If new prospects contact you by phone, this is how you can win them over in 60 seconds, without pitching.
Why sixty seconds means everything
For a prospect who doesn’t know your business, the initial 60 seconds they spend with you on the phone is your business. To that person, nothing else exists. Not your expert staff, not your skilled workmanship, not your smart uniforms, not your state of the art equipment. Nothing. Because these things are not visible at the time they are making their decision to hire you. These are all blanks that will be filled in by their imagination. They will create a complete picture of your business based on just a few tiny cues.
My local mechanic showed me how it’s done
I was recently looking for a local mechanic and found a couple of candidates. The first one I called didn’t answer the phone (game over). The second one not only answered, but taught me how to win customers, quickly. As you’ll see, it’s less about selling and more about sharing.
- The woman who answered sounded genuinely happy to hear from me. How often have you been ‘greeted’ by someone who sounded annoyed that you’d interrupted their busy day?
- She sounded knowledgeable about my problem. Do I need the receptionist to be an expert? No. But boy did it give me confidence that I’d phoned the right place.
- She had a procedure. She knew exactly what details she wanted from me, and where I could find them. This strong message of ‘We have done this hundreds of times before’ put me at ease.
- I didn’t have to ask questions about how their service works – it was spelt out for me. ‘The way it will work is X, Y, then Z’ (i.e. procedure, times, payment). This all says to me, ‘We know what we’re doing and there’ll be no surprises.’
- Going the extra yard. She managed to fit me in on the day I needed, which was initially booked out. It sent a message that she cares. And I think that’s what we want most from any business. Because if they care, they’ll have our back.
Help your customers jump to the right conclusion in 60 seconds
To make a decision based on a brief conversation, your potential customer has no option but to jump to a conclusion about your business.
Once you realise that a conclusion willbe drawn, it makes sense to make sure it’s the right one. And when you consider that some businesses get all their enquiries through the phone, this provides an opportunity to create a great impression.
And all we have to do is repeatedly nail a 60 second audition? Count me in.
My new mechanic: the verdict
So did they fix my car? Yes. Did they do a good job? I don’t know, sometimes I get the feeling it’s not 100 per cent right. But I happily give them the benefit of the doubt, because I know they’re on my side.
What do you think? Should your first 60-second interaction be your masterpiece? And if you have staff, is it okay to entrust this role to the lowest paid person in your business?
For more from Dave Gillen head to flyingsolo.com.au, Australia’s solo and micro business community
