1.         Try calling again later (e.g., in a few weeks).  Sometimes the timing is simply not right.  Perhaps at a later date, the person will be more receptive to your pitch.

2.         Cold calling is a numbers game to a great extent.  So keep calling!

3.         No matter what happens on the call, ALWAYS follow-up with a thank you email.  If they didn’t even want additional information, be courteous and offer to be available in the event they change their mind.  Unless there is a good reason not too (which there rarely is), try reaching out to this person, or someone else in their company, in a few weeks or months.  Sometimes things change, and a need that wasn’t there before may have materialized.

4.         Follow-up your call with a handwritten note sent by snail mail—even if you send a follow-up thank you via email.  While your email will be received immediately, your note sent by snail mail will give you another audience with your prospect after several days, further reinforcing a positive perception of you in the mind of your prospect.  Remember that few people send handwritten notes these days, so it is a great way to distinguish yourself as someone who really wants to do business with them.

J.B.

1.         Remember that getting objections means that you are doing your job!  Accept them as part of the process of making sales.

2.         If they do not buy right away, ask to send along some information for their consideration.  This gives you the opportunity to also ask for a follow-up call to further discuss that information.

3.         Even if they are not interested in your product or service, ask the prospect if you can forward some information that relates to their industry to provide them with an advantage in the marketplace.  Create a white paper, strategic tips, current industry news, etc. that will provide value to the prospect, thus increasing the likelihood that when you try again after several weeks or months, the prospect will be appreciative and more open to listening to you a second time around.

4.         Ask if you can add them to your newsletter list, so they can at least stay informed of news, events, updates, and valuable information.  If you don’t have a newsletter, consider starting one.  It is a great way to stay in front of prospects and existing customers.

J.B.

1.         Already have a current vendor objections should be countered with a statement about how you are very pleased that they are happy with their current vendor, and that you have a high level of respect for customer loyalty, because YOUR customers are loyal to you.  And if there is nothing they would change about their current vendor, then that is great, as your primary concern is that they are best taken care of.  Then describe why YOUR customers stay with you.  Perhaps it is your same day return phone calls, creative pricing, personal involvement on projects/orders, depth of knowledge and experience, etc.  Then describe why some of your customers decided to leave their vendors to do business with you.  Sometimes these examples with let your prospect better understand some of the things that can be improved by switching to you.  Also, if there is a current vendor, try to identify if there are any customer needs not being met, or not being met up to the customer’s standards.  If you can even fill in the gaps, you will be able to start developing a business relationship with that customer, allowing them to measure you up against your competition.

2.         Be prepared to offer up written testimonials from existing customers to your potential customers.  Your existing customers are best suited to praise you for the great things you have done for them, and can do for others.

3.         Have objective evidence as to how your product or service can yield REAL results, in terms of increased sales, lower costs, increased employee satisfaction, increased awareness in the marketplace, more favorable perception in the marketplace.  This is particularly helpful to counter the no budget objection.

4.         Don’t expect an immediate sale.  You goal should be a next-level event (e.g., a follow-up call to discuss information you send them, a face-to-face meeting to further discuss your product or service, etc.).

J.B.

1.         Not interested objections may be an excuse to get off the phone, or might be legitimate.  If legitimate, they may have a vendor they are happy with, or don’t fully understand what it is you are selling to be able to make a prudent decision.  If they already have a vendor, suggest that it wouldn’t hurt having a back-up vendor in the event there is ever a problem with their current vendor, or if they are interested in getting the same or greater value for less money (i.e., a higher value proposition).  If they don’t have another vendor, then they may simply not fully understand what it is you are selling, in which case suggest that you send them some information and request a follow-up conversation to further discuss.

2.         No current need objections can be countered with an example of how another company—which also didn’t have a current need—benefitted from allowing you to provide information to help them better plan for the future.  Circumstances change, and sometimes quickly.  Having more, as opposed to less, information will put them in a strategic position to make decisions fast, in the event they have to.

3.         No budget objections are either excuses to get off the phone, or are legitimate.  Legitimate budget objections can be dealt with through creative and flexible payment terms and/or FREE samples.  If they won’t entertain these sorts of responses (especially FREE samples), then the objection might be an excuse.

4.         Too busy objections.  If it really is a bad time, in many cases, if you ask them for just a few minutes, they will give it to you notwithstanding their tight schedule (because you respected their time).  If they try to quickly get off the phone because it is a bad time, then ask if you can call them at another time (getting a firm date and time is best).

J.B.

1.         Vet the person on the other end of the phone to determine if he or she is in charge of handling what it is you are calling about.  Simply ask the person!

2.         Before even getting into what you can do for them, ask about what they need.  How do they currently handle a situation?  What is their greatest challenge when trying to market themselves, or establish themselves as a reputable company in the marketplace?  Who is their biggest competitor, and how do they try to distinguish themselves from that competitor?  By asking questions, you can better frame your pitch when the conversation transitions into how you can help them.

3.         Articulate what it is you are really providing:  e.g., perception of honesty in the marketplace; ability to reduce costs; ability to expand their business, opportunity to provide a broad array of options for their consideration, etc.  Focus on the crux of the matter as opposed to generalities.

4.         Have a conversation with the person.  They don’t want to listen to you speak.  They will tune out, and your objective is lost.  Ask questions.

5.         Get the prospect thinking about how business would improve if he or she bought your product or service.  Help the prospect visualize a better future by articulating a need (unless the prospect has already articulated his or her specific need), and offer a preview as to how your product or service can provide a solution.  Use examples of other customers’ successes to drive your point home.

J.B.

1.         The first 30 seconds of a call can be the most important.  If you are not to the point in a friendly way, the person will end the conversation.  Do not be monotonous or overbearing.  Simply introduce yourself and give them a snapshot of why it is you called.  Then ask a relevant question about their business or needs to get them engaged.  Or try to establish a connection with them based on your research.

2.         In the first 30 seconds, clearly state your most distinguishing factor over your competition.  People get a lot of cold calls.  Without a compelling distinguishing reason why a prospect should talk to you as opposed to your competitors, you will have increased the likelihood of getting brushed off.  Perhaps you are the only vendor that can provide a certain level of service or product, or perhaps your company has more experts in a particular area than any other, etc.

3.         Don’t talk too much.  Through relevant questions about their business and needs, allow the prospect to do much of the talking.  This creates a personal engagement that will help to close a sale.  No one likes listening to a soliloquy.  People lose interest.

4.         If you can establish a connection with the person, you will increase your chances of getting the sale, such as another customer of yours who might know them, or someone else in the their company you know, or the fact that you did business with them before, or the fact that you used to live in their city—anything that will help establish a connection which will provide a foundation upon which to begin your pitch.

5.         Start by establishing a rapport with the person.  Don’t rush into your pitch.  Once the ice is broken, they will be more likely to be receptive to what it is you are selling.

6.         Don’t be afraid to use humor to break the ice, as long as it’s appropriate and in good taste.

7.         Always be clear about your objective on the call.  If the person loses sight of what it is you expect of him, you will lose his interest or he will get confused, and the easiest way for him to resolve this problem is to end the call.

J.B.

If you want more out of your existing networking group, or are considering joining a networking group, or want to stand apart from your competitors and START a networking group of your own, then I invite you to purchase this book NOW!

Click on any of these more popular sites below:

Amazon

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You can also purchase the book on iBooks!  Just search for J.B. Brocato or the name of the book in iBooks on your iPhone or iPad.  If you choose to purchase this book, I thank you!  And I truly hope it helps you take your networking to a brand new, exponentially-higher level!

J.B.

1.         If you get voicemail, articulate your “hook” and invite a call back.  Also, say that if you don’t get a call back in the next few days, that you will try again, as you assume they are very busy.  This gives you an opportunity to follow-up, and will incentivize the person to actually return your call, knowing that you are not going to disappear if they simply ignore your call.

2.         Take notes as you have a conversation with your prospect.  This will remind you of important points to bring up and will allow you to revisit important items before future follow-up calls.

3.         There is a debate as to whether to ask if this is a good time to call, or not.  Certainly, doing so gives the person a perfect opportunity to end the call before you are able to say anything.  But not asking this question “Did I catch you at a bad time?” is disrespecting a person’s time.  Error on the side of respect.  People will typically reciprocate with respecting you and what you are calling about.  One good way to start which is a middle ground is:  ”I’ve probably caught you in the middle something, but I was wondering if I could get just a few minutes of your time to chat about ….”  This will respect the person, while letting the person know that even if he or she is busy, you will not take more than a few minutes of his or her time.

4.         Experiment with different openings.  Have a “hook” that is compelling and will make a person think, “Hmm, I get a lot of these calls, but this one sounds particularly interesting.”  If you can’t offer up such a “hook,” then you will have substantially reduced your chance of getting beyond the first 30 seconds of a call.

5.         Try to incorporate something you have learned about the prospect during your research into your introduction.

6.         During your introduction, smile while you talk if on the phone, as if the person were in the same room with you.  Your friendly demeanor will help diffuse any immediate objections a person might have.

7.         Be enthusiastic.  If you are not enthused, then you can’t expect your potential customer to be excited about buying whatever it is you are selling.

J.B.

1.         Research the company as much as possible before making the call.  Who is responsible for making purchasing decisions?  What are the company’s current priorities?  Who are its biggest competitors?  Who are its current vendors?  Are there indications that your product simply would not be appropriate or too costly or otherwise unacceptable to the prospect?

2.         Always try to identify the true decision maker in the company for your product or service through research before investing prospecting time in any particular person.  This will substantially reduce the risk of wasting everyone’s time.

3.         Be 100% prepared for your call.  Have a script, but DON’T READ IT!  This includes talking points for your introduction, statistics if appropriate, responses to common objections, and proposals for a next step in the process.

4.         Be prepared for the most common objections, including Not interested, No current need, No budget, Too busy, and Already have a good vendor.

5.         No matter what the response/objections, work to achieve a next step event, such as a follow-up call, sending information with a follow-up call, or, most preferably, a face-to-face meeting.

J.B.

For those who do not cold call, there are lessons that can be learned from cold calling.  Unlike other sales activities, cold calling has the potential of capturing an entire sales process in literally minutes.  Resistance is quick and an immediate response is necessary.  Such a response can make or break the sale forever.  Learning how to pitch and deal with resistance in a short period of time can help those who do not cold call to hone sales skills that can be utilized in longer sales processes.

The cold call process is comprised on 4 basic parts:

1.         Pre-Call Considerations;

2.         Controlling the Call;

3.         Dealing with Resistance; and

4.         Post-Call Considerations

In this series of posts, I will delve into each of these 4 basic parts of cold calling.  The series will, I hope, provide immediately tangible ways for cold callers to improve their endeavors, and gain depth in the cold calling process.  Non-cold callers will gain insight into how components of the cold calling process can help them achieve greater success.

J.B.