Happy Friday, everyone!
Recently I read an article by Colleen Francis, Make Your First Impression Your Best Impression, in which she discusses the importance of an effective opening statement. She notes, "The little things can make the difference between success and failure. A few awkward or uncertain words, a mispronounced name, an inappropriate question or simply being under-prepared or long-winded can create a bad first impression, and cost you the sale."
So here is this week's poll question:
When you're making a cold call, either in person or by phone, how do you introduce yourself and the reason for your call?
Looking forward to reading your replies!
My best approach reinforces sincerity by speaking directly to the person who answers the phone and not past them. With an air of honesty, most Gate Keepers are very helpful. I tell them who I am and what I'm trying to accomplish. That person answering the phone is critical to the success of prospecting. With the decision maker, I work quickly to express that I am familiar with their company and I have some specific questions for them. This opens the door for an appointment, and to let them know I want to help their business thrive by building a relationship with my audience.
I sure agree with Karen. Anyone you deal with at a business is just as important as the decision maker. I have had people coach me and even call me when I was having difficulty talking to their boss.
I have actually told people I wanted to work for their continued success. I explain I sell for (fill in the blank) but my I know my success comes from working for other's success. So, my goal is to help, requiring me to learn about their business first.
In my opinion, selling ideas created from the words the client told me, is what I do. My job is to craft that to radio sales and if something else might work nicely, I will mention that. I figure that honesty will come back to me in the long run through trust.
I have had people say "What are you selling". I give them a straight answer. But I say the visit I want to make will not end in asking you for an order. I say I need to understand the business and if radio might be a good option for them. I think a bunch of these types think I'm out to sell them anything I can sucker them in to buying. They see talking without a sale attempted as an upgrade over salesman.
I work on teaching our sellers to never make a "cold call". A sales person should only call on a prospect or client when they have a Valid Business Reason. The focus should be on the client and a VBR that addresses the client.
KP
First order of business is to make sure you’re talking to the right person. If I have a name from the company website or another source, I’ll ask for that person and then confirm I’m in the right place:
“Hi, Tom, this is Phil Bernstein with KEX – I’m told that you’re the one who handles the advertising.” The prospect can either confirm, deny, or engage me to figure out what the heck I want.
Once we’ve established that I’m barking up the right tree, the next step is to quickly convince the prospect that I’m worth talking to. That means letting them know I have a good reason for calling, that I know something about them already, and that I have something to offer that the prospect might actually want.
That “something” is never the Big Summer Fire Sale Rotator Package, by the way.
I did a blog post on this subject a while back where I go into some detail why so many AE’s run into unnecessary resistance, and on an approach that’s worked well for me. You’ll find that post here: http://philbernstein.com/sales-skills-why-dont-your-prospects-want-to-meet-with-you/
