Whether you’re a sales manager evaluating your team or in the field coaching salespeople who are trying to get quality appointments, you’re always looking to improve results.

Based on years of experience, we often see salespeople develop strong valid business reasons, but the delivery is too formal. Listen to the video for great before and after examples and keep reading for the secret to a successful sales strategy.

Defining a Valid Business Reason

A valid business reason is the reason the prospect would want to meet with you. It is not the reason you want to meet with them. You can deliver your valid business reason in the form of an email, a phone call, or a face-to-face meeting. Regardless of the delivery method, the selling techniques should be the same.

What matters is establishing a strong reason for them to meet with you—not only because it increases your chances of getting that meeting, but because it increases the chances it will be the quality meeting you want.  

The Best Valid Business Reasons Show the Following 3 Things:

Empathy

• Do you really understand what the person that you’re calling on is doing?
• What’s involved in their job every day?
• Are you showing concern for what they must be going through?

Expertise

• What can you bring that will be helpful to them?
• How can you help them accomplish their goals?

Problem-Solving

• What track record do you have to prove that you can help them accomplish goals?

Writing and using a valid business reason significantly improves the likelihood of securing an appointment with a new business prospect and existing customers who are busy people. However, a brilliant presentation is worth nothing if you can’t create a human connection with the prospect.

Stop Being Too Formal

Stop and listen to the example provided in the video above. You can physically hear the difference in the emails!

Your potential clients and customers are bombarded with emails, calls, and pitches on a daily basis. Regardless of your delivery method, the more impersonal you appear, the more likely you are to get ignored.

Let’s face it; no one is interested in talking to robots and faceless companies. Here are two simple tips that will humanize your sales strategy and connect with the other person on the end of the screen, phone, or door!  

1. Sound conversational regardless of delivery
2. Develop strong valid business reasons and cultivate ideas together

If you want to connect with people as a human, cut out the big business words and savvy phrases. Stop using the same generic words and phrases that you always use when you talk to prospects and do more listening.

When you take the time to authentically listen to what your prospect is saying, you’ll find that it’s easier to respond genuinely and you’ll come across as an actual human – which is exactly what they’re looking for!