If you’ve been following me on this step-by-step approach to filling your pipeline, you already know how to capture the prospect’s attention and the best answer to the question: “Why meet?” Next, we need to move this total stranger from “this looks interesting” to giving up their most precious resource: time. 

The best way to navigate this barrier is to remove it. Reduce the risk and ask for a brief phone meeting — a very brief meeting.  

Step Three: Ask for a Three-Minute Meeting  

If you’re not in a committed relationship, imagine the following scenario: you’re single and hanging with a few friends a bar. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of a person you would like to meet, a “prospect.”  

Without much thought, you walk over, introduce yourself, and within seconds, ask if they are interested in going out to dinner. What’s your success rate?  

Probably very similar to the average success rates when prospecting via the phone: dismal. If your success rate is low, the problem may not be how you positioned the meeting, but your recommended next step. 

Don’t ask a stranger to invest a big chunk of time. Just ask them for about three minutes to determine if it makes sense to “date.” This not only reduces the resistance to engage, but it also allows them to see you as human, with the expertise to solve their problem, and not a commission breathing sales rep. 

Putting This Prospecting Method to the Test

We’ve tested this approach with sellers making what I believe is the most difficult prospecting call: calling cold prospects about life insurance. The sellers who proposed a three-minute phone meeting were eight times more successful than those who asked for an appointment. Additionally, the sellers who followed our recommendation increased their face-to-face meetings by 20%. 

Filling Your Pipeline Means Taking a Chance

Give it a shot. Ask for a few minutes to determine if they have a problem you can solve. When the three minutes are up, you can now uniquely communicate how a more in-depth discovery meeting can potentially lead to helping them solve a problem.  And they will be shocked you aren’t pushing for more time. Often this approach results in a role reversal, where the prospect is wanting more of your time to discuss their needs, a nice bonus.

Either way, I promise you your rejection rate will dramatically drop and your appointments with qualified prospects will increase. 

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay tuned for Step 4 of filling your pipeline, where we will share how to remove the tension between you and your prospect.

Tom Stanfill

As Co-founder and CEO, Tom’s primary role is to create content that helps people live, sell, and serve more effectively. Find him on LinkedIn