Here’s a quick sales tip to get you started this week.

We’ve discussed the best time of day to call prospects in the past. Usually if you call early in the day you have a better chance of getting the person you really want to speak to on the phone.

But what if you can’t call first thing in the morning?

No matter what time of day you’re making your calls, remember this – call them at the bottom of the hour.

What?! Why?!

Because almost everyone schedules their meetings and appointments on the hour, every hour. It’s human nature. With this in mind, it’s pretty safe to say that the average person will be in his or her office during the bottom half of the hour, either catching up on missed work or preparing for the next meeting.

Busy businesspersons don’t always have 1-2 hour long meetings. They often have brief meetings throughout the day, so the odds of you catching him or her are greater during these times. There will, of course, be times when you call and they’re still in another meeting, and that’s OK. Just try again later on.

Of course, this can work the other way around as well. If you have bad news, call when you think your prospect or client is going to be in a meeting and you will buy yourself some time before you have to deliver that news!

Take alook at your marketing list? Is there anyone you really want/need to reach? Try this theory out for yourself and see how it goes!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

Cold calling earned its name for a reason. Salespersons who make unsolicited calls are often met with a cold attitude that belongs in some sort of arctic climate. There are, however, a few things you can do to make cold calling work for you. Here are a few suggestions.

Send an Informational Packet

Make a list of strong potential clients and mail out some informational packets before you start your cold calling. Include a small promotional item or gift that will make you stand out from the crowd. When you make your call you’ll be able to mention your package and, hopefully, the person you’re speaking to will already know who you are. You’ve essentially broken the ice before even picking up the phone!

Make Your Calls Early in the Day

Make your cold calls as early in the day as possible. The later you wait, the more likely your intended target will be busy, frustrated, or simply unwilling to take your call. He or she will feel more energized and less stressed first thing in the morning. Make your morning hours for phone calls and save your paperwork for the afternoon when both you and your prospects will be too burnt out to keep taking or making phone calls.

Be Persistent

Did you know that most salespersons cross a name off their list after making only two phone calls? Did you know that the majorit of sales are made after making not two, not three, but FIVE phone calls? That’s a huge and significant difference – and should be enough to keep you dialing.

Prepare a Script

I hesitate to tell you to prepare a script for your call. While you don’t want to sound like you’re reading from a piece of paper you also don’t want to leave out any important points. At the very least, make a list of all of the key features and benefits of your products. Just try to avoid sounding like you’re reading from a book.

Cold calling is, again, not fun for most people – especially those who are just starting out in sales. With a little practice, though, I think you’ll get the hang of it in no time flat.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

I hated cold calling when I first started out in sales.

So much so, in fact, I often hoped I wouldn’t get a real person on the phone. I used to live for hearing the beep of a voicemail box. I truly believed that karma was helping me out. After all, if the guy on the other end was really interested in hearing what I had to say he’d call me back, right? Wrong.

This type of system isn’t very productive. It certainly feels productive having made hundreds of calls in a day, but you’re really only playing with numbers and in the end you’re simply lying to yourself.

You’ve got to find a way to make the voicemail experience work for you. For starters, you need to take action when you hear this famous phrase at the end of the message: “If you need immediate assistance, please dial 0 for the operator.”

What are you waiting for? Dial 0.

When you dial 0 you’ll likely get a receptionist and you should take advantage of this opportunity to gather additional information. Ask the receptionist if she knows where the person you are trying to reach is, when he’ll be back in his office, or if he’s out for the day. If she simply doesn’t know, ask if someone near him knows where he might be. If that doesn’t work, ask if the company has a paging system or if there is a cell phone number you can have.

You’d be surprised at how often receptionists are willing to readily hand out information you might yourself guard with your life. There are really only two outcomes to this situation:

1. You’ll either get in touch with the person you’re trying to reach, or
2. You’ll ask to be transferred back to voicemail and leave the message you planned to leave the first time.

Hopefully, however, you’ll hang up the phone with information that will leave you better armed for a second call. Perhaps you know when your prospect will return from vacation, or when he’ll be out of the meeting. You might’ve even asked what time of day he begins work so that you can make an early morning call before he gets too busy.

The point is that you need to take advantage of every opportunity your cold calling experience hands you. Just because you can’t get a prospect on the phone the first time doesn’t mean it will never happen. You need to remain focused and determined. Eventually, you’ll make contact!

Happy Calling,

Sean

Sean McPheat

Telephone 0800 849 6732