How (and when) to Text Your Prospects

These days people are less inclined to answer calls from numbers they don’t have saved. Thus, sending a simple text is a strategy that solves that problem. Here are some tips and strategies you can leverage to maximize your success with texting! 

Get Permission Before Texting

The #1 rule of texting in sales is to always get permission before you text a prospect. And asking for permission doesn’t have to be a huge event. It can be as simple as asking upfront, “Do you mind if I shoot you a quick follow up text later?”

Additionally, texting should never be your first touch, and you should never text a prospect before taking the time out to actually speak with them.  According to HubSpot, the likelihood of connecting with a prospect decreases by about 40%, if you text a prospect before speaking with them! 

In a recent poll, we found that most salespeople are already texting to increase their chances of reaching a prospect. In fact, over 60% of our network on LinkedIn say they regularly use texting to reach out to prospects. 

One of the reasons we think texting is so popular is because it gives you the opportunity to provide the prospect with more information, thus increasing the likelihood that they will respond. 

Here’s a test to prove this point:

Which of these scenarios would you be more responsive to?

1. (123) 456- 7890 - a random number calling. 

OR

2. "Hey Sam, it’s Hannah from Seamless.AI. We spoke yesterday about your issue with moving leads to your CRM. I have some more info that could help with that. Are you free tomorrow so I can further explain?"

The text message in Scenario #2  is stronger and more engaging, right?

With Scenario #1, a phone call, there’s multiple hoops you have to jump through to get your message to the prospect. The prospect  has to choose to pick up the phone in order to receive the message in the first place. And if they don’t pick up the phone, and you leave a voicemail, they have to choose to listen to it or delete it. 

With a text like Scenario #2, all the information is right there for the prospect to see. They don’t have to go online or answer the phone. 

Of the two scenarios, texting is always super convenient for the prospect.  

Another big question with texting is when is the right time to text? Some prospects won’t mind getting texts in the evening or on the weekends. And some prefer receiving texts during business hours. Whatever time you end up choosing to text, make sure you get the prospect’s approval BEFORE you try it. And before you get ready to shoot out a text, always check the prospect’s time zone. Accidentally texting them at the crack of dawn is going to get their day off to a bad start and it’s going to make you and your business look bad. 

Always Add Value in Text

When it comes to content, and what to include in your text messages–always deliver value with every text. Never send a vague text where you are just “checking in” because that won’t get you anywhere. You should be adding value, offering something of substance or adding a call to action, every single time.  

In thinking about what to write, here’s some different situations where it’s perfectly appropriate to text a prospect:

• After a missed call 
• To set up a meeting 
• To create solutions
• To thank a prospect for their time
• To explain a deal 
• To answer a question 

Let’s see what a couple of these scenarios would look like in more detail.

Create Solutions

If you have an understanding of the prospect’s needs, create solutions based on their pain points, and shoot them a quick text explaining how you can solve it. 

Here’s an example of this:

“I remember you mentioned how hard it is to transfer leads to your CRM. 

I found a way to solve that for you, all you need to do is…”

Set up a Meeting Text

Setting up a meeting via text can be less time-consuming and more efficient than the back-and-forth of emailing or playing phone tag. Texting allows you to get right down to business and suggest specific dates and times for meetings for your prospect to either accept or decline. 

Let’s say you’ve already had a discovery call. As an example, this could be a potential follow-up text in order to set up the meeting:

“Hi Alex, it’s Hannah from Seamless.AI! How are you?  

We spoke briefly on the phone last week about your lead generation strategy. 

Let’s schedule a quick demo this week to discuss it further with one of our account executives. 

How does Wednesday at 2PM EST work for you?” 

Summary

So as a re-cap, it’s okay to reach out via text when it’s appropriate. 

The two most important rules to remember are:

1. Get permission 
2. Add value to every text message 

If you need some writing inspiration, check out this list of sales text templates for various situations. We hope this helps!