Amplify your social media lead generation success!

Whether we like it or not, reaching out by phone is still a potent way to connect with your prospects, both known and unknown. The main reason for this is because most other forms of lead generation, eg online marketing, trade shows, social media ( primarily LinkedIN) and even networking rely on your prospect taking action. When they have multiple priorities competing for their time, the chances of them taking that action is pretty small.

The real opportunity, with what I call 21st century lead generation, is when you combine the new way of doing things (eg permission marketing, SMS marketing, social media), with the old way of doing things.

For example, you either connect first on-line, then follow up with a phone call OR you ring to invite your prospect to receive something of value (even a social media sign up!) WHY? Because people simply don't get around to doing stuff, and when you give them a gentle reminder about who you are, they might! That's when having an elegant and energised phone conversation can truly lift your results. I can support your outbound sales team in lifting their results to a whole new level.

I would love to find out more, Laurel, let's have a chat.

I love working with people who have the guts to connect both known and unknown leads to awesome opportunities, by reaching out to them on the phone. There is a powerful immediacy to it; I know people say it’s now old fashioned and ineffective, but one reason it works is – procrastination! If you DON’T reach out to them, you are relying on them to take action, which often doesn’t happen.

What I find is a challenge when doing any kind of telephone outbound campaign is

You need to have a great list, with the right people on it, there is nothing more frustrating than actually having a conversation with someone, to then find out they are the wrong person!
More often than not, they don’t answer the phone anyway, and it is hard to work out whether to actually leave a message or keep trying ( and worrying about being a stalker to see missed calls from all the same people).
When they do answer, you have such a short window in which time to get across your value ( whether you know them or not), and you need to break through their preconceived ideas of you trying to ‘sell them something’.

But what I find is really going on, is that it can be simply SOUL DESTROYING. That's why so many people I talk to are terrified of picking up the phone ( and why I love working with gutsy individuals who have chosen to do this as a profession). As much as we can jolly ourselves into it, and convince ourselves we love it, we can still be terrified about what someone at the other end of the phone might say.

How do you ensure you are effective when you are making those calls?

It's all about your energy. Think of it kind of like another connection to your phone, your bandwidth.

At it's most primitive level, your energy connection down the phone is clumsy. This is kind of like the old dial-up scenario. You feel unsure and nervous and sometimes don't even make any sense when you are on the phone (I have been here!). At this stage, what you need to focus on is a script. Probably more like bullet points actually, but one that supports you until you get to the next level, which is...

Wooden. Now you are probably working more like a 3G connection. You are still nervous, but you can get across what you are trying to say, albeit a little mechanically, and picking up the phone doesn't make you feel sick! What you need to focus on next is good old repetition. It takes time to master something, and nothing works better than just keeping on doing it.

This will bring you up to the next level, which is effective, in other word, you could now liken your energy to a 4G connection. By now, you are actually now ok with the process; and you can have a thoroughly acceptable and even enjoyable phone conversation. The best thing for you to concentrate on now is your intention.

Now our energy is truly starting to work for us; we can get into the swing of things, come across wonderfully engaged and light, and we can move towards being truly professional. This is the equivalent of WIFI. If there was a time to put all or your intention into your energy, this would be it.

Ultimately, the stunning results occur at the final stage; elegant. Now you are completely in the flow, and the connection between you and your phone companion is as smooth as ultra-fast broadband. No more focus required, just a playful surrender.

That's what I show telephone based sales teams how to do.

My six week group coaching offering

This elegant (of course!) program will support up to six members of your team through to being elegant on their telephone calls. To do this, we focus on three core areas.

1. Who you call; your list.

WHO are you calling? Both by organisation and by title? I know of too many stories, where the sales individual is required to find those leads themselves. That not only takes up time, but it often means you don't get to connect with the really obvious prospects. There is more business available to you within your direct community than you could ever know. What about lists and resources within your own organisation? Have you considered purchasing a list? Have you checked out what powerful options LinkedIN has available?

2. What you say; your content.

Let's face it, as soon as the prospect cottons on to this being an invitation, they can switch off. Not only do you need to ensure you highlight the value in super quick time, you want to make sure the invite is soft, and simply offering something of value, rather than a bold request.

3. How you say it; your energy.

We are intuitive beings, and if we hear someone on the phone, who is not enjoying the process, and feeling disconnected, it come across. You want to be confident you positively glow with energy, and that energy is infectious and powerful in your conversation.

How it works.

A group coaching program across six sessions.

Step one: One on one conversation with the manager.

Step two: Kick off meeting with manager and team

Step three: Four weekly group coaching sessions with team.

Step four: One on one phone conversations with each of the team, and email support as required.

Step five: Celebration wrap up where wins are acknowledged, structures are reviewed, and next steps are outlined.

What is covered?

Daily structure
Targets
Visual support (eg leaderboards)
Powerful rituals
Friendly competitions (and other playful strategies)
Energy and state management
Feedback management
List identification and maintenance
Script/bullet points
Compelling call to actions
Career planning
Follow up strategies
Role of the manager

And more!

Want to find out more? Contact Laurel on +64 27 285 9113 and I would love to find out more about how your team works, share a few pointers, and discuss if this is the right program for you and your team.