8 Tricks to Get Your Sales Prospects to Pay Attention to You
(Editor’s note: this is a humorous post. Please don’t actually stand on your prospect’s desks and shout “Yes!” over and over again.)
Working in sales is a lot like dating because you’re constantly pursuing different people with the hope that one of them will be willing to lower their standards and commit to you. The only difference is, if you successfully get a commitment from someone in sales, you don’t have to meet their passive-aggressive family.
But just like in dating, one of the hardest parts of working in sales is getting a prospect to pay attention long enough for them to listen to your sales pitch.
People’s attention is fleeting, and standing out in a world filled with Snapchat, Andy Dick, and uplifting Cialis commercials can be difficult even if you’re using an AI-powered CRM like Spiro.
Here are some tricks that help prospects pay attention to you:
1. Talk in an extremely loud voice
Most salespeople speak in a normal, professional voice, so if you want to get your prospect’s attention, try turning up the decibels by about 10x. You know, sound like a salesperson.
The prospect might be shocked and confused, but you can bet that you will now have their undivided attention for the rest of the presentation. Feel free to decrease the volume as you’re presenting.
2. Pretend to remember them from high school so your prospects pay attention
A great way to get the prospect to pay attention to you is by pretending that you both went to the same high school.
Say something like, “Bill? Bill Cassidy? Don’t you remember me from 12th grade homeroom?” This will throw the prospect off guard and he will rack his brain trying to remember you, but you can bet he’ll be paying very close attention to the rest of your pitch.
3. Call the prospect by their full name at the beginning of everything you say
If you make it a habit to say the prospect’s full name before every single sentence, you will absolutely have the prospect’s attention.
“Samantha Rosenstein, this product is a turn-key solution to all of your company’s marketing needs. Samantha Rosenstein, we can automated your processes and centralize everything in one place.”
4. Write “Highly Classified” as the subject line of every email you send the prospect
Getting people to open their emails can be difficult, but if you put “Highly Classified” or “Top Secret” in the subject line, the prospect will probably open the email.
Of course, you sending over some pricing estimates for an industrial plumbing solution isn’t exactly a government secret, but at least you’ll get their attention.
5. Enthusiastically shout “yes” every time the prospect speaks
This is a bit risky but will definitely help you stand out in the mind of the prospect.
Shouting “yes” intermittently as the prospect is making their points will show your enthusiasm and excitement to earn the prospect’s business.
You can bet that no other competing sales reps will be shouting “yes” while the prospect is speaking.
6. Start the call by saying that you have to meet your celebrity uncle for dinner later
The key to pulling this off successfully is telling the prospect that you have plans to meet your celebrity relative later in the evening without revealing who the celebrity is.
You can explain that you’re not allowed to reveal the identity because they want to keep a very low profile, and don’t want word getting around that they’re in town. Try tricks to intrigue and impress them and that will help your prospects pay attention.
7. Pause for at least a few seconds between every single thing you say
Silence can be a very powerful tool, especially when you’re trying to keep your prospect’s attention. Pause between every sentence for a few seconds and you will definitely differentiate yourself from salespeople who talk normally.
If you hear a ‘click’ on the other end of the phone, then you might have paused for too long.
8. Pretend that you have a very thick and quirky southern accent
Everyone can agree that talking to someone with some southern twang can be a fun experience. Use this to your advantage and fake a southern accent the next time you speak with a prospect.
They will definitely remember you, especially if you use funny sayings like “Don’t get yer knickers in a knot,” or “I’m busier ‘n a one legged-cat in a litter box.”
