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Guest post by: Peter O'Donoghue Become an Author

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I run sales training workshops focused on getting business appointments. Whilst this includes information on how to prospect, sales letter writing, email writing, and social media, there is also a section on the use of the telephone to win new business.

Remember that most people are there because they are in sales or run a business that they have to sell. They all mention on their preworkshop questionnaires that they are looking to win new business and that they need help using the phone.

We go through two seperate exercises which I use to demonstrate to the delegates that they might need to work on their cold calling attitude rather than any tips and tricks.

In exercise one the delegates are asked to work in groups and brainstorm and then feedback to the rest of the room what methods they would use when they leave the workshop (we do this early on in the morning) to win new business. Generally there is a long list, that includes networking, asking for referrals, advertising and direct mail. Not many people put using the phone on the list! Whether it's cold calling or warm calling is irrelevant for now. When I ask people what actions they will take to win new business in the next 30 - 60 days, very few of them mention telesales or cold calling.

In the second exercise, I get the groups to work together to give me their thoughts on "What do you think about Cold Calling and Telesales?". I make a point of keeping my language neutral so as not to influence their answers. Nearly every group provide me with a huge list of negatives.

• They are rude
• They are aggressive
• Pain in the butt
• Waste of time
• Call at inconvenient times
• Won't take no for an answer

And so the list goes on.......................

The thing is very rarely do the groups give me any positive comments. Occasionally there will be someone with a bit more awareness around the subject are who will say - "A fantastic way of winning new business"

If you are looking to generate new business then you absolutely need to be able to use the phone. I appreciate and use all other forms of prospecting but there is no other method as powerful and as immediate as using the phone.

You may need to take stock of your mental inventory around this subject though. If you, like my delegates, only have negative things to say or think about telesales and cold calling then the first step is to worlk on you rather thancold calling tips and tricks.

Sign up for my newsletter to find out how.

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