Building a network is not a quick or magic-bullet way to reach someone. In fact, it will likely require a lot of work on your part.
It’s still a cold call, but networking requires you to really invest some time in the process.
First, this method assumes you have build a decent network in your community, your industry and online.
Now, make a list of 20 companies you would like to reach, but have not gotten in front of.
Consider what a good prospect might look like for them and what sort of trigger events lead to a sale.
Now think of one contact in your network that might be a fit for anyone on that list based on the trigger events.
Now pick up the phone, call the company you’re interested in meeting with, and ask for the DM.
When the gatekeeper asks you why you’re calling, you can tell her – honestly – “I have a sales lead for him/her.”
If you go to voicemail, leave all the information on the voicemail. Who you are, where you’re calling from, who the lead is and where they are from, and why you think it would be an ideal time for the prospect to reach out to them. Ask them if they would like you to set up a call or make an introduction. Make sure you leave several contact options so that if it’s easier for them to return via email they can do that. Don’t withhold the phone number or name hoping that will require a return call. That isn’t a gift. You are bringing them a gift.
Then let it be for a while.
You’ve demonstrated you’re invested in their success. You’ve demonstrated you actually paid attention to their business.
If you don’t hear back from them in short order (which would be surprising at the SME level) you can call in again. When the receptionist asks why you’re calling, you can again honestly say “I’m following up from a referral I gave so-and-so).
Another opportunity to get the decision maker on the phone. If they don’t take your call, leave a message asking if they had the opportunity to pursue that lead, and if it worked out for them. You can also mention that you regularly come across similar leads, and you’d like to make sure you’re on target before passing any more along.
This should get you a returned call. If it doesn’t, maybe you don’t want that customer after all. Who doesn’t say thank-you for a business referral?
So remember, the referral can’t be frivolous. For an MSP referral for example, I would use triggers like “I just learned that Company X has bought a new building and will be relocating next year and I thought you might want to reach out to My Contact to provide an overview of your services before they start looking.”
This obviously won’t work in every vertical – it would be hard to send referrals to a health care practitioners offices, for example. Maybe just bring their receptionist little treats every once in a while. 🙂
This brings us to an important point: if you aren’t networking, you need to start. I personally resisted networking in my community for a long time. Most of my clients are from other cities, in fact I am under non-compete in my home town, so why would I need to network? I attended a networking function at the invitation of a client – a group that is solely focused on helping each other find leads – and that’s where this idea started to percolate. Sure, I didn’t really need any of the business that was in that room, but seeing how the members aggressively worked their networks for each other made me realize I was going about it all wrong.
Bring leads to your prospects. Bring leads to your clients. Become known for it. Watch what happens.
For larger companies, connect with one sales rep and start feeding her leads. Just start sending them over. Eventually they will champion you up the ladder, it’s just a matter of patience.
This happened to me recently, by the way. It was really delightful. Someone who was selling me something brought me a lead in the middle of the process. A great one! Maybe it was just dumb luck or maybe it was entirely deliberate. The result was that guy won $12,000.00 a year from me – and a contract returned to him without any stalling. That lead might never close, but that goodwill will take us a long way.
As always, happy selling!