Cold Calls = waste of Time!

Ever wondered why some salesman bother? Do they get results? The answer is do enough of just about anything and you’ll get some sort of result (we’ve all heard put enough monkeys on enough typewriters and you end up with Shakespeare- or is that just me?)

How many people must have been put off pursuing a career in sales because they couldn’t face calling total strangers and trying to sell them something that is totally inappropriate, or just trying to Persuade them to even just listen to them for a couple of minutes. Most would rather poke themselves in the eye with a dirty stick. How many sales people start sales calls with;

1)    I am just calling customers in your area/on our data base etc...... (make them feel special not one crowd)
2)    Hi Mr/Mrs how are you today.......(they may not have the time or personality for too much small talk with strangers).
3)    You don’t know me or my company but I thought you would like to buy from me anyway.... (well that’s probably what they hear between the lines)
4)    I know you’re very busy and fed up with time wasters trying to SELL to you but..... (Mmmm)

On my training courses we steer business and salesman away from cold calling completely, does this mean you can’t call potential customers who you have never contacted before? NO definitely not! Mmm how does that work then?

Ok let’s see how this works normally. The first thing you're going to need is a compelling BENEFIT for your potential customer remembering people/customers only buy benefits and only do things for their reasons ‘not ours’

Sounds easy enough doesn’t it? Well! If we haven’t spoken to this customer before, so we haven’t asked all those lovely open questions to expose their needs and desires, how can we propose our solution to their ‘obvious’ problem.....

We need to take several steps back, what do we need to know (or find out)?...
a)    Confident knowledge about the industry/market you are in
b)    Total comprehensive understanding of your company’s product marketing strategy
c)    Full understanding of what your USP (unique selling point) is
d)    Who are your customers/potential customers and how could they benefit from your product service?
e)    What are your competitors USP’s
f)    Do you fully understand your businesses S.W.O.T.? (strengths weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

Finally before calling your potential customer for the first time do your research to understand what they do, how they do it, what problems they are likely to have, what their needs are likely to be etc. Use primary direct enquiries as well as ‘covert’ discreet investigations. Use as many different  angles as you can start the call with as many possible ‘relevant’ benefits in your mind that could be appropriate and feasible BUT still keep an open mind remembering to listen rather than talk.

Steer clear of the obvious platitudes such as trying to sound like you have known them all your life until you have gained a comfortable rapport and make it sound like you have thought long and hard about the call and really feel ‘you may’ be able to help them, but until you get more information you won’t know for sure. Have something of real value to say when you call (value to them) if they’re too busy show empathy and arrange a suitable time to contact again. If you get through to ‘non decision makers’ find out as much as you can from them (it all helps)

Finally have in mind before you make the call;

1)    Several possible benefits that could be valuable to the potential customer
2)    An understanding of what the possible objections are likely to be and how you will handle them
3)    A primary objective, what you would ideally like to get out of the call, the more specific you can make this the better, picture it in great detail.
4)    A secondary objective to fall back, none of us like to fail do we?

Good luck

Nigel Heald