Inside Sales Tips Overcoming Initial Objections

Writen by Mike Brooks

Something to keep in mind each time you make a cold call is that the people you are calling don't want to hear from you! I hate to burst your bubble, but this is true. That is why people develop reflex responses to your initial contact. I'm sure you have often heard things like, "I'm not interested," or "I don't have the money," or "We're happy with our current supplier," etc.. Do any of those sound familiar?

Eighty percent of all inside sales reps have trouble getting past these initial negative responses. Often times you will hear them saying the worse possible thing to these initial objections—they will repeat them! How many times have you heard someone next to you (or even yourself) say, "You are not interested?" Or, "You don't have the budget now?" Or, "You all ready have a supplier?" And so on. This is the consummate mark of an unprofessional. Why in the world would you want to affirm a negative?

The way to overcome this is to be prepared for their initial negative responses with your own positive responses. You must realize that when someone says they are not interested, it does not mean that they aren't interested, rather, it is just a reflex response. Nearly every one of your prospects will give you some type of initial negative response. That is just the way it is. People can not be bothered with all the salespeople that are constantly contacting them. So to save time they have developed these initial negative responses to blow off 80% of sales reps that call them.

Now here is the point. Just because they say they are not interested, or that they don't have the money, that doesn't mean they aren't a potential sale! You must recognize these responses for what they are and learn techniques to overcome them. Be careful not to argue with your prospect, nor should you try to defend or overcome these initial responses. Rather, you should always respond with positive rebuttals that are designed to acknowledge their responses, and get you past them and on to your pitch. For example, if you get something like the old favorite,

"I'm not interested."

Your immediate response could be,

"Some of our best clients felt the same way when we first called them too, however, once we explained how our (service, product, investment) worked, they were glad they listened."

And then go right back to your script, or format. If they persist with the same negative response, or even then give you a different one, again be prepared with another positive acknowledgement response such as,

"That is perfectly OK, you are still entitled to this information..."

And then go right back to your script or presentation. If you get something like,

"I don't have any money now."

You could respond with,

"I understand and that is one of the best things about this (service, product, investment)....

And go right back to your script or format. If they try again with one more reflex negative response, you might say,

"That is exactly why I called, you see when you find out how our (product, service, investment) can save you (list a benefit), I know you will be happy I called. As I was saying...

Now go right back to your script or format. Remember what the whole point here is. Your first goal when cold calling is to tell your prospect what it is you are calling about. To establish interest. The biggest problem most inside sales reps make is they believe people's initial negative responses, and because they are unprepared to deal with them, they end up getting blown off the phone before they even get started. Don't let this happen to you! You can avoid this by learning and using the above rebuttals on each and every call. Use them, or develop others. But always be prepared to overcome your prospect's initial objections.

Have a powerful week!

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, has been a top 20% producer for over 20 years. He works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. To receive more tips like this, sign up for his FREE Ezine, "Inside Sales Secrets of the Top 20%" http://www.mrinsidesales.com/ezine.htm Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, offers FREE Teleseminars, FREE Closing Scripts and a FREE audio program designed to help you double your income selling over the phone. If you want to Close Business like a Top 20% producer, then learn how at: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

How To Boost Teleseminar Registration

Writen by Matt Bacak

Have you jumped into the exciting world of teleseminars? Teleseminars provide an exceptional business opportunity for any entrepreneurial minded individual. Although you will create a "product" from your teleseminar, a major factor in your teleseminar success is participation. Therefore, it is essential that you understand how to draw clients to your teleseminar.

It is common business sense that you can substantially increase your profits with an increase in enrollment. What may not be so obvious, though, is exactly how you convince potential teleseminar prospects to sign up for your free or fee based teleseminar. How can you convert their interest into a registration?

Following is a list of eight proven registration strategies that will have prospects flocking to your next teleseminar.

1. Send a Solo Email: One key to effective marketing is to make the customer feel that they have personal customer service. By sending a solo email you are sending the message that you want to personally invite them to your teleseminar.

2. Send Autoresponder Emails: Autoresponder emails are a way to effectively follow up on a lead and save unnecessary busy work. Autoresponder emails help to maintain your presence in a customer's mind.

3. Send a Fax Broadcast: Broadcast messages help you to send out a message simultaneously to literally hundreds of people. Plus, many fax machines don't have a spam filter so your message should come through successfully.

4. Voice Broadcast: This is similar to the fax broadcast, but it is sent via phone. When a client signs up for a teleseminar have them provide you with their name, email, phone number, and fax number. This will allow you to be able to contact them through several different means.

Registration strategies 5-8 involve incentives and teasers which are a great way to spark the interest of a prospect.

5. Spark interest by explaining that you will provide an idea or product that has high value during the call. This will increase their curiosity which can lead to a registration.

6. Create a contest. The contest can involve cash, products, and other incentives. Tempt affiliates with a contest that will allow you to have access to their email lists in return.

7. Explain that a surprise guest will be in the teleseminar. Don't give the name of the surprise guest. Prospects will register just to see who the surprise guest may be!

8. Everyone loves a bargain. Offer an early bird discount. Explain that the discount is only available during the call. What kind of discount should you offer? A discount on future teleseminars is a profitable idea. Not only will you have a long term customer, but your customer will feel happy that they received a deal.

Take these eight proven registration strategies to heart and watch your teleseminar attendance soar. It is important to diversify and use different types of technology, incentives, and marketing strategies to bring in customers.

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter In You! Sign up for Matt Bacak's Promoting Tips Ezine ($100 value) just visit his website at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or http://promotingtips.com

Learn Seven Practical Tips To Reduce Cold Call Resistance

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

You know it's only human nature to resist new ideas, concepts or changes in our immediate environment. Why is this true for each of us? Resistance is a learned behavior that we have learned thru our life experiences. Our experiences have caused us to become conditioned to resist certain changes in our environment. We resist because it's more comfortable the way things are then if you were to change something in your "safe environment." Now let's apply this ideology to your sales prospects, are you ready?

I'm thinking of two words here, can you guess them? Your prospects will use these two words as a way to resist you and what you are selling. These two words are called "Sales Objections" and they will be a constant variable in the sales process. The only power that you have and that you can control is how you react to these objections. Charles Swindoll, American author, once said that life is "10% what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it!"

What are some strategies that you can use in response to your prospect's resistance? The most obvious answer would be the questions that you ask your prospect that help them self-discover why they need your product or service. This makes a lot of sense, however, prospects are not waiting for your call, they are busy and very often prospects can be impatient. How do you even the playing field so that you can reduce this resistance? Below are seven practical tips that you can use immediately to reduce cold call resistance and these tips include:

1. USE HUMOR TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

Humor has a permeating effect to instantly change a prospect's attitude from negative to positive. Try using a clever comeback when a prospect presents you with a sales objection. Another use of humor can be incorporated into the messages that you leave on your prospect's voicemail. Since most voicemails from salespeople all sound the same they are than more likely to be deleted. When you use humor, you are standing out in a very unique way and you can expect to receive an immediate callback.

2. USE ENTHUSIASM TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

When you are enthusiastic over the telephone you create this energy between you can your prospect that is contagious. This positive energy can alter attitudes and buying behaviors. If you are excited about what you sell, don't you think your prospect will wonder what all the excitement is about? Of course they will!

3. INTRODUCE NEW WAYS OF THINKING AND/OR NEW IDEAS TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

Life really is about perception. We may hear something in conversation and one person perceives it one way and another person may perceive it in a completely different way. In sales these same principles apply, for example, if you are presented with a price objection perhaps you want to breakdown the price for them. In other situations you may want to start using more words in your sales presentations that inspire feeling or imagery. Again, life is about perception and people buy according to what makes sense to them.

4. USE CREATIVITY TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

Creativity has the ability to transform thought. It has a magnetizing effect and is a powerful tool that you can use to inspire one's curiosity. Once you have their curiosity, you now have their attention and this means your chances have now increased dramatically for your ultimate outcome---closing the sale! How and when do you use creativity? Creativity can be used in the words you say when describing your product, how you say something, what you say on your prospect's voicemail or even in the presentation of your business proposal.

5. USE PASSION AND PERSISTENCE TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

The most successful salespeople are the ones who target the most successful prospects. When contacting these prospects it's important to know that these prospects did not get to where they are by being reactive; they got to where they are now because of their enduring persistence! They jumped over many corporate hurdles to climb the corporate ladder to get to the position where they are now. They know that their climb to success wasn't easy and can relate to passionate and persistent salespeople. If you are persistent, your persistence will be respected and your outcomes will be even that much greater.

6. USE INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

Can you think of the last time that you were inspired to do something? What motivated you to action? One way to inspire and motivate your prospects to action is by listening to motivational audio tapes and/or cds. When you begin listening to them you will be inspired and you can use this newfound inspiration by incorporating key phrases and quotes into your sales presentation. Some of my favorite speakers and authors include: Les Brown, Anthony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie, Dr. Carol Fleming and Brian Tracy.

7. USE THE POWER OF DIFFERENCE TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

Once again, prospects have become conditioned to resist your telephone call. It's so important that you do something different to break up your prospect's conditioned state of mind. When you do something different or something non-traditional in nature, you are STANDING OUT in a crowded marketplace. "The Power Of Difference" can be applied to any stage of the sales process. The earlier you apply these principles, the more likely you will inspire your prospect's curiosity and the more likely you will increase your odds of closing a sale.

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Fear

Writen by Rick Johnson

Half asleep but with a look of fear still present in her eyes, Sandy stared into the bathroom mirror. Her right cheek displayed the remnants of pillow wrinkles and still revealed a telltale sign of the drool that escaped her mouth during the night as she slept. Sleep hadn't come easy for Sandy that entire weekend. In fact, this was the worst weekend she could remember having since her Grandmother passed away. Sandy looked into the mirror only to see an unsympathetic face filled with anxiety staring back at her.

"Just call in sick," she commanded to her own image in the mirror. "Better yet, why don't you just quit, that'll fix that Bozo of a boss. I'm the best Inside Sales person our company has. They'll miss me when I'm gone."

The coldness of the water on her hands coming from the faucet she had turned on brought Sandy's thoughts back to reality. She knew she couldn't "Just Quit." She was a single Mom and they paid her a good salary.

"Besides," she thought, "I've got ten years with this company. They shouldn't treat me this way. What am I going to do?"

What caused Sandy to be so upset? What caused her to lose so much sleep over the weekend? What filled her with anxiety and fear? What made her consider giving up a ten-year career as an Inside Sales person?

"MANDATORY OUTCALL"

Although this little story is fictional, many of your employees may have experienced or be experiencing these same exact feelings.

"FEAR OF MAKING PERSONAL CONTACT WITH THE UNKNOWN"

Outcall is an exceptionally good Marketing/Sales tool if it is done right. There is a lucky few that can just pick up the phone, make a cold call and it comes naturally to them. But for most of your employees, making that call is the most unpleasant and difficult task you could possibly ask them to do. It's actually unfair to send them onto the "Outcall Battlefield" without arming them with the proper weapons. Those weapons are generated through training. It's true that for some people Outcall is no big deal. It's also true that for some people no matter what you do, or how much training you provide, they just wont be able to do it successfully.

However, for the vast majority of the Inside Sales people and Call Center Agents employed in this country today, Outcall training can be extremely beneficial. A solid outcall program with trained personnel can provide a major impact to revenue and bottom line profits. Think about it. If you have only five inside sales people making ten outcalls per day, that totals 250 calls per week which equates to 1000 new proactive customer contacts per month.

It has been said: "You can send a gorilla out as a field sales rep and if he calls on enough people, sooner or later someone will pin an order to his chest and send him home."

With the sheer volume of contacts alone, sales have to increase. Think about the significant contribution your inside sales people can provide if they are trained and really know what they are doing. Add a new account bonus program to the formula and results can be astounding.

Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in Distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.

Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor's degree in Operations Management from Capital University, Columbus Ohio. Rick recently completed his dissertation on Strategic Leadership and received his Ph.D. He’s also a published book author with four titles to his credit: “The Toolkit for Improved Business Performance in Wholesale Distribution,” the NWFA & NAFCD “Roadmap”, Lone Wolf-Lead Wolf—The Evolution of Sales” and a fiction novel about teenagers called “Shattered Innocence.”

Telemarketing Training Pro Urges Screening Applicants By Phone

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was invited to be a panelist at a recent contact center trade association meeting, and I prepared a list of 20 do's and don'ts that I shared.

One of them, something that I take for granted, having risen through the ranks as a telemarketer, a trainer, a manager, and as a consultant is the fact that each and every job applicant MUST be screened by phone before being invited to an interview.

Imagine how surprised I was to be asked to elaborate on that point by at least a few people in the audience.

It seems they never heard of this idea, having undoubtedly earned their stripes during the age of the Internet.

Many of today's recruiters hire from pieces of paper, from resumes, however resumes don't speak. Only people can do that, and some of course, are much better at it than others.

The capable ones speak clearly, without distracting verbal mannerisms. They don't use a lot of "uhs" and "okays." The best candidates are also effective listeners.

Call center work is largely PHONE work, and that's communication work.

How can we know who will make a good phone worker if we don't assess their phone behaviors?

I'd rather cut out the resume step altogether, and invite the best communicators to "Come on down!"

If you'd like more information about the telephone measures I use to objectively judge suitability for phone work, give me a holler!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com & The Goodman Organization is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

Closing That Big Sale With Conference Calling

Writen by Aaron Siegel

So you're in business. Whether it is micro, small, medium, or enterprise; you know the one key element you need to succeed in your business … sales.

Now, you have studied and learned many practices on succeeding in your arena, but there may be something still overlooked. You most undoubtedly have strained to learn every technique possible to gain the competitive advantage for ultimate return on your investment. What you may be missing out on is what you use to communicate during your sales process, more specifically; what communication products you currently use to implement your suave techniques of sale persuasion.

Recently a client in Florida phoned me requesting a way to consult with a large potential client and his peers overseas in Africa via telephone. He was a well traveled business man and was used to flying over to leads himself, but he thought he might try something new, something with less overhead; after all, it was still just a potential client. Well that request was a no brainer for me when I talked to him. I automatically suggested conference calling.

He was a little skeptical of using conference calling in place of face to face until I mentioned one of the conference calling services we offered. Being he had many international business leads and clients I mentioned CogniConference which offers toll-free conference calling from over 50 countries. He saw the opportunity the service presented and signed up right after we hung up with one another.

It was only two weeks later that he called our office to rave how wonderful the service was, and how if it wasn't for the international conference calling he would have never closed the Africa based client, a 4.5 million dollar deal! Expenses totaled under $200.00, a fraction of the cost of just one plane ticket alone.

How exactly did conference calling help save the day? Well, beyond increasing ROI and reducing CPL (Cost Per Lead) by saving on travel and lodging expenses, he leveraged a telecommunications product to warm up his potential client that ultimately closed the multi million dollar deal. He showed them that they were important enough to be given a free way to discuss business with his company across the entire globe. Needless to say, to this day he uses conference calling for his international leads.

Not in all cases, but in many, it is the options your leads and clients have to contact you that can make or break the initial beginning of a sales process. To convey you care about your client and not just their business may not always be as simple as using a communications service, but there are many services out there that can provide the additional morale boost and incentive your clients may need to get into their comfort buying zone.

An example where you might not want to offer toll free conferencing might be if your business is MLM or Network Marketing. Example: Perhaps your offer is good and was advertised well .You might not be interested in paying more money just for the curious. In other words you might want to only attract the "serious ready to go" individuals. The use of a non toll free conferencing solution might make the better option. You're saying to your leads, "I am giving you an opportunity to learn more about this offer in a group environment, but I need to see your level of dedication." That level of dedication being the willingness to pay a little out of their own pocket to learn more about your opportunity. It can be a great prescreening tool on who will be effective in the future for your marketing team.

All in all, information is key in virtually all sales processes. Conference calling gives you the ability to get all of your knowledgeable personnel in on the sales call to get questions answered at the most vital point of contact. You may only get one chance to prove your case to win over that client and the voice conversation is your biggest chance over most any other method to win that prized sale. The personal approach is a big winner, ask any successful salesperson and they will agree.

Conferencing is the one tool specified in this article, but of course, it isn't the one and only solution. You might just need an unlimited long distance calling plan to do cold calling. Maybe you need a catchy 800 number for advertising and taking in leads. Perhaps you need toll free forwarding to spare your potential client the hassle of leaving a message and playing phone tag. Whatever it is, you might just realize that telecommunications is very much apart of your selling process as is your breath to carry your voice. Be creative in meeting the needs of those who may become your customers as well as in reducing the costs to do so.

In closing, the lesson is very general here aside from conference calling benefits. How do you want your company viewed in the eyes of your future clients? Whether it's how you're dressed or what joke you use, be thoughtful of customers needs in advance and plan ahead to leverage your selling power, because as you already know … selling is business.

This article was written by Aaron Siegel of TopSavings.Net which provides online consultive services for communications for home and business.

Services available at the website include Conference Calling, Toll Free Services, VoIP, Internet Access, Long Distance, Local Phone Services, Cellular Services, and more.Conference Calling at TopSavings.Net

The Power Of The Fax

Writen by Tom Perkins

In July 2005, another curious law went into effect. This one, called the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 (JFPA) has several surprises for business owners in terms of sending routine faxes to their customers. This new law just doesn't impact the sending of what we would think of as "junk" faxes. It addresses several other areas that will impact how you do business via fax.

What is a Junk Fax?

Understandably, we would think of a junk fax as an unsolicited fax. However, under JFPA, unsolicited is defined as "any material advertising the commercial availability or quality of any property, goods or services which is transmitted to any person without that person's prior express invitation or permission, in writing or otherwise."

So, if you were sending out an announcement, via fax, regarding a new product or service to your customers, it could be considered a junk fax under JFPA.

Importance of an EBR

But wait, the new law complicates things even more. Your "established business relationship" (EBR) is now extremely important in terms of marketing your business using the fax.

You are still allowed to send unsolicited faxes to anyone with whom you maintain an EBR. An EBR is defined as "a prior or existing relationship formed by a voluntary two-way communication between a person or entity and a residential subscriber with or without an exchange of consideration, on the basis of an inquiry, application, purchase or transaction by the residential subscriber regarding products or services offered by such person or entity, which relationship has not been previously terminated by either party."

Right to "Opt-Out"

You also have to provide an "opt-out" option on all faxes. Fax cover sheets are now to include "opt-out" information, regardless if your business has an EBR or not, the first page of every fax solicitation has to tell the receiver how they can "opt-out" of receiving future faxes from your company.

And, we aren't talking about a simple "opt-out" check box. JFPA has kindly provided an extensive guideline for the "opt-out" notice. An "opt-out" needs:

· To be "clear and conspicuous and on the first page of the" fax;

· Notice that your failure to comply within the shortest, reasonable amount of time with any opt-out notice sent by a customer will be a violation of the law;

· A "domestic contact telephone and facsimile machine number" for the recipient to transmit any opt-out notice request;

· A "cost-free mechanism" that the recipient can use to send the opt-out notice; and

· Allows the recipient to opt out "at any time on any day of the week"

Failure to Comply

Noncompliance equals sizeable penalties. The law allows anyone who has illegally received a junk fax to sue for and recover $500 - $1500 or more per violation. Surprisingly, the law now allows for class action lawsuits and even small claims court lawsuits to be filed.

Tom Perkins is a business solutions coach and certified personal trainer. He has a degree in accounting and works with fitness professionals leading them to profitability.

Visit his website at http://www.fitnessindustrysolutions.com

Tips For Successful Negotiating By Phone

Writen by Art Sobczak

Most of us negotiate something every day. Whether it's getting our kids to willingly clean their rooms, or hammering out an elephant-sized contract with more details than a politician has "special-interest" donors, our ability to haggle effects our results. Here are some useful negotiating tips.

1. Define Your Negotiables Other than Price. Inexperienced, unconfident, or plain old lazy reps take the easy route and drop price at the first sign of the other person seeking to get a better deal. Instead, first determine what you could offer, if needed, that has high perceived value to them, but little cost to you. For example, moving up the delivery date if they need it quickly, extending the warranty period . . . some distributors and suppliers like to throw in some products the customer isn't buying. This has high perceived value, and gets the customer to test the new product, which might pay off with future purchases.

2. Analyze Your Strengths, Their Needs. Before calling, list what you know they require and emotionally want, what you have, and what you want. You might know that this buyer always tries to pound you on price, but you also know you're working from a position of strength because you're the only one who has the quality of product he needs.

3. Set Your Objectives. Just like every call, define, "What do I want them to do as a result of this call, and what do I want to do?"

4. Aim High, Set Minimums. As part of your objectives, swing for the fence! Think big. Set the most favorable objective possible (one that is within reason). The richest sales reps I know can't believe anyone would think otherwise. Likewise, set minimums that you're willing to accept. You'll know how much you have to play with.

5. Prepare for their Possible Tactics. It's easier if you know the person. For example, knowing that Joe always starts with an outrageous request helps you prepare your counter-tactic. Otherwise, you need to dry-run through possible demands and tactics along with your responses so you're not blindsided into giving away something you didn't intend to.

6. Gather Information. As with all sales calls, the more you know the better.

7. Don't Give More Information (or Anything Else) than Necessary. I've seen sales reps offer price concessions that weren't asked for ("The price starts here, but I might be able to do a little better."), and give up information that the customer used to ask for more concessions ("You mentioned another customer had additional training manuals thrown in free. I want those too.")

8. Don't Split the Difference. It's human nature, but it costs you money. Let's look at the math. Your asking price is $50. They offer you $30. You counter with $40 and they figure splitting the difference is fair. Your tactic: come back with a pained tone of voice, "I might be able to do $46 or $47." It's more likely you'll end up better than $40.

9. Trade Your Concessions. Get something in return. If you get them the better volume price, ask for a commitment for a blanket purchase order. One-sided giving rarely makes for a healthy relationship.

10. "If I, Will You?" A tactic to accomplish the previous point. Before agreeing to what they want, get commitment on what they'll give in return. "If I'm able to move your request to the front of the line, will you increase the order by 500?"

I believe I read this in an ad in an airline magazine for a negotiation seminar: "You don't get what you deserve; you get what you can negotiate."

Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone, provides proven ideas, tips, and processes to help salespeople use the phone to prospect, sell and service without morale-killing rejection. To see word-for-word phrases you can use right now to get to and sell more buyers, and other resources such as books, audios, and seminars, and to get his FREE weekly TelE-Sales Tips, and access to back issues, go to: http://www.BusinessByPhone.com

Selling Landscape Services By Phone

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you own a landscape service business you know that the more clientele you have and the more number of accounts you have; the more money and profits you will make. One way to get new clients is to call them on the telephone.

For instance, if you are working in a neighborhood and you find that you have a number of clientele there it makes sense to stack your schedule with more clients close together in clusters. To sign these customers using the telephone is a very good way to do it.

Even better is good to develop your telephone calling list from referrals that you have got from other customers and neighbors. Most neighbors have other neighbors phone numbers and if you do a good job and are liable then those customers will give you those other phone numbers for you to do cold calling for landscape services. You should make these calls and be polite with the utmost care.

People who buy a landscape services and landscape maintenance services are becoming more and more particular about who is working on the crews. For instance, it is known that over 65% of all landscape maintenance crews are indeed illegal aliens or illegal immigrants and this bothers many people.

Therefore when you are cold calling customers and discussing landscape services they need to be reassured that you are not hiring illegal aliens and this should be something that you should let them now straightaway. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

How To Leverage Your Expertise With Teleclasses And Teleconferences

Writen by Donna Gunter

I first became acquainted with teleclasses back in 1997 when I stumbled across the coaching community. At the time, I lived in small town in western Massachusetts, and professional development opportunities were few and far between without a drive to Albany, NY, or to Springfield or Boston, MA.

With teleclasses, I thought I'd hit the personal development motherload. I could simply dial a teleconference bridgeline from the comfort of my own home and be connected with 10-150 other people around the globe, who were all gathered on a call to learn more about a particular topic. Moreover, in many cases the class was free or low-cost, and I didn't have to get dressed, drive anywhere, find and pay for parking, nor stay overnight, all of which I would have to do if it were an in-person seminar or conference. What could be simpler?

So, what is a teleclass, anyway? A teleclass is a conference call in which everyone on the line can hear and speak with everyone else. You and between 10-500 other registrants call a regular phone number (will typically be a long-distance number where your regular long distance rates apply) at your designated time and you are welcomed by the host, or teleclass leader. Teleclasses have been compared to a grad school discussion -- some lecture, some questions, some discussion. As a participant, it's easy to listen in and either absorb or engage in the discussion.

Fast forward to the present, and I've come a long way since then in my teleclass education. I've now conducted tons of teleclasses on a variety of subjects, and currently have a group coaching program in progress that's conducted solely over a teleconference bridgeline. More and more corporations and larger businesses are using the teleconference concept to conduct virtual meetings with far-flung employees around the globe or to provide training to those same people.

Teleclasses are a great way for people to get a "taste" of what you have to offer without any great expenditure. Many self-employed service professionals use free teleclasses as a marketing tool so that participants can get to know them, or as an introduction to a fee-based course/program that they're selling. Instead of dealing with the hassles entailed in putting on a live event, such as finding a venue, arranging for parking, setting up catering and AV needs, and promoting the event, you can provide nearly an identical experience with much less trouble and much less up-front cost.

So, what topic should your teleclass cover? Here are 3 great resources where you can get some teleclass ideas: Teleclass.com, TeleclassInternational.com, and Seminar Announcer.com.

Teleclass.com and Teleclassinternational.com both offer teleclass leader training. Once you've completed the training, you're able to list your teleclass on their website and in their email newsletter for a small fee. SeminarAnnouncer.com permits you to list your event at no cost, and no special training is required to list your event.

Once you've got a topic in mind, now comes the design of the teleclass. If you've never had to plan out a program, determining how much content to offer versus how much discussion can be tricky, or just figuring out in what order to present your information can be a bit overwhelming Here's a list of 20 questions you can use to help you design your teleclass, as provided in the newsletter, Today's Coach: http://www.todayscoach.com/2003/021003.html

How do you find a bridgeline for the teleclass? I get my bridgeline free of charge at http://www.freeaudioconferencing.com. One feature that is VERY important to have on your bridgeline is the ability to mute all participants. I've been on too many calls when someone brings alot of static or a big echo to the call. As the leader, you can mute the other callers and eliminate this background noise, if your bridgeline has this feature, and just unmute the participants when you want to open the floor for questions. The ability to do this will eliminate many headaches for you and your participants.

Now that you've built it (the teleclass), will they come? You may have to do a bit of education with your target market to let them know about the concept of teleclasses, as it's not a term that's familiar to everyone. Then, you'll need to promote your event just like you might do a live event--send out press releases, buy advertising (as appropriate), sent notices out to your email newsletter or list, have friends and colleagues notify everyone on their lists, have it listed at one of the teleclass announcement sites listed above, or post it on discussion lists as appropriate.

If you haven't listed your class with either Teleclass.com and Teleclassinternational.com, both of whom will provide registration for teleclasses, you'll want have some mechanism on your website for taking course registrations. I use my shopping cart for this function, and you can sign up for a 30-day free trial of that service here: http://wwww.kickstartcart.com. Free video tutorials on how to use this shopping cart can be found here: http://www.shoppingcarttraining.com/

I strongly encourage you to record all the teleclasses that you conduct so that you can leverage them in different ways: have them available for free on your website, convert them to MP3's and sell the MP3 file or access to that, convert them to a package of CD's and offer those for sale, or send them out as a podcast.

Teleconferences are a very inexpensive way to expand your market reach throughout the world. Pick a subject, invite your contacts, and get started today!

Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter

Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how to get more clients online at http://www.OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.GetMoreClientsOnline.com. Read about running an online biz at our blog, http://onlinebizcoachingcompany.typepad.com/online_business_coaching_/

Telemarketing Big Business Or Big Annoyance

Writen by Michael Russell

Telemarketing. It makes you just want to throw your telephone out of a window. How many times would you be just about ready to sit down at the dinner table, ready to dig into your nice juicy roast beef, when the phone rings? You get up to answer it, thinking that it might be important only to pick up the receiver to the sound of...

"Do you suffer from acid indigestion?"

And you immediately hang up the phone in disgust, mumbling a few words that can't be printed in this article. You go back to your dinner table and swear that if the phone rings again it had better be important or there will be hell to pay.

Let's face it, we ALL hate telemarketers.

So just what is it to this telemarketing thing and why do people do it in spite of the fact that they are some of the most hated people on this planet?

Well, for starters, it's a position that pays regardless of whether or not you actually make a sale. Most telemarketing positions pay about $7 an hour depending on where you live. If a sale is made in the process then you get additional commissions for each sale. For some people it's all they can do, since they have no real skills other than to be able to BS with people on the phone. For others, they actually enjoy the abuse.

So what exactly do telemarketers sell? Pretty much anything but the big thing these days seems to be credit. Most of the calls you will get are either about giving you a great rate on a new credit card or even on refinancing of your home. Which brings us to a very interesting question.

How to telemarketers even know you OWN a home?

The answer is actually very simple. They are supplied with lists; lists of homeowners, lists of people paying off auto loans, lists just about anything you can think of. It from these lists, that can contain thousands of people, that they make their phone calls . In most cases the telemarketer will be working from a script. They read the script, inserting their name in the blank spaces where it shows to insert their name, and trying very hard not to deviate from the script. These scripts are written by professional marketing firms, in some cases, but most of the time they are written by the supervisor of the department.

There are of course laws today where people can have themselves removed from these lists and if a telemarketer calls one of these people they can be charged with a crime. Yes, things have gotten that bad for telemarketers.

If getting a call from a real person isn't bad enough, they also have automated systems that can call you. You can usually tell these because they just sound so mechanical and start off with greetings that a normal person wouldn't use. Plus, they don't even ask for your name. They just start their pitch.

Yes, telemarketing is big. Even though most of the free world would just assume it didn't exist. Makes you wonder how successful it REALLY is.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Telemarketing

Your Answering Machine Is A Method Of Telephone Sales

Writen by Lance Winslow

The tele-selling industry sub-sector often called Telemarketing breaks down their category by incoming telemarketing and out-going telemarketing. Out going telemarketing is what folks got so angry about and why we ended up with all the Federal Regulation on Telemarketing. Incoming telemarketing would be when someone calls your company and you attempt to get them to place an order or upgrade from their current status as a customer.

For instance if you are ordering a Dell Computer, you see that they take your order, this is incoming telemarketing. When you call your credit card company, phone company or an airline or even a hotel to ask a question they will sometimes ask you if you would like this, that or the other type of upgrade. This makes sense too, why would you miss out on such an obvious opportunity?

But what if your customers call and you are not there in your small company? Well you want your answering machine to answer and take a message, but you also have time for a 15-25 commercial when they call, before they leave the message. Perhaps you can alert them of other offerings you company has. You should do this, but keep it short and sweet as to not upset your clientele.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Cold Calling Rapidly Disappearing

Writen by Frank Rumbauskas

As more and more people enter the sales profession, less and less are utilizing cold calling as their prospecting technique of choice.

Why is this happening? Why is cold calling going away?

There are several reasons. First of all, prospects have become so sick and tired of cold calling that they have reached the point of total intolerance. Seasoned salespeople know this, yet many continue to cold call, if only because they haven't been taught anything different and have become used to the daily rejection. Rookies, on the other hand, are taken aback at the reactions they get while cold calling and immediately abandon it or switch professions.

Second, prospects don't need salespeople to inform them anymore. Years ago, a prospect would be open to listening to salespeople who were cold calling, take in the information, and possibly move forward with a purchase. This is no longer the case because prospects who are in a buying mode have all of the information they need right at their fingertips thanks to the Internet. So, while salespeople are still necessary to carry out the actual selling process, cold calling is rapidly going away now that we're in the Information Age.

Third, the Internet has taken business networking to a whole new level. Only a couple of years ago, it was a rite of passage for a salesperson to waste lots of time and money attending chamber mixers and networking groups, only to walk out empty handed. This was no more effective than cold calling, but was the extent of networking sophistication for nearly all salespeople. Now that we have rapidly growing business networking sites with tens of millions of members, it's easier than ever for salespeople to make valuable connections without ever cold calling or wasting time at mixers.

Fourth, younger salespeople are becoming marketing-savvy. It's no secret that a well-executed personal marketing plan can generate more than enough leads, so marketing is taking the place of cold calling as far as prospecting goes. In the last couple of years, the idea that one can replace cold calling with an intelligent personal marketing plan has finally been accepted as reality. Now that sales managers are finally starting to catch on, cold calling is disappearing quickly.

Finally, cold calling is a morale killer. New entrants into the sales profession see the drudgery and misery of cold calling, and realize that it will get them nowhere. You can't be successful if you hate what you do, so why do something you hate? That's why cold calling is so detrimental – everyone hates doing it, and performance suffers as a result.

The bottom line is that cold calling is dead, and is a leftover relic of a previous generation. Today's successful salespeople have said no to cold calling and yes to smart marketing.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the hit sensation "Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age". His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

Reduce Cold Call Frustration By Reengineering Your Attitude

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

We all know the benefits of cold calling and its ability to gain new clients and take additional market share. We also understand that with such success comes a price and this price is called "Cold Call Frustration." The constant rejection, the number of calls, the amount of repeat calls to the same prospect and the voicemail messages that you leave can be very mentally draining. It can consume you and strip you of your motivation. As a result, your attitude becomes affected and you turn to a pathway of negativity. If you allow cold calling to consume you then you will not last at your job very long. In this case watch out for Donald Trump because he may say you're "FIRED!"

So what can you do to conquer these frustrations? One sure-fire way to constantly stay focused and be motivated is to listen to motivational tapes on your breaks, in your sales meetings or even in your car! These personal development or self-help types of programs are empowering tools that you can use to increase your awareness of the world around you. The contents of these programs include many ideas and concepts that are considered by many as common sense, but in reality, they are not common usage.

Example personal development topics that you could listen to include a few of the following:

Positive Thinking
Goal Setting
Attitude
Stress Management

When you make a proactive effort to "feed your mind" of this type of self-help information you now become more aware (meaning the information that we have learned moves from our subconscious to conscious mind) of how to handle certain obstacles that we experience in life—and in this case it's cold call frustration. Here a few more tips on how you may want to embrace this new idea:

Try keeping a box of motivational audio tapes and cds in your car so that you can easily listen to a variety of speakers.

Ebay is a cost-effective website that you can use to purchase these programs.

If you can get your sales team to buy into this idea you can play different tapes at each sales meeting without cutting into your department's budget.

Incorporate what you have learned into your sales calls as a tool to reduce resistance. Your newfound enthusiasm and positive attitude have the power to alter your prospect's state of mind. This means that you have the power to change their attitude and as a result you may end up changing their behavior--that means a new sale for you!

A few of my favorite motivational speakers include Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy.

As a final note, I have recently finished listening to Dale Carnegie's audio book called "How To Stop Worrying And Start Living" he wrote that one's attitude is the chief engineer of one's life and you know what? He's right! Motivational tapes are a great way to "reengineer your attitude" so that you quickly reduce your cold call frustration.

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Insiders Secret Doubles Cold Calling Results

Writen by Leslie Buterin

Details (yuck!) are the bane of a sales professional's existence.

None of us wants to crunch puny little numbers throughout the day. Save that for the accountants who eat that stuff up.

Let us be free to sell, sell, and sell some more. The only puny numbers we're interested in are numbers like 'ones' and 'zeros', as in the number one followed by lots and lots of zeros. Give us a nice round number like $1,000,000 … that'll put a smile on the faces of just about every professional who sells!

Ah, but here's the rub … those puny, little numbers hold captive the secrets to getting to the big round numbers, sooner rather than later.

Now, read closely and let your mind think about possibilities as the power of puny, little numbers is revealed.

A well-known, rarely implemented truth in the world of sales professionals is this…

What You Can Measure, You Can Manage...
What You Can Manage You Can Improve...
Dramatically!

Let's start with little numbers like 10 and 1. As you review your call ratios for the year, you may find that you smile, you dial, and you make about 10 cold calls a day—around 50 cold, prospecting calls per week.

And you see that at the end of your time on the phone, you average about 1 appointment for every 10 cold calls.

You close roughly 1 out of every 2 people you meet with. When all is said and done at the end of the year, these puny little numbers of appointments result in sales that yield a pretty good income for you, around $70,000.

Now, let's say you want to double your income. Yep, as the new year rolls around, you decide you want to double your income, making it $140,000.

The secret to reaching your goal is hidden in the numbers. Sure, your call ratios and salary may be much higher (or lower) than the numbers used in this example. No worries, simply plug your numbers into these equations to determine your desired outcome.

Being in control of our goals is one of many wonderful things we like about the profession of sales, isn't it? We know the only thing standing between our dreams and us is our level of skill. We're glad to gobble up any tips, tools, and techniques that'll improve our seemingly magical talents that are the envy of others ... especially those who think they don't have the skills to give away ice water in the Sahara!

OK, as we look at just the numbers, you can reach your goal of $140,000 of take home pay by doubling one of a couple of puny numbers.

> You can learn how to double the number of appointments you get from your dials, so you get 2 appointments out of every 10 dials.

> You can learn how to double the number of sales you close, and make sure you get business from 2 out of every 2 people you meet with.

Hmm. Makes you pause and think doesn't it?

Here's a bonus tip for you …

As we closely scrutinize where these numbers come from, we might even find that if you changed the level of your approach call, you could do even better! Imagine what would happen to your sales if you added a few executive-level sales calls to the mix and spent your time talkin' to The Top Dogs with unlimited ability to sign off on big deals!

Makes the goal of doubling your salary next year seem possible, doesn't it?

In brief, you can double your income by learning how to:

1. Double the appointments you get from your dials
2. Double the sales you close during appointments
3. Double the size of your sales as you elevate the level of your point of entry … and talk to "The Top Dogs" first

So, next time you're tempted to skim over the puny numbers in favor of the big round ones, slow yourself down, and take a close look at those little guys.

Determine where you want to focus your efforts to double your income. Do you want to double your call/appointment ratios; double your closing ratios; or elevate your prospecting calls to the top decision makers?

If you take the time to think, really think about these numbers, you'll be amazed to find that doubling your take home pay in 2006 is much, much closer than you think!

Forward this article to friends—they'll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course "Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents" visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that's Kansas City/Chicago Time).

4 12 Steps For Doubling Your B2b Appointments

Writen by Dave Wells

Cold calling. Most people hate to do it and there is a cottage industry of people making a profit by selling ideas on how to generate business without cold calling. They're making money because they are using a basic marketing tactic that most of us have forgotten how to use - give your customer what they want! Tell a salesperson that they can get appointments without making cold calls, tell them to buy your book, and you'll make money hand over fist. Why? Because it's a solution that fits what that market wants.

The fact of the matter is that there are many things you can, and should, use to help generate leads. However, business-to-business cold calling will always be an effective basic tactic that will help you get an appointment with your prospect.

Effective appointment setting begins with 4 1/2 simple steps that will help you get back to the basics of giving your prospects what they want.

The steps are so easy and basic that you might have a tendency to be suspicious of them. But if you just follow along you'll be on your way to doubling your sales appointments in record time.

½ Step) Put yourself in the place of your prospect. Think about what it will be like to get a call from you. You know your product/service inside and out and are hopefully excited about and believe in it. Your prospect isn't excited about your product/service and doesn't believe in it yet. You have set aside time in your day to make calls but your prospect hasn't set time aside to take your call. That's why it is very important to make the call all about them. Give them what they want out of a cold call – hint: the solution to what they worry about at work.

Step 1) Identify your ideal customer and their critical wants and needs. At the very least you should have some generic information about the markets that you serve and the obstacles that they face from industry magazines, trade associations, or industry analysts to help you target your cold call message.

Step 2) Ask the "cold sweat" question. "What is it that wakes your prospects up at 3AM in a cold sweat and in such a troubled state that they would give anything to solve that problem?" If you answer this question within the first 7 seconds of your call, you will be more likely to gain the attention of your prospect and be that much closer to gaining an appointment with them.

Step 3) Create multiple positioning statements that focus on solving your prospect's most difficult problem or achieving their most important goal.

Step 4) Test those positioning statements and determine which one results in better dialogue with your prospect and gets you the appointment.

Here's a very successful sample cold call script that I'm using for my own business based on the 4½ steps:

Good morning Mr/Ms. VP of Sales, this is David from EMDCO here in Chicago. We are the major B2B lead generation firm in the area. Because of our expertise in your industry, we're able to solve the problems of the call reluctant/time constricted sales force by delivering quick, reliable, and affordable lead generation services. The reason I'm calling you today specifically, is to set up an appointment so I can tell you the way in which we've been successful with (name client) companies. How's (day) at (time)?

That's it! I mention that I can solve what most owners, presidents and sales directors worry about. They are always thinking about the revenue numbers they have to hit, they know they have sales people that don't make the calls for various reasons and they know they want a reliable source of leads. I know I'm not wasting my prospects time with a telephone introduction like that.

Using this simple 4½ step process will help you formulate your own quick introduction, allow you to quickly answer any questions they have about you or your product/service and redirect the call back toward getting the appointment.

David Wells is a business development expert, speaker, trainer, consultant and founder of http://www.emdco.com a provider of business-to-business lead creation, data confirmation and integrated marketing solutions.

Top Speaker Says Control Your Destiny By Learning To Cold Call

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I had no money when I started my consulting business.

But I had a phone, and that's all it took to transform myself from an Indiana professor with a church-mouse salary, into an independent, flourishing, nationwide practitioner within a matter of mere months.

I contacted colleges and trade associations out of the blue, asking them to sponsor a new seminar I had created, and within 18 months my program had been successfully sponsored by 35 of them, which became my distribution network.

I didn't know ANY of the people I called, initially. Not one came from a referral. And there wasn't a sponsor that came to me during that time—I went to them.

Still, I was able to increase my earnings by TEN TIMES within a calendar year, buy my own home in pricey California, and start driving luxury cars and taking European and Hawaiian vacations, at will.

During my first few years of professional speaking, a major publisher noticed my programs and asked me if I wanted to write books. I did; six in five years, and four went on to become business best-sellers. Later, I would publish my second six.

And these books, in turn, brought me millions of dollars of added business.

This harvest of success came directly from the seeds I sowed with my cold calls.

If not for those frosty calls, made during one of the coldest Midwestern winters on record, I wouldn't be writing this article, and I might still be stuck in that quiet hamlet of 7,500 souls, where I was until I mustered the courage to dial my way out.

IN LIGHT OF THIS NARRATIVE, WHICH LOSER IS GOING TO TELL ME COLD CALLING DOESN'T WORK?

When you learn to cold call, you control your destiny.

You decide your activity level, and directly affect your results. You set your salary.

You don't have to wait for inbound calls to be generated from expensive advertising, and because you are proactively reaching out to prospects, you're enjoying several advantages:

(1) You fly under the radar of your competitors. I was at 35 universities and had six titles on the shelves of Barnes and Noble before my competitors even knew there was a category in stores for "sales" and "telemarketing." In other words, you're fast to the market, and that advantage can be amazing in its impacts.

(2) You can customize your offers to each prospect, quickly market testing them until you sort out the best one, and then focus on it. Try changing print ads or direct mailers with this frequency, and even if you did you wouldn't get the instant, rich feedback a cold call gives you.

(3) There's no downtime. You can keep calling until you strike gold, knowing that at any time you're awake, someone, somewhere in the world can be reached by your call and say yes.

(4) Cold calling is cheap and getting cheaper still. How many hundreds or thousands of unused minutes do you have left on your calling plans?

(5) Your competitors are afraid of the phone, busy taking to heart the wimpy appeals of so-called gurus who claim cold-calling doesn't work. Don't even think your prospects are being bombarded by multiple phone offers. It just doesn't happen, anymore, so you'll stand out among all of the cowards who are trying to find a "lazy person's" path to riches.

I could go on.

Once you learn to cold call you join the ranks of those who have tasted battle and savored hard earned victories. Everyone else may have an opinion, but unless they've ventured where you've been, they don't know what they're talking about.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 900 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

How To Diffuse Cold Calling Pressure Points

Writen by Ari Galper

Stop your expectations from sabotaging cold calls

Sales pressure is a mighty saboteur. And it comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Beginning any conversation with the anticipation of a sale puts the whole conversation under pressure. This doesn't normally create good outcomes. It usually triggers pressure, resistance, and tension.

People have received so many calls with such a strong focus on sales that they respond in a defensive manner to any sales calls at all. If you can release your expectations while making a cold call, you'll diffuse the underlying tension that comes with sales pressure. And you'll be surprised how often others will welcome talking with you.

Most of us truly believe that our product or service can help others, so we assume that anyone who fits the profile of a potential client should buy what we have to offer. Isn't that one of the first things we learn in our sales training?

But this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to cold calling. When we make a call assuming someone will be interested, we've automatically moved into expectations. No matter how well camouflaged they are, sales expectations block the flow of natural conversation and put pressure on the other person.

So move away from making any assumptions when making cold calls. After all, how much sense is it to have assumptions about someone you've never spoken with? How much can you possibly know about their problems, issues, needs, budget, or other key information?

If you approach your calls from a place of genuine interest rather than expectations, you'll diffuse any sense of sales pressure. The other individual will relax and the interaction will flow naturally.

However, if you're already convinced in your own mind that they should be a fit, certain pressure has already started before the conversation has really even begun. The last thing you want is to introduce this into the conversation. So rather than moving into a sales presentation immediately, maintain the natural flow of interaction instead.

You can diffuse underlying sales pressure within any conversation by focusing first on whether you are a good fit. Invite the other person to focus on this with you. And determine together whether a good business relationship might genuinely be possible.

When our honest objective is not to make a sale but rather discover the truth of the situation, we have released expectations. The key is to offer options, so the person we're talking with doesn't feel pressure from us. This would only trigger the defensive reactions we're trying to avoid.

Overcome the temptation to immediately discuss what you have to offer. Instead, help the other person overcome the fear of who you are and what is expected. Potential clients are much more likely to respond to you when they are not subjected to an immediate mini-presentation. This approach usually just creates suspicion and rejection.

So allow the conversation to have a natural sense of rhythm. Define mutual interest before launching into a description of your solution to a problem you probably know very little about at this point.

If you're still caught up in the traditional mindset of making the sale, your voice and demeanor will be full of expectation. Although you may even be using the "asking questions strategy," you are really thinking about moving the conversation into the sales process. Others will subtly (or overtly) react to this expectation with resistance.

It's perfectly fine to describe your product or service. However, you must introduce this at an appropriate time.

So be relaxed and low-key. Otherwise you risk introducing sales pressure immediately.

Rather than a presentation, you might begin with the question, "Hi, maybe you can help me out a second?"

The person will almost always respond by saying "Sure. How can I help you?" You've now diffused any immediate sales pressure. You're being genuine and not using the canned phrases that every other salesperson is using. You've gotten rid of the usual initial pressure and tension that comes along with sales expectations.

When your expectations are released, others won't feel you're trying to lead them down the path to a sale. They are usually willing to examine along with you whether a business relationship might be good.

So there you have it. Release your expectations to avoid conveying a sense of sales pressure. Potential clients become more interested and involved as a result, and also much more truthful about where they stand.

How Many Times And How Often Do You Contact Your Sales Prospect

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

How many times do you contact your sales prospect? Wait a minute! Before you answer this question let us define what may constitute a contact, ok? A contact can be defined as any of the following:

*A contact is a call in which you speak with the decision maker.

* A contact is a call in which you leave a voicemail message for the decision maker.

* A contact is a call in which you speak with the decision maker's gatekeeper.

* A contact is a call in which you leave a message on the gatekeeper's voicemail for the decision maker.

* A contact is call in which you speak with a non-decision maker to get the name of the decision maker.

* A contact is call in which you leave a message on the on the non-decision maker's voicemail to get the name of the decision maker.

I'm sure that you could think of a few more, but those that I've listed above are the main ones. Collectively, these definitions illustrate that in order to reach your sales prospect there are many barriers to entry. These "barriers to entry" do not end here, in fact, they have just begun! What exactly am I getting to? Since your prospects are not expecting your telephone call you are competing against one of the most valued commodities in existence. What is it? It's called their time.

Your prospect will always find ways to protect their time and they accomplish this task by creating sales objections. These objections may be direct or indirect. A direct objection means that you directly experience your prospect's resistance—meaning that their objection is either spoken or written. An indirect sales objection would be your prospect's attempt to make them self conveniently unavailable (i.e. they choose not to take your telephone call and let your message go to voicemail).

Based on this information that I've provided thus far, Does this information prompt you to contact your prospect just one more time? If not, perhaps these statistics from the National Sales Executive Association will change your behavior. According to their study:

* 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact

* 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact

* 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact

* 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact

* 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact

Which category do you think you fit into? Do you think that you may need to contact your prospect one more time? How about two more times? Three more times? If you do agree that you need to contact your prospect more than just a few times then the next question is how often? Should you call them once a week till you reach them? Should you call them twice a month till you reach them? Should you call them only once a month till you reach them? Below I've listed four "Frequency Programs" that you could use to contact your sales prospects. These programs are detailed below and include the following:

The Very Aggressive Frequency Program

In your first attempt to reach your sales prospect you can either leave a message on their voicemail (preferred way) or with their gatekeeper. Then you immediately send them an email that details the reason for your call. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the first attempt then for your second attempt I would call them three days later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper.

If you are unable to reach your prospect on the second attempt then for your third attempt I would call them one week later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the third attempt then for your fourth attempt I would send them a handwritten note one week later indicating the reason why you are trying to reach them. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the fourth attempt then I would call them one month later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. Are you still unable to reach them? Repeat this process or a variation of it till you reach them.

The Aggressive Frequency Program

In your first attempt to reach your sales prospect you can either leave a message on their voicemail (preferred way) or with their gatekeeper. Then you immediately send them an email that details the reason for your call. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the first attempt then for your second attempt I would call them one week later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper.

If you are unable to reach your prospect on the second attempt then for your third attempt I would call them one week later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the third attempt then for your fourth attempt I would send them a handwritten note one week later indicating the reason why you are trying to reach them. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the fourth attempt then I would call them one month later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. Are you still unable to reach them? Repeat this process or a variation of it till you reach them.

The Conservative Frequency Program

In your first attempt to reach your sales prospect you can either leave a message on their voicemail (preferred way) or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the first attempt then for your second attempt I would call them one week later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the second attempt then for your third attempt I would call them two weeks later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper.

If you are unable to reach your prospect on the third attempt then for your fourth attempt I would send them an email three days later indicating the reason why you are trying to reach them. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the fourth attempt then I would call them one month later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. Are you still unable to reach them? Repeat this process or a variation of it till you reach them.

The Very Conservative Frequency Program

In your first attempt to reach your sales prospect you can either leave a message on their voicemail (preferred way) or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the first attempt then for your second attempt I would call them one week later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the second attempt then for your third attempt I would call them three weeks later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper.

If you are unable to reach your prospect on the third attempt then for your fourth attempt I would send them an email four days later indicating the reason why you are trying to reach them. If you are unable to reach your prospect on the fourth attempt then I would call them one month later and leave a message on their voicemail or with their gatekeeper. Are you still unable to reach them? Repeat this process or a variation of it till you reach them.

Which program should you use? It really depends on your comfort level and how motivated you are to reach your sales prospect. The most important concept that you should take from this article is the fact that you will need to contact your prospect multiple times to reach them. Persistence will always be rewarded!

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Behind The Scenes With Mr. Cold Call Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "115 Common Sales Objections, 156 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success!)." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his free weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Handle Sales Objections The Smart Way With Diplomatic Transition Phrases

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

You've contacted someone and opened the sales call with these words:

"Hello, this is Gary Goodman with Customersatisfaction.com…"

And right at this moment the prospect replies, "I'm not interested!"

Rude, don't you think?

Here you are, at the very beginning of what you hope will be a pleasant give-and-take, and they cut you off before you can give anything!

So, how can you respond, presuming they haven't hung-up?

You can do the intuitive thing, which is also the most defensive, and that is to argue with the prospect:

"How can you BE interested; I haven't even said anything, yet!" This is guaranteed to earn that hang-up, for you.

You can try to ignore it. This was my Aunt Cecelia's approach. When you hear something you don't want to hear, pretend you didn't hear it.

She swore by that one, but I assure you, it won't work on the phone in a selling situation.

Or, you can reply, diplomatically. This is the way to go, believe me.

A transition is a word bridge that enables you to gracefully travel from their interruption back to your presentation. Here are some examples:

(1) Well, I understand that, but…

(2) Well, I respect that, but…

(3) Well, I appreciate that, however…

(4) Well, I'd be surprised if you were at this point, but…

So, let's revisit the dialogue at the top of the page, adding a timely transition phrase:

"Hello, this is Gary Goodman with Customersatisfaction.com…"

"I'm not interested!"

"Well, I appreciate that, but the reason I'm calling is recently we sent out some letters and brochures, and I was wondering, do you recall seeing one of those by any chance?"

This is an after-mailing opener, if you were wondering, and it works quite well.

But my point is you can't get to this opener unless you have a diplomatic bridge.

Try them, and tell me how you do!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Cold Calling Just Dont Do It

Writen by Tino Buntic

Cold Calling is dead. That's right, it is dead. It is interruption marketing to the highest degree. Consumers are tuning out interruption marketing and the advertising message is not getting through.

So why do you continue to cold call? It is probably because your sales manager tells you that you should. And why does he tell you to cold call? It is probably because the sales consultant that your company spent thousands of dollars on advised that the staff should increase their cold calls to increase their sales. Of course, your company needs to see a return on this investment so they advise the sales manager to advise the sales staff to follow the recommendations and increase the amount of cold calls.

"More cold calls equals more appointments made equals more sales presentations equals more closed sales." This is the general thinking. So sales leads lists are purchased from companies such as InfoUsa and the troops hunker down in the "boiler room" and call business executives and decision makers hoping to set appointments. The generally accepted rule is 15 cold calls should translate into 3 appointments made which should result in 1 completed sale. This rule usually ends up being 150 (or more) cold calls equals 3 appointments made equals 1 completed sale. The reason? Have you ever tried calling a business executive? Then you know that it takes about 10 tries before you actually get through on the phone. So the intial 15 calls turns into 150 calls. Executives, by nature, are busy… appointments, meetings, travel, planning… they don't have time for unsolicited phone calls. And, if you do manage to find them with some free time, it takes a lot of skill to get through the secretary (the gatekeeper); they are trained to filter out unimportant phone calls. And guess what? Your call is NOT IMPORTANT!

Let's go back to the sales consultant that your company hired. How did your company decide that they needed to hire a sales consultant? Did the sales consultant cold call your company to advise that your company's sales are not as high as they could be and that, therefore, they should hire a sales consultant to provide some recommendations? No he didn't. The scenario was something along the following lines: The CEO of your company noticed that sales are decreasing and did a search on the internet for a sales consultant to potentially hire to help the company increase sales. The CEO called the consultant, they met, the consultant made his sales presentation, and he was hired. The sales consultant, already with a contract, just regurgitated old school sales principals, basically more cold calls. Perhaps he even drafted a few cold calling scripts. This is almost foolproof. If sales increase the consultant will say it was because of his cold calling training. If sales don't increase he'll say it is because the company wasn't following his recommendations… they did not make enough cold calls.

The bottom line is this "sales expert" did not need to make a cold call to earn his income. The company CEO found him on the internet. He has a website and he lets his website do the selling for him. If the "sales expert" doesn't need to make cold calls, then neither do you. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on sales consultants and sales lead lists, sell the way that these pros sell. Instead, spend that money on internet marketing. People that need your services are searching the internet to find somebody to provide it to them. If they are not finding you then your competitors are getting the business. If you don't have a website, you can create a professional profile on other sites, such as trade-pals.com for free. Just remember, if you disturb somebody with a sales message it is interruption marketing. If someone finds you through searches it is permission marketing. People just don't respond to interruption marketing anymore. If they find you, they have already made the conscious decision to use your services; half of your sales work will already have been done!

Tino Buntic is a former cold caller but is presently retired from cold calling. He now gets his sales leads through other means. His website, trade-pals.com, provides sales leads without cold calling to sales professionals across North America

Does Cold Calling Really Work Three Ways To Know The Truth

Writen by Daegan Smith

This belief has long been the contention of many people, especially those who believe that man, being a rational being, is always accountable for his action. They know that they will be rewarded for every good action that they make, and they will be punished for every bad action they did otherwise.

This belief has also been applied to many activities like cold calling.

Basically, people do cold calls if they want to market their product even without knowing who they will call, And as applied, cold calling works on some people, and to some, they just sucks.

In many instances, cold calling really works. However, it is not simply based on trying something because they know they will benefit something from it; and they would continue on believing that it will really do them good even if they did not even tried hard enough.

In some areas, some people would contend that the effectiveness of cold calling really depends on the situation and on the skills of the person doing the job.

Maybe, some people are just lucky. Maybe, some people are born cold callers or sales person. Maybe, it was their day, when they were able to close a sale through the phone. Maybe, just maybe, everything is dependent on your knowledge about what you are doing and on what strategies to use, don't you think?

This goes to show that the reason why cold calling does not work with other people is because they do not just know how to make cold calls, the true concept of cold calling, and the things that need to be considered before make a cold call.

Therefore, for people who are not yet convinced that cold calling really works and it is just based on some circumstances that cold calling does not work for some people; here is a list of some conditions that will tell you that cold calling really does work:

1. It works when the person who does cold calling knows who your customer or company is.

This does not necessarily mean that you personally know your customer or the company. What is truly being pointed out here is that you should know the pertinent details of your customer or the company. You should know the customer's background, the company profile, and the nature of the company or the customer so that you will have an insight how great is the probability that they will listen to your sales pitch.

For example, a person who works for a certain direct selling company but does cold calls on the wrong market. What sense does it make talking to people whom you know will not work on you?

Simply put, people will not listen to your sales pitch if you they are not interested on your product. In addition, the reason why they are not interested is that they know that they have nothing to benefit from it.

See the point? It is really important to know your target market before making cold calls.

2. It is important to know that cold calling will be very effective if the person will target on the right person in the company. The higher the position of the person is, the greater the possibilities that you will get where you are heading at.

This means that aside from knowing the target market, people who do cold calling should also know that they have to aim higher. This goes to show that you should not just call people whom you think are connected with your idea or product. It is best if you will talk to the person who is in the authority to decide if ever he will be interested on what you are selling.

For example, a person who is a sales person in a staffing company. According to his analysis, his target market will be interested on his services because he knows that the nature of the company can be associated to what he is selling.

Then, he thought of targeting a certain department in the company, whom he thought would entail the "decision makers." The problem is, he called on the department who is responsible for the recruitment of their company. This means that if he will provide them feasible means of getting employees or staff, which would make the department sound inefficient on their work. In turn, it will only make matters worst.

The important thing is to call the highest position in the company like the CEO's. IN this way, you can get hold of the real decision maker. The point is, when cold calling, you should start from the highest position and not on the lower rank.

3. Cold calling really works if your product will reveal unseen opportunities.

This means that people, who does cold calling, should make it a point that their services and products will reveal some hidden chances or opportunities and would make the company realize that they need it.

It is relatively based on timing. As most sales expert say, the reason why people say no to you is that it is that you are in the wrong time. What matter most is that you have to call again and expect that you will close the sale on that day.

It is the persistence and the knowledge about cold calling that would really attest that it really does work. As most people say, cold calling reflects your passion for the business.

Indeed, there is no other way that would best describe the selling characteristic of a person that what cold calling can do.

Daegan Smith the owner of Net MLM Articles and the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE =>http://www.comlev.com

What Is The Secret Cold Calling Formula In Reaching Executives

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

The answer is simple and it's called PERSISTENCE! If your prospect does not call you back, guess what? You keep calling them! If they have not returned your telephone call after the second, third or even fourth attempt, guess what? You keep calling them! According to the National Sales Executive Association, 80% of sales occur between the fifth through twelfth contact and 20% of sales occur between the first through the fourth contact. What do these statistics tell us?

These statistics reveal that the most successful sales reps are those who choose not to give up on their prospects! They understand that those prospects who respond with the "not interested objection" are really asking for more product or service information. They understand the importance of consistent follow-up with their sales prospects. They understand that their prospects will respect their enduring persistence. They understand that their "enduring persistence" may act as a catalyst in their prospect's buying decisions. What exactly do I mean here?

These prospects (i.e. C-Level Execs, Senior-Level Execs, Directors and Business Owners) that are being contacted are successful for one reason and that reason is due to their "enduring persistence." Many times our buying decisions are based on more than just the price, features and benefits of a product or service. Our buying decisions can also be based on the person from whom we are buying the product or service. In this case, a prospect who is dealing with a sales rep who has demonstrated "enduring persistence" can quickly identify with this winning personality trait. They will perceive the sales rep as having something in common with them and as a result, they may factor this information into their purchasing decisions.

Now that I have demonstrated that being persistent helps to bridge the gap between you and your sales prospect, now what? You need to constantly remind your prospect of your "enduring persistence" because by doing so increases their awareness of you! This means that if you are leaving a message for them you need to let them know that you are not giving up and that you are not a quitter! Let your prospect know (either on a cold call or by voicemail) that you have been trying to reach them for six months, a year or even something crazy like two years!

Below I've included a few lines that you can incorporate into your cold calls and/or voicemail messages. These examples of persistence include the following:

"(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), Can you believe that I've been trying to reach you for (LENGTH OF TIME) now? Talk about persistence, right?" (pause)

"(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), I think I've left at least ten messages for you, do you respect my persistence here?" (pause)

"(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), You gotta respect my persistence here, I've called you so many times that I have no more room in my ACT database." (laugh a little and then pause)

"(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), I hope that you appreciate my persistence here, I'm not one to give up so easily." (pause)

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

How To End Your Cold Calling Fears For Good

Writen by Nick Arrizza, M.D.

If you're in your own business and one of the major challenges you have getting clients is picking up the phone and making that important first call then you're likely struggling with what many cold callers suffer with, the fear of rejection.

This fear can manifest within as some of the following:

1. Avoidance of picking up the phone.

2. Excuses as to why doing less productive things is more important.

3. Belief that what you are offering is not wanted by anyone.

4. Fear or dread of that proverbial hangup in your ear.

5. Anxiety or nervousness while you are trying to deliver your prepared message to the callee.

6. Conveying a lack of self confidence thereby sabotaging your efforts during the call.

An so on.

What does all of this have in common? Well pure and simple it is the fact that you are in failure mode. In other words your sales are going to suffer.

One of the most destructive aspects of this is that in itself it is traumatizing to you. That means that the fear of failing again just becomes greater and more entrenched in your mind and body. If allowed to continue it ultimately undermines one's self confidence, self esteem, sense of adequacy, and one's chances of success.

It also undermines one's overall emotional and physical health in the long run. That is what trauma does to individuals you see.

I think you know that sales calls can be very stressful and therefore traumatizing. That is why so few individuals are able to persist at it for too long.

What if you could not only rid yourself of such fears but also build up a sense of resilience that would make your calls pleasurable, effective, get you the results you desire, and make you successful?

Is that too hard to believe? Well it is possible with a new modality that I developed over 10 years ago which helps individuals achieve all of that and more. It is called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) and it is available through the web link below at no risk to you.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Web Site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/IntroConsult.htm