You’ve completed your research and believe you are looking at a company that is fairly likely to be interested in a public media sponsorship at this time.
What do you say when you call for an appointment?
Your goal is to create immediate interest for further discussion. Engage the prospect. It is that simple. Don’t try to sell them over the phone. Sales research has shown that you have between 10 and 30 seconds of attention span with which to earn the right to advance your call. This means you have to maximize the impact of every word.
Use your hard-won prospecting and researching. It is critical that the person on the other end of the phone know you have given some thought to why a public media sponsorship could help his or her company. Don’t use a canned speech! This is the opportunity to differentiate yourself by showing that you have an idea of the issues they are facing. Instead of saying, “This is so and so from WXYZ, would it be possible to meet with you to talk about how public radio and our online and digital media could help your business?” You should focus on specific business issues they might be facing.
The basic components of your opening statement should contain:
- Who you are and where you’re from
- A question or statement to demonstrate that you have done your homework and to engage the prospect
- In very simple terms, how public radio and its digital media offer differentiated benefits to the client