How To End The Cold Calling Game Of Chasing A Sale

Writen by Ari Galper

4 steps to warm up cold calling conversations

Our thoughts are always at the basis of our behaviors. If our thoughts are fixed on the goal of making a sale, then we're not really being forthright. We're not focused on the conversation or the truth of a situation. We're chasing people -- or at least chasing the sale.

Here are 4 important steps to help end the "chasing game" in our cold calling efforts.

1. Avoid reading from a script

Life is not a script, nor are normal conversations. When we read from a script, we're not being natural. We're playing a role. And that means we're chasing a sale rather than enjoying an opportunity to meet someone new and find out if we can help them. Allowing a conversation to naturally flow helps you enter into a dialogue based on trust, which lets your potential client's real issues emerge. Formal scripts, on the other hand, don't give you the freedom to take conversations in the direction they may naturally want to go. And this feels stilted and awkward.

If you begin to view your cold calls as conversations or dialogues, you'll find it easy to let go of the idea of scripts. And you'll sense the shift of the energy in your conversation when the emphasis of the call is about the person you're talking with and not about your making a sale.

So generate a spontaneous conversation, based on the problems you can help the other person solve. This will diffuse your feelings of being awkward and artificial, and allow you to enjoy the journey.

2. Address a Core Problem

People connect with you when they feel you understand their issues before you focus on yourself and your solutions. Come up with two or three specific problems that your product or service solves. And talk about it with the potential client first, before offering your sales pitch. When you offer your presentation or solution without first involving the other person by talking about a core problem they might be having, you are focused on the sale rather than the conversation. And your whole energy tends to drive the interaction into a sales mode. Remember, whenever someone feels "chased," they usually run.

So stop for a moment. Convey that you're a problem solver. Invite a mutual exchange of information that explores whether there's a possibility that the two of you might work together. Help them understand that your thoughts and goals are not focused on selling them anything at all.

Most people will welcome your interest in their problem as long as you're not operating out of the hidden agenda of making a sale. So overcome the temptation to discuss what you have to offer and move into focusing on your caller's world. Invite discussion, express interest, and stop chasing the sale.

3. Uncover the Truth of the Situation

Make your objective to uncover the truth of the potential client's situation and to be okay with the outcome, whether it's a yes or a no. We can do this by checking in at various times in the conversation to make sure it makes sense to continue the dialogue. If we just move ahead without doing this, we're in "chase mode." And in this case, we may be chasing something very unrealistic for this particular potential client. So we ask important questions such as, "Is this a top priority for you to solve right now?" We may find that the potential client is very interested in working with us, but the budget or staffing may simply be too thin at this time. We stop at various checkpoints in our conversation to make sure we're moving ahead together. If our thoughts are fixed only on our own goal of eventually securing the sale, we can miss very important signals that the other person may actually have no intention of following through.

4. Where do We Go From Here?

Here's something very surprising. Allow the conversation to end without chasing other person into an sales appointment or commitment, and the other person will often be the one who initiates further contact. So when you feel as if the conversation is coming to a natural conclusion, you can simply say, "Well, where do you think we should go from here?" This question reassures potential clients that you're not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda. It invites the other person to take charge of where things are going, and all you need do is follow along.

When you stop chasing the sale, you'll be truly surprised at how often the sale gently awaits you within a friendly conversation focusing on the needs of others.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Cold Calling Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.Unlock-The-Cold-Calling-Game.com

What If Telemarketing Was Still Legal

Writen by Lance Winslow

Did you know that telemarketing is not illegal and it is allowed providing your phone number and name is not on the; DO NOT CALL LIST. If you are then telemarketing companies and telemarketers cannot call you; Unless: you are currently a customer with them or have bought or done business with them in a recent time. There are also several interesting little exclusions for certain types of non-profits or Of Course political fundraising. So actually to answer the question: What if Telemarketing Were Still Legal? The answer is it still is to a limited sense. This pleases many American consumers who enjoy their privacy in thier own homes, but also hurt many business and those employed throughout our nation in tele-selling.

What some people do not realize is that even though they are getting far less calls from telemarketers during dinner time these days, that about 230,000 Americans lost their jobs when these new telemarketing jobs took place. Many had lost their jobs as telemarketing fell out of favor prior to the actual implementation of the Telemarketing Rule. Another thing people do not realize is that selling through telemarketing actually worked well for many companies and that meant more jobs were lost from those companies who made products or did services which no longer used that method to get there business. Think on this.

Lance Winslow

Cold Calling Mean Prospects

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

"You don't have to keep calling me!"

"Stop calling me!"

"It's 10 o'clock Monday morning, what nerve!"

"I'm going to be hanging up on you!"

"What part of no did you not understand?"

"Who's your manager?"

Do any of these responses above sound familiar? I bet they do! In fact, it would not surprise me if you are smiling right now because you also have experienced one, two or all of these responses. If you have then you understand that such mean responses come with the territory. I commend you for this because you are indeed a true cold caller! We can laugh now, but when you are in the moment and on the receiving end of these responses it can be very intense. It's really hard not to take these responses personally. And yes, it's hard to stay positive when you hear so much negativity. And yes, such negativity from your sales prospects can turn a great day into a not so great day.

So how does Mr. Cold Call deal with mean prospects? First of all, there is no single answer. However, there are ways to deal with it or at least reduce cold call frustration on your end and cold call resistance on their end. Here are four suggestions to keep in mind:

1. PROSPECTS WILL TAKE OUT THEIR PROBLEMS ON YOU!

The workplace along with outside pressures such as family and finances cause us a tremendous amount of stress. The sales prospects that you are contacting are not immune to these pressures and you must keep this in mind when you are making cold calls. When you encounter a prospect that is a bit "out of control" for the most part just back off. I would then try contacting them a few weeks later and make mention to the fact that you may have caught them at a bad time. In my experience, I have found this to be a good strategy since most people do not expect you to call back and do admire your persistence.

2. HUMOR HAS A PERMEATING EFFECT TO CHANGE A PROSPECT'S ATTITUDE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE.

Humor also has the power to create and build rapport with your prospects as well! Take a personal risk and add humor when you are on the telephone with your prospect. If your prospect is acting resistant or if they're stressed out humor can act as a perfect escape for your prospect. One minute they're having a bad day your light humor can give them a reason to have a FANTASTIC DAY! One line that seems to lighten the mood is when a prospect is about to hang up on you. I then reply, "(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), Are you going to hang up on me?" I have found this to lighten the tension of the call.

3. REMEMBER THAT LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND 90% OF HOW YOU REACT TO IT.

Read this quote from Charles Swindoll, American author, he writes about the importance of your attitude and how you use it to react to life as a whole.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes."

4. WHEN YOU HEAR MEAN RESPONSES EXCHANGE YOUR STORIES WITH FELLOW CO-WORKERS.

When you experience mean responses from your prospects it's healthy to get these internal frustrations out of your system. You will find that when you exchange stories with fellow co-workers it can be very self-satisfying and can even be cathartic. If you know that you are not alone in dealing with mean prospects then it makes cold calling less frustrating and easier to manage.

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

Reach Out And Sell Someone

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was speaking to the operator of a successful business the other day, asking him how he and his fellow franchisees earn their clients. He mentioned 10 ways: networking, referrals, and advertising are among them.

But one, he said, outperforms the rest: selling by telephone.

Businesspeople who make calls outpace their peers by a wide margin, he said, noting that he is the franchise system's top performer.

Why aren't more experienced business people emulating this fellow, using their people skills to meet and greet potential clients by phone? There are several reasons:

1. They're afraid of real-time rejection.
2. They believe the phone is a tainted tool.
3. They have low frustration tolerance.
4. They think there has to be an easier way!
5. They believe they come across poorly.
6. They believe phoning lacks dignity.
7. They believe their target market is deluged with calls.
8. They don't have a manageable database.
9. They lack an effective phone presentation.
10. They lack good phone training.

If you look at this list, at least half of the items result from psychological factors. Many people resist phoning because they needlessly beat themselves up and disparage the medium. That's what items 1-7 are all about—negative beliefs and judgments.

Instead of focusing on themselves, businesspeople should attend to the last three items: managing their database, devising an effective phone presentation, and getting good coaching and training. Address these challenges, and the first seven impediments will either go away, or be dramatically minimized.

Let's discuss these items briefly, and put them into proper perspective.

1. They're afraid of real-time rejection.

Most of us are rejected silently and indirectly. If we send out a zillion resumes, most will end up in the trash, but we don't feel that pain, directly. Nor do we hurt if we mail out as many business brochures, which meet the same fate. But when we empower someone to flatly say no, directly in our ear, it feels threatening. Rejection is usually not about us—at most it's about our offer, our value proposition, and how we have communicated it. So, there's no reason to take it personally. Attend to the real challenge: fix your message and how you're delivering it. (For a more complete discussion, please see my article, "Thanks For The Rejection!")

2. They believe the phone is a tainted tool.

As consumers, many of us have been bombarded by calls that have had little value. For years, it made economic sense for giant call centers to spray-and-pray. Now, with the ubiquity of answering devices, caller I.D. and effective anti-telemarketing legislation, these calls have been diminishing, but our negative attitude about them, persists. The phone, as a medium, is alive and well. We need to work on developing the message and the messenger.

3. They have low frustration tolerance.

There is a math-of-success in prospecting and selling. If you make fifty calls, you'll probably find ten people who will express some interest and be worth pursuing. After sending information to them, and following-up, three may still be interested, and of these, you might close one or two.

I'm just using these numbers as an example, because they point out that fifty tries might earn you one success. Let me tell you one of my favorite war stories about a guy who did much worse than this.

A Houston-based client of mine sells investments to institutions such as colleges and large banks. One of their commission salespeople worked from January through October without earning a sale. Literally, he made thousands upon thousands of calls, to no avail.

Every other salesperson was making at least some money, and a few were doing very well, but he struck out, left and right.

Then, in November, he got his first order of the year. It was so large that it made him a millionaire, on the spot.

He had high frustration tolerance, which is a trait worth developing! (For a fuller discussion, please refer to my audio seminar: "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant.)

4. They think there has to be an easier way!

The other night, at a meeting of business professionals, I was discussing marketing with a consultant. He beamed that he got a client four years after initially meeting him at a mixer. Networking is his favorite way to get business.

I agree, networking can be pleasant but it's just too unpredictable. Waiting for the phone to ring only seems easy. In my experience, it is harder than proactively selling someone, which permits much greater control and instant feedback.

5. They believe they come across poorly over the phone.

True enough, when you hear certain people over the phone, there's much less than meets the eye. Their voices may be inherently unpleasant, squeaky or gravelly, or their articulation may be flawed.

But most people don't suffer from these ills, and even non-radio announcer voices can be enhanced through training, while others can be improved with medical help.

(6) They believe phoning lacks dignity.

Some aristocratic businesspeople feel that phoning is simply too far beneath their social station to be permissible for them to do. They equate it to begging.

All I can say is that the dignity in phoning is equal to the dignity you bring to it. If you sound impressive, and credible, you'll generally encounter fair treatment.

(7) They believe their target market is deluged with calls.

I've been in business over twenty years, and the cold calls I receive today are significantly less than ever before. I suspect fewer people are making business-to-business calls, if only because they don't know how to penetrate voice mail systems and call screening.

(8) They don't have a manageable database.

Calling isn't merely about dialing and smiling. It's about getting organized to call and being able to capture information about the calls you've made.

The first challenge is to get a good list of prospects. Once you have that, you should load it into one of the many inexpensive database programs offered by software sellers.

By tackling these tasks, you'll be able to be productive and you won't have the time or interest in wallowing over your rejection rate. You'll be able to measure it, and improve upon it.

(9) They lack an effective phone presentation.

You need to write, or hire a pro to write a good script.

No matter how glib you are, you should know exactly what you're going to say to get through screening, to leave a captivating message on voice mail, to greet a real-time human, to credibly introduce yourself, to state your basic offer, to earn a commitment from the listener, to confirm the progress you made in the call, and to identify the next step to come.

Without a script, you'll ramble, seem disorganized, invert the order of what you say, and hopelessly change your talk from one contact to the next. That way, you'll be unaware of what's working, what's failing, and what you need to change.

A script mustn't sound stilted or canned, and you need to make yours seem fresh and spontaneous. But when you do, it will serve you very well.

(10) They lack good phone training.

I had the luxury of being trained by my father, who was superb at making cold calls to develop his advertising, radio, and TV ventures. He'd phone from home, and I'd listen, fascinated by his ability to adjust to different people.

In college, I worked as a full-time collector for a finance company, and then I became top salesperson and a manager at Time-Life Books. Later, with a Ph.D. in Communications, I started training others as a consultant.

I've found that some people are "naturals" over the phone—but they're rare. Most need to be trained and coached, to develop their skills.

But once they have them, they feel as I do: I could land in any place in the world where I speak the language, pick up the phone, and prosper.

It's always the right time to Reach Out & Sell Someone®!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman
President, Customersatisfaction.com

Dr. Gary S. Goodman 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. Gary's programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. When he isn't consulting, Gary can be found in Glendale, California. He can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Turn Inquiries Into Solid Sales

Writen by Virden Thornton

The first few minutes of an incoming telephone call are critical if you want to turn an inquiry about your company's products or services into a long term customer relationship. Research shows that you only have about seven seconds in which to take charge of the call and capture the prospective customer or client's attention. If you don't gain immediate control of the conversation you could lose the chance of developing business for your company. The following examples show you how key phrases can turn a common, every day price inquiry into a selling situation, that in turn produces a new customer for your company or firm.

The Introduction

Typical opening: Good morning, ABC Company.

The caller will now ask a question and basically take control of the transaction. It's best to answer the call with a question.

An effective approach: Good morning (smile, it can be heard in your voice). Thank you for calling ABC Company. This is Mary Stevens, how may I help you?

By thanking your prospect you build rapport and make her feel good that she called your company. By identifying yourself, prospects are no longer dealing with an institution, they are now working with a "real person." Then, by asking a question you are taking control of the conversation. In a transaction of any kind, the person that asks the questions is in control of the process.

The Inquiry:

Customer: What is your price on one grundle of your 301 Widgets in black,?

Typical response: I'll have to look that up. Just one moment please. . . The price is $ _______ for a minimum order of one grundle.

A better approach: I'd be glad to give you the pricing on Widgets, but may I first ask, are you looking for an overnight delivery on the entire qrundle or are you planning to receive them in incremental shipments?

First you make a statement to transition into other questions.

Customer: Well, I'm looking to get the best price I can find.

Typical response: Well, our prices are competitive. A grundle in black costs $ ______ if shipped as a whole.

A more effective approach: Where are you purchasing your Widgets at this time?

Now use additional questions like this one to find out more about the customer and her specific needs. Here are a few samples to review:

• Does your present supplier offer a price break on your shipping approach?

• How do you use this style of widget in your production?

• If you felt you could get a competitive price on a grundle of black widgets andpossibly

lower your shipping costs, would you consider purchasing our 301s?

• Tell me about your specific Widget storage situation at your production facility?

Take some time after finishing this learning guide to write down some questions that you might ask about your products or services. Keep this list of questions where you can use them during future price inquiries. Refer to your list often until the questions are firmly set in your mind and are used on a regular basis.

The Close

Typical close: Well our prices are competitive and we'd love to do business with you. Best approach: We have several approaches to help you get the best pricing and delivery on Widgets, but I need to take 15, no more than 20 minutes to discuss them with you. Would it be possible for you to come into our plant or we could have a representative meet you at your office so that we could discuss these options further?

Realistically, many of your callers will decline your offer of assistance. Most prospects will just push you for your prices and then hang up. However, from time to time, this approach will strike a chord with a prospect. This caller will sense that you really care about his needs and will be willing to let you set an appointment.

Even though this approach may only attract a few new customers or clients out of the hundreds of people who call for information, over a period of several months, these few will begin to add up to a significant number. And remember, these are customers and accounts that may never have been attracted to your company if you had just given the caller your prices.

By putting a time frame of 15 no more than 20 minutes on your meeting with the prospect, your offer of help will appeal to more of these callers. People are concerned about time, so by setting a time frame for them, you help to reduce their concerns.

The fear of sounding foolish or being rejected may keep you from doing much more than giving out prices. But for true professionals, the approach outlined above can help you to establish new accounts (or sales) over a year's time, simply because you took the time to show an interest in the needs of your caller.

VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. an Ohio consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training, personal coaching, advisory services and publishing. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Service Linen Supply, Bank One, Jefferson Wells International, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of the "best selling" Building & Closing the Sale, Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications a division of Thompson Learning. He has also authored a client acclaimed Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching, telemarketing, and personal productivity manuals. To obtain a substantial discount on two of Virden's latest books, 101 Sales Myths or Organizing For Sales Success, go to: http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/