me: Hello, how can I help you?
Faceless voice on the phone (FVP): What are your prices?
me: Can you tell me your name and a little bit about your project? I could give you a much more accurate price estimate if you told me where your project was, how large of an area you want to cover and what field you’re in.
FVP: that doesn’t matter. Tell me your prices and how much profit do you make after paying for data and how much do you pay your consultants?
me: What?!?
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Competitors are always trying to get a feel for how well their prices stack up against the rest of the field. However this guy was a little more desperate than most. Most sales calls of course don’t go this way.
Our company mainly does business on the internet. The average first contact is a person that suddenly finds a need for maps or for satellite imagery or other remote sensing applications. That person could be anyone from a property owner that wants a view of their property from above to a GIS (geographic Information Systems) specialist with 20 years experience who is shopping around.
With a diverse range of people I have had to develop over time a “voice” to engage each and every one. I cannot sound too technical and I cannot sound as if I am being condescending. I have to strive to reach a balance in all my communications while I try to figure out their level of expertise.
First I have to assess what I have been presented with.
Did they use technical jargon and does that mean that they understand what they are talking about? Some people will cut and paste information from RFP’s (request for proposals) without really knowing what they want.
What can I tell by their contact information? Sometimes they use company email addresses and I can look up the relevant company and get some idea of what they are after. Increasingly however, people will make first contacts using generic email accounts like hotmail or gmail.
I then have to decide what I can present to the client that will be most beneficial to further the conversation.
If the person is not very well versed in technical matters I can present a wide range of example data and links to our website to help explain what we offer. I might give them a call to engage more personally and coax more information from them. Walk them slowly and carefully to the point where I can present a price for the product or service that they need.
On the other hand if they are technically knowledgeable then they just want straight answers. No need for long explanations and no real desire on their parts for long emails. They want plain and simple answers presented in a professional manner. If they want a full proposal then I oblige them but most of the time they want a short and clear answer.
Knowing how to deal with people on different levels is very useful for dealing with new contacts. You may not always get a sale out of the experience but they will remember the fact that you dealt with them in a courteous manner and that you gave them the information that they needed in a way that they needed.
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