Opening statement
Nothing is more important to prospecting (other than actually doing it) than the quality of your opening statement.
In person or on the phone, windows of attention usually close in less than 10 seconds. This means you need to maximize the impact of every word, syllable, and pause in your opening statements. They have to be works of art – convincing in the extreme. Minimizing the importance of preparing a solid opening statement is potentially bypassing your sales efforts.
Fortunately, opening statements can be prepared and practiced before a sales opportunity is sought. Below are some guidelines and thoughts for creating your opening statement (s), as well as some examples that you can rework in your particular sales world.
Keep in mind that the people you are trying to reach are likely to be approached by many other people every day as well (your competition and not). A powerful, compelling, and practiced opening statement can open up a lot of sales opportunities for you, where a competitor’s lack of preparation can leave them standing still.