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Cold Calling Should Not Create the Sales Catastrophe of Becoming a Commodity
Written by: Leanne Hoagland-SmithArticle Overview: Do you need more sales as service professional whether you are a business consultant, sales coach, financial advisor, insurance agent or realtor? Are you making those necessary cold calls? Did you ever think that you are potentially creating a sales catastrophe of becoming a commodity?
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Free Download - How to Craft an Engaging Message That Highlights What You Do to Increase Sales By Leanne Hoagland-Smith |
Cold Calling Should Not Create the Sales Catastrophe of Becoming a Commodity
Do you need more sales as service professional whether you are a business consultant, sales coach, financial advisor, insurance agent or realtor? Are you making those necessary cold calls? Did you ever think that you are potentially creating a sales catastrophe of becoming a commodity?
Recently, I had a Ah-Ha moment and realized that many coaches and probably others within any service industry are literally turning themselves into commodities when a potential client sought me out. This new referral came from an existing center of influence and a raving fan. She was speaking with a new client of mine who she had also referred to me. This new customer was just bursting about the value through the actual results that I brought to her business within the first meeting. She shared that she has already received back her investment through some specific strategies and suggestions from the initial coaching session.
During this conversation at a local Chamber of Commerce, the newest referral shared he receives one call a day from a business coach looking to help him out. He thinks he may need some help, but isn’t sure and just doesn’t want to go with just anyone.
Now think of those two words “just anyone.” Doesn’t that sound like a commodity?
Cold calling is a necessary business building strategy especially when the referrals run dry and you need some new potential customers (a.k.a. prospects) in your marketing tunnel. (Yes, tunnel not funnel. This is not a typo, but I believe in using the tunnel analogy compared to the funnel one.)
What this tells me is that these business coaches have not developed a cold calling script based upon the value that they bring through the results that they have delivered. For example, if I were cold calling, my opening statement might be: “Hello, I am Leanne Hoagland Smith. My client, insert name, shared that you are interested in doubling your profitability just like she has. Is this a good time for you to talk or what would be a better time?”
Of course, you will have to do your research and make sure that the cold call lead knows your client and has had some conversation even if a direct referral was not made. The one thing you do not want to say in your cold calling conversation is that you are a business coach, sales coach or business consultant and can help them as you have helped so many other business (not named) or something trivial to that effect. By making that statement, you have already doomed yourself into that sales catastrophe known as commodity.
Sales Coaching Tip: Craft several value driven opening statements to be used in your cold calling scripts. Remember, your goal is to be that Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits if you really want to increase sales.
Stop By All That Business Your Are Driving By If You Want to Increase Sales
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Is cold calling right for my business?
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About the Author: Leanne Hoagland-Smith RSS for Leanne's articles - Visit Leanne's website  Her book, Be the Red Jacket is a no-nonsense and quick read to help discover potential gaps that may be keeping you from your goal to increase sales. The forward is by Evan Carmichael of EvanCarmichael.com Remember if you think you cannot or you think you can either way you are right. (Henry Ford). Sales Coaching Tip: Change your thoughts; improve your results. Click here to visit Leanne's website   Leadership Audit For Business Business Building Check List Leadership Assessment |
Related Forum Posts
Re: How to develop sales contacts?
- Everyone has the right idea here. Depending on your business, there are different techniques that you could use. For consultants and sales heavy businesses, there are three tactics that I have found especially useful in my business:
1. Attend Networking Events
2. Cold Calling
3. Referral Program
4. Affiliate Program (most successful)
The affiliate program was successful for me, as I hooked up with a franchise consultant, and he gave multiple unit businesses that needed my credit card processing services. I highly suggest you hook up with a sales partner, and give him a cut of the monthly revenue.
Re: Direct Mail Postcards
- Post cards would be really expensive to send from Japan...but one way to advertise that is not expensive from overseas is by Cold Calling using cheap VoIP equipment. I know Japan has a really good internet connection, so as long as you are willing to stay up late, it might be an option.
I cold call from Thailand far, far away from any city using a CDMA wireless internet connection and have had pretty good results. I find tho, that cold calling works best for business 2 business (b2b), rather than b2c products.
--matt
Re: Cold Calling
- As long as people are out of jobs, you'll probably have a lot of people who say they want to work for straight commission, but if they don't get paid fairly quickly, they usually move on. We've run into that and went through about 500 people (whose resumes looked really good) until we found about 3 good resellers. People just don't want to work for anything. Or they do a good job getting the business but don't do the follow up necessary to make the sale......so they move on thinking they need money NOW. Our business requires all cold calling as well. It's really tough for people to perfect that but there are a lot of good books out there. On is Cold Calling Techniques, by Stephan Schiffman
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional
- Hi Evan,
I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional
- [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan,
I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz]
I second the request...
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