This little piggy got in the door and met the boss
I hate cold calls. I think they're a waste of time (but that's another issue). For those of you who are still stuck doing them, here's a refreshing look at the process.
Three steps, or objectives, to face-to-face cold calling:
Getting in to meet the decider.
Gaining the decider's interest.
Making the sale (or closing the next step in the sales cycle).
You can't get to No. 3 unless the first two are executed. Easy to say, but not easy to do. Most cold calls fail miserably. But not you, you get in every time, right?
The biggest problem in cold calling is not the gatekeeper or customer who won't let you in it's salespeople who are uncreative, take no risks, and have no fun. Now, this isn't you, is it?
Pam Lontos, a sales training expert, knew a salesman (Bill) who combined creativity and high risk to get into the offices he was rejected from, but really wanted to get into. At the end of a week, he made a list of the high-value prospects who refused to see him.
One day a week he made cold calls to his "re-hit" list, only this time he took his potbelly pig along with him. He walked up to the receptionist and said, "Tell Fred that Bill and his pig are here to see him."
Can you imagine the gatekeeper announcing to the boss, "There's a guy out here with a pig who wants to see you." Most of the time he would get escorted right back to the boss's office.
Sound crazy? "Just call me Crazy Bill with the big bank account," he would often say.
Look at the principles of cold calling that Bill executed successfully:
He got in where others (including himself) couldn't before.
He gained the prospect's interest.
He will never be forgotten.
He was having fun, and created smiles for others.
How can you adapt this principle to your cold calls? Figure it out that's why they call it creativity but a word of caution: if you take an elephant, bring a shovel.
What do you say when you get into the bosses office? Try these:
My pig has an important message about (your product) and I'm his interpreter.
The pig was off from school today and I couldn't get a sitter.
We're trying to upgrade the salesman's image.
I used to travel with a monkey, but he was always asking for more money.
I brought lunch.
Now, for those of you about to scream "it's unprofessional" remember the first objective of a cold call get in the door. Here are two scenarios to ponder
I'm the most professional salesperson in the world and I make a cold call or sales call in the traditional, consultative way and establish rapport and ask great questions, and find out all the prospect's needs, make an appointment to return with answers and a proposal the next week OR
I walk in unannounced, or five minutes late for an appointment, looking ragged, and explain in two minutes how the prospect can use my product and say "sign here," and the prospect signs.
Who did a better job? Now I'm not suggesting to sacrifice professionalism nor am I saying that this will work in every scenario. I'm also not saying that you won't piss a few people off, but it is fun and salespeople aren't having enough fun.
If you're cold calling, you must have a counter-balance for rejection. It doesn't have to be a pig but a pig worked for Bill. My challenge to you is that it isn't that serious. If you have to make cold calls have a good time doing it.
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 faxed to the WBJ at (48-22) 646-0576 or e-mailed to salesman@gitomer.com
