Cold Calling Tools: June 2008

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Cold Calling: Conquer F.E.A.R. and Capture Profits

Contrary to popular belief “FEAR” doesn’t mean “Forget Everything … And Run”!

But, what are you supposed to do when negative thoughts creep in, force you to live in stress, and cancel out peace of mind?

If you’re like most sales pros you’ll be tickled pink to know that fear can indeed be conquered. You can greet every single day with a sense of excitement at the thought of having “confidence on demand” and you can own every prospect that has the good fortune to meet with you!

Bottomline? Conquer fear and you’ll come out on top.

Of Course You Want To Leverage Your Limited Time For Unlimited Dollars

Selling at the top to million-dollar decision-makers is the strategy you want to master, because senior-level executives focus on business and write big checks. Experience shows you the primary focus of mid-level decision-makers is keeping his/her job.

You have incredibly valuable solutions and services that’ll benefit your prospect companies, and your “message-to-market-match” fits better at the executive level, than any other.

Your all-powerful business-changing message is this, “I have solutions to reduce your expenses and increase your revenues.” And that message is best matched to executive-level prospects that are doggedly sniffing around for solutions to their rising expenses and plummeting revenues.

Your experience forces you to conclude, “If I continue to call at low levels where the daily cry is, ‘Save my job, spend no money’—you’ll continue to hear that annoying phrase “‘We get hundreds of calls from people like you.” If you’re like your colleagues this kind of treatment is getting on your last nerve!

Now, I ask you—with this kind of rejection day in and day out—who wouldn’t expect feelings of fear to creep in?

You Can Concede Defeat or Recognize a Red Flag When You See One

Look past what appears to be a dead-end, low-level, sales call and find the action steps that’ll take you toward your goal. Understand that what appears to be rejection is actually a “red flag” waving, directing you to call high. That’s where your solutions/services can be understood, valued, and desired—in the big picture scheme of your prospect’s profit picture.

If you misread the red flag as bona fide rejection, you’ll freeze in fear, and conclude all is lost. This does not have to be your choice! You can take action from an entirely different perspective. Determine to search for ways to get past obstacles to top-level cold calls.

Success Is Reached In Zigzags

As a successful sales pros you understand that success rarely comes directly—as a crow flies—that success is reached in zigzags by trying a strategy, running into snags, taking corrective action to get back on course, and moving more directly toward the goal again. Look at a snag not as a dead-end, but as a helpful means to a positive outcome.

We all know that unshackled fear, left to its own devices, takes us down a path that fills us with doubt, insecurity, and feelings of failure. What if you’re frozen in fear? Is there hope for you? Can you thaw out and move forward again?

Absolutely, Positively, No Doubt About It—There Is Hope And Promise Of Success.

Your success is dependent on a relatively short list of attitudes and skills that can be learned, exercised, developed, and maintained.

1. Role-play objection overturns with a colleague or your spouse. Lack of confidence comes from lack of skills. This practice-without-pressure will build skills and keep “fear” from nagging you with the question, “What do I say when I call for an appointment?”

2. Fortify yourself with the written testimonials of your favorite clients, read them when “fear” brings up thoughts of, “Why on earth would any executive want to meet with me?” Let the words of your most successful clients be the words that address this little question.

3. Remember moving forward is hard when you believe the next step will suck the life out of you. Change your belief with a true perspective—F.E.A.R. is simply False Evidence Appearing Real. And that you can handle exceptionally well.

Use these simple tactics to conquer F.E.A.R. and capture profits.

Your thoughts?
Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread)

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Cold Calling: Maintain Staying Power with Gatekeepers

Ever feel as though the job of a gatekeeper is to personally kick you down to a lower level and to keep you away from high-level decision-makers? Then again, has it ever crossed you mind that that you have the power to stay at the top and that that power is hidden in the very words you say? It’s true.

Follow a few key pointers and you will have staying power and the ability to work in tandem with the executive assistant for an invitation to meet face-to-face with the executive.

1. Maintain your mental position as a Top Dog in your world. When an Alpha Dog decision maker, tells you what he wants done, make sure that you follow those orders on his playing field. By the same token, when he asks about your business arena that is your playing field, where you give the orders.

Follow the decision maker’s instructions in his area of expertise, but in your area of expertise, you are the one to say, “This is how it is done.” Hold your own and maintain staying power.

2. Know why high-level prospects refer you to low-level decision-makers. Cold callers are referred down for one of two reasons. The prospect is either interested in what you have to offer and wants input from a team member; or something in your language signaled the prospect that you are not ready to hold your own with high-level decision-makers and your prospect decides your call really is best handled at a lower level.

Here’s an insider’s perspective on words that signal whether or not the caller (you) is ready for prime time.

High-level decision-makers use terms found on a profit and loss statements. For example, the term “expenses” is a high-level word used by executives. Utter the word “costs,” however, and you will be viewed as being better paired with a low-level decision-maker. The word “sales” is a low-level decision-makers term and “revenues” is a high-level decision-makers word. Speak in terms of “dollars and cents,” a bean counter’s verbiage, and you will be kicked down the organizational ladder. Speak in terms of “percentages” and you will have staying power with the high-level decision-makers gatekeeper.

3. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat the reason for your call. Yes, as odd as it may feel to you as you do it, know that repetition will give you staying power. You will be able to repeat the reason for your call three or more times during the 90-seconds of time you have with the gatekeeper.

Remember, getting brushed down isn’t always a brush-off. Just respect the rules of each playing field, follow through accordingly, and you will have staying power.

What kind of change of perspective is this for you? Let me know.

Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread)

Visit: www.coldcallingexecutives.com