Phone Lead Generation Advice for Meetings Industry Suppliers

AUTHOR: Tanya Rolfe, Business Development Specialist at Greenfield Services.

A bit camera-shy, Tanya only agreed to have her photo taken in disguise… We’re just glad she’s so at ease on the phone!

Like most of us; I wasn’t born with a phone to my ear. I was actually quite uncomfortable when I made my first prospecting call.

Now that I’ve been doing it for a while; I thought I would share a few of my favorite tips and best practices that helped me to find my comfort zone.  I hope they help you as much as they did me.

1. Ask permission: Whether they are expecting your call or not people appreciate it when you understand their time is important. Ask them when a more convenient time is to have the conversation and set a reminder in your calendar. 
2. Be prepared: Ensure you know something about your prospect’s company…look up their website to learn more about them and/or the kinds of meetings & events they plan and where. It can make for a more natural conversation. 
3. Be more prepared: Know your stuff! There are always objections as to why a prospect may not be interested…but are they founded or assumptions? Knowing what the common objections are ahead of time and being able to address them can often help to overcome them.  
4. Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask…There are certain things we may not be comfortable asking for example; you may not like to ask about their budget or who approves contracts or even why they choose one hotel over another. Just remember; they gave you permission to speak with them and if they think it’s not your business…the worst that can happen; they won’t answer. 
5. Active Listening: Once they have answered a question don’t ask it again. If you’re unsure of their point; ask for further explanation. Don’t just repeat the question. 
6. Never multitask: Give the prospect your complete attention, Pencils and pens are quieter than keyboards. Jot down notes as the conversation progresses so that you can jog your memory once you’ve gotten off the phone. Even if you’re only leaving a message don’t get distracted by something else. If a smile can be heard over the phone… 
7. Never Interrupt: When you ask a question don’t assume you know the answer. Interrupting and over-talking is not only rude but think of all the things you may not learn as a result. If you let the contact speak freely; it will often trigger their memory, perhaps about lead for another event all together.   
8. Honesty: When you don’t have the answer…say so. Most people would rather hear, “I don’t know but I can find out and get back to you.” 
9. Follow through: When you’ve made a promise…keep it! If you’ve offered to email or call with more information; make sure to do it in a timely fashion. 
10. Staying in touch: If you’ve set up a phone appointment…be on time! If you aren’t able to reach them at the fixed time; leave a message apologizing for missing them and letting them know that you will try again and when. 

Remember that you’re just talking to people and try to let the conversation flow as naturally as possible. It really just boils down to polite respect.  

Generating Leads: Is it Really Luck, or is it Skill?

The month of March contains one of my favourite celebrations – St. Patrick’s Day!  And what are the Irish famous for?  Luck of course!  When it comes to what we are doing for a living here at GREENfield, we believe it’s not so much luck as it is skill and preparation.

Sure - - it is highly probable that some of your prospecting calls generate leads because “you were at the right place at the right time”.  However, there are many other factors involved.  I thought I would share what I consider some necessary steps in generating a G.R.E.A.T. Lead.

Get ready – do your research.  In the meetings industry, it can go a long way to solidifying the relationship going forward when you have put in the time in advance (i.e. I was on your website and saw that your last annual meeting was in Vancouver – how did that event go?)

React.  Be in the moment – listen to what the contact is saying and be ready to respond.  Tune in to their personalities so that the conversation is as productive as possible (i.e. If they are the type of person who provides – although informative – short and sweet answers, don’t drone on for 20 minutes before you actually include them in the conversation).

Earn respect (and give it).  You may not be talking to the decision-maker on the first call.  The influencer or “gatekeeper” to the decision-maker is just as important to have conversations with in the beginning, as well as throughout the process.  Asking for their input and assistance may be the difference to getting the introduction to the decision-maker in the first place.

Address Objections.  One of our Sales Trainers, Colleen Francis, has taught us the following model: Stop – Acknowledge – Ask.  You may uncover that the reason for the objection is not as big as they think, and you may get the business anyway.  Stop and hear the objection – Acknowledge that you heard what they are saying – Ask questions to clarify.  It gets them talking.  It doesn’t work every time, but it shows you respect their position.

Take the time – secure commitment, send the information, thank them for their valuable time and trace the follow-up.  Make sure that you trace it for when they want to hear from you.
Other than that – remember that confidence is probably the most important thing of all.  Believe that you have the right to ask for the information, because if you waver, it gives them an 'out'.
Ádh mór ort! (That's how they say "good luck" in Ireland!)

Hearing No Objections while Prospecting?

My job here at Greenfield involves getting our team ready for lead generation projects for hotel, CVB and other meetings industry clients. Recently while speaking with a Sales Manager for a destination, I asked her what some of the standard/typical objections were that she faced when she made her prospecting calls.

To my surprise she answered, “I don’t get objections – there are none”.  I was so stunned I didn't know how to respond (and for those who know me, this should surprise you).

I was surprised because objections are such a natural evolution of the prospecting process.  To not encounter any is unimaginable to me. Maybe in this case, the Sales Manager did not want to look weak or unprepared for the question I posed in front of our team.  I do believe though that this is an old-fashioned way of thinking – and it will make prospects hang up the phone.

When I asked the same question of another destination rep he said, “The biggest object we hear is the driving time from the closest airport to our destination.”  And when asked how they handle this, the response was, “By informing the contact that the highway has been extended, and comparing it to a drive in their local region – i.e. it may be a 90-minute drive to our destination from the airport, but that time is similar to rush-hour traffic in Toronto from many outlying areas.”  For our team, this was a GREAT start to come up with talking points in order to effectively address the objection!

While no one will ever be able to get around every objection, being prepared for them is a critical element for success when prospecting.

Remember:  Listen to what they are saying (and not saying).  And, as Colleen Francis, one of our Sales Trainers, always says: STOP.  ACKNOWLEDGE.  ASK.  Hear them out, acknowledge what you heard, and ask another question to further clarify – it will help you get around the objection, and may ultimately give you what you want – new business.

Objections? Overruled!

Can we possibly anticipate every objection? No, we can’t, but we can at least be prepared. Start with what you know. I ask myself “What would I object to?”  By being able to answer my own questions, I have a head start. I also take note of the objections I hear and work out an answer after I get off the phone.  That way I have a good response on hand for the next time it comes up.

What ever the objection, there is nothing wrong with asking for clarity. Let’s say you get a flat out refusal that they could never consider your property. There is no shame in asking why. So many times I’ve had calls completely turn around just because I asked, “may I ask why?”

A good example of this would be a call I had the other day. I was working on a project for a hotel group, and the person I was speaking with thought I was referring to one particular property. The objection turned out to be a misunderstanding!

Remember, objections aren’t always founded. Perhaps the planner only plans one event per year or their meetings are fairly small. Assure them, all events are important regardless of size and frequency. How can you go wrong by making your prospective client feel important?

Then there are the times when the meeting planner is “just blowing you off” because they’re not taking you seriously. Be prepared to prove you have credibility. I like to know something obscure or unique about the property I’m talking about, and often that helps me pique a planner’s interest.

There are also times when even though you’ve asked for permission and it’s been granted, you can hear impatience in the person’s voice. This might be a good time to ask what the most important things are they look for when considering a venue. I’ve had success with this as it gave the planner a chance to elaborate on what they look for and me the chance to prove my interest as well as their importance.

Not every objection can be overturned, but you can’t know that unless you’ve addressed them.

Getting Around the Gatekeeper

One of the most frustrating things you can come across is the gatekeeper you can’t get past. You know there is potential there but you just can’t get through to the appropriate person.

First thing to remember is they are just doing their job. Ah, there’s the key phrase – their job. Now taking that into account, when do they do their job? If the office hours are 9 to 5, try calling at 8:45am or 5:02pm.

If you don’t know your contacts extension then you can use the name directory. I know we all think that we should wait until our prospective clients are in for the day and settled with their coffee and give them a chance to listen to their voicemail and check their emails.

That’s actually a great time to reach the contact. The early morning call when they aren’t overwhelmed with other calls or having someone dropping by their office or being pulled into a meeting. The after hours call, when they aren’t struggling to get everything done that they need to before that conference call at 3pm or meeting some other deadline.

Maybe they just found out about a sales meeting that’s coming up or haven’t had a chance to even think about the managers meeting and would appreciate someone calling them up and assisting them, taking some of the burden off their shoulders. Or try calling mid day when there’s someone else answering the phones, even receptionists need to take lunch I’ve connected with meeting planners who didn’t mind talking through their lunch, as it was the only chance they were going to get to drop a few details and let me take over the leg work for them.

What you naturally assume is the worst time to reach someone may just be the best time. I’ve picked up the phone and dialed out of time zone and reached Directors at 7:30 in the morning who had forwarded their office calls to their cells.

People who were actually glad to hear from me because there aren’t enough hours in their day to juggle everything they do. Especially when so many people are covering more positions. For more information regarding the best/worst time to reach someone you can refer back to some previous blogs such as; When Is the Best Time to Prospect? Everyday! And Only a Few “Good” Hours Per Week to Prospect.

Another tip is taking the email address of the person you want to reach and plugging it in to Google.

Often you will get a direct number for the person you are trying to reach and sometimes you will even be provided with the name and number of their assistant. If you don’t have their email address, try the basic formats such as first name dot last name at the name of the company dot com. It takes seconds and could be the difference between not getting passed the gatekeeper and making that connection.