Prospecting and Making Cold Calls©
Prospecting and Making Cold Calls©
The one aspect of selling that all of us seem to hate is Prospecting. It is easy to visit with customers or even with folks with whom we have a relationship other than that of a customer. But when it comes to Prospecting, we come up with the greatest reasons as to why we don’t have time.
Yet, the only way to significantly grow our business, increase our incomes, grow our customer base, is by Prospecting. That is “calling on people and companies we don’t know with the intent of making them customers.”
So we know we need to Prospect, but we hate to do it. As a salesman for 35 years I have come up with many ways to Prospect without really prospecting. One way is mailings. That is actually an effort to get more customers, but it seldom yields any benefit.
Another way is networking. What a great buzzword. Networking can actually yield results, but when you look at it, networkingis really Prospecting, just done another, more indirect way.
It is much easier to simply make what I call BLITZ CALL®s. Our system for Prospecting addresses several basic facts about selling in the commercial/industrial market place.
First, prospects don’t buy on the first call, so don’t try to make it a sales call, it should be for introductory purposes only.
Second, it will take a minimum of 4 calls to make a sale on a Prospect, so you must establish a follow up system for each one.
Third, since most sales are made after the 4th call and most sales people quit after 2, you will quickly outperform your competitors.
Now here is one thing I have found to be most effective, even in the 21st century. Face to face Blitz Calling is still the best method for the field sales professional.
If you are in the field and driving past a Prospect, stop in and make a Blitz Call. You may actually get to meet the Prospect. If not, you can do some “field intelligence” on the company. (If you simply make a phone call and get voice mail, what have you learned?)
Look at their facility, what condition is the parking lot, the lobby, the grounds? What kind of vehicles are in the lot and is there the right number for the size of the facility. (A big plant with only a few cars may mean they are in trouble). Is there lobby welcoming, clean, up to date? Is there a receptionist, if so, she/he may be a good source of information about the company if you can’t get to your Prospect.
If they have a phone in the lobby, make a Blitz Call over the phone to the Prospect, he may come out to meet you. We get this a lot.
These things can tell you a lot about the company and people with whom you will be dealing.
I spend a lot of time in the field working with salesman one on one making Blitz Calls. We make a lot of calls in a day. Some get us only information, but we get to see Prospects more often than you would think. But that only happens because we actually stop and make the calls.
A Blitz Call should only take about 4 minutes. If you make 3 a day that is 12 minutes, we should all have time for that.
If you make 3 Blitz Calls on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that is 9 per week. If you work 40 weeks a year then you will make 360 Prospecting this year. How would 360 Prospecting calls change your life this year?
You can see how simple it is, if you are making 360 Prospecting calls, then there is no pressure on you, since no one call is that important. If you are only making 10 Prospecting calls this year or are making them all in one month, then every one is critical.
Take the pressure off and enjoy selling, start Blitz Calling.
Sell Well and Often,
Bill Truax
© Copyright 2007 WJ Truax
Bill Truax is a sales and sales management consultant from Cleveland, Oh. He has 3 books, 2 CD’s, seminars, and workshops on Prospecting and Making Cold Calls for the commercial/industrial sales professional. Visit www.BlitzCall.com for more information.
Prospecting and Making Cold Calls - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Truax's Website.
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Prospecting and Making Cold Calls©
The one aspect of selling that all of us seem to hate is Prospecting. It is easy to visit with customers or even with folks with whom we have a relationship other than that of a customer. But when it comes to Prospecting, we come up with the greatest reasons as to why we don’t have time.
Yet, the only way to significantly grow our business, increase our incomes, grow our customer base, is by Prospecting. That is “calling on people and companies we don’t know with the intent of making them customers.”
So we know we need to Prospect, but we hate to do it. As a salesman for 35 years I have come up with many ways to Prospect without really prospecting. One way is mailings. That is actually an effort to get more customers, but it seldom yields any benefit.
Another way is networking. What a great buzzword. Networking can actually yield results, but when you look at it, networkingis really Prospecting, just done another, more indirect way.
It is much easier to simply make what I call BLITZ CALL®s. Our system for Prospecting addresses several basic facts about selling in the commercial/industrial market place.
First, prospects don’t buy on the first call, so don’t try to make it a sales call, it should be for introductory purposes only.
Second, it will take a minimum of 4 calls to make a sale on a Prospect, so you must establish a follow up system for each one.
Third, since most sales are made after the 4th call and most sales people quit after 2, you will quickly outperform your competitors.
Now here is one thing I have found to be most effective, even in the 21st century. Face to face Blitz Calling is still the best method for the field sales professional.
If you are in the field and driving past a Prospect, stop in and make a Blitz Call. You may actually get to meet the Prospect. If not, you can do some “field intelligence” on the company. (If you simply make a phone call and get voice mail, what have you learned?)
Look at their facility, what condition is the parking lot, the lobby, the grounds? What kind of vehicles are in the lot and is there the right number for the size of the facility. (A big plant with only a few cars may mean they are in trouble). Is there lobby welcoming, clean, up to date? Is there a receptionist, if so, she/he may be a good source of information about the company if you can’t get to your Prospect.
If they have a phone in the lobby, make a Blitz Call over the phone to the Prospect, he may come out to meet you. We get this a lot.
These things can tell you a lot about the company and people with whom you will be dealing.
I spend a lot of time in the field working with salesman one on one making Blitz Calls. We make a lot of calls in a day. Some get us only information, but we get to see Prospects more often than you would think. But that only happens because we actually stop and make the calls.
A Blitz Call should only take about 4 minutes. If you make 3 a day that is 12 minutes, we should all have time for that.
If you make 3 Blitz Calls on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that is 9 per week. If you work 40 weeks a year then you will make 360 Prospecting this year. How would 360 Prospecting calls change your life this year?
You can see how simple it is, if you are making 360 Prospecting calls, then there is no pressure on you, since no one call is that important. If you are only making 10 Prospecting calls this year or are making them all in one month, then every one is critical.
Take the pressure off and enjoy selling, start Blitz Calling.
Sell Well and Often,
Bill Truax
© Copyright 2007 WJ Truax
Bill Truax is a sales and sales management consultant from Cleveland, Oh. He has 3 books, 2 CD’s, seminars, and workshops on Prospecting and Making Cold Calls for the commercial/industrial sales professional. Visit www.BlitzCall.com for more information.
Prospecting and Making Cold Calls - To learn more about this author, visit Bill Truax's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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