Ice Melting Lines

We’ve all felt it – the awkwardness after the initial greeting over the phone when prospecting. You and your prospect make your initial exchange, then start talking over each other – which isn’t good…then, you fill the first minute or two of the call with weather conversation and pleasantries to bridge the conversation into (hopefully) something meaningful. You need to find ways to create a quick connection. What we all need are ways to break that frustrating barrier to connection – and our article this month will give you an idea and some verbiage to do just that. I call them “ice melting lines.” We’re talking about going beyond just conversation ice breakers, you will now be prepared to melt away any initial tension. With these you will put your prospect at ease, create an environment of trust and credibility, and of course, have some fun!

Here’s some ice melting lines that work. I have personally used these lines with great results, and I want you try them. But what’s the key to having success with them? You need to bring in your own personality. You all should have your talk tracks and prompts when prospecting, and you have probably noticed by now that people will respond and say the same things back to you when you use them. If you learn to shake it up, you’ll start getting different and positive responses.

Here we go! When you get your prospect on the phone, how do you engage with them? Do you ask if (a) they have a minute, or do you ask if (b) they have “79 seconds for you really quick?” How is that for throwing things off and getting their attention, and possibly a chuckle (and we all know a little laughter goes a long way towards connection). Or what about this example…if you’ve made multiple attempts to connect with someone, and you finally have success, do you (a) ask them how they’ve been, or (b) let them know you thought they were kidnapped? :) Again – be personable, be real, and be YOU! So fun!

And just what are these unusual questions doing? They’re starting to melt away the tension of not knowing what to say or how to respond. This approach is actually doing your prospects a favor by making things easier on them. They’re showing the prospect that you’re a real person, not a frozen robot with nothing but expected and scripted verbiage and/or “normal” questions.

What about one more…and try this with enthusiasm and a BIG smile on your face…when your prospect picks up the phone say “hey Devon Jenkins, are you ready for this?!?” Your ‘this’ can be anything, but it’s sure an attention-grabber and will set a connected tone for your call. And no matter what it will at least give your prospect some needed joy and enthusiasm on the other end of the phone even if things don’t work out. You have nothing to lose.

Take some time today to create your own ice-melting lines. Start to integrate them into your sales process and have a great month of more booked meetings and results. See you all soon with more tips and thanks for reading along!

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