The Prospecting Playbook - Supercharge Your Sales Calls

THE PROSPECTING PLAYBOOK
Jake Atwood

© 2 0 1 3 O v a t i o n S a l e s G r o u p , L L C | www.ovationsales.com
About The Author
Jake Atwood is a speaker, author and entrepreneur with a
singular focus: to show salespeople new ways to attract
more clients--and have fun doing it. He delivers thought-
provoking strategies with a humorous twist that energize the
audience and motivates people to take action. His concepts
have been adopted by dozens of Fortune 500 companies and
translated into multiple languages.
Jake's program is popular among sales professionals because it goes beyond the
traditional idea of prospecting and cold calling. During his workshops,
participants learn how sell via the phone, email, social
media, networking, referrals and more. Best of all, they’re able to automate
many of these tasks and generate leads even when they're busy closing deals.

Engage Jake at Your Next Event
Jake offers several high-energy keynotes and workshops that will ensure your
next sales event or new-hire training is a huge success.
Pick a popular topic or ask Jake to customize one for your team:
Power Prospecting™: A systematic, proven approach for gaining access to key
accounts and developing new business. >>Learn More
Social Selling™: Discover how to use the right social media tools to generate
leads and revenue with minimal time and effort. >>Learn More
The 1% Rule™: Why are some salespeople so incredibly successful regardless of
the economy, and how can every Rep perform the same way? This keynote
details the habits, skills and behaviors of the sales elite. >>Learn More

Others Resources
Looking for ways to prospect without cold calling?
Use these proven email templates to reach busy
executives, generate interest, follow up and close
more deals. Includes proven email templates you
can tailor to your situation.
>>DOWNLOAD
BuzzBuilder Email Marketing & Social Media Tools
BuzzBuilder’s software helps you connect with
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prospects and drive new sales leads to your inbox.
>>LEARN MORE

Contents
Gaining Access: How To Reach Key Executives
1. The Power Of Inﬂuence 2
2. Turning Gatekeepers Into Allies 7
3. Voice Mail: The Digital Gatekeeper 11
4. Using E-Mail As A Prospecting Tool 15
5. Creative Ways To Gain Access 19
The Prospecting Call: How To Convince Executives To Meet With You
6. The Blueprint For The Call 26
7. The Introduction: Their First Impression 28
8, The New Value Proposition 34
9. Redirect Any Objection 47
10. The Closing Statement 56

Section 1:
Gaining Access
How To Reach Key Executives
The Prospecting Playbook Jake Atwood Page 1

The Power Of Influence
Understanding how to influence
people is an important foundation for
understanding how to gain access to
them.
No matter what you sell, people are
better at ignoring you than ever
before. The “Information Age” has
become the “Over-Information Age”
and we have become experts at
filtering data or dismissing it
instantly.
To add to the complexity, we have also become the “Misinformation Age” and
we’ll often hear conflicting “facts” and marketing messages from competing

companies. Ford Motors might claim that they have the safest car, but yesterday
we heard Toyota claim that they have the safest. So who do we believe? As
comedian Lewis Black pointed out, “When this happens, we just stop listening.”
It’s no surprise that it’s become so difficult to gain access to key executives--it’s
easier for them just to ignore us.
Here is what prospects are telling us: “I’ll only give you my attention if you can
give me a compelling incentive to listen.” I call these incentives “Influence
Mechanisms” and they’re designed to motivate people to meet with you, accept
your calls, read your e-mail messages, or respond to your voice mails. Many of
these ideas come from strategies used in sales, marketing, advertising,
copywriting, and modern psychology (particularly from Robert Cialdini’s study
on “automatic influence”).
One last thing--these Mechanisms were created to be used in a positive,
constructive way. Never use them to manipulate or trick people. After all, you
can’t force anyone to do something--you’ll only end up making them angry.

While I have identified 22 individual Influence Mechanisms, there are three that
are most useful in helping you gain access to key people:
Influence Mechanism #1: Social Proof
As they say in Hollywood, people care more about who you know than what you
know. The same can be true for gatekeepers and executives. There are two
primary ways to leverage (name drop) other people:
1.Leverage people you have already spoken to. Did you receive a referral that
you could mention? Have you spoken with anyone else in the account
(regardless of their position) that would give you more credibility? Do you
work with similar executives at other companies? If so, you can leverage these
existing contacts.
2.Leverage people you plan to speak to. If you know that there are going to be
multiple people involved in the decision, then find out who they are and
mention that you plan to reach out to each of them. For example, if you’re
calling a VP of Sales, let him know that you also plan to call the VP of

Marketing and the CEO to make sure they aren’t left out. We’ll explore this
tactic later and discuss how this works with both executives and gatekeepers.
Influence Mechanism #2: Acknowledgment
When attempting to reach key executives, I’ve found that they’re more interested
in what you know about them than what they’re supposed to know about you or
your company. If you’ve done any research on your prospect’s company (and
you should), make sure to mention this in the call. Executives want to hear that
you’re prepared, and that your call has a specific purpose. An easy way to
conduct your research: make a quick call to a front-line employee (like a
salesperson or customer service person) and ask them a few questions.
Influence Mechanism #3: Commonality
Executives prefer to build relationships with people they can relate to on several
different levels. If you want to get their attention, you need to show them you’re
on the same level as they are. This is done by demonstrating that you
understand their situation and the “executive mindset.“

Show the executive that you understand the kind of challenges she deals with.
Find out where your philosophies overlap. Most importantly, keep your
conversations at a visionary level and don’t dwell on the details of your product
or solution.

Turning Gatekeepers Into Allies
Never underestimate the knowledge
and influence a gatekeeper can have
within a company. With a little
creativity, you’ll find that it’s not
difficult to earn her respect and gain
access to key executives.
However, if you use the same, cliched
sales-y tactics that gatekeepers hear
from most salespeople, they will
instantly want to block you.
First, forget about using any tricks or disguises in an attempt to fool the
gatekeeper. Some sales trainers suggest that, when a gatekeeper asks you what
the call is regarding, you respond by saying, “It’s a personal matter.” Besides

being sleazy, this simply doesn’t work. Manipulative tactics like this that have
made gatekeepers cautious and unwilling to put our call through.
How do you respond when a gatekeeper asks you the question, “What is the call
regarding?” Most of us launch into an overview about our company and our
services, only to hear responses like, “We don’t have a need for that” or “We
already have a vendor for that.”
To turn gatekeepers into allies, it’s important that you don’t sound like a typical
salesperson. I’ll offer two simple strategies--both use the Inﬂuence Mechanisms I
mentioned earlier:
Strategy #1: The Law of Social Proof (Name Dropping)
Similar to a Hollywood producer, gatekeepers are inﬂuenced by who you know.
If you’ve spoken with other key people inside the company, then mention it. If
you haven’t spoken to anyone in the company yet, you can still name-drop by
mentioning other executives that you plan to call.

Examples:
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Can I tell Jane what the call is regarding?
SALESPERSON: The reason I’m calling is because I’m planning to contact
(another executive) to discuss ways to (improve recruiting, reduce costs, grow
sales, etc.), and since this could affect Jane’s department I thought that she may
also want to be included. In your opinion, what would be the best way to reach
her?
In this example, you’ll notice that I leveraged another executive I plan to call. I
also referenced a potential topic of conversation, based on what I know about
their company. However, I didn’t talk about my services or my company
(because they don’t care).
As a reminder, be careful of the language you use in this example--you’ll notice
that I said, “I’m planning to call her” and didn’t say something like, “I have a call
scheduled with her.” This would be a lie and you never want to mislead a
gatekeeper.

Strategy #2: The Law of Reciprocity
If the gatekeeper still won’t put your call through, then do her a favor ﬁrst. You
might send a simple thank-you card with a $5 gift certiﬁcate inside for
Blockbuster or Starbucks. You could send her an e-mail with a tasteful cartoon
attached, or an article or tasteful joke that might be amusing. I’ve found that if
you can make a person laugh, it’s hard for them not to like you. After all, that’s
what we’re really trying to achieve--to win people over so they’ll become a coach
for us. Think of an approach that is unique and then be politely persistent in
your request to speak with the executive.

Voice Mail: The Digital Gatekeeper
Voice Mail is one of my favorite sales
tools because it’s one of the few times
you can communicate a message to
the prospect without the threat of
hearing an objection or being
interrupted. It’s also one of the most
misused tools in sales. Executives
return less than 3% of the messages
they receive.
There are several reasons why they
ignore the majority of voice mails:
• The message isn’t compelling
• The salesperson focuses too much on himself and his services
• The message is too looooong

• The tone of the message is boring
• The message doesn’t stand out, and sounds like every other message the
executive receives
Here is a simple, 3-step formula for an effective voice mail message:
1.State your name, company and phone number in the beginning of the message.
Make sure to slow down when you leave your number.
2.Leverage at least one Inﬂuence Mechanism which I discussed earlier
3.Ask for a call to action and repeat your phone number.
Note: I rarely leave voice mails for only one person. Usually, I’ll target multiple
people and attempt to contact all of them simultaneously. In my voice mails to
each person, I’ll mention the other executives I’m attempting to reach.
Here’s a voice mail to John Tucker, the VP of Sales for XYZ Company. I’ll
leverage a call I plan to make to Beth Anderson, their VP of Marketing.

Voice Mail Message: Version 1
1. Hi John, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation Sales Group. My number is
952-486-7134.
2. I’m planning to make an initial call to Beth Anderson to discuss a few sales and
marketing ideas for the company, and thought it also made sense to reach out to
you on this.
3. Please call me at your earliest convenience and we can talk more about it.
Again, this is Jake Atwood and my number is 952-486-7134.

Voice Mail Message: Version 2
1. Hi John, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation Sales Group. My number is
952-486-7134.
2. I left a message for Beth Anderson to discuss the company’s sales and
marketing strategy, and wanted to make sure you were involved in any potential
discussions.
3. Please call me at your earliest convenience and I can give you more details.
Again, this is Jake Atwood and my number is 952-486-7134.
With either of these options, it’s important to convey the right tone. You never
want to make people feel threatened by your intention to call others in their
company. The intent is to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to be
involved, to feel included. As I said earlier, never mislead people or give them
false information. If you haven’t spoken to an executive yet, it’s o.k. to say, “I’m
planning to call him.” However, it’s not o.k. to say, “I have a meeting scheduled
with him” or “he is expecting my call.”

Using E-Mail As A Prospecting Tool
Over the past several years, email has
been one of the best prospecting tools
I’ve used. However, the problem with
most sales e-mails is that they all tend
to resemble an advertisement.
If you want people to respond to your
emails, you’ll need to personalize
each message. Do away with generic
form letters and never email a
brochure or marketing piece to a cold prospect.
While there are numerous times you can use e-mail, there are four key points in
the sales process where I use it most:

E-Mail Template #1
The first type of e-mail is an introductory message. Before contacting an
executive, identify one or two other key executives who would influence him.
Then, create a message that leverages these people and any high-level
information you have about their initiatives.
Example:
Hi John, I’m preparing to make an introductory call to Eric and Sue to discuss a
few potential changes to your (recruiting process; sales process; payroll system,
etc.). I’d like to ask for a few minutes to discuss this over the phone with you.
What is your availability on (date and time) for a 3-5 minute call?
E-Mail Template #2
There’s another way to use e-mail to gain access to the right people. For
example, after leaving two voice mail messages with an executive, I find that I
need to humanize the approach with a more personalized e-mail.

Example:
Hi Betty, I realize that (you’re very busy; you get a lot of calls; you have an
existing relationship with another company). At this point, all I’m asking for is 2
minutes on the phone with you and I’ll earn the rest. If this sounds fair enough,
please let me know the best way for us to connect. Thank you for your time.
E-Mail Template #3
After I’ve spoken to an executive or even had an initial meeting, it’s not
uncommon for them to get distracted and fail to respond to my follow-up
attempts. This happens to all of us, and the key is to drive the sale by leveraging
other contacts (refer back to Template #1).
Example:
Hi Joe, as a next step in the process, I thought I’d call Mary to brief her on our
discussion and talk about some of the potential changes that would take place.

However, I also want to respect your role in this project and invite you to call me
if you think my call to Mary would be premature. Thanks again for your time.
E-Mail Template #4
Hopefully, you’ve moved the sale along and have closed it. However, if the
prospect fails to respond after several attempts, I’ll send a “last attempt” email.
Example:
Hi Sarah, I know we haven’t been able to connect, which usually means that
either you’re too busy for us to talk, or it’s not the right timing. I want to respect
your time, so I’m going to close your ﬁle. Otherwise, if you’d still like to talk,
please call me asap. Thanks again.
One last thing: For the subject line in any e-mail, always use something that will
spark their curiosity. You could use a co-worker’s name, such as “planning a call
to Jane Doe” or something as simple as “Quick Question.”
Click Here For More Prospecting Email Templates.

Creative Ways To Gain Access
What happens when voice mail and
email don’t get the executive’s
attention? Depending on how critical
it is to reach the person, it might be
time to get creative. Over the years,
I’ve developed several creative ways
to get through to people who seem
impossible to reach.
Before I give you a few examples, here
are some guidelines for designing
your own creative campaigns:

1. It’s best to create campaigns that require participation from the executive.
Sending them information is o.k. but sending them a survey that they can
respond to is even better.
2. Whenever possible, tailor your campaigns to executives based on what you
know about them or their company.
3. Don’t expect the campaign to automatically generate a call to you. Make sure
you follow up with the executive within a week.
Creative Campaign #1: The Survey
I like using surveys because they’re interactive and can also be a great way to
gather information about your prospect. The only challenge: how do we
motivate them to participate? I’ve found that $5 or $10 gift cards work well. You
can also let them know about other executives who have already participated
(this uses the Inﬂuence Mechanism called Social Proof that I discussed in the
beginning of the book).

Example:
Create a document with 3-5 questions that you would like to ask the prospect.
The questions should help you learn more about the account and prepare you for
your call to the executive. Here are a few examples:
• What is your current method/process for _____________?
• What are the top 3 challenges you face in regard to ______________?
• What is your #1 initiative this year?
Next, send the message to your prospect. While email is an option, I suggest
faxing it since it’s more likely to get noticed. On the cover page of the fax, write a
note to the prospect. Here’s an example:
“Bob, I realize you’re busy. If you’d be willing to take 2 minutes of your time to
answer a quick industry survey, I’d like to send you a $5 gift certiﬁcate to
Starbucks. Please look at the attached page and fax back to me at 952-486-7134.
Thanks in advance for your help!”

When I receive a survey from a prospect, I send them a gift card and then follow
up with a phone call 1-2 days after they’ve received it. Here’s an example of the
call:
“Bob, I want to thank you for taking the time to fax back the survey and I’m
calling to let you know that I sent your gift card. Also, you mentioned in the
survey that you (talk about their challenges or initiatives). I’d like to ask for an
opportunity to meet with you and see how we could help. What is your
availability on (date and time)?”
Creative Campaign #2: The Personal Touch
Every week, salespeople bombard executives with promotional merchandise
(usually embossed with their company logo) in an effort to get noticed. These
items range from hats and pens to calculators and paper weights. But how many
prospects receive one of these generic gifts and think, “Wow, I should buy
something from this company”?

Instead of sending out this kind of merchandise, why not take a more creative
approach by tailoring the gift to each individual executive. Here are a few
examples:
Creative Gift #1: The Ol’ College Try
If you can ﬁnd out which college or university your prospect attended, you can
usually purchase merchandise from their online bookstore. I like to send
executives a coffee cup or t-shirt with a note attached asking them for a phone
call or meeting. You could also put one of these gifts inside the Vor’s Box
mentioned in Creative Campaign #2.
Here are three free websites that often list the college or university for many
executives:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com
ZoomInfo: www.zoominfo.com
Classmates: www.classmates.com

Creative Gift #2: Get A Hobby
Find out a hobby or interest the prospect has (you can usually ask one of the
Executive Assistants about this). Then, look for a gift that you know they would
enjoy. In the note you attach, let them know that you saw the gift and thought of
them.
Creative Gift #3: The Usual (With A Twist)
Take a closer look at everyday things you normally do to reach someone, and see
if you can give them a twist of creativity. Instead of sending out your business
card, you could have your card printed on to a rectangular cookie (easy and
inexpensive). Instead of sending a small card requesting their time, send a huge
card that will get their attention. When you e-mail them, attach a humorous
cartoon or article they will ﬁnd interesting.
No matter what you do, ensure that every interaction makes you memorable.

Section 2:
The Prospecting Call
How To Persuade Executives To Meet With You

The Blueprint For The Call
Before building a house, contractors
require a blueprint that will guide the
project and ensure the house gets
built correctly. You need a similar
type of blueprint for your prospecting
calls.
Before making your calls, it’s
important to create a blueprint that
will keep you on track and help you
reach your objective. There are dozens of dynamics in a prospecting call, and it
would take several hundred pages to discuss them all. I’ll cover four aspects of
the call that tend to be a challenge for most salespeople:
1.The Introduction: How will you greet the prospect and introduce yourself?

2.The Value Proposition: What is the purpose of your call and why should the
prospect care?
3.The Objection Redirect: What objections do you anticipate hearing and how
can you turn objections into opportunities?
4.The Closing Statement: How and when should you ask for the appointment?
I’ll explain each of the parts in more detail over the next several pages.

The Introduction: Their First Impression
A strong introduction in the ﬁrst 5 seconds of
the call is critical. This can be as simple as
stating your name and company.
However, it’s also important for you to grab the
prospect’s attention and differentiate yourself in
some way. To accomplish all of this, you’ll need
to avoid the typical, everyday introductions
used by salespeople everywhere.
So what is the “typical” introduction? You’re
probably using a version of it right now. Here’s
an example: “Hi Beth, this is Jake Atwood with
XYZ Company. How are you today?” or “Hi

Beth, Jake Atwood with XYZ. How ‘ya doin’?”
In my experience, the majority of salespeople begin their calls by asking the
prospect “how are you?”
There are two problems I have with this question (and reasons I avoid it):
1. It commodities us. A commodity is a generic product or service that looks and
feels the same as its competing products. When you make an initial prospect call
to someone, you are the product. When you ask a prospect “how are you?”, it
makes you sound like everyone else. If you fail to sound different in your
approach, you’ll become a commodity and no one will remember you.
2. It makes us sound phony. Most salespeople ask “how are you?” as if they’re
on autopilot. They lack sincerity. In fact, I’ve heard calls in which the prospect
answers “I’m not doing very well” and the salesperson completely ignores the

response and continues with the call as if nothing happened. Because of this,
prospects believe that any salesperson who asks this kind of question is probably
insincere (even if you’re one of the few people that really care).
I’m going to share a different kind of introduction for your call. It’s one that
instantly engages your prospect. It’s one that will differentiate you from other
salespeople. And it’s one that you’ll probably be afraid to use until you
understand it better.
So what is the new introduction? It’s simple: ask people for a moment to talk.
It may seem strange, even counter-intuitive, that this approach works so well.
Common sense would lead us to believe that a busy executive would never give
us a minute to talk. If we ask people for a minute, won’t they always say “no”?
You may be wondering why this different approach works so well. The answer
is a principle called “The Law of Reciprocation,” a term coined by psychologist

Robert Cialdini. When we do a favor for people, they feel obligated to do
something for us in return. In this case, we are doing them a favor by respecting
their time. In return, they show appreciation by granting us a few minutes on
the phone. 95% of the time, prospects will grant us time to talk--and we’ll have
their complete attention.
On the next page are a few examples of different introductions I use in my calls:
Introduction #1: The Standard Approach
Hi Beth, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. I know you weren’t expecting my
call--do you have a minute to talk?
Hi John, this is Jake Atwood calling from Ovation. Do you have a quick minute?
(A quick minute is a way to emphasize that you will get to the point)

Introduction #2: The Referred Approach
Hi Beth, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. I was referred to you by Tom Baker--
do you have a quick minute to talk?
Introduction #3: The Leveraged Approach
Hi John, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. I’m planning to reach out to Beth
Anderson and also thought it made sense for us to talk. Do you have a minute?
Hi Beth, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. I’m planning to make a call to John,
your CFO, and I had a few questions for you. Do you have a moment?
(Mix and match language from both of these examples to develop your own
introduction)
Introduction #4: The Follow-Up Approach
I use this introduction when I’m following up from a previous conversation.
Hi John, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. We spoke a couple weeks ago and
you had asked me to get in touch with you today. Do you have a minute?

Hi Beth, this is Jake Atwood with Ovation. If you recall, we discussed
___________ last time we spoke. Do you have a minute to talk?

The New Value Proposition
Most of you are probably familiar with a
“value proposition.” Typically, it’s a short
beneﬁt statement that tells prospects in 30
seconds or less why they should be
interested in your services. There’s only one
problem with traditional value propositions:
they don’t work anymore.
Traditional value propositions assume that
prospects are waiting to hear a reason to be
interested in your services. Therefore,
salespeople are trained to list their features
and beneﬁts, hoping that at least one of them
will be enticing. While it’s true that

prospects eventually want to know about the benefits you can offer, this is not
what they are initially listening for in the call. Rather, they are listening for a
reason not to be interested in your services.
I’ll repeat this, since it’s critical to the structure of your new value proposition:
Prospects aren’t listening for a reason to be interested in your services. Rather,
they are listening for a reason not to be interested in your services.
Prospects have changed their minds about how they buy and what they want
from a salesperson. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1.Because of the internet, they are more educated than ever before. They don’t
need you to tell them about the features and benefits of your services--they can
find this information on the internet (if they want it).
2.Increased competition means they receive an overwhelming number of calls
from salespeople. They are bombarded with sales messages everyday.

Nobody can absorb this amount of information. Instead, we try hard to
prevent information overload--we screen calls, we ask for the summarized
version, and we look for a chance to delete anything unnecessary.
If this is the case, then how do we create a new type of value proposition that
grabs their attention (even when they want to ignore us) and doesn’t allow them
to “delete” us in the ﬁrst few seconds of the call? In other words, how do we
create a “Sticky Statement” that will cling to people and which they will
remember? There are dozens of books that spend 300 pages on the topic of
“value propositions.” I’ll attempt to cover this in the next 6-7.
I believe that the next generation of value propositions will need to focus less on
our services and more on a prospect’s “motives.” Here’s the deﬁnition of motive:
mo·tive (mō'tĭv)

noun:
An emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar
impulse that acts as an incitement to action.
Let me provide a simpliﬁed deﬁnition:
When a prospect’s reason to take action is greater than his
reason to do nothing.
We need to connect with the emotional reasons that prompt people to listen and
take action. At the same time, we need to defuse any objections that could create
a reason for them to do nothing.

I’ve come up with a formula that will help you develop your new value
proposition, which I call your Sticky Statement. I’ll give you several examples of
Sticky Statements in a moment. First, here’s the formula, which I call MOTIVE:
The MOTIVE Formula:
m = (o) - [t + i + v] - (e)
motivation = (objections) - [timing + inﬂuence + value] - (enthusiasm)
Don’t let the look of this formula scare you. It’s actually quite simple. Here’s
another way to look at it:

When you initially call a prospect, her biggest motivation (m) is to end the call by
listening for something that will create an objection (o). Your goal is to remove
her focus from the objection by making sure the call is timely (t), leveraging other
people who will influence (i) her, and explaining the value (v) your services will
bring to her organization. Lastly, you need to deliver all of this with confidence
and enthusiasm (e) in less than 20 seconds.
Summary: Your timing, influence and value need to outweigh the objections
they have.
Here is a more detailed outline of the core components of the MOTIVE Formula:
Objections: Address any objections or fears that could cause them to end the call,
such as fear of change, fear of making a mistake, or desire to maintain the status
quo.

Timing: Create urgency and avoid phrases that could cause the prospect to feel
like the timing isn’t right. For example, never say, “I’m calling to see if you
might
be

evaluating your system/vendor.” Ideally, try to align your call with one of their
current initiative.
Influence: Leverage the Influence Mechanisms I addressed earlier: Social Proof,
Acknowledgment, and Commonality. Another Influence Mechanism you can
use in your Sticky Statement is curiosity. Make sure you don’t give too much
information--otherwise, there’s no need for people to talk to you again.
Value: Demonstrate how you can impact the prospect’s business. What
problems can you solve for them? What results can you produce?
Enthusiasm: Deliver your Sticky Statement with confidence and passion.

Examples:
Here are a few examples of Sticky Statements. In each example, pay attention to
every part of the MOTIVE Formula. You’ll notice that I consistently address their
objections and then use timing, influence, and value to create a reason to meet
with me. I’ll denote each example with (o) objection, (t) timing, (i) influence and
(v) value to point out which components of the MOTIVE Formula I’m using.
Sticky Statement #1:
Template:
We have a unique process (i) being used by several (industry type) companies (i)
that has helped them (mention benefits) (v) without requiring them to (mention
objections)(o).

Example:
We have a unique process (i) being used by several telecom companies (i) that
has helped them attract new customers (v) without having to discount their price
to get the business (o).
Template:
I understand that you may be looking for ways to (mention a need) (t) without
having to (mention objection) (o) and there’s an interesting way (i) we’ve been
able to accomplish this already (v) with another (industry) company (i).

Example:
I understand that you may be looking for ways to increase employee
productivity (t) without having to pay higher salaries (o) and there’s an
interesting way (i) we were able to improve productivity by over 30% (v) with a
similar software company (i).
Template:
I spoke with (name) (i) and I’ve learned that you (describe their situation or
problem) (t). I’m calling because we addressed this with (company) (i) and I
believe you could leverage/integrate (o) this into what you’re already doing and
potentially (mention results) (v) within (timeframe) (t).

Example:
I spoke with John Doe (i) and learned that you have a goal to increase sales by
selling more to your client base (i). (Is that correct?) I’m calling because we
developed a cross-selling program for a similar manufacturing company (i) and I
believe if you integrated this into your sales process (o) it could potentially
increase sales by 20-25% (v).
Template:
I’m planning to call (name) (i) at (timeframe) (t) to talk about your current (t)
initiative/challenge with __________ (i) because I believe there is a way you
could (mention beneﬁts/results) (v) without having to make any major changes
to _______ (o).

Example:
I’m planning to call John (i) later today (t) to talk about the current (t) challenges
with your recruiting efforts (i) because I believe there is a way (i) you could
lower your recruiting costs (v) without having to make any major changes to
your recruiting process (o).

Redirect Any Objection
You may be curious why the title of
this section is called “Redirect Any
Objection” instead of “Overcome Any
Objection” or “Rebuttals For Any
Objection.” What do I mean by
Redirect? Redirecting an objection is
the opposite of overcoming one.
Instead of trying to take the objection
head-on and changing the prospect’s
mind, it’s easier to take the call in a
new direction. I’ll give several
examples of how I redirect an
objection, and I’ll demonstrate how any objection can be redirected into an
opportunity.

When most salespeople hear an objection, they reach for a scripted rebuttal--
something they can tell the prospect that will magically change her mind and
convince her to meet. However, is a prospect really willing to change her mind
within a 3-minute phone call?
If a prospect is “happy with her current vendor” and you try to convince her
you’re better, she could get defensive. When this happens, she’ll defend her
objection by defending her current vendor. Ultimately, your attempt to overcome
the objection will only make it more powerful. Remember: when you give
something attention in the call, you give it strength.
There’s another reason why traditional rebuttals don’t help salespeople
overcome an objection: You could be trying to overcome an objection that doesn’t
really exist--one that the prospect gave you just to end the call.

Stop trying to “solve” objections on a prospecting call. Instead, redirect the call
away from the objection and toward an opportunity. The way to redirect the call
is quite easy: Ask questions. Find out what the real objection is. Learn
something about the prospect’s situation. Ask about the executive’s biggest
challenges and how he’s currently resolving them. If you ask the right questions,
the prospect will abandon his objection and you can redirect the call toward
something else (like an appointment).
You’ll discover that you can redirect any objection using a master list of six
questions or less. Throw away the book of “101 Objection Rebuttals.” You
simply don’t need more than six questions.
Before giving you examples of the speciﬁc questions I ask for different objections,
here is a short list of the types of questions you’ll use:

Question #1: The Current Situation
Ask about current processes, systems, challenges, and initiatives. Find out
what’s happening in their company so you know how you can help.
Question #2: What Have You Tried?
Before telling them how you can solve their problem, ask them about any
solutions they have already tried. For example, “What options have you looked
at that would solve, improve, ﬁx…?”
Question #3: Other People’s Problems
If the prospect seems complacent and he won’t admit to any challenges, tell him
about a challenge that similar clients were experiencing, and then ask him how
this relates to his situation. You can also follow up with Question #2 and ask
what he has done to solve this kind of issue in his company.

Examples:
Here’s a list of the most common objections you probably hear, along with
examples of potential questions you could ask. Use these questions as a guide
and tailor them to your business.
Objection: I’m not interested
• May I ask why you feel we wouldn't be a ﬁt for your company?
• Redirect: When we’ve worked with other companies in your industry, they
had a challenge with __________. How does that relate to your situation?

Objection: I’m too busy
Note: I don’t consider this an objection. They haven’t said they don’t want your
services--it’s only a matter of timing. Assume you have the appointment and
now you simply need to ﬁnd out when the prospect’s schedule is open.
• Let's look further out in our calendars if we need to. What is your
availability on (date and time)?
• Redirect (if necessary): What types of projects are getting your attention
right now?

Objection: We already have a vendor/system (and we’re happy)
Note: When this objection comes up, it's usually because you focused too much
on your products and solutions in the call, instead of focusing on the prospect’s
problems and initiatives. Refer to your Sticky Statement and make sure you’re
defusing this objection.
• What do you have in place? How long have you had it for?
• Redirect: A lot of companies I work with in your industry are challenged
with (mention a common problem or situation). What have you tried doing
to resolve this in your company?

Objection: We don’t have the budget
• Is this something you typically budget for? When does the new budget year
start?
• Redirect: What types of projects/initiatives have you dedicated the budget
to this year?
• Redirect: What type of projects would you launch if you had the budget?
• Redirect: What if there was an ROI that would pay for this project?

Objection: Send me information
• What aspects of our company/solution would you like more information
about?
• Redirect: To see if we’d be a ﬁt for you before I send any information, could
you tell me about (challenges, initiatives, etc)?
After asking 2-3 questions, the prospect will be engaged in the call again and
you’ll be in a position to ask for the appointment. Jot down the objections you
hear in your calls, and then identify the questions that will redirect the call.

The Closing Statement
There are literally hundreds of books
and courses to teach you how to close.
The fact is most of them are too
complicated and you simply don’t
need them.
So what is the best way to ask for an
appointment? The answer is easy:
show them that you believe in your
solution and speak with conviction.
Think of your favorite restaurant. Now think about how strong your
recommendation was when you told your friends about it. Why is it that most
salespeople lack the same passion when asking for an appointment with a
prospect? Perhaps it’s our fear of rejection or that we forget how great our

solution is. In any case, it’s absolutely critical that prospects hear the conviction
in your words and your voice whenever you ask them for an appointment.
First, get rid of all the wishy-washy language that plagues us: words like “kinda,
maybe, wondering and possibly.” What kind of message does it convey when
you ask for the appointment and say, “I was wondering if you might want to
meet?” Words like “wondering” create doubt and uncertainty.
Examples:
Here are a few examples of simple closing statements that will help you convey
the conﬁdence and belief that prospects want to hear:
Close #1: The Simple Approach
Let’s set up a time to talk more about this. What is your availability on _______?

Close #2: The Expanded Approach
Based on your situation, I’d like to ask for an opportunity to meet with you and
explore what kind of impact we could have on your company. What does your
schedule look like on __________?
Close #3: After An Objection
John, I realize that (mention the objections). At this point, I certainly don’t expect
you to make any immediate changes. All I’m asking for is an opportunity for a
brief meeting to compare our approach to what you’re currently doing and see
what makes the most sense for your business. Does that sound fair enough?
Tailor these closing statements to your personality and then memorize them. The
next time you ask a prospect for an appointment, ask them with conﬁdence!
Remember: if you don’t ask, your competition will.

Final Thoughts
What will be the outcome of utilizing the strategies I’ve outlined in this
Playbook? You will ﬁnd that they are powerful tools to inﬂuence prospects in an
authentic and positive manner. You will be able to cut through the buzz of
information that overloads both gatekeepers and executives to make them
remember you as a unique, indispensable resource. They will turn to you
instinctively when they have a problem, disregarding others who continue to use
tired, worn-out methods.
E-mail and voice mail will become invaluable assets for you rather than
stumbling blocks to success. Using the MOTIVE Formula and new value
propositions, your creativity will increase to overcome stale marketing
techniques or prospects’ objections. Finally, you’ll have a fresh, self-assured
outlook that will be key to your future success.

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity
of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of
the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
--Cecil Beaton
Photographer & Writer

Prospecting Notes

The Prospecting Playbook - Supercharge Your Sales Calls

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