There is a misconception that cold calling doesn’t work. While this has been a topic of this newsletter in the past, it is important to note the data that specifically applies to appointment setting.
It is generally quoted that that only 1-2% of cold calls actually result in a meeting. However, there is strong evidence to the contrary, highlighting the effectiveness of cold calling in today’s B2B market. The reality is that 78% of decision makers have taken an appointment or attended an event as a result of a cold call.*.
The reason most cold calls fail is simply because they’re done wrong. If you want your team to attain this level of lead generation, make sure they are following these cold calling strategies.
Set a schedule. Allot time on a regular basis to do your cold calling. The more qualified leads you want in your pipeline, the more frequent you will want to set aside time to cold call.
Be prepared. Research your prospect before you get on the phone but don’t overdo it. You want to garner enough about them to have a conversation. Over-researching will cause call reluctance which will most likely result in voice mail. Take a minute to check them out on LinkedIn, Google, their website…and then make the call.
Be persistent. It takes an average of 8 – 12 attempts to reach a C-level prospect. Most sales professionals stop at 3 attempts. A big mistake.
Ask for permission. At the outset of a call, once you have reached the prospect, ask for their permission to continue.
Set the right tone. The goal of a cold call is to engage a prospect and set up a meeting. It’s about making that first connection, not closing the deal. Be confident and relaxed. Be mindful of not only the words you use but the tone of the conversation.
The success rate of cold calling largely depends on the approach taken. Cold calling gets a bad rap when these simple tactics are not followed. If your organization does not have the time or expertise for successful cold calling, One Of A Kind Solutions is here to help.
Whether you are pounding the pavement to get in front of prospects or on the phone to set appointments, you are familiar with the term ‘gatekeeper’. This is the person whose job it is to screen calls or visits to the decision maker. These skilled individuals make it very tough to get through to the decision maker unless you incorporate the right approach.
Always start at the top. Before you get started, know the name of the decision maker that you want to reach. Aim high. Managers often won’t make a decision without upper management’s approval.
Keep the right perspective. The gatekeeper is not an enemy; but they are also not your friend. They are just doing their job – managing the demands on the decision makers time. They are trained to keep salespeople from getting through the gate.
Have the right mindset. Clear your head. Visualize yourself as someone who would be put through. Remember that your conversation with the decision maker is the most important call that they will get today.
Have the right tone and approach. Whether you get through the gatekeeper has a lot to do with your tone. Be direct and business-like with an expectation that you will get through the gatekeeper and connect to the decision maker. It could go something like: “This is Jeff to speak to (Decision Maker’s name). Is he/she in?”
Do not pitch the gatekeeper. By selling to the gatekeeper you are setting yourself up for “thank you, but we are not interested”. Many salespeople make this mistake but it only ends in shutting you down.
Take control of the conversation. The gatekeeper will ask certain questions to disarm you: who are you, where are you from, what are you selling, is the decision maker expecting you. Break the pattern. Pose questions to the gatekeeper such as, “I’m not sure (decision maker) is the right person to talk to, can you help me?”
Always ask for decision maker’s email. Ask the gatekeeper for the decision maker’s email address. Send the decision maker information by email. Then when you call back and the gatekeeper asks you what it is in reference to, use the follow-up to the correspondence as the reason to speak to the decision maker.
Never leave a message with the gatekeeper. Your first preference is to leave a message on voice mail for the decision maker. If that is not possible, leave your name and number with no detail (not even your company name) with the gatekeeper. Follow-up with an email to the decision maker with a subject line: Message with Receptionist (or use their name) and “a curious message”. Raise their curiosity so they will call you or take your call. Don’t give your company name or sales pitch.
Keep your goal in mind. It’s important to get through to the decision maker. Don’t give up. To reach the decision maker by phone directly, ask the gatekeeper when the best time is to reach the decision maker. Or vary your calling times – try calling before 9 am, after 5 pm or during lunch hour.
Practice, practice, practice. Take these techniques to heart, learn them, practice them and test them. Try variations until you find the one that works for you. Do it often so it is sounds natural.
Most salespeople see gatekeepers as barriers to getting appointments. The right training, approach and attitude can change all that.
Last issue I talked about the importance of uncovering your prospect’s pain and the value that it brings to your sales process. In this issue, I’ll be sharing how to uncover that pain. Talking about your products or services isn’t going to earn you loyal customers. You need to be proactive towards understanding their concerns and constraints.
Listen more and speak less. There’s a type of sales rep called “Crocodile Rep”. They have a big mouth and small ears. They do most of the talking and conclude the discussion without understanding the prospect’s pain. Always listen to your prospects before engaging them.
Ask open-ended questions. The best way to have successful sales discussions is by asking open-ended questions. The primary aim is to get them speaking about their business, and prospects generally love to do that. This strategy will keep you from overselling and help you build a great bond with the prospect.
Dig a little deeper. Uncovering just one problem may not be enough. When there is a pause in the conversation, nod in agreement or say you understand, but also give them another opening to continue the conversation. Use some of these probing questions to get the prospect to expand on the pain.
How did you resolve this issue or is it still a concern?
Tell me more.
Is there anything else?
How would resolving this issue feel?
Talk like them. Use your prospect’s language when talking about pain. This technique can go a long way in building trust with your prospect. Show them that you take them seriously by using their language and terminology.
Don’t answer questions too quickly. Take note of how your prospect asks a question and then think for a moment about how to best respond. If you answer too quickly, the conversation may end and you won’t get the information you need.
Discovering your prospect’s motivators means getting your prospects to talk. Try conversations that let your clients take the lead. Then listen and discover.
Identifying pain is a key component in the sales process. There is no sale without pain. Uncovering your prospect’s pain has value to the sales process in several ways. It helps you build trust, establish a relationship and build rapport and provides insights as well.
Build trust. Ask the right questions, and you’ll build trust, uncover opportunities and cement your relationship as a trusted advisor. Ignore the pain, and you’ll become known as “a salesperson”.
Establish a relationship. To sell effectively, you must uncover customer pain points. This shows your interest in them and their business. Without doing so, you miss the opportunity to establish a mutually collaborative relationship with the customer.
Rapport. Equally important, buyers who believe that their pain is clearly understood will be more willing to share critical information throughout the buying process and will work harder to understand the solution being presented.
People buy based on emotion. People may justify a purchase intellectually but what makes them say yes is emotion. Uncovering their pain gets them to think emotionally and can make the difference between making the sale or not.
Differentiation. Without this critical information, sellers often stumble to differentiate their value when the potential customer is formulating a buying decision.
Gain customer’s perspective. When the seller doesn’t take time to uncover pain and discuss the implications of that pain early in the sales cycle, they lose the opportunity to understand what is truly important to the customer.
Relevance. Without understanding the buyer’s needs, the sales conversation usually focuses on product features and functions, which may or may not be relevant to the buyer. Unfortunately, product functions that are not tied specifically to customer pain can make the solution sound expensive and off target. At this point, the conversation quickly degrades to one of price and pricing discounts.
Pain-Solution Correlation. Without uncovering business pain, there is no means to formulate a solution that will address that pain. Without a meaningful solution, there’s no sale.
In my last article, I talked about different aspects of cold calling that can be used to set yourself apart. In this issue, we are zeroing in on messaging. The key to success in appointment setting is saying the right things in the right order so that the prospect will stay on the phone and engage in a conversation with you.
Grabber. The beginning of the call is all about creating rapport so that the prospect is willing to continue. You have 20 seconds to keep them on the phone. Don’t start with who you are because your prospect doesn’t know you. If they hear that, they will know it’s a sales call and may hang up. DONT give your company name. Start with something like, “Hello Paul, this is Nancy Calabrese…we don’t know each other.”
Ask permission to stay on the phone. Following your very brief introduction, the next step is to get the prospect to agree to give you a moment to speak. “I know you are busy. If you give me a brief moment, I’ll tell you why I’m calling.” Confirm with the prospect that it is OK to continue.
Introduction to what you do. Follow this with a simple statement the name of your company and what you do, specifically the problems you solve and why your customers buy from you. Find out if they are experiencing any of the same problems.
Turn the conversation around. Ask strategic questions about the issues the prospect is experiencing. Apply open-ended, thought provoking questions that will encourage the prospect to share important details about their business and issues. The more they talk, the more emotional they get. Customers buy from emotion. Our job is to uncover it.
Ask for a meeting. Suggest a meeting to determine if a there is fit for one another. If their issues are deep enough, they will be willing to make an appointment. If they are not, OR your message is not compelling, you may not get an appointment or they may blow you off entirely.
Make the appointment. Agree to the day and time and length of the meeting.
Summarize. Touch on the agenda of the meeting. Agree to be honest and let you know if they feel your services are not a fit, and in kind, you will do the same.
Capture email and direct phone number. This will enable you to send support materials, such as collateral or a questionnaire, in preparation for the meeting.
These steps will help increase your success rate, but be sure it doesn’t sound rehearsed. Take an honest interest in your prospect and the call will sound natural and you’ll have even better chance of success.
Whether you are pounding the pavement to get in front of prospects or on the phone to set appointments, you are familiar with the term ‘gatekeeper’. This is the person whose job it is to screen calls or visits to the decision maker. These skilled individuals make it very tough to get through to the decision maker unless you incorporate the right approach.
Last issue I talked about the importance of uncovering your prospect’s pain and the value that it brings to your sales process. In this issue, I’ll be sharing how to uncover that pain. Talking about your products or services isn’t going to earn you loyal customers. You need to be proactive towards understanding their concerns and constraints.
Identifying pain is a key component in the sales process. There is no sale without pain. Uncovering your prospect’s pain has value to the sales process in several ways. It helps you build trust, establish a relationship and build rapport and provides insights as well.
In my last article, I talked about different aspects of cold calling that can be used to set yourself apart. In this issue, we are zeroing in on messaging. The key to success in appointment setting is saying the right things in the right order so that the prospect will stay on the phone and engage in a conversation with you.
