Last week I received a cold call from a very competent marketing company. The Rep was explaining how cold calling was dead, and I needed their help with social media marketing to gather leads. I pointed out the irony of her making a COLD CALL to engage me; the Rep did not have a response. Cold calling is not dead.
I contend that most sales people are not very good at making the calls due to a variety of reasons. There is a low barrier to entry into a sales position for transactional sales; most companies do not have an on-going sales training program; sales managers do not spend enough time coaching their sales people, so it takes a lot of personal initiative and investment to become a sales professional and better at all aspects of sales.
Sales is difficult. A sales professional will use every means they have to prospect: cold calling, social networking, professional networking, referrals, trade shows, warm emails, cold email, and knocking on doors just to name a few.
Many sales people have reluctance to make cold calls, and with many voices offering an alternative, they have justification. Here are three of the reasons cold calling is avoided, and a brief tip to correct.
1. Head Trash. Remember all the cute little axioms we were taught as children, “Don’t talk to strangers” or “It is rude to interrupt someone.” These are stuck in our heads, and do not support success as a sales person, and the belief needs to be changed. It starts with acknowledging the underlying conviction. To change the belief, you first, must want to; second, you must make a new supportive belief that supports talking to prospects, i.e. Talking to strangers will bring me success and wisdom. Books have been written on this process. Tony Robbins and Jen Sincero have written ones on the topic. Read one or two.
2. Wrong Objective.
I teach the objective of a cold call is not necessarily to get a meeting, but to relentlessly qualify the prospect. Yes, a sales person typically needs a meeting, but you want to meet someone with whom you can do business. You do business with someone who has a problem you can solve, and is emotionally engaged in your solution
. Let’s assume your prospect list includes companies that fit an appropriate demographic, keep qualifying the prospects ability or need to do business with you once you get them on the phone. If your objective is to qualify, there is less pressure on the call.
3. Unprepared to differentiate.
Please do not assume I mean research the crap out of the prospect. Learn what you can, but if you are spending more than, a few clicks on research, you are stalling. What I mean by differentiate is, don’t sound like every other sales person. There are many, many books on cold calling scripts. Although I am not a fan of scripts because the prospect rarely knows her lines, there is value in having a planned script, especially if you can improvise.
I am a fan of interrupting the pattern of the traditional cold call. For example, when you go to a retail store, and the amateur retail sales person ask, Can I help you? The Amygdala in your brain triggers the response, No, I am just looking.
The same thing happens in a cold call. You need to begin in a way that triggers a different response, and be prepared…PREPARED to take control of the call by asking questions. Develop your own pattern interrupt for the cold call, ask the most successful sales rep you know how they do it or give me a call.
Walter Crosby has been in sales since he was a teenager, which is well over 35 years ago, and he has developed a unique and practical style of sales development & sales coaching to grow revenue and create accountability. If you are wondering the REAL why your sales team struggles or you struggle holding them accountable, maybe we should speak. [email protected]
