Cold Calling Tips For Today

One of the difficulties people often have in any type of sales is the initial call. The Cold Call is the hardest part of any sale in any industry. Most people have a difficult time even picking up the phone, let alone saying the right things to get people interested. It is not rocket science to talk to people. If you follow a few key principles and have the right attitude, cold calling should not be a dreaded activity, it should be something you look forward to and thrive on.

Sell the appointment not the product

In most medium to high end sales situations, it is very rare to make a sale without a personal visit. In todays environment of web conferences and instant communication, the face to face might be declining slightly, but there is still nothing that beats human interaction in a sales situation. We need to get in front of people to get to the point of selling our program. Do not try to sell the product or all of its benefits over the phone. They are skeptical the minute they answer the phone. They have heard every pitch in the book about thousands of products and services. Your credibility is zero on the phone. Your credibility is much higher in person. Any claims you make and any benefits you talk about have a much higher amount of credibility in person, so why try to make them over the phone? How do you sell the appointment and not the product?????? In a nutshell, give them reasons to see you not reasons to buy your product or service. this will be worth your timeEvery person I have met with in your position has said they were glad they talked to me..You will definitely be glad you spent this time with me. You are selling when you are asking for an appointment. The currency you are asking for is simply their time, not dollars. People only have so much time to spend and you need to convince them that it is worth them spending their time with you.

Enthusiasm & Conviction

No one wants to talk to a monotone personality that is simply calling them because someone told them they had to make cold calls. Every single person we talk to could represent a minimum of $10,000 in your pocket. It is time to be excited when we talk to people. Prospects pick up on enthusiasm. Prospects pick up on conviction. They can hear it in your voice just like they can see it in your face when you are with them. If you are not enthusiastic when you call them and convinced that they should at least see you, then you are going to be far less successful. It is difficult to remain enthusiastic for several hours of sales calls, but it can be done. Joke with people, have fun with it, but most of all, be convincing that it is in their best interests to see you. If you are not convinced that they should see you and cannot be enthusiastic when you are talking to people, you either need to fake it or get out of the business immediately. You will not survive in sales without enthusiasm and conviction.

Persistence

If there is any spark of interest on their part, do not get off the phone without a solid appointment, even if it is a month from now. Do not let them put you off by the send me a proposal or send me some info stall tactic. We cannot write a proper proposal or send the right info without meeting with them and determining which program we need to put in front of them. I would never send a proposal to a prospect without either a phone conference with the decision maker or a face to face meeting with the prospect. It is a complete waste of time. How many great sales have been made in situations in which the prospect told the salesperson that they werent going to do anything until next year? Next year will never happen in sales. Someone is going to get in front of them with an offer they cant refuse. How many sales have been lost while salespeople waited patiently for them to evaluate their proposal.or meet with competitors.or get to their next budget period, etc. If there is any interest at all, we need to be in front of them and ask enough questions so that we can make them an offer they cant refuse.

Situations Change

According to business surveys, over 19% of the personnel at every business changes every single year. New managers, new owners, new competition, new decision makers. Change is constant in business. Any one of these changes can be advantageous for a salesperson. If you have a core group of prospects in your area and you have a dedicated contact plan, you should be able to get in the middle of these changes. Dont call people assuming that they will not be interested because they werent last time you called. Have enthusiasm every time you contact them because you never know what may have changed since the last time you talked to them. Once you secure an appointment, stop talking and get on to the next call. You have accomplished your goal. Everything you say has infinitely more impact in person than it does on the phone. When you are on a roll, keep going and get more appointments. If you get 10 nos in a row, go outside and stretch your legs for five minutes and get ready for your next round of calls. Maintain your enthusiasm. Maintain your excitement. Maintain your conviction.

Jeff Zellmer has been in sales and sales management for over 18 years and currently is President of LinkServ Golf.

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