Part 2 of a 2 part series
5) Prepare questions to move to the discussion step for your call.
Don't use a "benefit list" to present from. Instead, use it to create questions to determine if those "benefits" truly are of value to your prospects and customers.
Some "benefits" could actually be liabilities. After asking, be quiet. Resist the urge to jump in if they don't answer immediately. Don't be intimidated by silence. They're likely thinking about what they're going to say.
The key to this Step is two fold. First to ask the right questions and then listen, listen, listen. After they've finished, count to two (silently, of course). This insures they're done, plus they might continue with even better information. Be confident in your questioning. One reason agents ramble with questions is that they're not prepared or confident. Prepare your questions. Role play them with yourself if necessary. Always know where you'll go with answers. Regardless of the answer. Active listening creates reflective questioning and the quality of the question is measure by the results. Without a script, it's too easy to leave something out or go off on a tangent. Once again, it's not that you'll be reading your script word for word when you call, but that you've prepared the framework of the cold call in advance.
6) Resist the tendency to present.
Sometimes we get so excited when we hear the slightest hint of an opportunity, that we turn on the spigot of benefits. Learn to hold off, ask a few more questions, get better information, and you're able to craft an even harder-hitting description of benefits, tailored precisely to what they're interested in.
7) Ask for an appointment at a specific time when cold calling.
Say, "Would Wednesday at 11 a.m. be a good time to meet?" instead of saying, "Can I meet with you to discuss this next week?"
8) Remember that gatekeepers are your allies not your foes.
Be pleasant to whoever picks up the phone or is guarding the inner sanctum when cold calling. Develop strategies to get the gatekeeper on your side. Sometimes asking, "I wonder if you could help me?" will help you get the information you need, such as the name of the right person to talk to or when the best time to contact the prospect is. Learning the names of gatekeepers and being friendly when cold calling helps, too.
9) Smooth the way for your cold call by using emails, web sites and even faxes.
This helps break the ice and makes your business stand out from the crowd. When we call, they say, "Oh yeah....you were the one that sent me that..."
10) Getting Commitment (Closing)
This is not the major event in a sales call. It's the natural, logical, validation of the professional sales process up to this point. But you still must ask. Commitment must be gained on every contact in order to move the process forward. If there is to be a follow-up contact, and information is to be sent or faxed, there must be commitment on behalf of the prospect regarding that material.
11) Be persistent when cold calling.
"Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact, yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call". And above all, practice, practice, practice. While cold calling may never be much fun for you, you can get better at it, and the more you practice cold calling, the more effective a sales tactic it will be. So get your script and your call list together and reach for the phone. The people who want to do business with you are out there - but you have to let them know about you first.
As a sales professional using the phone as your main method of communication, you perform a function that very few people in the world could do well, or would even want to try. And that's persuading someone to take action and make a decision, based almost solely on the words and ideas that come from your mouth. It's quite an awesome feat when you think about it. And do think about it. It takes a talented individual to be able to do that well. You are that person. Feel proud of what you do, and always strive to get better!
Happy Dialing
John
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