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Fanatical Prospecting — Chapter-20: Text Messaging

• Source: /library/Fanatical Prospecting/source-file.pdf
• PDF pages: 253–262
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20 Text Messaging Sometimes I text the “wrong” person . . . on purpose. Just to start a conversation. —Frank Warren Here’s a fun game to play at your next gathering of friends and family. Ask them how they feel about salespeople using text messages for prospecting. Then sit back and watch the fireworks. You’ll likely start a heated, expletive-laden argument. My wife, for example, upon learning that I was writing a chapter on text message prospecting, said (in a holier-than-thou tone), “I can’t believe you are teaching salespeople to do that—you are pure evil!” That sentiment correlates to the reception I get when opening up discussions on texting as a prospecting tool. It’s the third rail of sales prospecting and a concept that I approach lightly. The mere mentioning of text as a prospecting tool causes negative reactions, 235

from “I don’t think that will work for our prospect base” to pure revulsion. I get it, because it makes sense. We can all relate. We don’t want our text message inbox to be filled with texts from salespeople, either. This is due to a weird irony. Text messaging as a communica- tion channel is impersonal because it lacks the emotional connec- tivity of face-to-face and verbal communication, yet it feels extremely personal. Text has become the go-to medium for com- munication with family, friends, and coworkers and a haven on our phones that is typically not touched by spam or outside influence. The people we text with are most often people we know—even when it is business. This is one of the key reasons that a study commissioned by Lead360 concluded “for the same reasons that text messages can be a more effective way to communicate with sales prospects, they also have the potential to be interpreted as intrusive or in violation of one’s personal domain when used for business purposes.” The fact that texting is so personal makes it an extremely powerful channel for getting the attention of prospects. Because it is so personal, though, timing and technique become more important than any other prospecting channel. Texting as a Business Tool Is Accelerating What makes text messaging an increasingly valuable prospecting channel is the inevitable and total integration of mobile phones as the primary communication device in our lives. My entire staff at Sales Gravy’s offices is connected to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) hub that distributes our calls to our mobile devices no matter where we are in the world. There are no traditional handsets at our desks. That VOIP system also integrates with our CRM and allows us to easily send and receive text messages to and from our prospects via desktop and mobile apps. 236 Fanatical Prospecting

We are not alone. Small and midsized businesses across the globe are adopting these systems because they are inexpensive and make it easy to integrate all forms of communication in one cloud- based communications center. Large companies are also jumping onto the bandwagon, mov- ing toward desktop and app-based phone systems that make it easier to use text as an integrated part of a complete communication system. Bring-your-own-device programs also allow employees to use their own phones for business calls, e-mail, and text messages. Familiarity Is Everything with Text We talk to strangers on the phone, e-mail strangers, and meet strangers in person, but we rarely text strangers. This is why, more than with any other prospecting channel, familiarity is critical for prospecting via text. The probability of your text message convert- ing—compelling your prospect to take action—increases exponen- tially if your text comes after contact through another channel. This is not to say that you shouldn’t take a gambit on a text message to a hard-to-reach prospect when all other means have been exhausted and the buying window is rapidly closing. When you have nothing to lose, the chance of causing offense is worth the risk. However, using text messaging in these circumstances or when the person does not know you is a low-probability play. One of the key reasons why text messages work is that most people feel compelled to read and/or respond to them immediately. This is why familiarity plays an important role in getting prospects to respond to your text messages (and not report you as spam). Text messaging works best as an integrated part of a larger prospecting system and strategy rather than a standalone channel. According to the Lead360 study1 that covered 3.5 million lead records from more than 400 companies, a text message sent alone converts at 4.8 percent. That same message, sent after a phone Text Messaging 237

contact, increases conversion by 112.6 percent. Why? The Law of Familiarity. You can amplify that impact even further when your text message follows an e-mail contact or social media interaction. And you gain even more traction when you text following a positive in- person networking interaction. The better the prospect knows you, the more effective your prospecting text message will be. The less they know you, the more likely you will be seen as annoying spam. People are averse to getting random text messages from people they don’t know—especially salespeople. Use Text to Anchor Conversations at Networking Events Text messages are excellent vehicles for setting appointments following face-to-face interactions at networking events, trade shows, conferences, and other situations where you’ve had a positive encounter with a potential customer. Many of those encounters end with a vague promise to get together sometime in the future. Yet, most of those promises are never fulfilled because you get busy and fail to send an e-mail or make a phone call; or, your prospect gets busy and ignores your e-mails and phone calls or your e-mails get missed among the clutter in their inbox. Text messaging is a much easier, faster way to get through the noise, get their attention, and set a meeting. Since almost everyone includes a mobile phone number on business cards these days, it’s easier than ever to text a quick follow up thank-you message and ask for the next step. Here’s what you do:

1. During your conversation, when the vague agreement is made to meet sometime in the future, casually say, “Sounds good. I’ll text you and we can get together.” (It is highly unlikely they’ll protest if your conversation has been positive.) 238 Fanatical Prospecting

1. As soon as you walk away from the conversation, send a personalized connection request on LinkedIn (use the LinkedIn app on your phone). This further anchors your name so they’ll remember you.
2. Within 24 hours of the event (give it two days if travel is involved), send a text message thanking them for the conversation and request a meeting. Personalizeitwithinformationyou gleanedinyourconversation.
3. If you don’t get a response, try sending your text again a day later. In many cases, they will not recognize your phone number and will ignore your initial attempt. They may also be busy or traveling and don’t get to it.
4. If your second attempt fails, shift to the phone and e-mail to make contact. It serves no purpose to potentially create ill will by continuing to text. Bonus step: Always send a handwritten note within a week of the event via snail mail—this will really make you stand out from the crowd. Use Text Following Trigger Events A trigger event is a disruption in the status quo that may compel your prospect to act. For example, a move by your prospect’s competitor that threatens their competitive edge might compel Figure 20.1 Text Message After a Networking Event Text Messaging 239

them to accelerate their investment in marketing automation. When you become aware of a trigger event, it creates an opportu- nity to reach out to your prospect via text messaging. Text messaging works with trigger events because trigger events create urgency to act and text messages are perceived as more urgent. Be warned, though, the Law of Familiarity is at play in a big way with trigger-event text messages. Make sure the prospect knows who you are before sending this type of message. I’ve found a soft approach with trigger events works best. It requires a bit of patience and creativity. The key is becoming a resource by adding value and leveraging that into a deeper conversation. When I have a relationship with the prospect or at least a level of familiarity, I’ll simply text over a link to an article or resource relevant to their situation. That usually turns into a phone call where I can engage them in a conversation. If I know them well and I can’t find anything relevant to send them, I’ll just send a text message that references the trigger event and asks how things are going. A response creates a path to a deeper conversation. Figure 20.2 Text Message Following a Trigger Event 240 Fanatical Prospecting

Use Text to Nurture Prospects Text messaging can play an integral role in nurturing prospects with whom you have a relationship but are not yet in the buying window. A quick, value-added text message is an easy way to remain top of mind without seeming too intrusive. For example, Matt, who sells a cloud-based business intelligence program, has done an outstanding job of using text messaging to nurture his relationship with me. Matt first contacted me nine months ago. We spoke for a few minutes. He believed his program could help my company optimize our marketing channels and improve the ROI on our advertising spend. He did a really nice job of connecting with me on that initial call, so I agreed to a demo. The demo was impressive, and I liked the system Matt and his team showed me, but two factors stopped me from buying. First, to integrate his platform with our marketing automation system would take a hundred or so man-hours and a ton of work to calibrate. I’ve been around the block enough times to know that, despite the promises of seamless integration from Matt’s team, nothing ever goes smoothly. We were already knee-deep in a major upgrade of our job board technology and I could not fathom taking on another project. Second was the cost. Moving to Matt’s system required a significant up-front investment that would have to be recouped over time through savings from the automation and additional lead gen. That promise of ROI sometime in the future was difficult to wrap my head around because of the investment we were already making in the job board upgrade. Honestly, I was completely overwhelmed (and like so many of your prospects, the status quo was a more comfortable place than change). So I told Matt that although I thought his software was fantastic, I would not be buying his system. This didn’t mean that I would never be a buyer—just not now. Text Messaging 241

Matt was smart enough to realize that I was a qualified prospect because I had a need for his software and the means to purchase it. However, I had no urgency to pull the trigger. So he began systematically nurturing the relationship using four prospecting channels—phone, e-mail, social, and text. He calls me once a quarter to find out where I am with other projects and to test my engagement. He supplements those calls with monthly e-mails and text messages with links to studies, white papers, and news about the upgrades to his systems he feels are relevant to me. He also follows me on Twitter and retweets or favorites my posts. Matt’s text message strategy has been brilliant. He reserves his best value-added information for text messages. Because he is familiar with my interests and my company, he often texts links to relevant articles that he knows I will want to read. Most of these have nothing to do with his product, but they add value to me. When I get these text messages, I always text back a thank you. That usually creates a short dialogue on some area of interest (usually sports), which, in turn, keeps us connected. Every once in a while he’ll send a text to tell me that he enjoyed reading one of my articles or listening to a podcast. Matt’s strategy keeps me engaged and nurtures our relationship. His text messages are appreciated and nonintrusive because they are valuable to me and personal. Because of this, Matt and his company stay on my mind (as evidenced by this story), and when I do make a buying decision on BI software, I’ll be doing so with him. Use Text to Create Opportunities for Engagement Text messages are also well received when they make your prospect feel important. Short text messages to congratulate them on a promotion, a mention in the news, an award or recognition, or to say something nice about an article they wrote, video they 242 Fanatical Prospecting

produced, or something they posted on social media that caught your eye—get your prospect’s attention. This can be especially powerful if you like, comment on, or share the post as well. Engagement text messages usually get a positive response as long as they are sincere, personalized, and free of direct solicitations for anything. The goal is simple: Give your prospect a reason to engage you in a conversation. You increase this possibility by making them feel important. Seven Rules for Structuring Effective Text Prospecting Messages For your text message to be effective, you need to engage your prospect and get them to take action in a blink of an eye. Packing your message into a small space requires you to be thoughtful, creative, and focused. It is difficult to make an impact in 250 characters or less. There are seven rules for effective text messages:

1. Identify yourself. Never take for granted that your prospect has your information saved on their phone. In most cases they don’t, and when you send a text message they won’t know who you are. As a best practice, include your name and company at the top of the message.
2. Message matters. What you say and how you say it carries impact. Be very careful that your tone is not misinterpreted in a negative way. Use complete sentences to avoid sounding abrupt, harsh, sarcastic, or flippant.
3. Be direct—be brief. Say exactly what you mean in clear, precise, well-written sentences using good grammar and spelling. Remember that this is a professional message. Keep the text to one to four short sentences or less than 250 characters when possible. Avoid rambling, run-on sentences. Do not use emo- ticons (little smiley faces)—be professional. Text Messaging 243

1. Avoid abbreviations. Avoid using abbreviations on text messages to prospects. Abbreviations like LOL, OMG, WTF, and others don’t come off as professional, and the person on the other end might not understand what you mean. Likewise, you should avoid acronyms and slang.
2. Use transparent links. People are extremely suspicious of short- ened hyperlinks. Just like with e-mail, when you send URLs to prospects that link to articles or other resources, send the entire URL so they know where they are clicking.
3. Before clicking “send”—pause and read it again. Make this your rule when it comes to text messages (and, frankly, all written communication).
4. Know your numbers. Finally, as with all prospecting channels, know your numbers. Track the number of texts you send each day, response rates, and conversions into appointments and, ultimately, sales. DO NOT TEXT WHILE DRIVING—PUT THE SMARTPHONE DOWN! 244 Fanatical Prospecting