You’ve done the work of putting content out there to attract leads, and now you have one. They want more information, or would like to speak to someone at your company about making a purchase. Don’t panic! Put your best foot forward with our suggestions on today’s episode!

Episode Transcript

Jeff Lambert:                00:00                You've done the work of putting content out there to attract leads and now you have one. They want more information or they'd like to speak to someone at your company about making a purchase. So don't panic. Put your best foot forward and use our suggestions on today's episode.

Jeff Lambert:                00:30                Hi everybody and welcome to Inbound Academy, brought to you by Rizen. My name is Jeff Lambert. So you have a new lead. Congratulations! Now you need to help move them along the buyers' journey with that relaxed demeanor and industry knowledge that you're so well known for in your profession. But don't panic! Even if you don't feel like you have that confidence down to be able to really hit it off with a new lead, we're going to walk you through some simple steps that you can take to make sure your interactions are more productive. And to talk about how to do that. I've invited Rogelio Rodriguez back into the studio. He is the CEO of Rizen. Rod. Thanks for coming back.

Rod Rodriguez:             01:11                Thanks Jeff.

Jeff Lambert:                01:12                So you are the point man at your business for interacting with new leads, correct?

Rod Rodriguez:             01:17                Yes.

Jeff Lambert:                01:18                Would you say that your skills have grown over the years in terms of how to make that a productive first meeting?

Rod Rodriguez:             01:24                Yes. No, absolutely. I think I've done a lot of training and I've had a lot of conversations with mentors that have helped me refine my strategy for that first conversation with a lead.

Jeff Lambert:                01:37                Would you say that there's an art to this? Not so much like it's natural?

Rod Rodriguez:             01:42                No, absolutely. It's developed. You know, I've developed throughout the years, this skill. It hasn't been something that I was born with.

Jeff Lambert:                01:52                Got It. And let's, let's be completely transparent too. Do you feel like maybe you lost some leads at the beginning because you were inexperienced in this area?

Rod Rodriguez:             02:00                Oh, absolutely. Yeah. A ton of leads that were lost because I didn't know how to handle them. Yes.

Jeff Lambert:                02:07                So to our listeners, you know, if you feel like you've blown a couple of leads, don't worry. Everything's about growth. And that's why we're here today for this episode. So Rod, based on the experience that you've had and the conversations you've had with your mentors, I'd love to hear some tips that you have for our listeners about making that first interaction with those leads actual productive thing. So let's start off. Give me your most important tip. The one we can start off with for interacting with a new lead.

Rod Rodriguez:             02:35                Sure. I think the first one is emphasizing the importance. You meeting with them shows that they are important to you. And really coming up with a plan or agenda shows that you took the time to make that meeting worth their time.

Jeff Lambert:                02:54                So I really need to make them feel special?

Rod Rodriguez:             02:56                Yes.

Jeff Lambert:                02:56                Okay. Absolutely. Do I to meet with them in person the first time that I meet with the lead?

Rod Rodriguez:             03:02                No. I mean, we take full advantage of technology and we use Zoom meetings, and there's also GoToMeeting. There's a plethora of tools that you can use to meet virtually, so that you can see them and have that conversation be more. I think it's more productive when you're able to see people's non-verbal cues.

Jeff Lambert:                03:32                Got It. Okay. So really just try and make sure that you come with a pre-planned agenda for the meeting so you show that you're not just winging it? Right. Okay. That's a good first step. Give me another tip that you have for our listeners for that first-time interaction.

Rod Rodriguez:             03:49                Sure. Close attention, right? Practice active listening. It shows that you care by asking probing questions and being attentive to their responses. And you know, as much as I pushed, I think in my early years - to use a script - oftentimes it's better just to be off-script. To be more natural with your approach.

Jeff Lambert:                04:18                I shouldn't be checking my Twitter feed while I'm talking to them?

Rod Rodriguez:             04:21                Definitely not.

Jeff Lambert:                04:24                All right. What should I be looking for in terms of non-verbal cues? Do you have any guidance on that front? If I'm trying to analyze body language?

Rod Rodriguez:             04:34                From from your point of view, I think look at them, you know, looking at the camera. Or if it's a face-to-face meeting, looking at you, being attentive in your responses as well. Those are good non-verbal cues from the point of view of the salesperson. I think always sit up straight if you can. I personally prefer to stand up. I have a stand-up desk and whenever there's a sale, standing up feels like it gives me a lot more energy and I'm a lot more attentive. I'm ready, right? I'm ready for the challenge of whatever they give me, you know, in, in the sale. So that's another tip that they can use. And try to use eye contact as much as possible. And be aware that some cultures prefer no eye contact or very minimal eye contact as well. We're in a global community here and we've got to be aware of those, non-verbal cues as well. So, you know, your body language says just as much as your words do and that goes back to step one, right? Making sure that you plan before you meet with these individuals. You can do some background research on who they are, maybe cultural background, how the company works and that can help you figure out how to approach them when it comes to the actual meeting.

Jeff Lambert:                06:05                Absolutely, yes. Okay. So just to recap, we have planned out our meeting beforehand. We're making sure that we pay attention and we're actively listening to the customer or the lead I should say in this case. What's another tip that you have?

Rod Rodriguez:             06:17                So you have to build credibility and trust. And the way that you do that is by sharing tips, strategies, explain them clearly and answer any questions that they have honestly. You also create an opportunity to tell stories about your brand and examples of what's been effective in the past.

Jeff Lambert:                06:41                With maybe perhaps other customers in real-life situations that may apply. And not every answer about your business is going to be flattering. Correct?

Rod Rodriguez:             06:50                Sure. It may not be. You can share a loss. Just be mindful that you have to explain what you learned from that loss is what's important. Not necessarily the loss, but it's what you learn and how it applied to how you turn it around.

Jeff Lambert:                07:16                Sure. Yeah. Sharing growth. I think through maybe the struggles because I think we all have that, that innate want to like toot our own horn when we're talking about our business. But you know, we, if you do that too much, then the lead's going to think that something's off because every company is imperfect.

Rod Rodriguez:             07:32                Yeah, absolutely.

Jeff Lambert:                07:33                Okay, so why don't we go to another tip? We've established the importance of the meeting by planning ahead. We've paid attention to the customer actively making eye contact, asking questions. We've built credibility and trust by being honest and transparent. What's another tip that you have?

Rod Rodriguez:             07:50                Yeah, I think it goes back a little bit to what I said earlier. Talk like a human. It's super-important that the conversation rolls out naturally. We follow a, I guess a structure for calls. We review challenges. We review goals. We review current plans, timelines, a budget, and authority. Those are the kind of like the structure of the calls. And we try to, as much as we practice with the script, we try to stay away from the script and really sound natural in order to build a better relationships. People don't necessarily trust a robot.

Jeff Lambert:                08:39                Very true. And yet we'll get there eventually and each of these kinds of builds on each other. Like you said, like talking like a human goes back to building credibility and trust and building credibility and trust goes back to showing that you're actually listening to the person you're meeting. Then actually listening ties into knowing what you're going into by planning ahead. So all these four steps, they really interconnect.

Rod Rodriguez:             09:02                Yes, they do.

Jeff Lambert:                09:03                'Well, Rod, thank you so much for coming to talk about this topic to our listeners. This is an easy way that you can start being able to make your first time interactions with leads, a more productive experience. And thank you for joining us again, everybody for another interview with Rod. And remember we have new episodes coming out every weekday, always no longer than 10 minutes and always focused on helping to grow your business and make it more productive. And remember, if you're looking for an experienced, friendly and results driven team that can help your business check out, risen by going to www.gorizen.com. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin by searching for the username Rizen_Inbound. That's one word, Rizen_Inbound. And remember, you can help us reach new people by leaving a review on the podcast app of your choice. Thanks again for your support and we'll see you on the next episode.