Cold Calling Tricks You Must Not Do - EVER

This one trick moved to the front of my mind as I was on the receiving end just now.

A seller called my office and got a hold of my assistant. Same seller really messed up the call and called back later ... with a disguised voice.

My opinion of this kind of tactic? Don't do it - ever. First of all in our office this kind of call is only good for a chuckle. We will not do business with them - and we do a lot of business with a lot of people who call our office. And yes, my assistant recognizes (and remembers) callers by their voices, even if they are disguised.

If people are going to try to deceive me on the phone, I know they will try to deceive me in person as well. That is the "character" of the caller -- and liars will lie, regardless of the venue. That's what they do.

Far better to screw up a cold call phone presentation, apologize and recover than to get caught up in a game of deception.

I can live with flawed phone presentations and mistakes. I won't work with liars and deceivers. Most "top dog" decision makers have the same thinking.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Cold Calling Challenges with Words Used by Sellers

During a recent consultation, I talked with a client about the terrific products and services he has to offer. Get a load of this, on average he finds he can reduce companies' monthly telecommunications expenses by 30% to 55%.

Holy cow! Half way through our call I was ready to sign up with him.

I asked, "What's the patter of your typical prospecting call?"

He said, "I introduce myself, my company, tell them how long we've been in business .. and then somewhere in there (sometimes sooner rather than later) the prospect says 'no thanks' and hangs up."

"Is there ever any mention of the monthly savings you have to offer if your product/service is a good fit for them?" I inquired.

"No," he said, "I save that bit of information for face-to-face appointments."

"Hmmmm ... which would you respond to, someone calling you out of the blue and telling you about their company or someone calling wondering if they could reduce some of your monthly expenses?"

The light bulb went on for him.

If the ups and downs of your cold calling presentation have yet to be illuminated, take time to think about the impact of your words on the listener. Seems like a simple thing to do, do it and you'll be surprised at what all you learn.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Always Cold Call the Company President?

Dave recently asked, "If I know the Chief Financial Officer is the decision maker I want to reach, should I still call the President's office first?"

With every decision it is a good idea to think through: what you have to lose and what you have to gain.

If you call the CFO first and he says "No" to an appointment, then you call his boss the President and get an appointment, you run the risk of really ticking off the CFO. After all you went over his head after he said "No', and even worse you scheduled with his boss.

If you call the President first, he may say "No" to meeting with you. Then, you call the CFO and you haven't caused any hard feelings.

Then, again you may call the President first and be referred to the CFO's office. This leaves you well positioned with a warm introduction from "the boss."

You may need to pick yourself up off the floor when you call the President first and he agrees to see you. This is what is called "ideal positioning" - who better to meet with than the person with unlimited check writing authority and decision making ability!

No matter how you slice it, you are well served when you call the President first.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Does This Work with Small & Mid Sized Companies Too?

Sure our cold calling practice, programs and products are geared toward calling the executive-level decision-makers of large companies -- b2b, that's business to business calls.

And, yes, these practices work well when you are cold calling small to mid-sized companies as well. They are even used for b2c, business to consumer calls. After all, consumers are decision makers too.

What will make cold calling "work" in your market segment is your ability to stop thinking and speaking like a seller and to start thinking and speaking like a buyer of your products and services.

One of my mentors illustrated the importance of this point with an example that was totally out of my realm of selling. He asked, "Why do hospitals buy lights for their parking lots?"

If you answer -- as a courtesy to employees and patients' families ... or ... so people can find their cars when it is dark ... you'd be wrong. The answer is "to avoid law suits."

The seller of lighting who really "gets" that the purchasing departments of hospitals don't give a hoot about aesthetic appeal of lighting; that they are not thinking about making life easier for people who park in their lots; and who really "gets" that hospitals purchase outdoor lighting as a way to stop "wrongful negligence" law suits ... will own the lighting market for hospitals. Everyone else will place a distant second.

Now, think about it, why do buyers really buy when they invest in your products and services. Don't know the answer? Pick up the phone, call one of your happy clients and ask them. Because, the right answer to this important question will increase your sales by multiples.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Responding to Your Cold-Call Prospect's Questions

Wouldn't you like to be able to call anyone you want to call and get face time with them?

Seems like "cold calling" should be as easy as that. However, reality is that people ask questions. This is only a problem when you feel obligated to answer those questions in a way that takes you waay off track and puts you in the position of losing the appointment.

Now, you're probably wondering, "Les, are you saying I should not answer my prospect's questions?" "Won't that come off as rude?"

Good point. You sure don't want to come off as being rude and you do want to address your prospect's concerns. The challenge is in how to respond in a way that satisfies the needs of both of you. That is in a way that makes your prospect feel taken care of and in a way that gets you in the door.

For the most part your prospect's real concern is this ... he or she wants to make sure face time with you has value. So when you answer the questions that come up during your cold calls, make sure your responses address this concern and redirect the conversation back to the goal of your call which is to schedule an appointment.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Can You Avoid Cold Calling Altogether?

I suspect the thought "is it really possible to never cold call again" keeps coming up because direct mail marketers launch their campaigns as the seasons change. And their "hook" is "direct mail is a way you can avoid your fear of cold calling."

Which begs the question, "can you build a business without using the cold calling as part of your selling strategy?"

Sure you can learn what it takes to entice someone to open up an envelope even when they toss the rest of their ennormous pile of unsolicited mail received daily. Sure you can learn the words to use to capture the attention of a reader who has dozens of pressing issues whirling about in their brains.

No doubt about it you can find a good list of prospects to send regular mailers to and prepare to send each person up to 27 pieces of mail before they buy. Absolutely you can figure out the written words that will compel your target audience to consider using your services. Direct marketers do this for a living and some of them make a very good living.

But, and this is a big "but" .... eventually someone is going to have to have a conversation with the prospects and clients with whom you are doing business. That's the nature of selling products and services to the people who need them. You've gotta dialog with them sometime ... to figure out what to put in a direct mail campaign, (which is actually a sales presentation in print.) to figure out how to sell to them, to identify and create new product offerings that meet their needs and wants.

As a sales professional you are gifted with the spoken word. So, why not learn the words to say when cold calling prospects and close your sales sooner rather than later? And complete the entire process in 90-seconds or less?

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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What Stops Cold Callers Cold?

Sales people are an unusually intelligent group of professionals. High achievers by nature.

You know what drives us nuts? Being on a hot trail of pursuit of a prospect only to be stopped cold by ... of all things ... a telephone.

How can that small lump of plastic, wires, and chips strike our heats with terror?

Our minds search for a rational explanation of this seemingly irrational fear that plagues us. Could it be that our hatred of the telephone and cold calls really procrastination or lack of organization in disguise?

This will encourage you ... all of the great cold callers that I know (me included) at one time or another hated, despised, and/or literally couldn't stomach cold calling. So, if this is where you are today, know you are in good company.

Fear of, hatred of, and loathing of cold calling pretty much boils down to this ... you don't know the words to say to conduct a great cold call. You are oh-so-comfortable when talking to prospects face-to-face. When you move this kind of conversation to the phone, you are operating without visual cues and left to rely on words alone.

The great news is that as a sales professional you are gifted with an ability to use words. Once you know the words to say, you'll be as accomplished on the phones as you are when selling in person.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Is My Problem Cold Calling Analysis Paralysis?

I just got off of the phone with a client who asked, "What's keeping me from getting to where I want to be in cold calling? I am good at what I do and close twice as many sales as my colleagues. But the phone stumps me. I believe I can get better I just don't see how."

Great observation! For those analytical thinkers among us here is the explanation that I learned from a colleague of mine who is a scientist. Quite literally, the steps of thought that take you from where you are now in cold calling to where you want to go in cold calling ... need to be built.

If we were to scan the brains of colleagues who are learning how to cold call high level decision makers we would see new pathways being created in the brain as they learned new thoughts. Cool huh?!

Learning quite literally builds the steps in your brain that allows your brain to believe in new outcomes. That's why you hear successful people talk about the importance of having a coach, a mentor, and or a team of counsellors accompany you on your journey to success. These are the people who know the steps to take because they have been there. These are the people who can help you build the path to your own success.

We created a product based on these very thoughts. Find out more at http://www.UCCISecrets.com (that stands for Ultimate Cold Calling Intelligence Secrets)

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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Cold Calling: Rules of Engagement

You'll know that you're ready to engage your cold calling prospect - when you have put to rest the desire to speak compulsively, rattle on incessantly, and talk about your company as though your company information is the "key" to earning the right to proceed and schedule an appointment.

When self-control is evident, then and only then are your ready to master the Cold Calling Rules of Engagement ... for the sales pro who wants to transition to a top down selling strategy.

Here are the rules:

Be polite.
But drop all social niceties, such as "how are you today" and "is this a good time for you to talk"

Be to the point.
But position your Top Dog prospect to make the decision. "I'm looking for time on your calendar to determine whether or not we can ..."

Be brief and make sure every word keeps you on target for an appointment.
Do this by following every statement that you make with a question that solicits input from your prospect.

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

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