Are you having a hard time getting buyers to talk to you? How many times have you tried to find out how your most recent sales opportunity went and got no response? Or attempted to talk to a customer to see how it is going only to hear crickets? Frustrating, isn’t it? After completing well over 20,000 interviews with busy buyers, we’ve learned a thing or two on how to get them to talk to us. We also know getting feedback from buyers is the best way to improve your win rates. And talking to your current customers to see what benefits their receiving from your solution is a highly effective plan to retain them. By going straight to the source, you discover what is and isn’t working for you and most importantly, why.

1. 1It’s all in
the timing
3Be a great
communicator
5
Show, don't
just tell
6The devil
is in the
details
4Be pleasantly
persistent
2Kill‘em
with
kindness
Rotate the time of day you call. If you can't get through to
the buyer at 10 am, why not try 2 pm or 3:46 pm? You get
the picture.
Voice inflection can make all the difference in getting a
spot on their calendar.
Be precise and succinct while still sounding human. You're not a
robot. Don't rush the call.
Don't be a Moody Judy. Your mood can greatly impact the mood
of the call too.
Let them know you value their feedback and
respect their time.
Show sincerity. Ask them how their day is going
and mean it.
Personalize your message. Every one wants to
feel special. "Sorry to hear it's raining again in
Seattle." "Hope you had a great vacation."
"Are the Broncos playing this week in
Denver?"
Keep the message positive. Avoid
negative words and phrases.
Remember the law of averages. The more touchpoints you have with them,
the more likely they will schedule an interview.
Email, phone, voicemail message, repeat. Got that? In that order, every 3
days, you can't fail. Consistency is really important.
Leave detailed voice mail saying you’ll be sending another email to
touch base with them in a few days.
Get a referral. If the person was not part of the evaluation, find out
who was involved in the decision making and get their contact info.
Be diligent without being overbearing
or forceful. No used car sales talk.
Make sure they understand you
are scheduling a larger discus-
sion, and the interview will not
be conducted at that moment.
Confirm contact info is up-to-date. Having the correct phone
number and email address helps making contact a whole lot easier.
LinkedIn and Google are the best sources if your POC doesn't know.
Be knowledgeable about the client you are calling on behalf of, as well as
about the interviewing process and what the information was used for.
Log your communication. Keep a detailed record each
time you touch base to schedule an interview. Then
you won't run into scheduling the same person twice.
Track your responses. Knowing the status of your
scheduling conversion rates gives you a clear
picture how how many contacts you have.
Give a clear and concise
description of the discussion.
This helps legitimize the request
and avoids confusing you with a
telemarketer.
Show value. Let them know
their feedback is high priority.
Customize the email message. Don't just send a
generic“copy-and-paste”template. For example:
“We'd like to talk to you about your recent selection of
Getwell Inc. for your healthcare services...”
Add details to the email subject
line. For instance: Requesting a short
discussion for feedback on your recent
healthcare services selection.
Consider the time zone before you call. Your buyers are
located around the globe. Think about where they
hang their hat before you ring.
Don't keep hounding the gatekeepers if
they decline to forward your call or
take a message. Calling before 8 am and after 5 pm may get you direct
contact with your buyer and circumvent getting past the assistant.
Schedule at their convience. Ask if there
is another good time to call.
www.primary-intel.com • 800.400.2174 • info@primary-intel.com
Top 6 strategies to get buyers to talk to you
Once your buyer selects the winning vendor, you want to know how you performed and solicit any feedback which can make
a difference the next time you compete. Here are six proven strategies that are guaranteed to work.