FIVE ACTIONS TO ENSURE A PURPOSEFUL CONVERSATION START

Though you are prepared for the conversation, the buyer may not be. I don’t know of any buyer who sits around with pen in hand waiting for you, even for a scheduled appointment. Do you?

For most situations, you can expect that the buyer is doing something else until the moment you call or enter their office. Initiating is important for both of you; your preparation keeps you from wasting time—yours and theirs. The five Actions that open the conversation, and the opportunity, with purpose in the Initiate step are:

1. Greet.
2. Explain why you are connecting.
3. Ask questions to engage and get them talking.
4. Use appropriate eye contact and open ears.
5. Focus on what they are communicating—words and intent.

Though there is considerable flexibility in how you Initiate the conversation, there is a method to the madness of starting the conversation. I call it the Three-Step Start.

The Three-Step Start

The start of your conversation is not just about you. It’s about you and Them! It’s your first approach toward a collaborative and valuable conversation and sales process.

The first three Actions of the Initiate step—the Three-Step Start—are your guide to what you say or write to start the conversation. These Actions, which can be adapted to Initiate any conversation, connect you to Them quickly.

For most situations, you can expect that the buyer has yet to engage in the purpose of your conversation, let alone the specific topic. When they first hear from you or see you, most buyers have these unstated questions in mind:

• Who are you? Are you credible?

• Why are you contacting me?

• Is this worth my time?

• Who is this really about? Do you want to pitch something at me?

Your ability to answer these questions quickly breaks their preoccupation with these questions and engages Them in your conversation. The buyer’s unspoken questions need to be addressed efficiently and purposely every time because connecting Them to each conversation earns you the green light to proceed.

The Three-Step Start answers the buyer’s unstated questions, for example:

• “Good afternoon Carol, I am Richard Dover with Market Planners. We scheduled time to discuss your upcoming annual meeting and how we can take the burden of the planning off your to-do list. Does this time still work for you? (Pause for response.) No? Can we reschedule for tomorrow morning at 9 A.M.?”

• “Good morning Mrs. Jones, I am with ABC Company and we supplement the product life cycle process to increase the variability of cost in your overhead. I’m calling today to ask you a few questions to see if it makes sense for our companies to do business together. How does that sound to you?” (Pause for response.)

• “Hello and thank you for inviting me to talk with your group today. I am Mike Haubrich of Financial Service Group. We partner with our clients through life’s transitions to keep their financial peace of mind. During our sixty minutes together today we will share with you three important items that you need to know to ensure your investments are safe for your financial well-being. Let’s start with introductions. Would you please share your name and tell us what’s the best financial decision you’ve ever made?”

• “Good afternoon, Mr. Reimer. This is Kayla Green with Enviro-Works. I read in the local paper that you recently broke ground for a new office complex. Congratulations. We specialize in commercial landscape services that allow you to reduce in-house maintenance costs and comply with the city’s new environmental regulations. I’d like to ask a few questions to determine whether one of our programs might meet your needs. Do you have fifteen minutes to explore your situation? (Pause for response.) Thanks, I’ll ask only two questions and then you can decide if we should schedule more time.”

You can adjust the Three-Step Start for consumers, businesses, C-level executives, cold or warm calls, and the number of people in the conversation. Although the primary focus in this chapter is on the face-to-face conversation, you can also use the Three-Step Start on the telephone, in written communication, and with groups—each of which will be covered later in this chapter.

You should adapt and adjust the Three-Step Start for your own personal, value-filled conversation starter depending upon:

• Your relationship with the buyer.

• The objective of the conversation.

• The buyer’s Tribal Type.

• The mode of contact: face-to-face, telephone, or written.

• The number of people involved.

• Whether you are initiating the conversation or on the receiving end of an inbound contact.

While the first three Actions that make up the Three-Step Start are central to the Initiate step, the final two Actions guarantee you communicate effectively from the beginning of your conversation until the end.