Cold Call Clues

I know. I know. You hate the whole idea of cold calling. You imagine the impersonal rejections, and the many times your dinner's been interrupted by a phone solicitation.

But would you do it if it wasn't for you? But for a charity?

Suppose it's for your favourite charity. You have nothing to gain, other than that wonderful warm feeling that comes from raising money for an important cause. Would you do it?

Say you agreed to phone for donations for cancer research. Where would you start?

Believe it or not, I actually like to cold canvass, whether for charities or businesses, and here's what I've found:

1. To overcome rejection realize that you are not the target. The lady who hung up on you may have been arguing with her mother, husband, or children. She wasn't mad at you but at them. Or she's trying to make dinner, and you are another damned interruption. You were not the target of her ire.

2. You must believe in your product. It's hard to push your daughter's Girl Guide cookies to your office buddies if you never eat them yourself. But you could probably pitch Tim Horton's donuts for her. If you haven't donated to cancer research, solicit for a charity that you have donated to.

3. You need a quality list. For a charity you want people who have money. Where can you get lists of well-to-do prospects? How about real estate agents who sell expensive homes? Or Mercedes dealers? Or parents of kids at private schools? You can probably think of many more. Remember, it's for charity!

4. You also need a good script. Not something you make up as you're dialing. So, if you really want to bring in money for your charity, prepare yourself. Find out everything you can about it. Write down its good features, and the reasons that you contribute to it. Now read what you've written, and turn it into a persuasive script. Now learn it by heart so that it rolls off your tongue pleasingly, and stumble-free.

5. Anticipate the initial turn-down, such as "Not interested" and have your response ready. Instead of mumbling "Thanks", then hanging up, feeling dejected, say "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there any reason in particular?" This will set you apart from the other cold callers, and may allow you to get your story across.

6. Close! This is the goal of your call. You've got to tell the prospect what to do. The charity has told you the steps to follow to transfer the donor's contribution to it. So now tell the donor what to do!

7. Have fun! Try to enjoy the whole process. You volunteered to help raise money for your favourite charity. And you can do it in a lackluster way, offering mere lip service, or you can make it a challenging, rewarding, enjoyable experience.

It's up to you. And who knows, you might even get a prospect or two of your own out of the experience!

Lavana Fitzgerald CFP, one of the first in BC to qualify as a Registered Financial Planner, served as Managing Director of Stirling Bond, a private merchant bank. After over twenty years of investment and tax planning, she now divides her time between clients in Calgary and Vancouver, specializing in Critical Illness and Long-Term Care Insurance.

Cold Call Clues - To learn more about this author, visit Donald F. Pooley's Website.

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