Real World Cold Calling - How to
Find Your Inner sales Person
By Sarah Salus
For those of us not naturally disposed to sales, the prospect of cold
calling can be compared with the most unappealing, stress-inducing tasks.
For a time, I was reluctant to pick up the phone for fear of rejection and
making a gibbering fool of myself. It seemed to me that cold calling was a
generally unwelcome intrusion on other people’s lives. But, having observed
the results of cold calling firsthand, I am confident in declaring it a
valuable sales tool for any small or medium sized business.
The fact is, if you want to increase awareness about your business, cold
calling is an option worth considering. The thought of phoning a total
stranger may drive you under the desk in fear, but with a little
determination and patience it is possible to find an approach that suits
you. Once you get started it’s amazing how quickly a list of prospects can
metamorphose into a pipeline of potential clients.
Not everyone is a natural salesperson, I for one, am not. When I started
cold calling the thought of conversing on the phone with a complete stranger
made me queasy. I was taught traditional sales speak - how to ask a
fail-safe question (you know the type; “are you interested in saving money
on your monthly phone bills?”). The intention is that no one in his or her
right mind would say “No”. Clever as it seemed, the whole idea of creating a
“trap” made me extremely uneasy.
Often, the people I spoke to were senior level professionals with little
time for cold callers and annoying questions. Despite my many attempts at
sales-speak techniques, my obvious discomfort prevailed and eventually I
resorted to my own methods. Mainly, this involved finding a way to connect
with the individual in a way that a) I was comfortable with, and b) would be
relevant and interesting to them.
When you do get around to making that first call, you may only have a few
minutes to create an impression, so before you pick up the phone, it’s worth
considering the following:
Consider Whom You Are Speaking To - Like any marketing effort,
if the message isn’t relevant to the audience, they are unlikely to pay
attention. Make sure the person at the end of the line is the buyer of the
product or service you are offering. This might require a few background
phone calls to learn the name of the correct person and their job title.
Know What You Are Offering And Why - To ensure what you say is
meaningful to the person you are calling, you need to know; a) what you are
selling, and b) why the individual might want to buy it. Don’t be fuzzy with
the details, get straight to the point and explain your product or service
in a way that is meaningful to them. One of my techniques is to personalize
the conversation, for instance: “I noticed in the news that you have
recently expanded your operations, and I wondered whether you might be
thinking about reviewing your marketing materials to announce the changes to
your customers.”
Know What You Want To Achieve - By the end of the call you
will hope to have closed a sale, landed a meeting or received a request for
more information. Whatever you hope to achieve, figure it out before you
pick up the phone. That way you can measure the effectiveness of your
attempts by recording the number of successes.
Practice Speaking Before You Pick Up The Phone - There’s
nothing worse than hearing the tremble in your voice as you set out on your
shaky, verbal pitch. No one will want to do business with someone who sounds
uncertain about the product they are selling. Practice on a friend or
colleague first; ideally with someone who will give an objective opinion and
constructive feedback.
Don’t Sound Like a Broken Record - Some people like to use a
script. I always found it helpful to “prepare” a script and have one on
hand, just in case. However, sounding like you have repeated the same words
a thousand times is not a particularly enticing tactic, so try to keep your
dialogue fresh.
Be Comfortable In Your Environment - Choose a setting that
will help optimize your productivity. Make sure the people or items around
you aren’t creating a negative distraction; for instance, if you are
uncomfortable calling in front of your peers, find a quiet spot where you
won’t be interrupted. Have everything you need within reach - pen, paper,
computer, script - whatever you need so that you aren’t left scrambling
around while trying to appear composed.
Establish a Database of Prospects - Recording information
about your contacts as you go along will help you to keep track of your
progress. Before you start, create a system for recording every detail so
that you can refer back to your last point of contact before making a
follow-up call. Database software is available to purchase, or you can start
with your own more basic system with a spreadsheet.
Understand That a Cold Call Doesn’t Always Lead to Immediate Success -
It might take months to gain interest or land a meeting with your prospect.
Some of my most successful accomplishments have taken months, sometimes
years of relentless catch-ups, quick calls and reminder notes sent in the
post. Prospects often respect persistence (as long as it is not obtrusive)
from someone that shows a keen interest in their business.
Do What’s Right for You - Lastly, don’t give up! The worst
that can happen is a firm “no thank you”. The best - a new customer.
Whatever happens, you loose nothing in trying. So be positive, smile (it
helps, honestly) and have faith in yourself.
Sarah Salus is a copywriter for the marketing & communications
industry in Calgary. For more information email:
sarahsalus@hotmail.com |
