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Cold calling on a small business

Written by: Paul McGouran

Article Overview: Cold calling - in person that is - on a small business can quite often provoke a hostile response. You are invading their domain. How can we break down the barriers that sometimes are put up?

Cold calling on a small business

When cold calling on small business, and I mean in person, here is a tip I have found to be most effective. ALWAYS BE LEAVING.

What do I mean by this? Well it goes something like this. Say for example you walk into a small workshop or unit where you can expect the owner to be doing some work. You look like another rep who is looking to talk to *him/her for an hour and tell him how much money you're going to save him, and how much your better is better than the last man's better. He doesn't want it, whatever it is, so he is not listening. He's just looking for the way to make you go away. If only he would give you ten minutes to show him what you've got - you could do so much for this person if only they would let you.

So this is what we do.

Primary objective - make an appointment, when he will see you and listen.

Secondary objective - permission to call again to try and acheive Primary objective.

I have often sold on the spot using these objectives, but only because the client has asked me for more information, and not felt hemmed in.

So how does it work. Your opening phrase and your body language are crucial at this point. When you enter the work area you have your business card or flier held up in front of you. When you approach your target you are facing side on, holding your card in front of you, arm extended, (you are definately not looking to offer a handshake), and you say " I know you're a busy man - can I just leave you a card / flier." When the client takes the card unlike all the other sales people he has had in, you take a step backwards, as if you want to leave, having accomplished your mission (which of course you haven't yet). This prospect is now wondering what you've got - not how do I get rid of him. The prospect feels empowered, not threatened and he likes it. He may well ask you what's it about.

Tell him, "I'll need about 5 Minutes of your time - maybe 10 if you've a load of questions, as most people do - when you're not so busy." If he hasn't already asked you what's it about. he will now. What happens next will of course vary greatly depending on how busy the client is, how relevant your product is, and all the other variables that go into a sale. The prospect may well give you some of his time now. What happens next is up to you, if it normaly takes a couple of hours to sell your product use your 5 mins to engender interest and to arrange and consolidate an appointment.

Nothing is foolproof but this method has worked well for me. If the hostility is high, I have just left my card, and said I'll pop in next time I'm seeing one of my clients here, and hopefully you won't be so busy. Leave, but not in a dejected manner. You may have to do this on a number of occassions, but the client will see you eventually. Oddly enough these usually turn out to be the people who buy. Then never tell you, but they do admire your persistance, as long as you use the above method, and thus are not percieved as a nuisance. I know this from having worked a defined territory, with a limited number of prospects available.

Try to think of sales as a game of chess, so you have an armoury of opening gambits, depending on the situation. If you can start to enjoy it, you will start to win more.

Good Luck and Good Hunting - Paul Blake McGouran.

* I have only used the male gender for ease of writing

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Article Tags: appointment, body language, business card, busy man, cold calling, flier, handshake, how much money, last man, objective, phrase, small business, target



Related Forum Posts
Cold Calling - Cold calling is tough, but it is possible. Its a shame that your employer doesn't seem to be giving you any help. I would suggest that you learn everything about the products you're trying to sell to the retailers. It wouldn't hurt to have them close at hand while you're on the phone with a potential buyer. Learn what is great about the items. What do they offer the consumer? Why should the retailer carry them? Who would be most likely to buy the items? Once you know these answers, learn about the companies you are calling. Its hard to tell a retailer that your product is something they need - if you don't know anything about their business and/or the customers. If they have a website that would be a great place to research. Shri
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? - Cold calling is aways hard, but I think you definitely have to put yourself into the right frame of mind before making them and it will help you muscle through them. If you just ask yourself, "What do I have to lose?" before making each call, I think you have a pre-set attitude that this "no" is just going to get me that much closer to my next "yes". Look at it as a stepping stone rather than a road block and it makes it so much easier to pick up the phone. Since cold calling is almost a necessity for survival in business today, it's crucial to make an effort to do some of it every day. You should have a goal to hit each day, then when you get really good, up the goal just like you would a strength training goal. It's a good comparison. It's just that one makes you have more courage and one makes you have more physical strength. The concept is similar.
Re: Cold Calling - Cold calling is an extremely difficult job to do and unless one learns that being told no by people is not a direct refusal aimed at the cold caller but at whatever is being sold, it can be very soul destroying work to do. One needs to have absolute confidence in themselves and a pretty thick skin. MichelleJ
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.


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