Do you often feel frustrated after spending ages crafting the perfect message to your prospect only to have them ghost you? It’s soul-destroying after your best efforts to personalize, only to receive no response.

We’ve been there, we know the feeling and it’s awful. That’s why we started getting a little creative with our prospecting. We asked ourselves, what can we do to make ourselves stand out among the sea of sales messages? We asked ourselves what WE would like to receive and what would capture OUR attention. And along the way, we’ve stashed a few aces up our sleeves.

We developed this comprehensive list of TWELVE tried and tested methods for standing out and grabbing your prospect’s attention. It may not be a dozen red roses, but these sales prospecting tips won’t wilt or die and will remain with you long after the season of love is long gone.

1. Keep it human.
We’ve tried this and it genuinely works. Talk like you’d speak to a friend—not in an unprofessional way, but in a manner that removes jargon, product, or marketing language. If you talk like a human you’re more likely to receive an open, human response, also making it easier to dig into the prospects’ pain points.

2. Secure your second date.
While you have your prospect engaged, make sure you book that second conversation there and then, do it as quickly as possible. If you can, schedule it for the following day— even that very afternoon if you can! The longer you leave between conversations the more chance you have of being stood up (no show).

3. Know when there’s a spark.
It’s important to know when to get out of the conversation. A cold call should be short and sweet, you can save the comprehensive stuff for your discovery call. All you need to do on a cold call is figure out if the prospect ‘could’ use your product or service. Use the discovery to find out if they should.

4. It’s (not) all about you.
A key skill for cold calling is knowing when to shut up. The call should be centered around the prospect and their challenges/paint points. If you find yourself talking about you, your product, service or even worse—features!—then you’re doing it wrong.

5. Stay au naturale.
This is SO important. Remember to be yourself. Don’t attempt to play a persona. If you’re not naturally funny, don’t try to be funny, it’ll come across as false. If you have other great personality traits, strong empathy, for example, play on that and use it to your advantage!

6. Be prepared to say no.
Don’t be afraid to qualify. Your prospect will value honesty and that you’re not trying to ‘hard sell’ to them. Also, in our experience, when you qualify out a prospect there and then, they try their best to qualify themselves back in. It’s human psychology and FOMO (fear of missing out) so play on it!

7. Don’t force it.
Try not to crowbar in a meeting if it feels ‘off’. If the conversation is going well, make sure you book the follow-up. But if you’re not feeling the spark, trust your gut! If you do force it, chances are the prospect will stand you up.

8. Avoid emotional overload.
Always stick to two key problems you can solve for your prospect, any more than this and you’ll overcomplicate the thought process and overwhelm your prospect.

9. Invest in extra strong anti-commission breath mints.
This is a huge steer clear. Although it may be at the forefront of your mind, do your very best to avoid commission breath questions. Asking about the number of users, budgets, growth potential at this early stage is a big red flag to your prospect that you’re only interested in getting their signature on the dotted line.

10. Don’t move too fast.
During the initial introduction call, try not to make the next step feel like a big deal. All you’re really asking is a second call at a time that suits your prospect, so keep it easy breezy and as casual as possible. Nobody likes a hard sell or too much pressure in the early stages of building a relationship.

11. You’ve got the power.
It’s easy to place your sales prospects on a pedestal when you’re so eager to please, but it’s important to remember you’re an equal in this exchange. You are two professionals taking place in a conversation to explore if your product or service could solve a challenge they’re experiencing. Don’t overthink it and don’t lose your head trying to please!

12. Maintain a little mystery.
Prospects often request further information (most commonly as a quick and easy way to get you off the phone!). Although it may be tempting to wow them with your latest marketing collateral, refrain from sending additional information without getting the next call booked in. Even the best marketing collateral means nothing without context so it’s important you have that opportunity to set that context.

And there we have it.

A dozen top tips you can keep up your sleeve for carefully crafted communication with your sales prospects that will make an impact. Best of luck!

Learn More

Download The Complete Guide to Conversation Intelligence to learn how Conversation Intelligence can help improve sales coaching, content, and training.