On a prospecting call, what is the best way to greet a new prospect? Beware of… "How are you?"
You probably think this phrase is a pleasantry, an everyday greeting and/or a friendly start to a prospecting phone call. These three words are certainly often used as a greeting instead of "hi" or "hello."
These three words are not, however, a good start for a prospecting call. Instead, they can actually torpedo your call before it even starts.
When you call a prospect for the first time, the purpose of your call is not to find out how your prospect is feeling. The purpose of your call is to introduce yourself and your offering.
Because your prospect does not know you, when you ask, "How are you?" that prospect can easily answer, "I'm fine. What do you want?" This does not start your call off well.
On a first prospecting call, you have not built any level of trust. The call is an introduction and you do not yet have a relationship with this prospect.
When you ask, "How are you?" there is no reason for your prospect to actually answer the question. On the flipside, how will you respond if the prospect does answer, "I'm having a terrible day" and then goes on to give you details?
