Last week I had 2 sales missiles get through the force field.  Why?  They were different and stood out.  Will I go with either of their services?  No clue, haven’t heard the pitch yet.  One of the 2 has not even pushed for a call yet.  Here is the recap (you can click the example links for a larger image if you want):

Example 1: The relatable approach

The Good: Sales pro has mentioned they watched our Netflix show (don’t worry, there will be a test on our call to verify this lol).  They then mention that just like I did (a long time ago), played poker professionally.  Last, apparently his 2 sales directors have changed their names as a nod of respect to my previous sales career.  I can get behind all of this.  I don’t care what you are selling; you made a valiant effort at building some rapport in your first email to me.  If the product is something that is potentially beneficial, I will hear your pitch.  

He gave a semi concise explanation of what his product does, why it would be beneficial, threw a growth number that was NOT obnoxious, and backed it up with a guarantee.  

The Bad: Owned channels sounds scary, I am not handing our email over to anyone, that will always be done in house.

The Ugly - Nothing

Example 2: Just want to connect video!

 The Good:  Immediately, gives a commitment that he is NOT going to try and sell something directly. He states “I do have a lot of business interests and maybe at some point, you will notice what I do for a living, and if there is ever an opportunity for us to have a conversation about that, I would love that, but that is not why I am on LinkedIn”.  The end result is simple, I connected with him, and I will likely pay attention/read the next post I see in my feed. 

In addition to the non-standard approach, it was done in a video.  Much like my last post where I gave props to the audio note, this is something you do not see very often (because it takes extra work).  

After engaging with him and letting him know that I truly appreciated his approach, he told me to check out his Instagram account, specifically the IGTV section.  

http://prntscr.com/tospuv

Holy cow!  He’s a BattlBox customer and in our highest tier.  He says a few things in this video that makes it very clear he has been following the brand.  This guy has gone above and beyond to connect and build a connection, and still has not pitched anything yet.  I 100% will be on the lookout for his content on my feed.

The Bad: Could have probably pushed for a meeting at this point and I would have agreed.

The Ugly:  Nothing.

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Other Articles:

You're doing it wrong...Part 1
You're doing it wrong...Part 2
You're doing it wrong...Part 4
You're doing it wrong...Part 5
You're doing it wrong...Part 6
You're doing it right...
You're doing it wrong...Referencing Your CEO or Boss in Sales Outreach