Sales Disconnect or blind dating in the age of big data

Companies are getting better and better at generating leads from content marketing efforts. They are also more aggressively following up on these leads. This is great — if you want to move leads through the funnel you need to work them. But this follow up needs to be appropriate for the individual you are interacting with.

I recently completed an online form to get a whitepaper from a reputable company. The whitepaper was well written and had value. Within hours I got an email from a sales rep and then a call following up on my "registration."

Registration?

In my mind, I simply completed a form to get a whitepaper. In the eyes of the company, I registered. The rep was using his internal terminology in conversation with me without considering what my perception of the relationship was. He might as well have opened the call with "I am calling because you just became a lead".

There are so many better ways to open that call. He knew exactly which whitepaper I downloaded. What if he opened the call with, "I saw that you downloaded our whitepaper — Best Practices for Blind Dating — and am calling to see if why you think about it and if it met your expectations?"

And now the kicker: The rep followed up with a second canned email that said, "Great speaking with you! Thanks for helping me learn a bit more about your business. I really enjoyed it! Below are some links…"

Really. You enjoyed our one-minute conversation where I told you that I didn't register, had no need for your services, and just wanted your whitepaper.

And this from a company that claims to be a leader in marketing communications.

Come on Sales orgs. You need to be real, sincere, get inside the head of your lead, and talk to them in words that are consistent with their interpretation of the interaction or relationship — not yours.

Let's face it — as an inside sales rep you are blind dating. Are you going to just take anyone on a date? Or will you look for someone who might be a good match? And do you really think the best way to make a good impression is to call cold?

So here is something to think about: In the age of social media there should be no such thing as a cold call or a blind date for that matter.

And if you want that date. Your CRM likely already has a record of me, or could reference me against other data sources. Rapportive will instantly give you rich profile information right inside of gmail and all you need is an email address — I gave this to you when I "registered", right. Or simply google my name. Within minutes you can find out what I am all about, if it would be worth calling me, and a good way to start a conversation. This will make all the difference.