How to grab a prospect's interest and get your business noticed.

by Julie Austin-Kaye
(Chester,Cheshire. U.K)

I have an English Language business for people who want to improve their English and experience the English way of life.

What should be my opening questions to prospective clients ?

How should I get myself noticed and make people interested in my business?




Comment from Stephen Craine:

Hi Julie,

These are really important questions because they involve the most important lines when Sales prospecting, Selling to potential customers, and Marketing your business.

The most important lines are are the ones that grab the prospect's attention by telling them what you can do for them.

The big mistake many people make is to talk about features, what your service does.

The most effective attention grabbing lines tell the prospect what the benefit will be for them.

Once you have worked out the best benefits your business offers its customers, you will also know what questions to ask your prospects.

The questions should be directly related to attention grabbing benefits.



What are your key benefits that customers want

I would start by making a list of the key benefits that people can gain from your services.

As you list each one ask the question, So What?

Let me give you an example: A feature of your service is that customers can improve their English.

So What?

What is the end benefit, or benefits, to the customer?

What are they going to be able to do with their improved English?

Will it benefit their business, make international travel easier, make or save them some money.

You could ask some of your previous customers for feedback on what your service has done for them. What are the key benefits they have gained.

Ask So what and when you come up with an answer ask So What again.

Example:

I can improve your Engish... So what?

This will make you a competent speaker of English as it is actually used...So what?

You will be able to communicate effectively with native English speakers...So what?

You will be able to expand your business to English speaking nations without paying for third party distributors. This will save you money.

Now you have a real benefit.

When you get to a stage where asking So What doesn't take you any further you have a bottom line benefit. These bottom line benefits are what your customers will want to hear about.

Take a look at this page especially the part on the most important line of your call. It works for all types of sales and marketing. Open in a new window How to cold call...



Prospecting - Marketing - Selling

Now put the key benefits from above into the different sales stages of your selling process.

Prospecting and general conversations with potential customers.

Have you got an Elevator Pitch?

Everyone in business should have an Elevator Pitch prepared and ready for use. You never know when you might need it.

Here's a page that will show you how to prepare one - Elevator Pitch...



First contact with a prospect.

When you speak to a prospect for the first time you want a stunning introduction that gets right to the point of what you can do for them.

Here's a page of really good sales training tips for a sales appointment cold call.

You may not be doing cold calls for appointments but you can adapt this introduction for however you are contacting prospects. Open the page on Cold Call Scripts...



Sell your benefits

This is the sales process I use with my sales teams.

You can adapt this process for use face to face, over the phone, or using email and electronic communication. Many businesses use a mixture of all 3 when selling.

All the basics are there: A sales introduction, sales questions, presentations, and closing the sale. Open The Sales Process...



Put the training into action

I hope there are enough ideas there for you to put into action and also have some fun while you do so.

Please let us know how you get on, send some feedback, and add some details about your business.

This site is visited by people from all around the world that may want to know about what your business can do for them. That's the Benefits not the Features.