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What to avoid when cold calling?
| Guest post by: Alen Majer |
Article Overview: As annoying as cold calling can be, it is a game of probabilities and the more you do it, the more sales you will make. If you are wondering what to avoid when cold calling, here are some hints.
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What to avoid when cold calling?
Cold calling - the nemesis of all sales people. It is the definition of rejection and can impact on the success of anyone who tries it. On the other hand, it can be a road to increased sales, meeting your quota and filling your downstream pipeline. If you are wondering what to avoid when cold calling, here are some hints.
The first thing to remember is that cold calling is a game of probabilities. You will get turned down by a large percentage of the people you call. What that means, however, is that you will succeed with some. And to increase the number of successes, you need to make more calls.
What to avoid when cold calling? The first thing to avoid is to ignore your potential customer. Draw them in - open them up. At the end of every statement, ask for their approval or observation. Get the potential customer into the repetition of approving every step that you take.
"Have I reached Mrs. Smith?" is a good opening line. And wait for them to respond.
Identify yourself and make them feel more comfortable. Ask if they can use your help. "My name is John Smith and I help homeowners keep their homes up to date. What are your problems with home maintenance?" And wait for their response.
Target the benefits of your product and not the features. "We keep your home warmer at a lower cost than any other product in the market. Would it be helpful to you to reduce your energy bills?"
As the conversation progresses, move to a closing committment. "We can show you our product in the safety of your home. Can we come by tomorrow at 3, or would it be better on Thursday at 5?". Let them choose or offer an alternate time.
Use "W" - open them with questions starting with a "W". Why, who, when, what are all questions that lead to a response. And follow with "Is that OK?". A stream of questions and answers will help you learn what to avoid when cold calling and will help you to increase the odds in your favor when you do.
As annoying as cold calling can be, it is a game of probabilities and the more you do it, the more sales you will make.
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Article Tags: cold calling, cold calling techniques, cold calls, how to cold call, sales script, words to avoid
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About the Author: Alen Majer RSS for Alen's articles - Visit Alen's website Alen Mayer, Canadian Sales Expert, is fiercely committed to guiding Entrepreneurs and Sales Professionals to improve their sales knowledge and skills so they can achieve extraordinary sales results, close more sales effectively, and learn more to earn more. If you are looking for a proven Sales Expert who will show you new ways of getting more clients in less time, how to book more appointments by fighting phone resistance, and learn new ways of handling excuses and objections to excel in sales, you've come to the right place. With 20 years in sales and 10 years of experience working with amazing clients with similar worries and concerns and guiding them to achieve remarkable success, my mission and commitment is to help sales people achieve their goals faster than they would without my guidance. I am living proof that you don't need to be a natural-born salesperson to be successful in sales. What lights me up about this work and what sets me apart from other service providers is that I believe that sales is a process and that process can be taught. You always need training. A great salesperson is always trying to make him or herself better. Alen is author of these books: ■ Selling IS Better Than Sex - www.SellingIsBetter.com Sales Training Programs: ■ Get More Appointments TM Summary: - 20+ years in international sales and business development, 10+ years in sales management, coaching and training Alen has inspired audiences from St. John's to Vancouver, and across North America and Europe. Whether a business conference, association meeting, or other event, every aspect is planned and coordinated to maximize attendee value. As keynote speaker, Alen achieves your objectives. To book Alen Majer, one of Canada's top sales experts, please send an email to alen@alenmajer.com.
Click here to visit Alen's website   3 reasons why you lose a sale |
Related Forum Posts
What to avoid when cold calling?
- Cold calling is the nemesis of all sales people. What words to avoid, what not to do when cold calling?
I will start first: avoid the word "maybe".
When you're cold calling, your best chance of success is to be self assured, confident, and 100% well versed in what you are selling. If you're using the word 'maybe' in your sales scripts, you run the risk of sounding wishy washy. It either is or isn't. Pick one.
Another word: "hope"
When you tell your client you're 'hoping' for something, you're not sure, are you? If you're not sure, then why should they be? Never let a prospect hear that you're not 100% behind your product, your company or your service, or it's entirely likely you will lose the sale.
So, what other words should we avoid?
Re: Who hates cold calling?
- I think it really depends on what you are selling. For example, we sell chiropractic software that they can enter and store their notes on. Since the law is requiring them to go electronic by 2014, we have a pretty good chance of calling someone who needs it. I agree that for other products and services cold calling would probably be a waste of time. I think the key to cold calling is knowing how to get past the gate keeper. If you just keep calling people and have no clue how to get to the decision maker, cold calling is a BIG waste of time. There are some really good books out there that will teach a person how to do that if he/she decides cold calling would be helpful to their business.
I hate Cold Calling!
- In my past I was really scared to cold calling until I realized that cold calling in my line of work was the only way for me to generate accounts. I assiociated large amounts of pain in my life with not cold calling such as loss of house, car, wife.... The fear of losing all of that helped me over come the fear. Good luck with your problem It might help to think its all in your head and the only thing in the world that you have control over is your own mental thinking.
Re: Who hates cold calling?
- Why anyone would use cold calling is beyond me.
It's simply an ineffective tactic and a waste of time when you measure conversion rate.
If you really understanding your customer segments and how your products and services provide value, there are many more effective strategies than cold calling.
Re: Who hates cold calling?
- I can see a role for calling your warm market, people who have opted in to your list or requested more info from your website. But is does cold calling really offer the best return on your investment of time? Sure you can "maintain" a positive mental attitude and eventually find someone to buy your stuff, but it takes an awful lot of "maintaining".
I would prefer to spend my time improving my web copy skills so as to achieve a higher conversion rate online and use the telephone to contact those who have requested further info.
One guy who has a lot to say on this subject is Daegan Smith ("The King of never calling a single lead"). I am not one of his affiliates, but I do enjoy his email newsletter. You can learn a lot from what he has to say - and from the way that he says it. So if you want to get OUT of cold calling, check out via a Google search what he has to say!
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