This article is the fourth part of the series on the topic of the perfect phone call structure. If you missed out on the previous articles then it’s essential that you give them a read.

There are three prior to this, why not start by reading the introduction to the perfect cold calling structure.

Introduction:

So remember the structure to follow for any call is

“Only I Can Love Prospecting”

Outlining the structure that is:

• Open
• Intrigue
• Captivate
• Lead
• Position

In this article we’re going to delve into…

Captivate

When at the captivate stage alike any part of a phone call, try to be succinct. Refrain from a feature dump, don’t commit the cardinal sin of feature bashing and verbal diarrhoea.

Instead be tactful, yes you need to use some material that captivates the buyer, but if you want to increase your chances of a successful outcome, be concise.

Freely reference your skills and differentiators at this stage, though to capitalise on the best results use a story that paints a picture for them. Apply the captivate stage of a call by using a story encompassing:

• A customers challenge(s)
• How you helped them overcome this

Then provide a

• Holistic summary of how you help others customers like them
• Transition to the Lead

So let’s have a deeper dive into these areas.

1. Customer(s) Challenge(s)

Use a typical example of a customer(s) challenge(s), try at this stage to not opt for any obscure challenges, opt for something that the buyer can resonate with, something that may also be a challenge for them. That way there’s potential to arouse significant interest, if that that buyer too shares or has shared the same challenge. He’s an example:

“John we help customers overcome a range of challenges on the cyber security front. One circumstance recently with one of our customers namely X  springs to mind. They were in a real bind, having been the victim of a cyber security breach recently. They were aware that they needed to invest in their cyber security, but they weren’t au fait with where best to invest their money.”

2. How you helped?

Just as it sounds, once you’ve referenced a customer’s challenge, then tell the buyer how you overcame this. Something on the lines of the below:

“That’s where we at Y came in. Unlike many of our competitors we take a technology agnostic approach, in a bid to lead with the solutions most suited for our customer. So with X we conducted some in-depth consultancy to ascertain where they were most at risk, and from that provided a detailed recommendation report of where they should invest their money. The result? Well they invested in X, Y, Z and have successful prevented 5,000 attempts to hack their systems this year alone.

3. Holistic Summary

What we need to be cautious of is becoming pigeon holed, where the buyer associates us with only that challenge you’ve mentioned. So at this point, give a holistic summary of where else you help customers, what other challenges you can help to overcome. For instance something like this:

“We help alike customers to ‘name of buyers business’ in this format and with many other challenges such as A, B, C through our various solutions including D, E, F”

4. Transition to the Lead

Remember that all the captivation stage is for is to build some credibility. You’re trying to , build some credibility so that the buyer feels more confident in you and your business. At least to the extent that they grant you some more airtime to move into the lead stage of the call.

We transition to this stage with some form of connection statement. There are various forms you could use, but typically the makeup will be alike the below:

“John I want to help you like we have ‘example just mentioned,’ first and foremost I need to ask you a few questions. So tell me John, what challenges are you having with…?”

Be Mindful

Shy away from bragging too much, no one wants to hear this, irrespective of whether you’re over the phone or in person. Yes be passionate about what you do and how you can help, but steer clear of overly boasting, as there’s nothing more that will turn off a buyer faster.

Take Action

You can be two people, the average person whom reads this article and does nothing or the future sales icon whom takes action and applies this principle.

So if you want to be the best, spend ten minutes now. Develop your Captivation structure, think of a customer(s) challenge(s) that is relatively common which you’ve excelled in helping them overcome. Write a story on paper in a succinct way and practice it.

Then add your Holistic summary and transition to a lead statement – which both should be pretty simple to put together.

Do look out for our next article which will be on the Lead part of the calling structure.

If you enjoyed this article then why not have a read of some of our others below:

• Success in Sales – From Hard Work or Talent?
• Don’t Be An Insensitive P****, Look After Your Staff
• Invest In Yourself For Results
• Take Your Cold Calling To The Next Level
• Positioning A Close With The Buyer On A Cold Call

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