Many small businesses will need to sell something eventually, but most people have negative reactions to cold-calls – both receiving and giving. Thanks to BusinessPOV and their 2 videos (Kings of Cold-Calling, Rookie Cold-Callers) here are 10 cold-calling sales tips to get you started.
- Change your mindset to accept the fact that you’ll get mostly “no’s”, but you’ll also get that 1 “yes” every 100-200 calls which will make it all worth it.
- It’s not a bad thing to be honest, give useful disclosure, and be friends with competitors – all lend credibility.
- Treat the gatekeepers (administrators, office managers, assistants, etc.) like the executives. They are paid to take your phone calls and determine what’s important.
- When you get on the phone: Greet, give your name, company, position, and what your company does. Ask for the meeting and wait for them to respond and start a conversation.
- In the beginning, write out a script so you have a fall-back, but don’t make the pitch sound too rehearsed. Over time, you’ll be able to move away from the script.
- If you can, address the gatekeeper’s pain points to get them on your side.
- Suggest the meeting times – don’t wait for them to look through their calendar.
- Make sure to get everyone’s names and use them. Be especially sure to get the name of the decision maker before you get transferred over.
- When leaving a voicemail – leave limited information (name and number). Keep them guessing about the purpose and they’ll more likely call back.
- Practice, practice, practice and don’t get discouraged!
Do you have any sales tips to share?
Happy Selling!
Justin
Other Two-Bit Posts
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
on Apr 16th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Those were some solid tips. There is nothing in the world more frustrating then a bad list of cold calls that has to be made. I think the database you are working from is the key, I realize it can’t be too promising a lead or it wouldn’t be a cold call but getting the ballpark is essential. I used to be into sales heavy and now got into Franchising. I made the switch after doing some research on FranchiseGator.com, check it out if you have a second.
on Apr 21st, 2007 at 12:15 am
All great points. For me, I like to “warm up” a bit before I pull out the real call list for the day. A great way to do it (an audition new “material” on a live, albeit usually unwilling, audience) is to grab the yellow pages and turn to any page…then smile and dial, baby. (Note: if your business is industry-specific, you may want to make your first few calls in a different city, or an area of the local yellow pages that does not contain your exact prospects).
No role-playing exercise among colleagues could polish your pitch better than doing five of these as a lead-off each and every day. You’ll learn the perry-and-thrust of working the gatekeeper, how to overcome the objection, and test-drive new techniques and facets of your pitch. Heck, you may even score a sale from an unlikely client in the process (but that is not the goal, so use it as it is intended).
Once you’ve done the warm up, you’re ready for your real prospects, where you can do some real good…for their business and yours.
M
P.S. Also, go buy a copy of “The Little Red Book Of Selling” by Jeff Gitomer. Best $20 you’ll spend on sales training.
on Apr 23rd, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Great tips Mike. Don’t forget to actually “smile” when you’re talking – it comes through on the phone
(I’m even smiling while writing this reply).
John bought the little red book and from what I’ve seen it looks really helpful and practical. Too bad he hasn’t finished reading it yet or we might be rich already
on May 15th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Excellent article. I particularly like the “treat the gatekeepers like executives” part. I’m so tired of the programs that suggest we manipulate gatekeepers and try to “get around” them.
I also agree with the limited-information voice mail. I get people to call me back by just leaving my name and phone number–not the reason for the call. For all they know, I’m a client!
Derek.
on May 15th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
It’s tough today to find good sales management strategies. I find Justin’s article very real world. I will give this one to my salespeople. We’ve been using long detailed emails. I can’t wait to try short ones.
on Nov 19th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
,..] http://www.twobitoperation.com is other must read source of tips on this topic,..]