"Holy S*#t, They Actually Answered! Now What?!?" (Surviving First Contact and Beyond)

Congrats - you did it! You got a prospect on the phone! Ok, now what? Here are some guidelines for surviving first contact.

The Golden Rules

1. Listen exponentially more than talk

2. Take notes like your job depends on it (it does)

3. Control your excitement (don't sound like a puppy)

4. Stay curious, not pushy

What To Do

• Confirm their title and role

• Ask open-ended questions about their challenges

• Listen for trigger words ("frustrated," "difficult," "wish")

• Validate their time ("I know you're busy")

• End with clear next steps

What Not To Do

• Start pitching features

• Talk over them

• Pretend you know their business

• Get defensive when challenged

• Try to close for a meeting too early

Questions That Work

• "What's prompting you to take this call?"

• "How are you handling [specific challenge] now?"

• "What happens if this doesn't get fixed?"

• "Who else is impacted by this?"

Emergency Exits

• Prospect starts ranting: "Tell me more about that"

• Going off track: "Going back to what you said about..."

• Technical issues: "Should we reconnect in 5?"

• Getting stonewalled: "Is this not a priority right now?"

The Exit Strategy

• Summarize what you heard

• Confirm next steps

• Send follow-up email within 5 minutes

• Update your CRM immediately

Remember: First contact is about them, not you. Your job is to listen, learn, and chart the path forward.

That's it for this series on building a successful sales career. If you found this helpful, share it with someone who's just starting out. We all could have used advice like this when we were getting started.