Does the idea of picking up the telephone to book a meeting with a business prospect fill you with dread?
The use of the telephone is becoming more and more important. Security measures mean that the only way to meet with prospective buyers is to first connect on the telephone.
70% of all emails sent today are spam, which makes the telephone more important than ever!
Cold calling is a very effective tool but it can be intimidating sales tactic because too many salespeople use the wrong approach. Done right, however, it’s something that anyone can do, but you have to know how to approach it in order to do it well. It’s a piece of the selling puzzle that is sometimes essential in order to increase sales.
You don’t need a better script!
The problem with writing and memorizing a script is that the person at the other end of the telephone knows within a fraction of a second that you’re trying to sell something and sell them.
Nobody wants to be sold anymore!
The answer to this problem for most salespeople and sales managers is to simply increase the volume. It is a numbers game right? Wrong, selling has never been a numbers game and that has never been less true than today.
Selling is about engagement and engagement is about trust. Trust can be established within seconds but you don’t establish trust with a script you establish trust by being real! Here is how it is done.
1) Don’t let the telephone get in the way!
2) Focus your complete attention on the other person
3) Have a clear intention in your mind about what you want
4) Believe that your goal is achievable
5) Be humble and ask for the help of the other person. A humble, ‘I wonder if you could help me’ can go a long way.
6) Don’t see the gatekeeper as your enemy. They have a job to do and help them understand why they should assist you.
7) If you’re a goal is to speak to a decision maker or book a face-to-face meeting focus on that goal only. Sell the meeting not your business!
8) Be creative – if a company has a ‘no names’ policy or the gatekeepers just wont let you by try other departments. Use LinkedIn and Google searches to find names and direct numbers to get to the people you need to meet.
If you want to seriously increase your appointment-booking rate our Rainmaker Sales Mastery Program teaches the advance selling skills that will make a real difference.
