Why Call Messaging Matters in Outside Sales

Messaging is everything in your outreach. It’s how your team engages with prospects and the way that you approach it can make all the difference. The perfect message will result in a great lead capture that converts buyers with ease, but a weak message will generally be ignored. Worse yet, the wrong message could even damage your company’s reputation. 

A lot of people look at sales messaging and marketing messaging as two different elements, but the fact of the matter is that there’s really only one “kind” of messaging involved here: messaging that attracts your ideal buyer(s). 

If you don’t get the right message to the right people at the right time, the leads will never make it to (or through) the sales pipeline. That’s the short answer. Let’s take a closer look at what this can mean to your business and how you can make sure that your messaging always hits the mark. Then, we’ll talk about how Smith.ai can help by supporting your outreach campaigns and more.

People want answers, not products or services 

Today’s consumer isn’t interested in a sales pitch. Those are reserved for the hard closes, the deals that are on the verge of being pushed through, and the leads that have already been warmed up by conversations. Your first communications should focus on delivering one simple message:

We have the solutions you need. 

Prospects have questions. They have needs. They have curiosities. They want to know that they’re working with a company that can tend to all of those things. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer for a second. To make our case, we’ll use a big real-world example. 

You can buy paint for your house just about anywhere. Are you going to choose to buy it from the big-box retailer with no real personalized service or paint experts? Perhaps, if you know exactly what you want or need and don’t need any assistance. However, the odds are slim that you’re also a paint expert—therefore, you’ll want to find a paint retailer that can provide the expertise that you need along with the product. 

This is what your leads are looking for. They want an expert who also happens to have a product or service they can use, not the other way around. That is why your messaging needs to be crystal clear and let them know you’ve got them covered. 

The PVC approach 

Sales messaging frameworks are easily mastered when you use the PVC approach:

• Personalization
• Value 
• Call-to-Action

Your personalization should be more than just a name—it’s not hard to find a prospect’s name these days. What you need to give them is shared experiences, relevant news, or information and insight that caters specifically to their questions or pain points. 

Next, you need to add value to the conversation. That sounds a bit cliché, but it’s essential to your success. Make sure that you create messaging that speaks to the value that your prospects get from your products or services, in addition to the fact that it solves their problem. If you speak to each buyer’s unique pain points, you’ll get a much better response. 

You can add value by:

• Providing content with information to help solve their problems
• Connecting them with social media posts that are relevant
• Sharing other company information instead of just asking for a meeting or call

There are tons of options here. What matters is that you find the approach that works for you. Once you do, it’s time to incorporate that ever-critical call-to-action, or CTA. 

Your call-to-action should be something that keeps the conversation going. It shouldn’t be jarring or sudden—here’s an example of how you don’t want to lead into a CTA:

• …for your time. If you think you can use [product/service], give me a call. 
• …Isn’t that fascinating? Act now and I’ll get you set up for success right away! 

These may be enticing, to a certain degree, but CTAs like this are more likely to scare off prospects or just leave them disinterested. They’re not clear, they’re not actionable, and they don’t tell the lead exactly how to follow-up. “Give me a call” is vague and doesn’t include a time, date, etc. “Act now” is the same way. And honestly, that entire line is enough to scare off prospects because it sounds super pitchy and salesy. 

How to craft your perfect message 

If you’re going to hit the mark with your messaging, you’ve got to know how to reach people and get results. Now that you’ve learned most of the major elements, let’s look at what you can do to refine your messaging and hit the mark every single time. 

1. Determine what your company stands for and what you want to convey to your audience. 
2. Be clear and concise about what you have to offer. Make sure that you’re easily understood, memorable, and to the point. 
3. Be credible and realistic. Don’t set lofty ideals or expectations. 
4. Be compelling. You have to catch people’s attention and give them a reason to act. 
5. Be consistent in your messaging across the board. This means having consistent sales and marketing messaging for all channels, all prospects, and all conversations. 

Think about your favorite brands. Think about the most successful brands in the country, and the world. They have the simplest, most direct messaging that engages their audience, starting with their slogans and going from there. 

Today’s consumers are inundated with products, services, and offers. They are so overwhelmed that they often can’t narrow down their options because there is just too much out there. They need someone to point the way. That’s your job, and that’s why your call messaging matters. 

Get the message right and get the leads rolling in!

Once you’re ready with an on-point messaging strategy for your calls and other outreach, you should take advantage of the resources to help you get that message out there, including the assistance of the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai. We can provide support for your outreach campaigns, along with assistance for lead intake and appointment scheduling, and a 24/7 answering service so you never miss an opportunity. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai. 

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