Sandler Rule # 7: You never have to like prospecting, you just have to do it.
One tried and true way of prospecting is to simply do cold-calls. It is one of the most direct ways to prospect, but why aren't more individuals and organizations taking advantage of this prospecting technique. The idea of the call being "cold" and the possibility of rejection could be reasons for call reluctance.
Consider alternating the negative connotation of cold-calling and focus instead on the end result. The process of cold-calling and prospecting will be become a lot easier once you realize the prize or the consequences for inaction.
Here are a few cold-calling techniques for greater effectiveness on the phone:
Stand tall and breathe. Straighten your posture, throw your shoulders back and take three deep breaths. Inhale deeply and let it out slowly. When you speak to someone in person, you gesture with your hands because it makes you sound warmer. So why not use your hands when speaking on the phone?
Control your tonality and mirror your prospect. It's not always what you say; it's how you say it. Tonality makes up 82% of the communication over the phone. If your tone is one of anxiety or fear, the prospect will sense it and be more likely to resist the urge to share information. Speak with confidence and mirror the prospect's voice pattern. Remember, people are more comfortable doing business with people who are like themselves.
Create a pattern interrupt and be upfront. Break the rules of a traditional sales call where the caller says, "Is this a good time," because it gives the caller an opportunity to reject the call immediately by them being busy. Instead ask if "it's a bad time," chances are they will tell you "no, it is not." or depending on their response, it'll give you an opportunity to qualify the call upfront. A good cold call averages approximately 2-3 minutes.
Get the "No." Eliminate wasting your time by getting the "no" early on. Not only will the early "no" eliminate the opportunity for the prospect to say "get back to me next week" or "email me some information," it allows you to move on with your sales calls. The "no" then can leads to referrals by asking for an introduction to more prospects. The "no" can also mean a reason for you to further question and dig deeper to uncover the real problems.
At the last Cold Call Boot Camp at Sandler Training, the attendees applied the techniques mentioned above and saw some success. Cody and BJ from MoveUp Web Marketing actually went as far as documenting their successes.
In five hours, Cody made:
Thank you for the feedback, Cody and BJ! For those who are curious, for more information about our next Cold Cold Call Boot Camp, go to coldcallbootcamp.
Copyright 1983-2012 Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
