During the COVID-19 pandemic, business has adjusted. Today, we are well aware of that and must respect the fact that some prospects and current customers might not want to meet with us face-to-face, whether they are telecommuting or just trying to keep social distancing in place. This does not mean that prospecting and meetings cannot go forward at full force. To counterbalance the reduction in foot canvassing and networking events, it becomes appropriate to prospect more by phone and email as surefire ways that you will not physically interact with anyone. By now, you are likely accustomed to giving your prospects and current customers the option to conduct virtual meetings in lieu of face-to-face meetings. GoToMeeting and Zoom are just two options that can help you conduct virtual meetings.
Step one of the Kingston Training Group's (KTG's) “Six Steps to Building a Call” includes the phrase: “I am writing (or calling) to schedule a meeting with you.” However, with the present pandemic, the phrase “schedule a meeting” might create an immediate “knee-jerk rejection” because many prospects (including essential businesses that remain open in areas where work from-home orders may remain in place) might not want strangers in their offices. However, companies may be amenable to virtual meetings as they strive to maintain social distancing. To accomplish this, there are some alternative Step 1 phrases (using law firms as an example) to the standard:
“John, I am writing (or calling) to schedule a meeting with you, either in person or on the phone.” The following phrases purposely steer clear of the word “meeting” to avoid an immediate “no” response as people continue to limit contact with others: “John, I was writing (or calling) to schedule an opportunity to share some information with the law firm. ”
or
“John, I was writing (or calling) because I wanted the law
firm to know that ...”
or
“John, I would like to discuss a strategy with you that we
have implemented with other law firms that have assisted
them in ... ”
or
“John, I would like to schedule an opportunity to have a collaborative discussion with you to explore how other law firms are currently using their technology to accomplish ...”
From there, you can continue on as follows: “... guaranteeing an increase in billable opportunities through technology innovation and digital transformation. For example, expediting interrogatories or reduction processes, Bates stamping, culling down data faster during discovery, and compliant case archival and retrieval with additional billback, all while integrating with legal software. We have accomplished this for dozens of other prominent law firms like (insert name here) and (insert name here) in (insert city here), and I was sure your firm would want to see how they have created their competitive edge through business technology innovation and digital transformation. We are that resource, that's what we do here at (insert your company name here). ”
Following are some examples of closing phrases that you
can consider using:
“ ... And with the current crisis, some law firms are preferring to schedule the opportunity to learn more about their technology choices virtually, which accomplishes social distancing but does not diminish the information you need. Would it work well for me to stop by in person or would you prefer a quick webinar phone call on the 15th?”
or
“If you would be more comfortable, we can certainly start with a webinar phone call, which will allow for social distancing, but would still enable me to share the information with you about how technology innovation can impact the law firm’s compliance efficiency and profitability goals. Would that work for you on the 15th?”
or
“I thought we could get together in person or, if you prefer, meet virtually by scheduling a quick GoToMeeting phone call. Would you prefer to start with a call together?”
or
“I would be happy to come by in person or, if you prefer, we can schedule a GoToMeeting phone call, which has worked well for other firms in the today’s current crisis.” Work continues, life continues and we can adjust. So, make more meetings — even virtually — so you can make more money.
For the last 18 years, Kate Kingston has been exclusively educating office technology sales executives on every type of prospect across 60-plus industries and how they proprietarily use technology. She is a recognized authority on lead generation, recruiting new hires from a prospecting skill-base perspective and new business development. Sales-driven, Kingston is an energized communicator who uses humor, audience participation, proven techniques, handouts and real-time phone calls in her training sessions. She can be reached at kkingston@kingstontraining.com . Visit www.kingstontraining.com