The "fail-your-way-to-success" method of cold calling
Here's a new way to view the cold call: A cold call is not a place to make sales a cold call is an opportunity to learn to sell.
Why not start with the "fail-your-way-to-success" cold-call method?
This method will help you get great at selling by failing at cold calling. Identify the skills you want to practice. Dedicate an hour or two a day to learning, and understand that it's not about making a sale it's about learning how to sell. And as you improve, you'll occasionally get paid for learning.
Select one skill you want to perfect let's say finding the decider then make 10 calls, and set yourself a goal of getting in to see (through talking to) five.
Below is a list of the lifetime sales skills you can develop through the fail-your-way-to-success method of cold calling:
Coming up with a fast opening that grabs attention and gets you to the next step. What can you create that's innovative? Something that elicits a smile, gets you in the door, and gives you that 30-second opportunity with Mr. Big. Long-term benefit: You learn to get to the point faster in your face-to-face presentations.
Building instant rapport. How fast can you put the other person at ease? How quickly do they warm up to you? Long-term benefit: Teaches you that rapport is the jumping-off point for beginning a sale. The faster you can gain it, the smoother your path to sales success.
Gaining acceptance. Be real. Have your words be believed. Long-term benefit: Teaches you that rapport leads to acceptance. If I like you, I'm more likely to accept what you say.
Finding the decider. Put yourself in front of someone who can say "yes" to you. Too many salespeople give a great sales presentation to the wrong person. Long-term benefit: Teaches you that selling to the non-decision maker leads to a non-sale.
Qualifying the decider. Find out if the decider has the need and or money to buy what you're selling. Long-term benefit: Teaches you to be certain you're speaking to someone who can buy and spend.
Learning the power of questions. Ask questions that make the prospect think and evaluate new information questions that separate you from your competition. Long-term benefit: Asking questions about them leads to answers about you and that leads to sales.
Gaining a prospect's interest. Have useful information and ideas about the market and how your prospect's business can grow and profit. Long-term benefit: Teaches you that the ability to gain the prospect's interest in your product or service stems from your interest in theirs.
Rapid persuading. Getting others to say "yes" in a short space of time takes talent that can only be developed by practice. Long-term benefit: Teaches you to practice and be effective at presenting a compelling message.
Persistence: the breakfast of winners. The cold call will usually not generate a sale. It will generate a follow-up opportunity. Long-term benefit: Teaches you that most sales are made after the seventh "no" or a better-stated seventh follow-up. Your persistence is in direct proportion to your level of success.
Thinking on your feet. You've got three seconds to figure it out. Cold calls are not about fast talking but about fast thinking. Long-term benefit: Teaches you to "think solution" and "think question" instead of spewing out a bunch of facts and figures that will be forgotten two seconds after the door has let you out of the decider's office.
The value of (and need for) creativity. Cold calls are all about creativity. The opening line. The gatekeeper block. The decision-maker treasure hunt. The sale. The cool part about creativity is that it can be studied and learned. Long-term benefit: Teaches you that the more creative you become, the easier it is to differentiate yourself from the dreaded competition (and their dreaded prices).
The joy of rejection. Most people consider rejection negative. I have always thought of it as "the pathway to yes." Try adding a dose of humor to rejection. For example: Start thanking people for telling you "no." Tell them that only one out of four people buy, and ask them if they know anyone else that might not be interested, because you still need three more no's before someone says "yes." It'll make them laugh. Humor. Make me laugh and you can make me buy. The problem with rejection is that most people take it personally big mistake. They're not rejecting you they're just rejecting the offer you're making them. That feels better now, doesn't it? Long-term benefit: The more you can learn why they rejected you, the easier it is to eliminate the next rejection.
It tells you if selling is for you. If you can find the fun in cold calling, and view it as the fail-your-way-to-success method to sales mastery, you will ultimately succeed at sales. If you can't, sales may not be your best career choice. Long-term benefit: Teaches you to do something you love, have fun at it, and dedicate yourself to being the best by learning something new every day.
You don't get great at sales in a day you get great at sales day-by-day.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. Inquiries should be emailed to salesman@gitomer.com or faxed to the WBJ at (48-22) 646-0576.
