Connecting with sales prospects is the first step on the path to closing deals. Your team needs to continually make new contacts to fill the sales funnel.
But what does it mean to connect with another person? And what are the most efficient ways to connect?
You know it’s essential for your team to develop relationships with customers if you want to have any chance of meeting revenue goals. Engaging qualified prospects in a genuine way lays the groundwork for long-term relationships based on trust and mutual respect.
This means using strong communication skills to build rapport, understand customer wants and needs, and uncover pain points.
Most sales professionals are on the lookout for creative ways to engage sales prospects and build profitable relationships.
Sales leaders, when coaching your team, share these helpful prospecting techniques for developing stronger connections and expanding sales pipeline.
The Value of Connecting with Potential Customers
Every successful sales professional needs to be able to establish a connection with potential customers by communicating effectively and creating rapport. This pays off with long-term benefits for both buyer and seller.
Build a Trusting Relationship
Building a relationship based on trust should be your top priority. When you first meet someone, they don’t know if they can trust you. More often than not, prospective clients are wary of conversations with sellers and come off as guarded. Making an effort to learn about the buyer and their needs builds trust, which ultimately helps close the deal.
Be More Relatable
Let’s face it: It’s always easier to conduct business with someone when you feel you’re on the same playing field. If you form a bond with your potential customer, it can be significantly easier to schedule calls, have discussions, and eventually close the deal. This is because they look forward to doing business with you and find it enjoyable to collaborate with you. This is the type of relationship that leads to long-term success and referrals.
Differentiate from the Competition
In today’s highly competitive market, setting oneself apart from the other businesses in your industry is more important than ever. You’ll be ahead of the competition if you can engage with your potential customers on a personal level.
Understand Wants and Needs
When you put in the effort to connect with someone, you’re also putting in the effort to understand what they’re seeking in a solution. With more information about qualified prospects, you’re better prepared to present your product or service to them. This understanding helps you design and position your solution in a way that appeals to them.
Figure Out Drivers
One of the most important things to know is what drives your customer. Connecting gives insight into the buyer’s decision-making process. What problems are they trying to solve? What do they require? What are their objectives, exactly? You’ll be in a better position to answer these questions if you’ve established a connection.
Improve Listening
If you want to be successful in sales, you need to make sure your prospect is listening to you. When a buyer feels an affiliation with you, it’s more likely they’ll enjoy talking to you and will listen to you.
Demonstrate Subject-Matter Expertise
If you want to make the sale, you must show your knowledge of the industry, market, and unique challenges facing your prospect’s business. Establishing a connection gives you the chance to demonstrate your level of competence and to enhance your reputation.
Increase Your Memorability
Fostering a genuine connection makes you more memorable than an anonymous sales professional. But unless you stand out from the crowd when you first meet someone, it’s doubtful they’ll remember anything about you after your initial encounter. If you can find a way to connect with them, they’ll be more likely to remember you and enjoy interacting with you throughout the sales process and over the long term.
LEARN MORE: Find out how sales assessments can help your team understand behavior and communication styles and how to adapt to buyer preferences.
5 Ways to Connect with Prospects
Engaging with your sales prospects puts you in a position to be successful. You’ll create stronger relationships, learn more about their wants and needs, and differentiate yourself from your competition. Here are some practical ways you can connect with potential customers.
1. Find Common Ground
Common ground is a great starting point when it comes to relationships in sales. Finding something you and another person have in common is one of the most effective ways to build a connection. It can be a personal or professional interest—maybe you both grew up in the same region, enjoy the same hobby, like the same TV show, or root for the same sports team.
Establishing common ground contributes to the development of trust and rapport. If you and another person have the same interest or background, they’re more likely to trust you and be receptive to what you have to say moving forward.
2. Ask Plenty of Questions
The only way to really learn about a person is by asking lots of questions. Asking appropriate questions shows you’re interested in the individual as a person. When you take the time to inquire about their lives, their work, and the things that interest them, it adds depth to both the conversation and the relationship as a whole.
It’s essential to engage your prospect in conversation by asking open-ended questions that encourage them to share. The more they offer as a response, the more you will find out about them, making it simpler for you to discover a way to connect with them.
3. Listen and Respond
Listening to what another person has to say is a necessary step in developing a genuine connection. To practice active listening, you need to hear the words and comprehend their significance. Responding thoughtfully can help take the conversation to the next level.
By showing your prospect you value what they have to say, you’ll increase the likelihood of building a genuine relationship with them. Listening in this way will assist in the process of establishing a connection, which increases the likelihood of progressing the sale.
4. Identify a Problem Area
It’s essential to identify the prospect’s pain points—an issue or a difficulty they’re dealing with and want to solve. As you actively listen to what they share with you, keep notes of the pressure points they bring up. If you can pinpoint a problem area, you’ll be in a better position to show how you can help them resolve the challenge they’re facing.
5. Be Yourself
Being authentic is critical for interacting with people who may become your customers. Others can tell when you’re not being genuine, and this will make it more difficult to connect with them. Being yourself means acting naturally instead of putting on a false persona. Relax and let your personality shine through.
Connect with Your Prospects More Effectively
Sales leaders, if your sales team follows these tips, they’ll be well on their way to connecting with potential customers. To learn how to build long-term, profitable relationships with prospects, check out sales training programs from The Brooks Group. Our programs are designed to help sales professionals at all levels learn proven techniques to communicate, connect, and sell more effectively.
