How to Capture the Attention of Your Perfect Prospect

Have you ever tried to get a horse to put their ears forward and look at you? This pic of my husband shows a few of the tricks we use to get them looking at us and interested. You don't see us in this frame, but behind my husband my daughter and son are jumping up and down, swinging plastic bags and even twirling umbrellas. And still Pippi looks bored and uninterested.

A lot like prospects are...

Think back to the last networking event you attended, do you remember the most memorable 30 second commercial? Probably not, it was probably a mix of people sharing their companies’ name and trying to cram every feature and benefit of their solution into one breath that they could.

You have 3-5 seconds to capture someone’s attention, many people spend those critical seconds sharing their own name and company NOT why a prospect should listen to you.

Let’s think about this for a minute, you hopefully recognize that the key to success in prospecting is a deep and intimate understanding of the hopes, wants and desires of your perfect prospect. You may intuitively ‘get’ this but struggle to communicate it. So, take the first step of putting your prospect first in your messaging. Lead with THEM, their primary challenge or issue or a statement referencing this challenge in your initial statement. Then outline the situation they may be in and how they would benefit from connecting with you.

Whether you're at an event or scrolling through your email inbox, it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd clamoring for your prospect's attention. In today's digital age, buyers are constantly bombarded with information, with studies showing that people encounter more than 10,000 impressions a day. In self defense they have had to tune out the noise rather than be deafened! Their sanity requires it. In this article, I'll share a few of my favorite strategies for creating an attention-grabbing message, whether live or connecting via email.

• Lead with THEM first! To capture the attention of your perfect prospect, you need to demonstrate your knowledge of their situation or challenges they are facing. Your message should be tailored using their language. Think about what information is essential to them and how your solution will improve their life. Use few words, but make each of them count. Share what makes the delivery of your product or service unique, and how it will help them achieve a transformation.
• Keep it Short and Simple (KISS works in messaging as well). A captivating message is short, impactful, and to the point. Let’s talk about email for just a second. The trick is to grab attention with a relevant subject line on a topic of high interest to THEM, and then elaborate on the benefits you offer. Think about it like a newspaper headline, only deliver what you promise QUICKLY in your message, not like clickbait ??. You don’t want to do all this work to capture their attention and then tick them off by beating around the bush!
• Keep Your Message Short I struggle with this myself, I have to confess. Many of us may have a lot to say about our business but concentrate your message to avoid overwhelming your audience. Keep it straightforward and stick to the critical points to leave a lasting impression. Bullet points, slides, and charts should be used to organize information and share visuals that make your content more memorable.
• Encourage Your Prospects to Take Action. You’ve got their attention, now what do you want them to do? Provide a call-to-action (CTA). Share the right next step for them to interact with you, such as a reply to your email, comment or message on your social media post, or downloading a ‘lead magnet’ packed with valuable information about your topic. Ensure your CTA's message provides clear next steps to your prospects. Give them one link, one action. Don’t make it confusing!

Capturing your perfect prospects' attention may seem simple, but it’s certainly not easy. To stand out from the crowd, you need to understand your prospects' primary challenges and how they speak of them, develop a concise message, and engage them with a clear call-to-action. With these tips, you'll be able to create messages that grab attention and leave a lasting impression, compelling your prospects to engage. Remember to keep it classy, and not overboard.

For those interested in finding out more about the topic of messages and how to network your way to your next prospect, we have a comprehensive guide called Networking Secrets Revealed which is available for free here.