What should a sales rep do when a prospect says “Call Me Maybe”

By Maria Geokezas, account director and occasional pop music analyst for Heinz Marketing

After downloading a white paper, it’s expected that you’ll get a call from an inside sales rep who is tasked with qualifying the lead. These guys and gals are dialing lots of numbers trying to find the needle in the haystack – someone who is interested and has the time to talk.

For this particular sales rep, while exploring a product I actually needed, I thought I’d make his job a little easier. Here’s how it went:

Rep: “I noticed that you were on our site the other day and downloaded a white paper and wondered if you had any questions or if I could help you with anything.”

Me: “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to read through the white paper, but I’d like to learn more about your product. Maybe we should set up a time to go through a demo.”

Rep: “Great – I’ll send you an email with a link to a short video about the product. You can take a look and then we can go from there.”

Really? After an opening like that you are going to refer me to a video?

When one of your leads says “Call Me Maybe”, stop following the script. Instead, take the time right then and there to learn more about your lead’s interest level and specific pain points.

Show them the product, educate your lead about how your product can solve the pain. If you can’t take the time, set an appointment. But before you end the call, find out as much as you can about the lead’s needs and make the next contact a great one!