Episode #004 of the podcast: Contact persons: who should you talk to?
In this episode, our seasoned hosts explore the ins and outs of writing prospecting scripts, reveal the secrets of persona sheets for targeting the right contact, and show you how to choose the right words depending on your prospect's role. You will also discover effective techniques for tracking down those valuable contacts within your target companies.
But that's not all! We will take you into the world of mental preparation and practical organisation, essential elements for excelling at prospecting. You will discover the must-know tips for staying at the top of your game on every call.
And stay tuned, because our next episode will reveal the secrets of a powerful introduction on your prospecting calls. You won't want to miss it!
Dive into the action with us and boost your prospecting skills. Stay tuned for exclusive tips and insights. See you soon on "Performance & Harmonie"!
To contact Stéphane or Nadia, you can call us on +32 2 702 64 74, send us an email or book a meeting
Stéphane: Hello and welcome to this new episode of the Performance et Harmonie podcast, produced by PHCom in the transforma studio in Brussels with technical support from The Podcast Factory Org. Nadia: The Performance et Harmonie podcast is aimed at marketing and sales managers as well as business leaders who take on sales responsibilities. Stéphane: Every month, we share good practices in finding new customers for companies active in business to business. Nadia: You can find every episode on the PHCom dot be website, P H C O M, and also on all the good podcast platforms. Stéphane: You can support this podcast and help raise its profile by sharing it as widely as possible with a like, a comment or a share. Nadia: The voicemail is still active so you can leave us a message, and we'll be delighted to reply. Stéphane: You can also book a meeting directly with Nadia or Stéphane by going to PHCom dot be. Nadia: See you soon. Stéphane: Hello Madame Performance. Nadia: Hello Monsieur Harmonie. Stéphane: Having talked about data files, it's time to talk about contact persons too, who can, by the way, also be part of building a file. Nadia: Yes, so we've found the companies, now we need to find the right people to talk to and think about what to say to them. Stéphane: We'll talk about scripts. Nadia: Let's say that, for prospecting, the script is indeed a key element that we can touch on a little today. But to build a complete and detailed script, it's better to prepare. And that's something we can talk about today. Stéphane: If you know where you're going, who you need to talk to and what to say to them, you already have a good foundation. Nadia: Yes, provided you're mentally ready, and you also need to be very well organised. Stéphane: So we said we wouldn't go into scripts in detail today, but you still need a line of conduct. On that subject, a good practice is persona sheets: what are they and how do you create them? Nadia: Persona sheets are, in a way, the right profile within the company of the person who will be our key contact: either the decision-maker, an influencer, or perhaps a sponsor or a prescriber. Stéphane: So the persona sheet, just like the segments, allows us to adapt a message, a script. Nadia: Yes. For example, one of the key points is also: what will make your buyer listen to you and buy? SONCAS, for example? Stéphane: So SONCAS: whether the person's buying motive is sympathy, pride, or the search for novelty, or whether they're more looking for convenience, ease, or making money, or security. Nadia: And don't forget ecology, the environment. Stéphane: Right. So, in the persona sheet, we should also find the types of roles, the types of skills, possibly professional experience, their decision-making power, the contact's age. Nadia: Yes, their habits and above all the habits of their role. Stéphane: Yes, a classic is indeed that in a given role, people are used to saying "no to", so we can prepare for the objections. Nadia: Yes, and depending on the size of the company, the famous C-level. Stéphane: Yes, what goes down well, what doesn't go down well, what will we discover as we gain prospecting experience? That will influence the persona sheet, which will need to evolve. Nadia: That's it! So depending on the type of company, its segment and the profile of the people, there will be things to say and a way of saying them. Stéphane: That's the second point: what are we going to say to them? Nadia: The purpose of the phone call, let me remind you, is first to qualify companies as interesting, and to interest your contact enough to, if it's the right time, get a meeting, a first encounter. Stéphane: So you need to list the good reasons for meeting. It could be curiosity, the need to solve a problem, satisfying a desire, or the obligation to get an additional quote. Nadia: Yes, listening to you, Stéphane, that makes it possible to distinguish between the three types of meetings: the introduction meeting, the challenge meeting and the competition meeting. Stéphane: Yes! So introduction: the company is interesting, it's worth meeting, it's the right profile. Challenge: a problem has been identified, a desire has been identified, in short, there's a need. Competition: you need to be able to submit a quote. So either it's a company with a project, or there's potential for a project. Let's take a few examples: OK, I approach an SME to offer, for example, organisational consultancy services, so it's the boss we'll be interested in. He obviously already has his habits, so what are the keywords he'd want to hear? Nadia: In my view, it's performance, growth, profitability, competitiveness, risks, reputation and also team organisation. Stéphane: OK, I approach a finance director, what are his keywords? What does he want to hear? Nadia: Well, I'd rather talk about financial management, costs, reporting, optimisation, decision-making, competitiveness, KPIs. Stéphane: Same exercise for a marketer? Nadia: Marketing strategy, market research, data analysis, sales, brand awareness, competition and also lead generation. Stéphane: An HR director? Nadia: And there, I'd say employee management, training and personal development, talent development, compliance, well-being, productivity, fringe benefits, efficiency improvements, benefits. Stéphane: So we know who to talk to, we know roughly the keywords we'll be able to use, but I'll come back to my question from the start: how do you find them? Nadia: Well, if you have the company, you can find the boss in the BCE. Stéphane: Yes, the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises indeed, it discloses the names of the people in charge. LinkedIn, same thing? Nadia: Yes, you can go on LinkedIn, you can find their skills, their roles, how long they've been with the company, their history too: other companies where they may have worked. Stéphane: There are databases with people's names. Nadia: That exists at PHCom, for example. Stéphane: I thought so! Another good tip is to collect business cards at events, at networking sessions. Nadia: And "Lusha" is a handy little trick that works well too: a LinkedIn plugin. Finding your way around the company via reception is also a good tip: they'll give you a direct phone number, for example. Stéphane: Yes, or you have a colleague's number, you call and, quite casually, you get the details of the right contact person. Nadia: Exactly Stéphane, we really do have quite a lot at our disposal. Stéphane: So we have a list of companies, we know who to call, we more or less know what to say to them. We found them for reason X or Y. And you were saying you need to prepare mentally and in an organised way. Nadia: Well yes! Good organisation, mental preparation, such as starting each day in the best conditions and creating a pleasant working environment. A few recommendations, for example, being fresh and available so you have energy and a good mood. Smile, smile, smile: don't hesitate to put a mirror in front of you so you can see yourself smiling. Recall a good experience, for example, your last sale, a great meeting with a prospect. Stéphane: Another good little tip is to always be ready to listen and to bounce back on what the other person gives you. That's typically the kind of training we can provide with ImproTraining. Nadia: Yes, the ImproTraining courses are great. Stéphane: In terms of practical organisation, any recommendations, Nadia? Nadia: Yes, you should of course make sure your desk is tidy and clear, get yourself a drink, a juice, water or something else. Have something to write with ready, as well as scrap paper, get your headset ready, plus of course a second screen, which is much more practical. Stéphane: I imagine a good CRM that lets you track all the information as you go? Nadia: We can't do without one these days. Stéphane: Preparing your next calls? Nadia: Nor that! Stéphane: Prepare all the information you need so you can access it quickly. You need to have access to supporting materials, the prospecting plan, company information, brochures, etc. Have all this information clear and sharp in your mind. The topic of our next podcast? Nadia: How to make a good intro. Stéphane: Thank you, see you soonPodcast outline:
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