老外教你怎樣通過電子郵件銷售(英文版)

55/55Don'tBeBoring:4KeystoWritingEffectiveSalesEmailsLastweekIwascleaningupsomeoldfileswhenIranacrossanemailaccountusedduringmyfirstyearsinthecallcenterforstoringcopiesofclientsalesemailsIsent.IwasgladIhadsavedtheseemails,believingthatIcouldusethemforeducationalpurposesinthefuture,andboy,wasIright.Someofthemmademecringeandthink:"WhatwasIthinking?Someoftheseareawful."We'vetalkedaboutvoicemailmessagesinthepastandidentifiedpointstoincludeandnottoinclude.Butwhatabouttheemailswesendtoourclients?Inadditiontoacompellingsubjectline,whataresomethingsyoushouldincludeandhowshouldtheemailbestructuredtomakeyouremailsmoreeffectiveatinitiatingaconversation?Let'sdissectthefollowingemailIfoundinmyarchive.It'ssogenericthatIseeemailmessageswithasimilarformatlandinmyinboxtoday:HiBob,Hopethise-mailfindsyouhavingagreatday.Followingupinreferencetoyougettingonourwebsite,[insertyourwebsitehere]anddownloading[insertyourreferencedocument]fromus.WantedtotouchbasetoseewhatledyoutothewebsiteaswellastoseeifIcouldbeofanyadditionalhelp.Wouldlovetogetincontactwithyouviaphoneore-mail.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeatyourearliestconvenience.ForaLIMITEDTIMEspecial"EconomicStimulusPricing"Contactmeforfurtherdetails.Lookforwardtohearingfromyou.Haveagreatday!LikeIsaid,it'sverygeneric--andnotveryengaging.Buttheformatisprolific,probablybecauseit'squickandeasytocreate.Let'sdoareviewanddiscoverwhereitfallsshort.ThePleasantriesHopethise-mailfindsyouhavingagreatday.Inthisfirstline,myplanwastoinitiatetheconversationwithsometypeofpleasantriesbyreferringtothegreatdayIhopedhewashaving.Thiswasagreatplan,unlessBobwasnothavingagreatday.Hecouldhavebeenhavingawonderfulday.Healsocouldhavehadanaccidentthatmorningandhadtogetaridetoworkfromacoworker.OrmaybeBob'sdoctorhadcalledhimwithsomebadnewsregardingamedicaltest.IfBobisnothavingagoodday,mymessagewon'tmatchhisstateofmind,andmyemailwilllikelybepassedoveratbestanddeletedatworstbeforehegetstothe"goodstuff.""Howareyoudoing"and"Hopeyou'rehavingagoodday"aresuchlacklusteropenersthatmostofusrespondwithequallylacklusterandautomaticanswers,like"fine"or"good."Openinglineslikethesereallydon'tengageyourprospect.Whatyoureallywantistogettheirattentionimmediatelyandbuildrapport,justlikeyouwoulddoinavoicemailmessage.IfIwererewritingthisemail,Iwoulddropthislineandopenwitharelevantfactofsometype.TheReasonfortheEmailNo.1Followingupinreferencetoyougettingonourwebsite,[insertyourwebsitehere]anddownloading[insertyourreferencedocument]fromus.Thislinereferstotheprospectvisitingourwebsiteanddownloadingadocument.Atthetime,Ithoughtitwasagoodmovebecauseitestablishedacommonreferencepoint.Inretrospect,I'mnotconvincedofitseffectiveness.Myprospectknewthathewasonmysite.Heknewthathedownloadedmywhitepaper,andheknewthatinordertodownloadthewhitepaper,hehadtosupplyhiscontactinformation.Thislinesays:"I'mwatchingyou.I'vegotnothingbettertodothantositbymylaptopandwaitforprospectstogetonmysitelikeaspiderinherlairwaitingforhernextmealtowanderintoherweb."Inretrospect,Iwouldleaveoffalloftheextrawordsandsimplyconfirmthedownloadbystating,"Yesterday,youdownloadedthedocument[nameofdocument]…"andthenexplainwhythatissignificant.Soundslikeafacttome.Maybethisfactshouldhavebeenmyopeningline.TheReasonfortheEmailNo.2WantedtotouchbasetoseewhatledyoutothewebsiteaswellastoseeifIcouldbeofanyadditionalhelp.Thislinetellsthemthepurposefortheemail."I'mjustfollowinguptomakesurethatyoufoundeverythingandseeifIcouldbeofanyfurtherassistance."Isthattherealreasonformyemail--tomakesurethattheyfoundeverythingthattheywerelookingforortoseeifIcouldbeofanyassistance?Assalespeople,whenwemakethesetypesofcallsorsendoutfollow-upemails,wearen'tactinginacustomersupportrole.Wearen'tcallingtodiscoveriftheyfoundeverythingthattheyneeded.Wealreadyknowtheresponsewe'llget:"Yep,foundeverythingIneeded.Nope,don'tneedanyfurtherhelp."Andwhileknowledgeofwhatpromptedthemtovisitoursiteishelpful,aselfservingstatementlike,"Wantedtoseewhatbroughtyoutooursite"shouldn'tbeintheemailunlessyouareconductingamarketingsurveyorawebsitereview.Thisisasalesletter.Whenwemakethesecallsorsendtheseemails,wearedoingsoassalespeoplelookingtomovetheprospecttothenextstageinthesalesprocess.Again,Iwouldn'tevenbotherwiththislineunlessI'mcallinginthecapacityofcustomersupport.TheCalltoActionWouldlovetogetincontactwithyouviaphoneore-mail.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeatyourearliestconvenience.ThisisanuglylinethatmakesmecringewhenIreadit.Here,I'mstatingthatI"wouldlovetogetincontact"withmyprospect,butthereisnothinginmyemailindicatingwhythisisgoodforthem.Theyalreadyhavethewhitepaper.Whydotheyneedtotalktome?Igivethemnocompellingreasontohavefurthercontactwithme.Then,tomakeitworse,Itellthemthattheyhavetocontactme"attheirearliestconvenience."That'snevergoingtohappenwithoutaverycompellingreasonforthemtodoso.TheOfferForaLIMITEDTIMEspecial"EconomicStimulusPricing."Contactmeforfurtherdetails.Lastly,Ireferencesomethingthatmightbeofinteresttothem--specialpricing.Butit'sattheveryendoftheemail,addedasanafterthought.Andonceagain,theonusisonthemtocontactme.TheResultIhaveplentyofsampleemailsusingthisgeneralformat.Theresultingreturnswerelessthanstellar,asyoumayhaveguessed.Infact,theywereabysmal.Herearesomesamplesofatypicalresponsewhenprospectstookthetimetorespond.Again,theseresponsesaresogenericthattheycouldhavebeenliftedstraightoutofa"Howtodealwithpeskysalespeople"manual:WeareshortstaffedthisandnextweeksoIdonotcurrentlyhavetimetodiscuss.Youcanfeelfreetosendmemoreinformationincludingtimesandcost;however,currentlymytimeisverylimited.Thankyou.Or:Thankyoufortheinformation.Allofitlooksinterestingandworthwhile;however,Iwillnotbeabletomakeanycommitmentuntil[insertyourfavoritedatehere].Ifyouwanttoputmeinyourticklerfile,thatwouldbegreat.Bothareverygeneric,politerejections.Theyaretellingmethattheydon'thavetimetofigureoutwhatI'mrequesting.HowToDoitBetterWhenwritinganemailasapartofyourprocessfordevelopingleadsandguidingprospectsthroughyoursalesprocess,keepthesepointsinmind:Keepitshort.Longemailstendtoscarereaders.Remember,thepurposeoftheemailistogetyourprospecttothenextstageinyoursalescycle.Ifyougetleadsfromyourmarketingteam,oryourautomaticwebformalertedyouthatsomeonedownloadedyourwhitepaper,decidewhatyouwanttheprospecttodobeforeyoucomposeyouremail.Writeitwiththepurposeinmind.Breakuplargeblocksoftext.Tighttextonascreenlookslikeawallofwordsandisaninvitationforyourprospecttohitthedeletekey.Composeyourtextsothatyourreadercansimplyscanit,easilyconsumeitandquicklycomprehendit.Gettheirattentionatthebeginning.We'veplacedplentyofemphasisoncomposinganenticingemailsubjectlineencouragingtherecipienttoopentheemail.Now,whatdoyoudooncetheyhavetheemailopened?Gettheirattentionatthestartandenticethemtoreadfurther.Useoneofthefivemethodsyouusetoopenyourvoicemailmessages:mysteries,shock,enticingfacts,complimentsandstories.Haveonecalltoaction.Insomeofmyearlyemailsattempts,I'veusedmultipleproductlineswithvariousconditionsandmultiplecalls-to-actionattemptingtomakethedecisionprocesseasierformyprospect.Theresultingactionwastypicallynodecisionontheirpart.Usejustonecalltoactionandmakeiteasyforyourprospecttomoveforward.Remember,thisisasalesresponseletter,notamarketingletter.Isenttheseemailstooneprospectinresponsetoonequerytogetaspecificresponse,notagenerallettertargetedataparticulardemographictodriveinterest.Whenyousendoutyouremailmessages,firstlookatyourprocess.Determinethepurposeofyouremail,decidewhatyouwanttheprospecttodo,andthencomposeyourmessagetothatprospect.Aboveall,useyouremailtodrivearealconversationandyou'llbebetterpositionedtomoveyourprospectforwardinyoursalesprocess5SecretstoSellingYourselfFirstInanepisodeof"TheFlintstones,"FredandthefamilytakeatriptoRockVegaswhereFredandBarneyrunofftooneofthecasinostomakesomeextracash.FredexplainsthatheknowsthesecrettoplayingtheslotmachinesandproceedstoshowBarneyexactlyhowit'sdone.Afterdroppingallofhismoneyintothesamemachineforhalfanhour,Fredsaysthatthemachineisripeforajackpot,butneitherofthemhaveanymorecoinstoplay.So,BarneygoesofftofindanothercoinwhileFredguards"his"machine.That'swhenanicelittleoldladyshowsuptotryherhandatthatparticularslotmachine,andFredispowerlesstostopher.Withonecoin,thelittleoldladyhitsthejackpot.Thenextscenewesee,Frediswatchingthislittleoldladyandhersoncarryoutbagsofmoney--hiswinnings--fromthisonemachine.I'msurethatmanyofyouhavehadsimilarsituationsinsales,whereyou'veputyourheartandsoulintonurturingaprospectonlytohavesomeoneelsesneakinatthelastminuteandwalkawaywiththefruitsofyourlabor.1.Don'tLetSomeoneTaketheCreditWhenYouDotheWorkMy"FredFlintstonemoment"happenedduringoneofmyoutsidecoldcallingexcursions.Ifoundapotentialaccountandidentifiedthepointofcontact.Imetwithhim,determinedhisneeds,lefthiminformation,senthimemailsandlefthimvoicemailmessages.Whentheprospectwasreadytomove,hecalledtheofficeandtoldthekidatthefrontdeskthathewantedtotaketheprogramwewerediscussing,buthedidn'tmentionmyname.Thekidsaid,"Iknowwhoyoushouldspeakwith"andsentamessagetoanothersalesrepintheareatellinghimthiswasa"hotlead."Ofcourse,theothersalesrepwasveryapologeticaboutthemisunderstanding,butthatwasafterhehadsigneduptheprospectandestablishedownershipoftheaccount.Atanytime,youcanloseaprospectoranestablishedaccounttoanothermemberofyourteam,toasalesrepinacompetingcompany,ortosimplecustomerapathy.Minimizethisbysellingyourselffirstandmakingyourselfmemorablebefore,during,andafteryoubeginsellingyourproductorservices.2.AdoptaServantMentalityWhenIwastrainingformyNLPcertification,IheardalecturebyM.ScottPeckinwhichhetalkedaboutanattitudeofserviceandthedifferencebetweenhavingthemindsetofaslaveversusthatofaservant.Hestatedthataslavegiveshismasterwhathewantswhileaservantgiveshismasterwhatheneeds,andtheservantgetstodecidewhathismasterneeds.WhenIthinkaboutthisstatement,thepersonthatcomestomindisBruceWayne'sservant,AlfredPennyworth.Theguydoesn'tjustcleanupbehindWayne,hebringshimhisCheeriosinthemorningandhischampagneatnight.Alfredofferssagelyadvice,assistsBatmaninhiseffortstocleanupGothamCity,andactsashisconsciouswhenWaynehashismomentsofdoubt.Whenwearefightingforoursalesandtryingtoshowourprospectsandcustomersvalue,wesometimesbelievethatthismeansbeingoncallfortheprospect23hoursoutofthedayandjumpingthroughhoopswhentheysay,"Iwantanotherquote"forthesixthtime.Atsecondglance,however,thisbehaviorseemsmorelikethatslavementalitythatPeckmentionswherewesimplygivethecustomerwhattheywantwithoutfullyunderstandingwhytheyneedit.Ifyoureallywanttoactasaservanttoyourprospectsandclients,youneedtohelpthemdecideonthebestcourseofactionwiththerightresourcesforthejob.Remember,AlfredPennyworthmakesupabigportionoftheBatmanmythologyandBruceWayne'slife.However,weneverseethedoormatatthefrontdoorofWayneManor.Inyourdailyactivity,don'tbepersonthatyourprospectstakeforgrantedandisneverremembered.Betheservantthateveryonedependsontomakethingshappen.3.BeMemorablefortheRightReasonsIhadanuglysituationwhileIwastravelingwithasalesmanagertomeetwiththepurchasingagentofoneofourlargerclients.Thepurchasingagenthadcalledmysalesmanagerandrequestedameeting.Actually,shesaid,"IneedtotalktoyouinpersonNOW!"Iwasapartofthesalesteamandconsideredatrustedtechnicaladvisorbythesalesmanager,sohe"invited"mealong.However,Ididn'tlikethefeelingthatIwasgetting.Typically,purchasingagentsdon'tstronglyrequestaface-to-facemeetingwithasalesmanager.Whenwearrived,heractionsconfirmedmyintuition.Thepurchasingagentwashoppingmad.Immediatelyafterthesalesmanagersaid,"Howcanwehelpyoutoday,"sheasked,"Doyoupeoplewantmybusiness?"Shethenwentonatirade.WhenIfoundanappropriatebreak,Icounteredwithacushionandapologized.IsaidthatIwasunawareofwhatwashappeningandtriedtosalvagesomethingoutofthechallengebysayingthatIwouldbemoreawareofandresponsivetotheirsituation.That'swhenshesaid,"Oh,no,Idon'thaveaproblemwiththewayyou'vebeeninterfacingwiththetechnicalteam.Ispokewiththembeforethismeetingandtheysaidthatyou'vebeenavaluableresourceforthem."Itturnsoutherproblemwaswith"Bob,"hersalesrep."WhenIcall,Bobdoesn'tcallmeback.Ican'tgetadecentquotefromBobinatimelyfashion.Bobdoesn'tseemtoknowtheproductlineandcertainlydoesn'tknowwhatwedo."Thesalesmanagertriedtorepairthesituationbyasking,"Whatcanwedotomakethisright?"Herresponse:"Ifyouwantourbusiness,thenIwantanewsalesrep.Idon'twanttodealwithBobanymore."Asasalesrep,youneedtocommunicatewellwitheveryoneinvolvedinaprospect'sbuyingprocess.Onlyafewkeypeoplecangiveyoua"yes"indecidingtobuyyoursolution.However,manypeopleintheprocesscansay"no."Showamentalityofservicetotheseindividualsaswell--andmakethemfeelimportanttokeepthesalesprocessmovingforward.Don'tundervalueyourservicesorbendoverbackwardtowinbusinessfromaprospectthatwantsyourunninganobstaclecoursefortheirentertainment.Youareconductingbusiness.However,ifyouaretalkingwithalegitimateprospectandyouwanttheirbusiness,partofsellingyourselfinvolvesbeingmemorableinapositivefashion.Thatmeansprovidingeveryoneinthebuyingprocesswithtimely,meaningful,andrelevantinformation,offeringsuggestionstotheirteam,andcreatingsolutionsthatthecompetitioncan'trecreate.Youwantthemtorememberyoufortherightreasons.Otherwise,you'llendupgettingthebootlikeBob.4.ShowThemYou'reCommittedSometimeswearesofocusedonexpandingourmarket,generatingnewbusinessandpickingupbraggingrightsaboutournewprospectingconqueststhatweforgetaboutthemundaneactivityofkeepinguptospeedwithourcurrentcustomers.Youcan'tforgetaboutthosecontactswhohavealreadyboughtfromyou.Findreasonstostayintouchwiththemandthey'llstandbyyou.Inthecallcenter,Iwouldoftenforwardmyclientsinterestingandrelevantnotes,whitepapers,andwebsitesthatIfoundduringmyonlinetravels.Theseweren'tjustificationsforthempurchasingourservice.Itargetedtheseinformationalitemsatsomechallengethattheywerefacingandtheycouldpossiblyusetheinformationtohelpresolvetheirissues.Duringonecoldcallingsession,Ioverheardanotherinsidesalesrepspeakingwithaprospectonthephone.Icouldn'thearwhattheprospectsaidontheothersideoftheconversationbutIdidhearwhatthesalesrepsaid:"What?Yousayyouarealreadydealingwithasalesrepforthisandyou'rehappywiththeresults?CanIaskwhomyouaredealingwith?LarryPrevost?OK.Thankyouforyourtime."We'vetalkedaboutovercomingthedifficultobjectionof"Nothanks.Wehavesomeonetakingcareofthatforus."ButIguaranteeyou,whenyouarethesalesrepthecustomerisreferringto,this"objection"ismusictoyourears.Sellyourselfbyshowingyourcommitmentandyourclientswillreciprocatebystayingcommittedtoyou.5.GiveThemaSampleImmediatelyWhenIsoldtechnology,onetacticthatweoftenusedwastooffertheprospectademonstration.Sometimesthatmeantinvitingthepotentialclientintoourheadquartersforademonstration,andothertimes,itmeantthatweloanedthemademounitgivingtheirteamtimeto"play"withit.Ifthesalewasbigenough,wealwaysfoundawaytogettheirteamsometimeonamachine.WhenIsoldtrainingsolutions,Ioftensatdownwiththepotentialclientandranthroughafewsimpleexerciseswiththemasademonstrationofwhattheycouldexpectintheprograms.DuringmyNLPcertification,oneofmyinstructorsletmeinonthissecret:Hesaidthatifyouwanttogainrapportandgetcredibilityquickly,thenshowyourclientsarelevantresultimmediatelyandaskiftheywantmore.Youdothiswhenyoureviewrelevantexamplesofwhatyou'vedoneforsimilarclientsinsimilarindustriesfacingsimilarchallenges.However,ifyouwanttoreallystandout,providethemwithrelevantinformationorsolutiontoasmallchallengethattheycurrentlyface.Givethemsomethingthattheycanuseimmediately.Thenaskiftheywantmore.Conclusion:AlwaysStayCongruentandYouWillSellYourselfWeoftentellparticipantsinourprogramsandtheclientsweconsultwithtofocusontheirprospect'sorclient'schallengesandrefrainfromtalkingaboutthemselves,theircompanyortheirproducts.However,hereissomethingthatyouneedtorealize.Youarealwayssellingyourself,yourcompany,andyourproducts,evenwhenyoudon'tverballymentionyourself,yourcompanyoryourproducts.Youaccomplishthisinhowyoucarryyourself,howyoupresentyourself,howyoudress,andhowyouspeak.Yousellyourselfthroughtheenthusiasminyourvoice,thesparkleinyoureyesandthededicationyouexhibitincreatingyoursolutions.Ultimately,ifyoudon'tbelieveinyourproduct,yourcompanyoryourself,thenyouwon'tconvinceyourprospectsthattheyaremakingagooddecisionbyinvestinginyoursolution.However,ifyouaresoldonyourselfandyoubelieveinwhatyouareselling,yourprospectsandclientswillrememberyouastheresourcetheyneedtogetthingsdone,whichwillmakeyourbusinessendeavorsawholelotmoreinteresting.AbouttheAuthor:LarryPrevostisasalesandcommunicationcoachandmanagestheonlinesalescommunityfor.4KeyWaystoGetYourProspectsInterestedDuringameetingwithoneofourclients,LanceTysonandIheardoneofthesalesmanagersmakeastatementthatreallyshockedme.Wewerediscussingsalesmanagementideas,howtomotivatethesalesteam,andmethodstoassessateammember'sskillslevelswhenthesalesmanagerstatedanobservationthathadhimconcerned.Hesaidthathedidn'tknowifsalesrepsweregettingsoft,iftheywererelyingonsocialnetworkingtoomuchorifthelureofFarmvillehadtheminitsgrip.Buthesaidthattoomanyofthemjustdidn'tknowhowtogetonthephoneandsetupameetingwithaprospect.Inthepast,we'vereviewedanumberofprocessesandtacticstoimproveyourchancesofgettingyourtargetprospectonthephoneandengagingthem.Butthere'sapiecemissingthatIthinkmaybetherootcauseofoursalesmanager'sconcerns.Havingaprocesstoopenandconductyoursalescalladdressessomeoftheproceduralissuesanddealswiththemechanicsofcontrollingthecall.However,theactualcommunicationprocessisapiecethatweoftenoverlook,probablybecauseoftheassumptionthateveryoneknows"howtotalktopeople."Asasalesperson,youdonotjustwanttoknowhowtotalktopeople;youwanttocommunicateeffectivelywiththemtoachieveanoutcome.Regardlessifweareface-to-face,onthephone,usingsocialnetworks,socialmediaorwritingasalesletter,thereareafewconceptsthatweneedtokeepinmindwhenengagingourprospectandgettingtheminvolvedinoursalesconversation.BeSomeoneWhoInitiatesContact.Whileassistinginthesetupofacoldcallingseminar,theinstructorpulledmeaside,askedmetolookaroundtheroomandtellhimwhatIsaw.IdidabriefscanandtoldhimIsawabunchofpeoplewaitingfortheseminartobegin.Hesaid,"Buttheyareallgluedtotheirseats.Nooneisinteracting.IfIwereasalesrepinasettinglikethis,IwouldbeonmyfeetintroducingmyselftoeveryoneIcouldmeet."Ioftenseethesamebehavioratthestartofanyofourprograms.Themajorityofpeoplecomeinasstrangers,andlimitedinteractiontakesplaceuntiltheinstructorgetsupandgiveseveryonepermissiontointeract.Wearesalespeople.Wearepaidtointeractwithpeopleandmakethingshappen.Thismaybetheageofenhancedleadgenerationwheresalespeopleareencouragedtotalkonlywithprospectsthatarereadytomoveforward.However,youcannotsitbackandwaitforsomeonetowalkuptoyouandsay,"Youlooklikeyou'vegotsomeinterestingmerchandise.Let'sgettogetherandtalk."Youhavetobewillingtogooutandbeginengagingpeopleininterestingways.Youhavetobetheonewhoextendsyourhandfirstatnetworkingevents.Youhavetobetheonewhomakesthephonecallfirstafteryourprospectdownloadsyourwhitepaper.Youhavetobetheonetomakeotherpeoplefeelcomfortabletalkingwithyou.Ithinkturningthesalesteamlooseonqualifiedleadsisagoodwaytomakeeffectiveuseofthecompany'stimeandresources.Buttheremaybeaperformancecostintheend.Thinkofthisanalogy.I'mamarathonrunnerwholivesinCleveland,wheretheweatherisnottookindtousmostdaysoutoftheyear.IfIvowedtoonlyrunonidealdayswhenthetemperatureisbetween60and70degreeswithnoelectricalstormsinsight,Iwouldnotbereadytoraceinthefallmarathonseason.Sometimes,wesimplyhavetotakeachanceandoperateunderlessthanidealconditions.Insales,thatmeanstalkingtosomepeoplewhomaynotbereadytosignonthedottedline.Itmeanstakingachanceandtestingyourskills.OutofallofthepeoplethathavecontactedmeonLinkedIn,thereisstillonewomanwhosticksoutinmymemorybecauseheractionepitomizeswhatwedoinsales.AfterIrespondedtoherrequest,Ithankedherfortheconnectionandaskedwhatpromptedhertocontactme.ShewrotebackthatshehonestlydidnotknowifIwouldrespond,butshedecidedtotakearisk.Thatiswhatallofusdowhenweinitiatecontact;wearetakingarisk.Westillhavetoknowwhomwearecontactingandwhywearecontactingthem.Wecantakestepstoincreaseourchancesofmakingafavorableimpressionwithourprospects.Ultimately,however,westillhavetotaketheriskthattheymaysayno.Ifyouseesomeonethatlooksinteresting,takeariskandcontactthem.Ifsomeonesentyouamessagestatingtheirinterestinyourproductsortheyleftamessageonyourblog,betheinitiator.Sendthemamessageofthanksandasktoconnectwiththem.Andifaprospectcalledyoubecauseshewantedtobuyyourmerchandise,betheinitiatorandleadtheconversation.Considerthephrasethathasbecomethemantrafornetworkinggroupsallover:"It'snotwhoyouknow,butwhowantstoknowyou."Thinkaboutthisfromyourprospect'sperspective.Youarethepersonthatwantstoknowthem.Youareinterestedinthem.Andthefirststepinshowinginterestistoinitiatetheconversation.Takearisk.Initiatetheconversation.TakeOwnershipoftheConversationSonow,youhaveinitiatedtheconversation.Youhavesteppedforward,extendedyourhand,madethephonecallandstartedtheprocess.Andyouhavenoresultstoshowforyourefforts.Perhapsyouwereshuttledintovoicemail,ormaybeyougotalukewarmresponsefromyouraudience.Orperhapstheygaveyouthe"notinterested"responseandcheckedout,firstmentallyandphysicallyshortlyafter.Ifyouareinitiatingtheconversation,youneedtodomorethanstickoutyourhand,maketheinitialcall,andsay"Hello."Youneedtotakeresponsibilityfortheconversationandtheoutcome.Remember,youcalledtheprospect.Youleftthevoicemail.Youwenttotheirplaceofbusiness.Theburdenofmakingsomethinghappenisonyou.Don'texpectthemtoembraceyouwithopenarmsanddrivetheconversation.Whenyouinitiatetheconversation,theyaren'tonboardyet.Howlongittakesthemtojumpinwithbothfeetwilldependonyourabilitytoengagethemwitheloquence,finesseandcharisma.OneofthechallengesIhadwhenIfirststartedmakingphonecallswasexpectingprospectstocallbackafterhearingmyvery"professionalvoicemail."Afewprospectsdidreturnmycalls,butmostdidn't.Naturally,Iwasdisheartened.Itwasn'tuntilIhadlunchwithamoreseasonedsalesrepthatIlearnedanimportantlessontobeingeffectiveonthephone.Shesaid,"Don'texpectyourprospectstoreturnyourcalls.Theywon'tdoit.Don'taskmewhy,theyjustwon't."Fromthatpointon,I'vetakentheresponsibilityforcontactingmyprospects,andIwouldletthemknowthatIwastakingresponsibilitybyleavingatimewhenIwouldcallback.Here'saviewfromtheotherside.AsI'vementionedbefore,IuseGoogleVoicetocontrolallofmyphonesandvoicemail.ItallowsmetoquicklyreviewandorganizeallofmyvoicemailmessagessoIcanfindwhatI'mlookingfor.Butitalsoprovidesanexcellentdatabaseofsamplesallowingmetohearhowotherpeopleareusingvoicemailtoachieveresults.Thereareafewmessagesinmydatabasethatstartwithalukewarmofferandendwith,"ifyouareinterested,pleasecallmeat123-555-1212."The