and practical application.
We are wanting to get in the door of new prospects and I thought of recording a short episode to share with you these ideas, ideas we have been deploying based on our research and practical application.
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Get in the Door
The best way to get in the door of a new client is to go through a direct referral, or somebody you know who knows somebody. I always believe in the idea of growing our networks with the intention of giving value in both directions. Of course, they will probably do the same thing for you.
Direct Referral by far is the most effective way to get in the door.
I am a big believer and user of LinkedIn Sales Navigator which is a paid subscription. It allows users of to really mine and dig deep into organizations and to find the people who we think may be decision makers. LinkedIn rewards proper outreach and ultimately providing value to the people that you reach out to. That is a big part of my cold and warm outreach.
As you work it over time, you save target accounts that you are going after and also save leads within the accounts. LinkedIn curates the content from your leads and your accounts, sort of an aggregator of news, articles, everything on the web about your accounts.
Leads don’t necessarily have to be connections.
But I am not a big proponent of reaching out to people you don’t know and they don’t know you. It comes across as spam-y, especially if you follow up on a sales message almost right away after they connect.
Strike up a Conversation
How do you actually get in the door of some decision makers within these accounts that you are targeting?
Typically, I would reach out with an email, and I’ll send a message something along the lines of
“Hi [First Name].
I hope this message finds you well. I hope you don’t mind the cold outreach. I came across your profile while doing some research.
Insert if you happen to know a mutual connection with that person, someone potentially of influence.
I noticed you are connected to [First Name, Last Name of that person]. [First name] is a personal friend of mine/connection of mine. Phenomenal Person.
Label out there what company you are with, and if you have a strong title, put that out there because it adds credibility to you. Then, maybe put a little teaser out there.
The reason for my outreach/ my reach out is I am [your title for an organization] [my organization] and it’s a brand new facility/ a newly built facility. The facility was built due to a lack of cold storage space in the Atlantic Canadian Region. We’d like to educate the right people at [Company X] about the facility. Perhaps there is a way we can serve you.
Go higher in the organization. Reach out the president or the vice president.
Is there anyone that comes to mind within the company that we might be best to connect with? Thanks so much.
Affix your signature and then your phone number.
The Second Layer
If you bring value to somebody, you make them aware of something, they feel obligated to return the favor of the form of replying to this email, giving you some insight through their company.
You can reach out to the person that that person referred you to.
[Mike],
They suggested I reach out to you. He suggested you were the best person to reach out to. I hope this message finds you well.
The reason for my reach out is I am the [general manager] of the [name of facility] that recently opened, a cold storage facility and logistic facility in [New Brunswick]. The facility was built due to a lack of cold storage in the Atlantic Canadian Region. We’d like to educate the right people at [Company] about the facility.
Perhaps there is a way we can serve you. Would you be open for a quick call over the next week or two? Thanks so much.
[Your Name]
[Your Phone Number]
Try to find the phone number of the head office. Reach out and call the individual.
Leverage referrals as much as you can, and start to penetrate some of these opportunities. Never give up. Leveraging email is one of the smartest things we can do. Use your personal touch. A personal note or email. Make it a point to write down and remember the personal interests and details of the individuals.
Find the key decision makers and invest your energy in getting to that right person, not to the people below. Go to the top, as high in the organization as you can. Then work your way down.
Treat gatekeepers, such as executive assistants, secretaries, and front desk people like gold. Let them know how much you appreciate their professionalism and their assistance. Being rude to these intermediaries is obviously the death sentence.
