Can I throat punch you?

“Can you jump on a quick 15 minute call today so I can learn more about your credit union and your objectives?”

Can I throat punch you?

No.  You cannot have 15 minutes of my time. Each day I receive an average of 16 variations of this request between voicemail, email, and LinkedIn messages. If I complied, this would mean giving up 4 hours a day providing they really only kept me for the agreed upon 15 minutes.

When I recently complained about the number of these requests I receive on a LinkedIn post, I quickly found I was not alone. Others posted feeling equally frustrated. One tactic repeatedly mentioned was receiving a request to connect on LinkedIn followed immediately with a lengthy message about their services and how the next step should be to “jump on a quick call”.

One issue I have with the “jump on a quick call” approach is they are not taking the time to learn about me or my credit union. Instead, after sending their email template, they ask me to give up my time to tell them how they can best help my credit union. It feels like they are asking me to do their homework for them.

I don’t dislike sales people. I understand they’re just trying to do their job but I think the tactics being used by some are not only irritating for those on the receiving end but are likely not resulting in many sales calls. I just think there are far better ways to make a valuable connection with a credit union decision maker than the “jump on a call” with me approach.

Before making your sales call, email, or direct message – do the homework and build the relationship.

CUInsight alone provides a mountain of information for a consultant to learn about the challenges a credit union may be facing and which of their solutions would make the credit union more successful. At a minimum, google the exact credit union you are targeting and read their about page.

Leverage your network. Use LinkedIn to see what mutual connections you might have. Maybe one of your best clients is connected to the person you are targeting and they would be willing to make an introduction for you. Ask your customers for referrals.

Consider establishing yourself as the expert on the problem your product solves. Step on stage and share expert advice at a chapter dinner or at a break out session of a league annual meeting. Write regular articles with valuable information for CUInsight. Share your knowledge on Linkedin by posting relevant information consistently. You may never have to cold call again, because we will be calling you.

Consultants who not only advertise in our industry magazines but also attend credit union conferences, league annual meetings, chapter dinners, and networking events become known and recognized. I am much more likely to return a sales call to someone I have met in person.

Sales reps who are invested in our industry, have built a relationship with our credit union and who have provided us with valuable information, advice, or content without any kind of initial ask are the ones we call back. These are professionals who are investing in us before asking us to invest in them.  These are not the same vendors filling up the junk email folder with requests to jump on a “quick call”.

So no, I won’t jump on your quick call and I’m not replying to your LinkedIn message. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Editor’s note: CUInsight provides great ways to connect with and provide value to the credit union audience without cold calling. Drop us a note if you’d like to learn more.