Icebreaker (noun) - a thing that serves to relieve inhibitions or tension between people or start a conversation.
Often salespeople struggle with “icebreakers,” or starting a conversation with prospects.
Although it sounds so simple, this is the leading cause of many businesses’ stalled development plans. The well-known term “icebreaker” serves as the key that unlocks the door to your potential prospects.
As we approach 2022, we hope that this year brings nothing but health, with less time spent at home and more time spent participating in activities we enjoy with the ones we love. It’s also important to evolve and modernize our business practices to boost prospecting and overall growth.
So Happy Holidays and let’s end 2021 with 5 ways to warm up your prospects in 2022:
Wake Up Your LinkedIn Network As a social business platform, LinkedIn connects you not only with potential prospects but also helps you expand your sales pipeline by reaching out to your already-engaged network. Chances are your next sale is right in front of you! Utilize your creativity by making a short video greeting to send via LinkedIn InMail to each of your connections as an icebreaker. Ask them for a catch-up call. We’ve seen 7-10% response rates using this method.
Did Someone Say “Free”? Whether it’s virtual or in-person, who doesn’t love a free lunch? Don’t jump into sales-mode when starting your conversations, instead email a virtual Grub Hub, UberEats, DoorDash lunch gift card. No matter the circumstance, a meeting over lunch is more than likely to be accepted, so don’t be afraid to make the first move because this is an icebreaker that seldom fails.
Let’s Connect! Everyone enjoys connecting with like-minded people, and some even love hearing opposing opinions to widen their point of view. Don’t hesitate to share some of your unique anecdotes as a LinkedIn Article on subjects that you find relevant. Opening a discussion online is a surefire way to boost your engagement, plus the post stays current in your permanent profile. Click here to learn how to write a LinkedIn article, comment under other’s posts and keep up with hot topics in 2022.
Get in the Email Game Sending one email isn’t enough most of the time. They can be easily overlooked or filtered or even blocked. To find out whether your emails are delivering, reach out to me and we can run an email deliverability scan. Once this email deliverability auditing and fix is completed, try Woodpecker.co. Woodpecker is a software app that adds on to Outlook and aids in delivering emails and cleansing your prospect lists. Establishing an effective email outreach campaign that supports your sales pipeline is critical to any digital prospecting, and it all starts with deliverability.
Be a Detective Before you make that first contact with a prospect, much like an interview, you want to do your homework and research their online footprint. What social media accounts do they have? What information do they frequently share? Have they written a blog or been sourced in the press? Before you speak, be sure to put your detective hat on and look beyond LinkedIn.
Do you already implement some of these recommendations? What were some of your greatest icebreakers? Has anyone used our suggested prospecting tips on you?
I’d love to hear your answers! Please comment below.