Salespeople know that getting the first meeting with a prospect is a tall order, but a very important step toward ultimately closing a deal. Most business executives are bombarded with social media, calls, and meeting request emails. How can you effectively get over this barrier and get the attention of a prospect for that crucial initial meeting?

Let’s look at a method successfully applied by Jennifer Linker, a top Business Development Associate at Vision Critical that gives her a third of her meetings!

What’s her secret source?

Sending out calendar invitations!

Jen starts by making a call to a potential prospect and leaves a message on their voicemail; if they fail to pick up, the message goes like this:

“Hi so and so…I’ll put something on your calendar and hopefully we can connect through there”.

She then reads out her name and hangs up the phone.

The invitation that follows has a message similar to:

“…thought it would be easier if I just put something on your calendar. Feel free to let me know if it works for you.”

To non-responders, Jen resends the invitation and often gets a response where the prospect either declines or asks for a new date to set the meeting. She persistently asks for some time to explain her point from clients who initially decline, a move that has also generated leads for her.

Her catchphrase goes like this:

“… I wouldn’t be reaching out to you if this wasn’t something that I really thought you would benefit from.”

It’s important to note that some clients refuse because they are busy at that moment and would ask her to check with them at a later date say in a month or two. So what she does is note the clients’ details and follows up after the lapse of the agreed time frame because:

    a) It shows persistence.

    b) It builds trust with the prospect and they’d be more willing to take a meeting with you.

To be effective, this strategy requires persistence. Jen emphasizes the need to build relationships and trust before reaching out to the potential prospect, so always do your research. Read articles, Google news, look at the annual reports to get a sense of what the company is focusing on. Look at their LinkedIn profile to format your meeting request email in the client’s voice and structure your email around the solution you are providing for the company.

Source: Episode 5: Becoming the #1 SDR with Jennifer Linker of Vision Critical, an interview by Scott Ingram.

Full interview available here: https://top1.fm/episode-5-becoming-1-sdr-jennifer-linker-vision-critical/

 

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