How To Get That First Appointment With Your Rural Prospect

What’s the first thing that goes through your mind when someone rings you who you don’t know? “They’re going to try and sell me something I don’t need”

Rural sales professionals like you work out that it’s not about selling, it’s all about serving.

What I call, teach and train Serving To Sell.

Due to the power of Loss Aversion when a sales person turns up our parasympathetic nervous system goes into over-drive.

We ask ourselves “what are they going to try and sell me now?”.

More commonly known as fight, flight or freeze response.

The way to nullify this very automatic human response is to say these exact words (write them down or file them somewhere now):

“Please could I ask you for just ten minutes of your time to qualify if we can help you with your current CUSTOMISED/SPECIFIC problem. We are not in the business of wasting your time or ours selling you a solution that only serves our needs rather than yours. We want to find out if we can you help reach the outcomes you want. When would be a good time to have a quick chat so we can better understand your current challenges with CUSTOMISED/SPECIFIC problem and see where we may be able to help you?”

Note the words “if” and “qualify”.

The words you use here are crucial.

By using them you are communicating to your prospect that you recognise what they’re currently thinking and feeling. By doing so you are showing you understand them and where they’re at which puts them at ease. You’ll also respecting yourself by recognising you’re not in the business of wasting your time either which subconsciously communicates you value your time too as a professional who is only interested in serving the needs of others, rather than yourself.

This way you’ll have a far better chance of getting an appointment than making the unqualified assumption you can help them without speaking to them first.

Give it a go and see how it works for you.

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I am on a mission to help rural sales owners, managers and marketing professionals get the results they deserve. Please make sure you Follow Me here on LinkedIn so you don’t miss out on my articles.

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