Breaking with the fear of cold dialling:
In today’s economic surroundings, decision makers are deluged with cold calls from people trying to sell them something. It’s no wonder the rejection rate is so high and that sales people are acquiring frustrated and demoralized. Here are some tips for increasing your hit price when appointment setting:
Expanding your list involving prospects:
Good lists are easily obtainable through list brokers, trade associations, or Chambers of trade. Building a good listing of prospects is critical for you to any successful business growth effort:
What are your target industries?
How large is the business that you typically talk with (by revenue or, number of employees)?
Into what geographic area do you sell to?
Pre-qualifying your list / intelligence gathering:
You may be encountering lots of rejection when cold contacting companies simply because your goods and services is not a good fit for their needs. If you do not think about the question “what will my ideal prospect seem like? ” you will waste energy become extremely frustrated. Here are some examples of how to develop any pre-qualification strategy:
What is the title of the one who typically buys your service or product?
What are the two or three questions that would assist you eliminate those companies that will not be a very good fit? Let’s say for example you happen to be an energy management firm selling controls solutions, you may want to name companies with office space over 100, 000 square feet, that they own their particular building, That if they use a controls system in place, that it be a minimum of 3 years old and that they have a corporate mandate to relieve overhead / utility fees.
Begin calling your potential customer list to pre-qualify: for this step, connect with people further down the organization ladder to gather your information. You will find administrators far easier to acquire than the decision machine.
When you identify which a company qualifies using the answers to your questions, have a quick examine their website to secure a better feel for this company and record any key facts that may be useful in future interactions.
Make sure to a flag each prospect appropriately; those that require immediate followup, those that need attention within the short or long term and the that did not be eligible.
Do not underestimate the significance of pre-qualification, it is an almost no time consuming but the prize for your efforts has to be higher close rate once you make your pitch for the decision maker.
One word of caution however, start with only a sampling of one’s list to pre-qualify. There is nothing worse than pre-qualifying a full list to find that you can have asked one or two additional pre-qualification issues.
Develop a script however don’t sound scripted:
You know your goods and services inside out so why must you develop a script? Because in the business of cold calling, you have 30 seconds or less to grab someone’s attention so your pitch had better be spot on.
Your script will be there as being a reference only, I am by no means suggesting you actually use it ‘verbatim’ when creating cold calls.
Never begin your conversation with asking, “How are you? ” It comes throughout as disingenuous, so save your pleasantries if you have whom you have a proven relationship.
If you are calling to book an appointment, briefly introduce your company and ask if it’s a good time to help talk. If it is, you can now provide them with the pitch (or else ask if there would have been a more convenient time in order to call back and complete a note to follow up).
Start off by talking about their company based on your intelligence gathering; “John, I was speaking with your Facilities Manager Bob Smith and I am aware that your company carries a mandate to further eliminate energy costs but I also recognize that your control system can be four year old technology”
Next, refer if possible to your project you just done at another company that profiles similarly to theirs in terms of size or industry segment, for example; “We just completed any project with Mount Sinai Infirmary who initially had related technology to yours. After installing our program, they were able to help effectively reduce their bills by 20%, with a projected RETURN ON INVESTMENT of 2. 5 years.
At this point, ask some questions: it is important you involve the prospect in the conversation and questions are a terrific way to allow for interaction. For example;
“John have you regarded as upgrading your technology to exploit further savings? Or,
“John, are you looking to achieve something in the ball park of an 20% cost reduction on the utility bills? ”
The key purpose for developing a script is to possess multiple benefit statements and also various industry examples at hand when talking to prospective customers.
Anticipating and responding to objections:
You have probably completed enough cold calling to write an index of objections that you frequently encounter from prospects. Rather than fearing questions, you should embrace them; every objection creates enable you to sell your product or service towards the prospect.
“We don’t have a budget for this” is just about the most common objection. You could respond with “John, if budget were no problem, would this be something you’ll explore in more fine detail? ” If he affirms yes, you can say, “If I can demonstrate an immediate return on investment to be able to start profiting from our service/product inside the first month, is that something you’d be interested in talking concerning?
Alternatively, “We offer a financing solution that can be paid for out on the savings you will create through improved efficiencies and also productivity, is that something you would be interested in learning regarding? ” This example evidently illustrates how asking questions can assist identify if an objection is real or perhaps a smokescreen, as well as ways to provide alternative solutions to address the problem.
Write down your list of potential objections along with the responses and keep it next to your script when wintry calling. A final word on your script Remember that a good script is a work happening and your first attempt may not get you the results you would like. Ask yourself these queries:
In retrospect, were my pre-qualification questions the right ones and or, do I need to add or replace a qualifier?
Were my benefit transactions strong enough and early enough inside the conversation?
Did I show enough value?
Do I need for you to rework my responses to be able to objections?
Did I effectively close to have an appointment when an opportunity arose?
Remember that gatekeepers are usually your allies not your own foes:
Making contact with the gatekeeper is always a daunting task however it can save you lots of time and increase your productivity significantly:
Ask the receptionist if your ‘contact’ has an admin, if he does, ask for their label and enter it within your CRM system.
If reception puts you by way of your prospect and you get their own voice mail, hit “0” to talk with their assistant.
Sound very busy along with professional; “Hi Joan this is actually Fred Smith, I just got Ruben Doe’s voice mail, is he actually in the office today? ” If she does respond with “Yes but he’s in a meeting”, ask what time he is likely to be free.
If she asked what is this about, respond if possible having a single word i. e., ‘controls’ and before she gets an opportunity to ask more, ask if he’ll be for sale later that morning or afternoon. Nine times out of ten she’ll show you, if she asks to look at a message just declare “Actually, I’m in and outside of meetings all day myself so to avoid telephone tag I will just try John somewhat later”.
This way you could prioritize your calls avoiding calling someone 12 occasions in 2 days only to uncover he has been on vacation since last Friday and aren’t going to be back until a few days Monday.
Connecting with the selection maker:
Try connecting with your prospects early the next day or at the end of the day. Senior executives are particularly busy so catching these before their meetings start during the day or after they finish can be your best bet. In addition, you will likely get straight right through to them rather than reaching voice mail or obtaining their assistant. This also leaves the rest of the day for managing your own existing clients and effective prospects. Personally, I am not the fan of leaving voice mail for prospects which i haven’t spoken to for two reasons:
If you leave a voice mail and so they don’t respond, how many more are you able to leave without it coming across like harassment?
If someone does phone you back, you may be grabbed unprepared (what does he say his previous name was? What company does he work with? What was the communication I left?), this can lead for your requirements feeling flustered and lacking control within the conversation.
If you have tried finding someone for several 2 or 3 weeks without success then abandon a voice message being a last resort. Put a post it note on your pc screen with the names of folks you have left messages for making use of their company names in order that you at least have some advantage and make sure that your script is close by.
Follow up:
Develop a follow up system that is foolproof so that you don’t need to think about it. If you make a promise to send somebody information or say you can call them in two weeks then you need some way of tracking that to make sure you don’t forget. Staying in touch Staying touching your prospects is important to staying ‘top of mind’ and after so much hard work, you don’t want to risk losing an item of business because you prospect didn’t look at you when they made their decision to buy. Here are a few ideas:
Newsletters are an effective way of staying in touch so long as the information is strongly related the prospect and the industry
Special offers and promotions that are time sensitive
Events and trade display invitations
Holiday cards
Cold calling is a strong tool in any company development strategy. With a little practice as well as a bullet-proof strategy, you will see results and most importantly, close deals
Breaking from the fear of cold dialling:
In today’s economic atmosphere, decision makers are inundated with cold calls from people selling them something. It’s no wonder the rejection rate is so high knowning that sales people are receiving frustrated and demoralized. Here are some tricks for increasing your hit pace when appointment setting:
Expanding your list regarding prospects:
Good lists are easily obtainable through list brokers, trade associations, or Chambers of trade. Building a good list of prospects is critical in order to any successful business improvement effort:
What are your goal industries?
How large is the corporation that you typically help (by revenue as well as, number of employees)?
Into what geographic area do you sell to?
Pre-qualifying your list or intelligence gathering:
You may be encountering lots of rejection when cold dialling companies simply because your services or products is not a good fit because of their needs. If you do not ask yourself the question “what can my ideal prospect resemble? ” you will waste energy become extremely frustrated. Here are some examples of how to develop any pre-qualification strategy:
What is the title of the one who typically buys your products or services?
What are the 2 or 3 questions that would assist you eliminate those companies that could not be a great fit? Let’s say for example you happen to be an energy management business selling controls solutions, you may want to distinguish companies with office space over 100, 000 square feet, that they own their particular building, That if they have a controls system in spot, that it be at the least 3 years old and they have a corporate mandate to reduce overhead / utility prices.
Begin calling your prospective client list to pre-qualify: for this step, connect with people further down the organization ladder to gather your data. You will find managers far easier to get hold of than the decision producer.
When you identify which a company qualifies while using answers to your queries, have a quick look at their website to obtain a better feel for the corporation and record any key facts which might be useful in future conversations.
Make sure to banner each prospect appropriately; those that require immediate post disaster, those that need attention within the short or long term and people that did not meet the criteria.
Do not underestimate the significance of pre-qualification, it is a not much time consuming but the reward for your efforts will be a higher close rate when you make your pitch to the decision maker.
One word of extreme care however, start with only a sampling of your respective list to pre-qualify. There is nothing worse than pre-qualifying a total list to find that you need to have asked one as well as two additional pre-qualification concerns.
Develop a script although don’t sound scripted:
You know your product or service inside out so why do you need to develop a script? Because in the small business of cold calling, you have 30 seconds or less to grab someone’s attention so your pitch need to be spot on.
Your script will be there being a reference only, I am by no means suggesting that you simply actually use it ‘verbatim’ when producing cold calls.
Never begin your talk with asking, “How are you? ” It comes throughout as disingenuous, so save your pleasantries if you have whom you have an established relationship.
If you are calling to book a scheduled appointment, briefly introduce your company and ask if it’s a good time to help talk. If it is, you can now give them the pitch (in any other case ask if there has to be more convenient time to call back and create a note to follow upwards).
Start off by talking about their company based on your own intelligence gathering; “John, I was speaking with your Facilities Manager Bob Smith and I am aware that your company incorporates a mandate to further lower your energy costs but I also know that your control system is four year old technology”
Next, refer if possible into a project you just finished at another company that profiles similarly to theirs with regards to size or industry sector, for example; “We just completed the project with Mount Sinai Clinic who initially had comparable technology to yours. After installing our technique, they were able to help effectively reduce their utility bills by 20%, with a projected RETURN ON INVESTMENT of 2. 5 years.
At this point, ask some questions: it is important that you simply involve the prospect inside the conversation and questions are a great way to allow for interaction. For example;
“John have you thought to be upgrading your technology to benefit from further savings? Or,
“John, are you looking to accomplish something in the ball park of a 20% cost reduction in your utility bills? ”
The key purpose for possessing a script is to include multiple benefit statements and also various industry examples available when talking to prospects.
Anticipating and responding to objections:
You have probably done enough cold calling to write a list of objections that you routinely encounter from prospects. Rather than fearing objections, you should embrace them; every objection creates a way to sell your product or service to the prospect.
“We don’t have some sort of budget for this” has become the most common objection. You could respond with “John, if budget were not an issue, would this be something you should explore in more depth? ” If he says yes, you can say, “If I can demonstrate an instant return on investment to enable you to start profiting from our service/product inside the first month, is that something you would be interested in talking concerning?
Alternatively, “We offer a financing solution that may be paid for out of the savings you will produce through improved efficiencies and also productivity, is that something you would be interested in learning about? ” This example definitely illustrates how asking questions can assist identify if an objection is real or perhaps a smokescreen, as well as the best way to provide alternative solutions to treat the problem.
Write down your set of potential objections with the responses and keep it alongside your script when wintry calling. A final word on your script Remember that an excellent script is a work in progress and your first attempt may not get you the results you need. Ask yourself these queries:
In retrospect, were my pre-qualification questions the best ones and or, do I need to provide or replace a qualifier?
Were my benefit assertions strong enough and early enough inside conversation?
Did I show ample value?
Do I need for you to rework my responses to help objections?
Did I effectively close to have an appointment when an chance arose?
Remember that gatekeepers are generally your allies not your current foes:
Making contact with the gatekeeper is usually a daunting task however it can save you time and increase your productiveness significantly:
Ask the receptionist but if your ‘contact’ has an associate, if he does, ask for their identify and enter it with your CRM system.
If reception puts you through to your prospect and you get their own voice mail, hit “0” to talk with their assistant.
Sound very busy and also professional; “Hi Joan this will be Fred Smith, I just got David Doe’s voice mail, is he actually at the office today? ” If she reacts with “Yes but he’s in a meeting”, ask what time he will probably be free.
If she asked precisely what is this about, respond if possible having a single word i. e., ‘controls’ and before she gets a chance to ask more, ask if he’ll be accessible later that morning or afternoon. Nine times out of ten she’ll inform you, if she asks to consider a message just declare “Actually, I’m in and from meetings all day myself in like manner avoid telephone tag I’m going to just try John slightly later”.
This way you may prioritize your calls and get away from calling someone 12 instances in 2 days only to discover he has been on vacation since last Friday and aren’t going to be back until a few days Monday.
Connecting with the selection maker:
Try connecting with your prospects early each morning or at the end on the day. Senior executives are really busy so catching these individuals before their meetings start for the day or after they finish can be your best bet. In addition, you will likely get straight through to them rather than reaching voice mail or getting their assistant. This also leaves the rest of the day for managing your current existing clients and lively prospects. Personally, I am not any fan of leaving tone of voice mail for prospects i haven’t spoken to for 2 reasons:
If you leave a voice mail and they don’t respond, how many more is it possible to leave without it seems like harassment?
If someone does call you back, you may be caught unprepared (what do he say his final name was? What company does he benefit? What was the meaning I left?), this can lead to you feeling flustered and lacking control within the conversation.
If you have tried getting hold of someone for several days without success then get away from a voice message as a last resort. Put a post it note on your desktop screen with the names of folks you have left messages for using their company names so that you at least have some advantage and guarantee that your script is close by.
Follow up:
Develop a follow up system that may be foolproof so that you won’t need to think about it. If you make a new promise to send another person information or say you may call them in two weeks then you need a way of tracking that to ensure you don’t forget. Staying in touch Staying in touch with your prospects is essential to staying ‘top of mind’ and after much hard work, you don’t want to risk losing some business because you prospect didn’t take into consideration you when they made their decision to acquire. Here are a few ideas:
Newsletters are an effective method of staying in touch so long as the information is based on the prospect and his or her industry
Special offers and promotions which have been time sensitive
Events and trade show invitations
Holiday cards
Cold calling is a robust tool in any organization development strategy. With a little practice as well as a bullet-proof strategy, you will see results and most importantly, close deals
Ari Galper, the World’s #1 Sales Trainer and expert on trust-based cold calling, is the creator of Unlock The Game?, the leading sales approach being adopted by companies across Australia, in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. You can take a Free Test Drive of Ari’s cold calling approach at http://www.unlockthegame.com.au/.