Whether you’re working with a new prospect or an existing customer, you need to make an emotional connection. If you’re like many of your fellow sales reps, your connecting moments may not be happening often enough. Here’s what you need to do to increase your hit rate.

The statistics on establishing good emotional connections with customers or prospects are grim. If you feel you’re doing a good job with this task most of the time, you’re in an exclusive club. Only 3% of sales reps feel the same way. According to a NewVoiceMedia study, about 14% of sales reps say they’re ‘connecting personally’ with only about 30%-40% of prospects.

Part of the problem may be that sales reps don’t always understand which factors increase a prospect’s sense of connection. Your prospects' feelings about your product or brand have little to do with your discussions about a shared interest in a particular sport. Prospects say the following interactions make a difference:

• Getting immediate assistance from a highly qualified rep 48%
• Having a rep listen closely to their problems 44%
• Being connected to a highly knowledgeable rep 36%
• Having a personalized sales conversation 29%
• Getting quickly connected by phone without a long hold time 23%
• Not having to make multiple calls to get questions answered 20%

Preparation

So how are reps doing in the eyes of prospects? The NewVoiceMedia study results indicate 88% of prospects believe they’re victims of poor preparation. Spending five more minutes on understanding a prospect’s business before you pick up the phone “would boost the likelihood of closing a deal.” The next time you’re about to dial a prospect’s number, slow down. Review the business problem they’ve said they’re having. Think about personalizing your solution to that problem.

Availability

Are you making yourself available to prospects? Being available goes beyond listening to their problems. After you make a presentation, your prospects may have questions. Those questions won’t always come up at a time that’s convenient for you. If you truly want to make an emotional connection with your contacts, give them your personal mobile number. Encourage them to call anytime. Make sure to white list their numbers. And, be sure to answer their calls.

You may not immediately have the answer to their question. That’s perfectly fine. But, don’t make them jump through hoops to get the information they need. Do the legwork for them. Talk to the experts and deliver the answer to your prospect in a timely fashion. These actions will demonstrate that you have their best interests in mind.