Even when you’re convinced you have a strong case for your prospect investing in you, it can still be really, really hard to let your prospect know that. These people are so busy it seems they don’t have the time or the inclination to fix the situation by talking with you, and that’s usually because they’re being approach by 19 other people who feel they have the answer to the prospect’s problems.

These people are practically impossible to reach. They don’t take calls, they won’t take meetings, they don’t read your emails, they bin your brochures, they’re ‘in a meeting’ if you call into their office. So how do you get through to them to persuade them that you are one of the 3 things they really must do on a given day?

There are three very important things to bear in mind. Firstly, you have to keep your message succinct. You need to be able to articulate in a clear, understandable fashion what you can do for these people. You will inevitably get their voicemail or their gatekeeper when you call, so you need to crystallise this when you leave your message. After all, you want them to call you back, so if you can’t get to the point quickly, they will never hear it.

For example: ‘Hi Jane, this is Paul Dilger. I can reduce your working week by 5 hours. I know this because it’s what our customers tell us. I need 20 minutes of your time to prove it to you. You can call me back on 12345678. Thanks for listening.’

Or maybe: ‘Hi Jane, this is Paul Dilger. My research tells me you’re only invoicing 85% of the work you’re actually doing for your clients. I can get that up to 100% within a week with our software. That’s an extra 15% for zero extra effort. You can get me on 12345678 to see how it works. Thanks for listening.’

Secondly, you need to make sure that what you’re selling is a major priority for them. Will it hurt them if they don’t fix it, or can they put up with it? If you’re not important to them, you have no chance.

Thirdly, you have to make it straightforward for them to deal with you, including buying from you. Simplicity is the key. Simple is harder to do, but yields better rewards.

For those with a major thirst for this subject area, there’s plenty of really good stuff written about the methodology of selling to busy people. Jill Konrath‘s SNAP Selling is a good example.