1. Social Selling:
Referrals & Trigger Events

2. WHY: Because prospects are tough. This is a way to buy precious seconds where they are open and
receptive to what you have to say.
When: First contact with DM, or trying to locate DM
How:
1. Find a Name
2. Get’em LIVE
3. Use the referral – Get that DM
WHY: Stand out from the 100 other sales calls your DM received today; prove that you are relevant
and well informed.
When: First contact with DM, or trying to locate DM
How:
1. Subscribe to news sources on your prospect (InsideView, Google Alerts, Twitter)
2. Integrate into your introduction
Referral Selling
2
Trigger Events

3. Find a Name
Get a Name, any way you can. The higher the better; whose email would you answer
faster, one referencing Kevin’s name, or mine? What if Patricia’s name was in the
subject line?
Where to find Names:
 Domain Tools
 Google Alerts/Insideview News
 Company Website: Management Team
 Salesforce
 Jigsaw
 LinkedIn*
 Google**
*If emails are not getting a response, try requesting a connection on LinkedIN
**Using Google Maps can sometimes yield a direct line when there is not one listed on
other sources
}These sources have hard to find names, but can take
significantly longer to utilize.

4. Call your Name, make them a reference…
- Remember, the higher the better
- When speaking to the GK, be professional but firm:
- “Good morning, this is Asaad Bhamla with Business.com calling for XXX”
- GK: And who may I tell him is calling?
- “Yes please, you may tell him Asaad Bhamla from Business.com is on the phone. YYY asked me to call
them in regards to the online marketing…”
- Be courteous and respond to all questions. Warm up a GK and they will give you valuable
information: DM schedule, email address, direct line. Always shoot to get following info:
- Full name + Correct spelling
- Email
- Direct line
- Title
- Ask for help/direction
- “I was hoping you could point me in the right direction please?”
- “I got lost in your phone tree, I was looking for…”**
- “I want to make sure I was reaching out to the appropriate person, is XXX responsible for the online
marketing for the site?”
- OR, assume they are the DM. They will tell you that they are not – and hopefully who is. This
works well if they are the CEO etc. and have delegated that responsibility to an employee.
- (doesn’t handle online advertising) “Oh, and who would be the appropriate contact ?”
Get ‘em LIVE!
4

5. Contact the DM
How to use your “referral”
 Leverage that name in voicemails and emails to increase open rates – nothing better
than a returned email or voicemail! (ex. PConley’s return VM)
 Use that referral to get around hostile GKs
 Tell the DM someone has referred you down to them and you’re more likely to keep
them on the phone
 Once you get your DM on the phone, make sure you are well informed about their
business:
 Tools:
 Google Alerts
 Insideview
 Company website: Press Releases
 Trigger Events to look for:
 M&A
 New product launch
 Awards & Accolades
 Work in trigger events to your intro: “I was reaching out to you because I saw that you
just launched a new B2B product. The purpose of my call was to see if reaching a
targeted business audience is something you would want…
Trigger Events

6. Social Calling: Turn your digital contacts in to real relationships
Call your LinkedIn connections
 When you connect with a customer online, make sure to follow up the invitation with a
short phone call. Make it a personal relationship, not just a digital one.
 This opens the door to ask for future calls based on trigger events, or ask for referrals
to other prospects.
 Spend 30 minutes every day on Social Media
 Update LinkedIn connections
 Reach out to contacts, by phone or email
 This will slowly expand your network, as well as improve the quality of your
relationships. This will let you take greater advantage of digital networking to drive
new business!
Next Steps:

7. Social Calling: Turn your digital contacts in to real relationships
Call your LinkedIn connections
 When you connect with a customer online, make sure to follow up the invitation with a
short phone call. Make it a personal relationship, not just a digital one.
 This opens the door to ask for future calls based on trigger events, or ask for referrals
to other prospects.
 Spend 30 minutes every day on Social Media
 Update LinkedIn connections
 Reach out to contacts, by phone or email
 This will slowly expand your network, as well as improve the quality of your
relationships. This will let you take greater advantage of digital networking to drive
new business!
Next Steps: