Cold Calling
I have heard over and over again that
cold-calling is dead. I do not believe it. Cold-calling is alive and
well and will last until the final sales representative makes the final
sales call just before judgment. So why do so many people want to get
rid of cold-calling. It is not an easy task.
When you cold-call, you are trying to communicate with someone who you do not know and who does not know you or your company. If this is a business-to-business call, your prospect has their job to do and gets enough distractions and communications without having to deal with you. If you are calling consumers, well, they have their lives to lead, and in many cases have been mislead by some sales person who called out-of-the-blue. I know in my case, sales representatives usually call when I am trying to either feed or put my children to bed. This is not a good time to sell me gutters.
This means you will receive a large dose of rejection. No one likes rejection. Thank about that time you wanted to ask that pretty girl out. Did you have a lump in your throat? Had you already heard her laugh at you over the phone in your head? Rejection is not pretty. We all want to be liked.
It is this fear of rejection that turns the phone into your enemy. Yes, that phone that is sitting there laughing at you. It just looks at you and shouts, “Why would anyone want to talk to you, and why would they want your service?”
So, how do you win at cold-calling? First, you have to come to grips with this fear of rejection. In my case, I do not take anything anyone says personally. I am doing a job, and in my mind, the service I represent brings value to my prospect. They need my product or service. It is my responsibility to tell them about this value.
Think about someone being in harm’s way. Wouldn’t you want to help them avoid the danger? Or think about how it feels to help someone. A friend of mine just finished a great job interview because I sent her a job posting. It made my day to hear her happiness come over the phone.
You have to have the same mindset when you start cold-calling. These guys need my service or product. I’m trying to help them.
It also helps to have a system in place. I either use a customer relationship manager software or an Excel spreadsheet to help me know who to call and when. I try to be careful in building this list only including companies or individuals who I believe could use my product or service. If you are calling consumers, make sure you use a service that tells you if they are on a “Do not call list.”
Then, each day, my tool tells me who I need to call. It also gives me a history of past call dates and times. I keep a record of conversations, so when I get someone on the phone, I can remember what was said and other personal or company information. This helps establish a relationship and turns a cold-call into a sales call.
You also need a headphone connected to your phone. Something happens when you hang a phone up. You get the feeling you need to have a conversation with a co-worker, or buy a drink or get coffee or a snack. In other words, you want to waste time and get away from that evil telephone. Don’t do it. Instead, have the headphone so all you do is enter the phone number and push some buttons to call and hang up. You want to be a phone calling machine, one call after another.
You also need to have a script of what will be said if you contact someone, and what message to leave if you get voice mail.
Now that voice mail thing. Many believe leaving a voice mail is a waste of time and serves no purpose. In my mind, a brief message left on voice mail is like free advertising. Also, once you do get that person on the phone, you are no longer a stranger. You are the guy that left the message. Your voice mail should be brief. You should have some hook, like,” We are giving away free puppies….” Not really, but you get my drift. You mention your name, the company name, and then slow down. Give your phone number slowly once, then again. Finally repeat yours and the company’s name.
If you are lucky enough to get someone on the phone, you have 15 seconds or less to get their attention. Make sure you say something like, “Would you like to increase your sales by 25%?” “Do you want your execution in the store to reach 95%?” Listen to their answer, and then have some prepared responses. Have a goal in mind that you want the call to achieve. Do you want to schedule a phone or face-to-face meeting for yourself or a sales person? Do you want them to check out your web site?
If they are not interested now, get them to commit to a time when you can contact them again. Get their e-mail address so you can send information, reminders, and news. Send a thank you note after the call. If they are not the right contact, find out who you do need to call. Get a phone number and e-mail address.
As a business development director, I have used these techniques to penetrate companies like TomTom@work, Mercedes Benz, and others. The system works to get meetings and to find information, like who is the decision maker.
Cold-calling is not dead. It should be one of your methods of finding new business. It is hard and it takes a tough skin, but the reward is worth the effort.
Charlie Rudd Corporate Developments.
When you cold-call, you are trying to communicate with someone who you do not know and who does not know you or your company. If this is a business-to-business call, your prospect has their job to do and gets enough distractions and communications without having to deal with you. If you are calling consumers, well, they have their lives to lead, and in many cases have been mislead by some sales person who called out-of-the-blue. I know in my case, sales representatives usually call when I am trying to either feed or put my children to bed. This is not a good time to sell me gutters.
This means you will receive a large dose of rejection. No one likes rejection. Thank about that time you wanted to ask that pretty girl out. Did you have a lump in your throat? Had you already heard her laugh at you over the phone in your head? Rejection is not pretty. We all want to be liked.
It is this fear of rejection that turns the phone into your enemy. Yes, that phone that is sitting there laughing at you. It just looks at you and shouts, “Why would anyone want to talk to you, and why would they want your service?”
So, how do you win at cold-calling? First, you have to come to grips with this fear of rejection. In my case, I do not take anything anyone says personally. I am doing a job, and in my mind, the service I represent brings value to my prospect. They need my product or service. It is my responsibility to tell them about this value.
Think about someone being in harm’s way. Wouldn’t you want to help them avoid the danger? Or think about how it feels to help someone. A friend of mine just finished a great job interview because I sent her a job posting. It made my day to hear her happiness come over the phone.
You have to have the same mindset when you start cold-calling. These guys need my service or product. I’m trying to help them.
It also helps to have a system in place. I either use a customer relationship manager software or an Excel spreadsheet to help me know who to call and when. I try to be careful in building this list only including companies or individuals who I believe could use my product or service. If you are calling consumers, make sure you use a service that tells you if they are on a “Do not call list.”
Then, each day, my tool tells me who I need to call. It also gives me a history of past call dates and times. I keep a record of conversations, so when I get someone on the phone, I can remember what was said and other personal or company information. This helps establish a relationship and turns a cold-call into a sales call.
You also need a headphone connected to your phone. Something happens when you hang a phone up. You get the feeling you need to have a conversation with a co-worker, or buy a drink or get coffee or a snack. In other words, you want to waste time and get away from that evil telephone. Don’t do it. Instead, have the headphone so all you do is enter the phone number and push some buttons to call and hang up. You want to be a phone calling machine, one call after another.
You also need to have a script of what will be said if you contact someone, and what message to leave if you get voice mail.
Now that voice mail thing. Many believe leaving a voice mail is a waste of time and serves no purpose. In my mind, a brief message left on voice mail is like free advertising. Also, once you do get that person on the phone, you are no longer a stranger. You are the guy that left the message. Your voice mail should be brief. You should have some hook, like,” We are giving away free puppies….” Not really, but you get my drift. You mention your name, the company name, and then slow down. Give your phone number slowly once, then again. Finally repeat yours and the company’s name.
If you are lucky enough to get someone on the phone, you have 15 seconds or less to get their attention. Make sure you say something like, “Would you like to increase your sales by 25%?” “Do you want your execution in the store to reach 95%?” Listen to their answer, and then have some prepared responses. Have a goal in mind that you want the call to achieve. Do you want to schedule a phone or face-to-face meeting for yourself or a sales person? Do you want them to check out your web site?
If they are not interested now, get them to commit to a time when you can contact them again. Get their e-mail address so you can send information, reminders, and news. Send a thank you note after the call. If they are not the right contact, find out who you do need to call. Get a phone number and e-mail address.
As a business development director, I have used these techniques to penetrate companies like TomTom@work, Mercedes Benz, and others. The system works to get meetings and to find information, like who is the decision maker.
Cold-calling is not dead. It should be one of your methods of finding new business. It is hard and it takes a tough skin, but the reward is worth the effort.
Charlie Rudd Corporate Developments.
No comments:
Post a Comment