We use 20 hours of ConnectAndSell per month, and this number is likely to increase a lot in coming years. Along the way we have learned many ConnectAndSell tips. Our stats prove it. The average ConnectAndSell client gets about 7 connects and 1 scheduled meeting per hour.
There are two big things people mess up when they implement ConnectAndSell:
Lists. Most people just dump a generic list from InsideView, ZoomInfo, Jigsaw (now data.com) or some other data source into ConnectAndSell. They assume that if they only pull accounts that meet their ideal customer profile with the right types of titles, that it will be good enough. This is dead wrong. Everyone that tries this approach has fewer, lower quality connects and fails to realize the full ROI from ConnectAndSell.
Knowing what to say when you get a connect. Let’s face it, most people are below average at starting a conversation from a fairly cold call. And most calls on CAS range from lukewarm to stone cold. Unless your sales reps are at least average at the first 30 seconds of the cold call, don’t give them ConnectAndSell. You know those highly paid sales reps you hired because they already know how to prospect? Yeah, the ones who now cold call as little as possible? They are going to be even worse at the first 30 seconds of the call unless they get some sales training. Not knowing what to say on ConnectAndSell = no ROI.
ConnectAndSell only amplifies lack of good sales skills for the first part of the sales process. Here are some ConnectAndSell tips you can implement right away to get the full ROI from the tool:
Do pre-call research. Take that crappy list that you pulled and clean it up manually. You heard me right. Find the right contact, figure out where they fit in the org chart, get their direct line (this one is huge), and do a little bit of 3x3 Research (find 3 talking points on the company and contact in 3 minutes).
Build a Hot List. Put your scrubbed list in your CRM system along with notes from your 3x3 Research. We refer to this high quality list of prospects as a Hot List. Your 3x3s need to answer the question: why are you calling me? The notes in your CRM should be very short so that you can quickly scan them in the moment during your CAS session. Pre-call research is useless unless you use the intelligence to start a conversation with the prospect.
Know your call lead in. Make an outline of how the first 10 to 30 seconds of the call should flow. Your sales team needs to be really good because ConnectAndSell sessions go really fast. Preparation, training, and eMastery are essential. Here are some things to think about.
Are you using the voice pre-recording that ConnectAndSell offers or just the standard beep?
Do you ask the prospect for permission to continue or launch right into your value proposition?
What mechanisms are you using to warm up the conversation?
How are you confirming that you are even talking to the right person?
Are you incorporating in your 3x3 Research?
How are you taking a cold call (which is a monologue) and turning it into a conversation (which is a dialogue)? A good lead in will create a conversation between you and the prospect.
Have a great value prop. Develop an awesome value proposition that articulates what you do and what makes you different in 2 sentences. This is really hard to do well. Be sure to use client voice, a metaphor, or a short value story to make it more colorful.
ConnectAndSell can be an incredibly powerful tool IF you know what you are doing. It can also be a colossal waste of time, money, and other resources. Follow ConnectAnSell tips and best practices to see the full ROI, and benchmark your results to peers.
Vorsight’s connections by executive level by using ConnectAndSell Tips
