Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Stop thinking, “Recession” start thinking, “Opportunity.” There is always opportunity when the market is shifting. Find it. Economic downturns can also be times when fortunes are made, so keep looking. This mind set will give you the power and energy to keep selling.

2. During difficult economic times vendor loyalty can be shaky. This is a great time to go after accounts that have previously been locked up and held tight by your competition. If you know your competition, you know their flaws. Where might they be susceptible? Go after those accounts. 

3. Qualify your prospects. Far too many sales representatives spend far too much time chasing after prospects that will never buy. Don’t be shy. Ask the hard questions that determine whether or not you’re speaking with real prospects. Qualify your prospects out. Then, if you are not speaking with a real prospect, move on.

4. Focus on value. Make sure that your prospects understand the value that you represent. How will your product/service help your prospect? How will it help your prospect achieve their goals? How will it impact their bottom line? Your prospects will not figure it out for themselves. It’s your job to help them understand. Ultimately, your customers want to know WIIFM, “What’s in it for me?” Make sure that you help them understand.

Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. If you keep reaching a secretary or assistant, do not call that lead more than 3 times in one day. This is one reason to keep adding new names to your list. If you keep reaching voice mail, however, you can call as often as you wish.

2. Enter all the information you gain from a prospect into your database! The better your records, the easier your calls will be. 

3. If you are put on hold at the switchboard, go on to another call. If you are actually holding for your prospect and you’ve been on hold for a while, you can hang up and then call back. Say, ‘I was holding for (prospect’s name), and I was disconnected. Is she available?’ This way, you’ll either get through to your prospect or find out when to call back.

4. If you are setting up meetings for someone else, you can say things about that individual that they themselves cannot. Don’t be afraid to gush. Point out all relevant personality traits: ‘She is so talented.’ ‘She is so down-to-earth.’ ‘She really understands this business.’ You get the idea. Coming from a second party, these types of statements are very powerful. If you say them about yourself, however, you simply sound like a braggart.

Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Whether trying to ascertain a good time to call your prospect back or trying to schedule a meeting, it is a good idea to give alternate choices. ‘Is this afternoon good, or would tomorrow morning be better?’ It is much easier for your prospect to decide ‘when’ rather than ‘whether.’

2. Call when the prospect is in. Call when you know you can reach the prospect. Early, late, lunchtime…. Your industry may have times that are specific to that industry. Call when the secretary said to call back. 

3. Keep adding new telephone numbers to your list. You do not want to keep calling the same numbers over and over. You want to keep adding telephone numbers, so that you are calling a mix of new leads and older leads.

4. If you keep reaching a secretary or assistant, do not call that lead more than 3 times in one day. This is one reason to keep adding new names to your list. If you keep reaching voice mail, however, you can call as often as you wish.

The Cold Calling Tips Podcast with The Queen of Cold Calling - Write Your Cold Calling Script for a Friend

In this Cold Calling Tips Podcast, Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling tells how to create an elevator speech that will attract prospects.

 

 The Queen's Podcast - Write Your Cold Calling Script for a Friend: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (323)

Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Remember to breathe! Sometimes, when people get nervous, they forget to breathe. Breathing relaxes and grounds you. Take deep breaths; fill your lungs with air. If you find you have this problem, do some breathing exercises before you pick up the telephone. These exercises can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking deep breaths in and out. Try breathing in for four counts and out for four counts. And focus on your breath. You can also sit in a chair and breathe into each vertebra of your spine. Also try moving around. Move your shoulders, head and arms; shake out your legs.

2. While you are calling, try and stay conscious of your breathing. If you find you are feeling stressed and holding your breath, take a moment, do your breathing exercises again, and then go on. Sometimes, you can breathe better if you are standing. Try that. Sometimes, pacing while you are talking helps to get energy going and let out the nervous tension–one good reason to have a long cord on your telephone or, better yet, a cordless telephone. 

3. The emphasis on a particular word can totally change the meaning of a sentence. For example, let’s take the phrase, ‘She is not a thief.’ If you emphasize ‘She,’ the sentence means that she is not a thief, but someone else is. If you emphasize ‘not,’ the sentence is a defence. If you emphasize ‘thief,’ the sentence implies that she is something else that you have just not named. Think about the emphasis that you wish to make.

4. Everyone has his or her own personal rhythm, the tempo at which he or she thinks and functions and is most comfortable. People generally have a difficult time with people whose rhythms are different from their own. Think about it–if you speak quickly, do you find yourself getting impatient with someone who speaks at a much slower pace? Do you perceive them as dull, perhaps not too bright? On the other hand, if you have a more laid-back rhythm to your speech, do you find people who speak quickly annoying and difficult to deal with? This is very common. People can grasp your message much more effectively if it is delivered in a rhythm that matches their own. Remember that your goal is communication. Therefore, try to follow your prospect’s rhythm. Match your timing and tempo to theirs. You can even try and match their volume. This will aid in their ability to hear and understand you. If you find this to be difficult, try practicing with a colleague or friend.

The Queen of Cold Calling Issues 90 Day Challenge

A career in sales is not for the weak. Especially not today. Yet even in today’s difficult economy there are sales professionals and business owners who are doing exceptionally well. They are keeping and even growing accounts and they are bringing in lucrative new ones.

The question for most business owners and sales professionals, however, is: how, in 2010, does one fill a sales funnel with solid opportunities that turn into sales?

According to Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, the answer lies in understanding a few simple rules and taking action on a few simple steps. Says Weiss, “It is entirely possible, even in today’s economy, to go from zero to a full sales pipeline and beyond in a mere 90 days.”

For that reason, Ms. Weiss is issuing her 90 Day Challenge: From Zero to Sales Hero and launching it with a webinar of the same name on Tues., Feb. 16, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The goal behind the challenge and the webinar is to help business owners and sales professionals who are struggling gain the skills and information they need to be successful in today’s economy. During the webinar Ms. Weiss will reveal what the top 20% of successful sales people know (and do) that enables them to close more frequently, how to use a prospect’s buying cycles to your full advantage, how to harness the Law of Action and much, much more.

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, is the author of the best-selling book, Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Sales Winner’s Handbook, Essential Scripts and Strategies to Skyrocket Sales Performance. She is recognized as one of the leading authorities on lead generation, cold calling and new business development and she helps clients speed up their sales cycle, reach more prospects directly and generate more sales revenue. Her clients include Avon Products, ADP, Sprint and thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the country.

For information and/or to register for the 90 Day Challenge: From Zero to Sales Hero webinar visit, http://www.wendyweiss.com/feb2010webinar.html. For information on other sales-enhancing Weiss Communications products and programs call 877-405-8212 or email marlene@wendyweiss.com.

Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Make telephone calls. No one will ever say, ‘yes’ if they do not know of your existence.

2. Feel your prospect’s pain. Articulate that pain. Your prospect will see you as someone who understands. Then, offer a solution.

3. Position yourself as an expert, someone who has knowledge and authority. Do this by discussing your expertise and your credentials. Answer the question, ‘What makes you (or your company, product or service) different from everyone else in the entire world who is selling something similar?’

4. Sell something in which you believe–something that offers a value and benefit.

7 Ways to Name Your Prospect

In the maze of corporate America it is sometimes very difficult to discover with whom you should speak. There could be multiple decision-makers or there could be only one decision-maker. And, of course, they’re never listed as “decision-maker” in the company directory.

The first rule in “Naming Your Prospect” is to ask for a title not an activity. Do not ask for “the person who makes the decision to purchase….” Making the “decision to purchase…” is an activity and may get you a name, however, it will most likely be the name of someone who is involved but not in a decision-making capacity.

A better approach is to figure out what department the decision is likely made in and then find out who is the head of that department. If, for example, you know that the decision to purchase whatever you are selling is made in the Marketing Department ask for the head of the Marketing Department. This could be the senior vice president, or vice president or director. If you are calling small companies the person you want to reach is most likely the Owner.

Once you have identified the appropriate title or titles (there may be variations from company to company):

Check the prospect company’s web site. This is the easiest way to find your prospect’s name. Thanks to the Internet, many companies today list executive and/or senior management on their web sites.

Ask the receptionist. Dial the company’s main number and ask the front line person who answers the line for the name of the person who has the appropriate title. Be prepared to throw out variations of that title as different companies may use different titles for the same type of position. When you are calling large companies receptionists do not screen calls. That question, “What is this in reference to?” is actually a request for information. Keep suggesting titles until one sounds familiar to that receptionist.

Call the Chief Executive Officer. The theory here is that Executive Assistants know everything. Call the CEO’s office and ask the Executive Assistant for some help, “I’m wondering if you can help me.” Tell the Executive Assistant exactly what you need and she will more than likely point you in the right direction.

Randomly change the general switchboard number extensions. If the switchboard number is 5000, call 5001, 5002… until you reach a human being. It won’t be the right human being, but that’s ok. Once you reach a human being ask that person to help you, “I’m wondering if you can help me.” Ask, “Do you have a company directory?” When asked, most people are very happy to help.

The made-up name. Sometimes companies will not give out information unless you have a name. In this case, make up a name and then ask for that person. The switchboard operator will tell you there is no one there by that name. You then say, “Oh, (Made up Name) used to be the (Title). Who has taken over for her?” Many times this will work to get you the right name.

Ask a sales person. Call the sales department and speak with a sales person. Say, “I’m wondering if you can help me.” Sales people will understand and if they can they will help you. Tell the sales person exactly who you are trying to reach. If they do not know the correct name ask, “Do you have a directory handy? Could you look that up for me?”

Ask Customer Service. Customer Service is there to help. Call them and ask for help, “I’m wondering if you can help me.” Many times Customer Service can give you the information that you require. Again, if the Customer Service representative does not know the correct name ask, “Do you have a directory handy? Could you look that up for me?”

With these seven ways of naming your prospect, finding the decision-maker should never again be an issue.

© 2009 Wendy Weiss

Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Ask for a meeting. Keep asking for a meeting. Do not expect that your prospect will guess what you want or offer what you want. It is your job to ask and keep asking till you get what you want.

2. Initial prospect objections frequently mask the real objections. Part of your response to an objection must be to help your prospect articulate their real objection, which you can then address.

3. Prospect objections are a way of getting information about your prospect. Use the objections to get your prospect talking.

4. Always follow up your introductory meetings and continue to follow up. Remember the ‘Rule of Seven’-that, on average, most sales are made somewhere between the 7th to 12th contact with a prospect (a ‘contact’ can be a phone call, an e-mail, a letter or any type of contact). The introductory meeting is only the beginning of your relationship.

The Cold Calling Tips Podcast with The Queen of Cold Calling - Prospecting Success

In this Cold Calling Tips Podcast, Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling reveals the secret to prospecting success.

 

 Queen's Podcast - Prospecting Success: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (387)