Before we can Consult the Merchant (Business Pro), we must determine if this lead is truly a Prospect.
What’s the difference??
Simply, a lead is a contact who has expressed interest in your product/service and could qualify to be a potential customer.
A Prospect is a lead that has been qualified, and has expressed their need or desire for product/service, and for that reason, is closer to becoming a potential customer.
We must convert Leads –> Prospects –> Sales.
Whether the lead is inbound or we are going outbound, leads must be engaged with effective communication from the outset – you have precious seconds to make the right impression and capture the Business Pro’s (merchant) attention.
Say hi, reference who you are and where you are calling from. Reference whatever information you have to link how you got their information, and make the ask from the beginning.
Make the ASK!!
Get to the heart of it quickly, and no it is not “are you looking for money/funding/capital?”
This is the quickest way to hear click and dial tone.
The more “Yes’s” you hear through the length of the Sales Process, the higher the probability you will Drive this BP (merchant) through the Sales Process, on a shorter cycle, and Fund.
Score an easy Yes here (and do some qualifying) with asking a question that most BP’s (merchant) can’t say no to:
“To confirm, (insert) is the project you are working on this month?”
“Do you have any (more) projects this month?”
“Do you have any projects this month we can assist with?”
Don’t even mention the funding, because that’s not what they want anyways. Never have. They want what the Funding can do for them –> the project/the problem’s solution/the goal achieved/the target hit/the crisis averted/The OUTCOME.
After hearing “yes” here, and them getting into the details about it. You can drive and lead the conversation from there to ask some qualifying questions about amount, expectations, impact on business, and most importantly timeline.
Always vet out if this is a process they want to start AND finish “this month.”. This will save you a lot of energy as you prioritize and allocate time to the Prospects who are most likely to move through the (FASS) Sales Process and convert into Funded Deals this month.
Expressing interest is one thing, but expressing a need/desire for your product/service this month is another. You pull the latter out of the BP (merchant), now you can invest Your precious minutes in consulting him through the process and injecting this Prospect into your Pipeline.
Go get em!
-FundingStrategist
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