Like you, I receive many telephone calls from sales people selling me something. Many times I end up shaking my head in disbelief and thought "That's a waste of their money - they could have done things a little different and the results would be significantly better".

Several months ago, I met a payroll sales person at a chamber of commerce event. She called me back and reintroduced herself and said she was calling to follow up with me. She did not say about what.
 
I asked the question for her, "Why are you calling? What did we discuss?"
 
She told me that she sells a payroll services - I then told her I didn't need her service at this time. She then told me she sells retirement plans and other business services too. I said, "Oh."
 
She was calling to ask me: "Are You Ready To Buy Yet"?
 
We had now been on the telephone for a couple of minutes. Finally I thanked her for time and hung up. After shaking my head again, I thought this would be an excellent example of what not to do. Face it, sales people (yes, I have fallen victim to this too) want to pick up the phone and hunt for "now" buyers. They are looking to hit their number this week/month - and most likely she'll "call" me 3 - 4 times and then "write me off" as a non-prospect if I don't meet her or buy anything. What they don't realize is that prospects need to be "nurtured". By nurturing, I mean sending a series of case building or evidence-based sales tools that would allow a prospect to move faster and farther down the "Educational Buying Spectrum."
 
Here is what she should have done.

• Sent me an initial "nice meeting you" letter or e-mail thanking me for the time to talk with her. The letter or email would contain a low-risk offer for a "now" buyer or educational information for the "investigator".
• Called to follow-up with me on the information by making the "Oh by the way call".

What is the "Oh by the way" call?
 
This is a technique I have been using literally for years - with much success. Picture John Q. Buyer sitting at his desk. His phone rings and a sales person says:

1. "The reason for my call is that I met you last week and I was wondering if you want to meet so I can show you what we're about".
2. "The reason for my call is that I am just following up on the ________ I sent to you a few days ago. Oh by the way, many business owners like you are taking advantage of this _______ because they want to reduce their ________ by _____ %. - and I thought you would like to do the same.

Which call would you rather receive - #1 or #2?
 
So what are the lessons learned?

• 80%+ of the people you call are not on the Educational Buying Spectrum (~15% are on it and 1% - 5% are now buyers).
• Send case building information before you make that "initial" call. This can be done via email or through the mail
• When you make that follow-up call, use the "oh by the way" technique.
• Have case building information on your website - you can tell a prospect to "download" this information at the touch of a button (and then review it while they are on the phone with you).
• After you make your initial call, continue your DRIP marketing efforts to build your business case.
• Follow-up again with the "oh by the way call".