Have you ever been given the task of building a prospect list for an industry or title that’s seemingly impossible to finish successfully? We’ve all had those lists that are mentally, physically and emotionally draining. I like to compare these lists to a bad break up: you keep reaching out and trying to connect but get nothing in return.

When I started as a Data Services Associate at LeadJen, I encountered a lot of lists like that. No matter how often I jumped right in and gave it my all, I came out empty handed. I decided I had to develop a process for myself that would give me the results I needed. I tried changing my voice, calling in rounds, skipping accounts and coming back to them, anything that could deliver better results. Nothing seemed to work. Then I thought, why don’t I just adopt a very honest style.

It worked, so I wanted to share it with you. Since I do a lot of my calling into hospitals, I’ll detail how my approach works when calling into this environment.

  • Say the operators name (if you know it). Most operators at hospitals don’t say their name when they pick up, but if you find a hospital that’s small enough, you might be able to find out the operator’s name before you call. Leading with “Hi Mary, ….”adds a personal touch that the operator is sure to appreciate.
  • Start off with what you want from the operator. Most operators are trained to connect you to the right person, but because of the volume of calls they get, they have to do it quickly. I always start off by telling them what I need—emails and titles—before asking for a transfer. Once they hear the word“transfer,” you’re likely to get transferred before having a chance to ask for the information you need. Also, it’s not important to give them your name, company and the reason you are calling. If they want to know that, they will ask.
  • Follow up with a secondary question if you need to. Once I get the email information from the operator, I often can ask if the person has an admin and what his/her name is. Too many times I have asked to be connected to a Chief Nursing Officer named Dan and gotten a voicemail of a Shelly. Then I have to call back to confirm that Shelly is actually Dan’s admin and not some random wrong number. That’s a wasted dial having to call back.

Operators are used to giving out contact information and transferring calls. Knowing how to quickly and cheerfully ask for this information can help you build hospital prospect lists efficiently and accurately.

 

Written By Destiny Loyd, Assistant Manager, Data Services at LeadJen