Using Industry Insights to Get in the Door

Have you ever stopped and wondered how many other salespeople are trying to get a meeting with the same prospect as you?

It’s a pretty overwhelming number when you think about it. Day-in and day-out, decision makers are being bombarded with voicemails, emails, drop-ins, and various other methods your competition is using to gain access.

In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s tough to cut through the clutter. Leading with a compelling insight that you can turn into a valid business reason (VBR) is essential for your prospect to want to connect with you.

3 Ways Insights Sharpen Your Business Acumen and Help Get You in the Door 

1. Using insights can set you apart from your competition.

By taking the time to do some research about your prospect’s industry, you can show them that you know about their business.

It helps you show empathy and that you are thinking about their potential challenges as opposed to what you want to sell them.

2. Applying an insight the right way is key to establishing your credibility.

It needs to be impactful and not just random facts or statistics. Spend a few minutes processing the information you uncover and find one or two key insights to lead with. Build a bridge to show how you feel that insight might affect your prospect’s business.

For example, recently we helped a salesperson take a trend in the home improvement industry and apply it to the prospect’s business to help secure a meeting. Our research had uncovered that younger homeowners are easily influenced by compelling posts trending from social influencers and DIY influencers. We reviewed the prospect’s social media and saw that they could use some help with their own social media strategy.

The salesperson then reached out to the prospect with this insight while suggesting a meeting to discuss ways that he could help this prospect boost their social media with engaging content.

3. The ultimate goal of sharing Insights is to use it to start a dialogue.

Once you’ve learned about an industry insight, take it one step further. Visit the prospect's website and social media to find some clues as to how to make the insight more specific to the prospect. This will add to your credibility and help to get the conversation started.

Remember: be yourself, but don’t make small talk. Turn that insight into a valid business reason and start connecting with prospects faster!

*Editor's Note: This blog was originally written in 2019 and has since been updated.