The Secret To Great Introductions for Salespeople, or How Not To Blow It When Introducing Yourself

As a salesperson, you need to question where you rank in your client’s priorities. (And of course use a proactive relationship management platform, like Spiro to help keep you at the top of their mind.)

When you get in touch with a potential client for the first time, how can you make sure they remember you? You need to appeal to them when sharing who you are and why they should listen to you. Through many experiences, which unfortunately include clients giving me the cold shoulder or flat out hanging up on me, I learned a thing or two about introductions for salespeople.

How Not To Introduce Yourself As A Salesperson

First things first, you may have a great pitch – and I’m hoping you do – however rattling it off along with your position is not going to go over well. For example, drink three cups of coffee and say:

“Hi I’m Dave, a executive sales representative for IT Solutions, and I have high quality IT software which is the best in the industry and includes…blah, blah, blah.”

That my friends is sounding like a salesperson!

This introduction is going to leave the client feeling like they are on the receiving end of a robotic sales pitch. I remember going to a sales meeting a few years ago where a sales rep suggested that the people in the room introduce ourselves to get started. Great idea, but when it was the rep’s turn to do his introduction, he basically gave the whole pitch! Then when it came to the actual presentation he was supposed to present, it was very awkward and didn’t go well. Plus, it seemed like he wasn’t really interested in what others had to say.

What Should You Do Instead?

Instead, you need to show how you can bring value to your clients. What do you bring to the table? In order to do that, as I mentioned before, you need to do your homework before you call or meet with someone. I’d be embarrassed to introduce myself in the first place if I didn’t know who I was talking to and why I thought it was a good idea to do so.

What Value Do You Bring?

Once you know why you are initiating communication, you need to identify how you can bring value to this person. Say you are a tech salesman calling an owner of a medium-sized IT business. You want to communicate value immediately. A better introduction sounds like this:

“Hi, I am Dave and I provide medium-sized IT business owners like you with world class software solutions which cut costs and improve efficiency. I have 20 years of sales experience in the industry, and while I may not run a business like yours, I certainly can help you to build the infrastructure to optimize it.”

There Dave communicated who he is, how he can help his client and what he does. Now the client will have no question what Dave is bringing to the table. The introduction is personal, shows value, shows credibility and also has a hint of humility which causes the client to feel more at ease. By speaking to someone about how your product is relevant to them specifically, it creates a more memorable effect.

Besides showing value and making your introduction personal, there are a few other things you should consider.

• While humor in sales can be helpful, use it with caution as some people can be easily offended.
• Humility is helpful in making people feel comfortable, and do not under any circumstances mention being incredible at what you do!
• It is important to be aware of customs and cultures of those you meet with. What is acceptable in one state is not accepted in another. This is even more true on an international level.

With these considerations in mind, you can ensure that your first impression is one that won’t be forgotten within minutes. You have value to provide to clients, so make sure they know that the first time they speak with you.