How to Use Trigger Events to Provide Context for Sales Calls

This is a guest article written by Alex Field, Growth Manager at LeadSift. LeadSift provides data and insights to help your business find high-value prospects who are already talking about your product or service and are more likely to become paying customers.
It’s no secret that “cold calling” has fallen out of favor in the sales game. It is interruptive and typically yields a low success rate. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean there's no way to make it work for your business.  The cold calling being left behind is the old-fashioned version, which is repetitive and tends to lack real purpose. With a bit of research and context those cold calls can become warmer, resulting in a better experience for both parties on the line. In this article, we'll look at using trigger events to add context to these sales calls and creating a better outcome for everyone. use-trigger-events-sales-calls  

What is a Trigger Event?

If your sales and marketing team is going to communicate your company's value to someone, it pays to be targeted in that approach. Triggers and the events that expose them provide a way to analyze the relevance of this targeting.  As John Barrows explains, “…being targeted with your message, staying focused with your calling and combining it with e-mail can [make your cold calling] very effective.” In order for salespeople to generate better results when cold calling, they have to understand their prospects’ needs and the likelihood that they will make a purchase. And since we’re not mind-readers, we must look to external events – or triggers – to provide insights and guide the way to a sale. A trigger event is anything that affects the chances that your prospect will want to buy from you. Here are some common examples of trigger events:
  • A prospect recently moved into a new position within their company
  • New government legislation was announced that affects your prospect’s industry
  • Your competitor makes a product announcement
  • A large event is coming up that your prospect will attend
  These trigger events all tell you one thing: your prospect may be more interested in purchasing or learning about your product than before. Combine this knowledge with a custom number and you’ve just increased your odds of connecting with the right decision-maker and having a useful conversation. In other words, by understanding more about your ideal customer and their current situation, you've overcome two major hurdles on the way to a sale.   [search-tag]  

How Trigger Events Add Context to Your Sales Calls

That local number means that more decision-makers will actually pick up the phone. Then, because you’ve targeted them based on relevant trigger events, they will be in a better frame of mind to hear your pitch. Using job title as an indicator of a good lead simply doesn’t go far enough. If this is all you’re basing your call list on, you’re going to end up wasting hours and hours a week contacting leads who simply have no interest in your product. Trigger events provide context that can help you prune the dead leads from your call list before you’ve even dialed their number. Not only can they help you refine your call list and stop wasting time on leads that have no interest in your product, they can help you have a better conversation, too. For instance, if you know that your prospect is attending an industry event in a few weeks (because the trigger event you set up alerted you to this fact), you can work that event into your pitch. You can invite them to you booth, or ask them which speaker they are most looking forward to hearing from. Tailor your message to their context, and you’re more likely to open the door to a future meeting. Trigger events are all about connecting with the decision-makers who are most likely to want your product. They provide insight into the needs of your prospects and equip you with the knowledge to build a great, targeted pitch and take your cold calling to the next level. If you'd like to learn more about how trigger events can help you generate more leads for your sales calls, LeadSift is here to help! Book a demo today to see which of your target accounts have shown buying intent in the last 24 hours.  

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