Yup – we’re back to cold calling. I know exactly why you hate it so much. It’s the introduction – breaking the ice – that makes things rough. You don’t really want to make the call and the person on the other end really doesn’t want to listen to you.

So what do you need to do in order to a) make your life easier and b) keep your potential prospect on the phone? Try doing the following right at the beginning of each call:

1. Let your prospect know exactly how much time you need – 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Whatever it is – be true to your word.
2. Make sure your prospect knows why you’re calling – to set up an appointment review something, provide information, or to make a sale.
3. Tell your prospect why he should stay on the phone. Relate your call to something he is familiar with – a previous phone conversation you’ve had or an informational package you mailed the week before.

Getting your clients to relate to your call is paramount. The sooner you can do so the more likely it is they’ll be willing to stay on the phone and hear what you have to say. Are they too busy to talk? Set up a better time to call back. Keep your phone calls quick and to the point. Doing so will ensure you don’t waste the valuable time of your prospects – or your own!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

Trust me when I say I know how difficult it is to sit down at your desk on a Monday morning, pick up the phone, and start making phone calls. I’d like to help you get started this week by giving you an idea you can use to motivate yourself.

I want you to go to your filing cabinet (or drawer, or crate under your desk – whatever you use) and pull out the files of your biggest and best clients. Place them on your desk in a spot where they’ll be out of your way while still remaining in your line of sight as you make phone calls.

Seeing the files of your best clients as you make calls will actually motivate you subconsciously. Seeing those files will give you the drive to continue dialing that phone until you reach a prospect that has the potential to be your next big client.

Maintain that focus and you won’t lose your momentum after the first few unsuccessful calls.

PS – The only drawback to this technique is that you might think of something you want to do for the client you’ve been looking at throughout your calls. Resist the urge to stop your calling in order to do something. Make a note and put it to the side for later on!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

On Friday I asked you to take a look at the number of phone calls you would need to make in order to close one sale. Calculating that number should have prepared you to sit down and start dialing again – this time with a specific coal in mind.

What I’d like you to do today, however, is make sure you have a great “cold calling plan.” Cold calling is about more than picking up the phone, hoping you get the right person on the line, and reading from your script. Here are the five things you need to do in order to be successful:

• Identify your target market. Who, out of everyone in the world, is most likely to want what you have to offer? Out of those people, who is most likely to actually make a purchase.
• Create your sales message in advance and practice it. Make sure that you write your message out the way you would speak – not as if you were writing a letter or email. Otherwise you’ll sound as if you’re reading from a script. Remember, the first 10-25 seconds of your message are the most important. You’ll either earn the attention of your prospect or you’ll earn a hang-up!
• Practice what you want to say out loud. Cold calling is very difficult, especially for new salespersons. Practice in the mirror, with friends or family, or with coworkers. Make sure you are comfortable and confident before you try to make your presentation.
• Start dialing. As we’ve already discussed, you won’t get any results unless you keep dialing the phone. Plan your cold calling time just as you would any other meeting or event. Add it to your calendar if you have to.
• Keep track of your results. Make sure you know how many times you’ve dialed, how many messages you left (and how many returned your call), how many people you reached on the first try, how many people rejected you immediately, and how many people were interested in what you have to say. You will, of course, want to track how many of those contacts actually turn into customers!

Prepare for your cold calling experience in advance and you won’t feel so awkward when you pick up the phone!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

We’ve spoken quite a bit about cold calling and I still maintaining that using cold calls to prospect is an excellent way of generating business.

The problem most new sales people seem to have, however, is determing when to move from phone calls to face-to-face meetings.

The answer isn’t exactly cut and dry.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with conducting your entire sale over the phone. It is often more convenient to conduct business over the phone, especially if your prospect is understanding, doesn’t have time for a sales meeting, and knows what he wants. It’s also more cost effective if you would have to travel a significant distance (such as by plane) in order to meet with him.

On the other hand, not all prospects are imaginative and visual. They may be interested in what you have to say but seem as though they don’t know what questions to ask or how to go about doing business with you. In these cases, setting up a face-to-face meeting is imperative. You’ll need this opportunity in order to make the prospect comfortable with you, your company, and your product. Simply ask if you can set up a time to visit.

Of course, if the prospect you are speaking to is in the same town or general vicinity than there is really no excuse for not making an appointment to, at the very least, stop by and introduce yourself.

The key here is to remember that cold-calling is not the end all be all when it comes to making a sale. Use your best judgement and, if worst comes to worst, just ask if your prospect if he’d mind a visit. The worst he can say is no.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker