Paul Harvey was the host of a radio show called The Rest of the Story. His velvety voice turned the news into entertainment six days a week for millions of his listeners.
In a world where news is never more abundant, Harvey stood out because he was entertaining.
Harvey was a red x in a sea of white circle news broadcasters.
Why am I talking about this?
Your prospects get pitched all the time.
Value propositions sound like the news. They’re abundant and boring.
To stand out, you need to give your prospects something more than a value proposition. You have to be entertaining too.
Weaving entertainment into a concise sales message is hard – but it can be done.
By way of example, here’s a cold call script for Phone Ready Leads.
Permission
“John, you’re probably going to hate me because this is a cold call. Would you like to hang up or roll the dice? I promise to be brief.”
Problem
“You know how reps make 50 cold calls and are lucky to have one conversation? Most people don’t pick up even with direct dials. We call that slot machining.”
Poke the Bear
“Just out of curiosity, how are you going about getting reps more live conversations so you can generate more opps? Is it by making more dials, or can you identify prospects who are most likely to answer the phone?”
Here’s the cold email that weaves entertainment into a value prop:
Subject: Clark Griswold
“John – Remember the movie National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation, when gambling fever consumes Chevy Chase’s character, Clark W. Griswold? That’s how SDRs feel every day. For every hour of cold calling, they’re lucky to have one live conversation. What if you could beat the odds by having seven live conversations in 30 minutes without adding new technology? Worth an email exchange?”
Are you a red x in a sea of white circle sales messages?