Sometimes things go quiet with prospects and clients for a good reason. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time for them to make a buying decision or they had just completed a sale with you and were happily ‘sorted’.
No doubt you’ll stay in their mind’s eye through marketing activities – newsletters, social media, events and so on. And after a while you want to get back in touch. ‘Just seeing how things are going’ may work with existing clients but is unlikely to unleash a tsunami of opportunities with prospects! (It might even feel a bit lame to your loyal contacts.)
Let’s think from their perspective. What might be going on for them? What might be in their mind?
- Their business has grown or changed and they need a different solution.
- They are interested in the latest developments.
- They still have the problem they had.
- They like working with you!
- They trust your insights.
- They’re stuck!
These are all clues to how we could ignite the spark and rekindle the sales conversation.
What might that sound like for our prospects or clients?
- I have recently done some work with a client who has a similar challenge to the one you were struggling with and they found this useful … When we speak I can explain a bit more about how.
- I saw this and thought of you … What do you think?
- I have some thoughts about how you could tackle this … Let’s set up a call and I’ll walk you through them.
- I have used this approach myself for … problem and it has worked surprisingly well. Have you got 5 minutes to hear how I think it could work for you?
- I know you were hoping to achieve … How far have you got? Let’s see if we can help move you forward.
- Since you and I last spoke we have developed a better/quicker/cheaper/easier/more effective … When would you like to see it?
- Have you had a chance to look at the other options? What questions do you still have? I believe I can help.
- I know this worked brilliantly for you and now we’ve added a feature which you were looking for. I’ll show you how it makes it even better.
- When we last spoke you said you would love to see … Good news! We’ve developed it.
- We would love your input on the version we plan to release. When are you free?
And a bonus idea …. - I know you like to be first in everything! We are going to be releasing the latest version of …. Shall we set up a time for me to show you how it works?
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