From the first “cold call” to having your first meeting with a new client, our new business consultants (aka All Star Reserves) have put together their top tips for getting noticed, getting an introduction, converting leads and getting more clients.

1. Harness the power of contacts

There’s a reason we put “cold calling” in inverted commas. Notwithstanding the recent GDPR legislation which puts a lot of barriers in place, cold calling in the traditional sense is unlikely to convert clients in the B2B space where relationship building and trust is king! What better way to establish trust in business than through an existing relationship. Even if a potential client is not a direct contact, being introduced by an existing trusted contact will let you borrow trust from the existing relationship. In fact there’s a whole raft of reasons referrals are your best sales tool including being able to charge a higher price, faster processes and increased chance of conversion.

We partner our clients with consultants who already have contacts in their particular industry in order to harness the power of their existing relationships and expertise. The benefit of being part of a network also means we can pull on the contacts and expertise of other women in the community, you’d be surprised how often, when talking about new clients and projects, one of our consultants says something along the lines of “…my daughter is in tennis club with someone whose mum would love to be introduced to these guys”.

That’s also why we encourage our consultants and anyone looking for new business for their company to talk to their personal as well as professional network about what they’re working on, you never know who could make an introduction that will turn into your next biggest client.

2. If you don’t have a connection, find one

Do your research, find out if they’ve won any awards recently or been in the news, compliment them on that and ask them questions about it. Find out if they’ve been to any of the same events that you have and mention that you were also there. Read any interviews or opinion pieces they may have written. Do you have any personal connection with them? Do they like to travel? Do they also have kids? If so find a way you can weave this into the conversation without it feeling forced. Although this is a skill that comes with practice and only works if it’s fully sincere. One thing we look for and love about our consultants is they’re all confident conversationalists who have an amazing ability to build relationships and trust in just a few encounters.

3. Be honest, open and friendly

Old fashioned sales techniques (read “lying”) don’t work any longer, buyers and decision makers are highly educated and it’s likely they already know about your company and have formed an opinion about it. If anything you say contradicts what they’ve read elsewhere you’ve lost their trust straight away.

Ask them questions, be collaborative with your approach rather than assuming a one size fits all sales line. Manage expectations without underselling yourself, remember this is the beginning of a relationship not a transaction and they’re not going to believe you if you tell them that your product or service will solve all their problems in one hit.

If your first point of contact is over the phone, smile when you’re talking, people can hear it in your voice and this is one type of emotion you can’t convey over email.

4. Understand their business and where you can offer value

No matter how much reading you do about a potential lead you never know what’s going on inside the company and never assume that you do. This comes across as arrogant and will quickly be dismissed. Listen to client, understand where their current pressure points are and how your product or service can help address those specific issues.

How frustrating are cold calls you get as a consumer where the person on the other end of the phone is reading off a script? You ask them one question that veers off the answers they have in front of them and they fumble and the whole pitch falls down. You don’t need to have the answer to any and every question or possible objection right away, you just need to listen, understand the clients’ needs and take this as an opportunity to respond at a later date with a more customised proposal fully catered to that clients’ needs.

That said, this is where expertise in their industry can really help. With their wealth of experience our new business consultants are often able to relate to the challenges being faced by the potential new client and can advise them from personal experience how they can tackle them, and of course how your product or service will fit into that strategy.

5. Perseverance

All potential clients operate in different project life cycles, your product or service might be a perfect fit for them but that doesn’t necessarily mean they need it on the day you first introduce them to it, just like you know that compeed make the best blister plasters, but until you have a blister or you know you’re about to embark on a lot of walking, you’re unlikely to be motivated to buy them.

If the first conversation you have with a potential lead is a positive one, ask if they’re happy for you to keep in touch but don’t get disheartened if you don’t hear from them again in a week, month, or even a year. Our director Gill took two years to convert one of her biggest leads. Keep top of mind, invite them to meet you at industry events that might be relevant to both of you, send book recommendations relevant to the topics you’ve spoken about, connect with them on LinkedIn and drop them a call just to remind them that you’re still around and keen to work with them. What makes our consultants different to traditional business development teams or agencies is they’re genuinely invested in a potential lead’s business long after they’ve put the phone down. Just be careful you don’t verge on annoying, All Star Reserves director Sarah Newman suggests:

“Stay in touch with their industry and applaud any successes they have whilst reinforcing how your services can further assist them. Think of introductions you can help them with using your connections.”

Sarah Newman, All Star Reserves Director

6. Passion, enthusiasm and storytelling

It’s not always easy to be enthusiastic about your product or service when you’ve been dealing with the day to day challenges of running a business. Always approach new business calling when you’re feeling your most energetic and with a fresh head, maybe after the gym or after your first coffee in the morning.

Our consultants have the benefit of being disconnected from the day to day and the time between their working hours to think of new angles in to a potential lead, so they come into each working day bursting with enthusiasm about how they’re going to go about it.

They feel one of the most powerful tools to convey the passion of a company is the story of the founder, how the company came about and what their intentions are moving forward. If you’re not the founder of the business your hoping to sell, spent time with them, ask them questions, find out what drives them. If you are, ask yourself the same questions and don’t just talk about the rational justification for your product or service.

7. Stand out and be different

If you follow all the above advice you will stand out and in our experience you’re then very likely to convert potential leads into qualified opportunities and eventually sales and clients. That’s how to get clients.

If you’d like support with your new business strategy, how to get clients, lead generation and conversion to sales opportunities you’re in the right place. Speak to Gill on +44 7854 727 139 or gill@allstarreserves.com and we’ll link you up with a new business consultant who has expertise and contacts in yours and/or your clients industry.