At One of a Kind Sales, we spend a LOT of time training our people to ACTIVELY LISTEN. Picking up the phone and dialing MAY get you to the right person but active listening is the real secret to setting qualified appointments and sales success!
Can you hear me?
A basic Cold Calling requirement is being able to HEAR the prospect. That means setting yourself up so there is no background noise or music to distract you and having a headset with adequate volume controls. Close all your extraneous browser windows and shut off your personal phone so you are not tempted to check email, texts or social media.
It’s not just hearing them…
ACTIVE listening involves more than just HEARING what your prospect is saying. It means UNDERSTANDING what is being said, and oftentimes, being able to hear and understand the UNSPOKEN context. Actively listening will enable you to ‘hear’ the prospect’s body language through the tone, volume and words they are using. It means noticing shifts in that tone or changes in the volume and then modulating your own tone and words in response.
Active listening involves paying attention to what is said and using the prospect’s responses to formulate your own statements.
Active listening tactics
We recommend a number of tactics to do this:
Paraphrasing – which is where you restate some of the prospects replies but in your own words.
Summarizing – where you provide a summary of the process or discussion to give an overview and context.
Clarification – where you restate and/or explain things to make sure you are all on the same page. ASK for clarification on a point or statement to keep the prospect talking about their issues.
Reflection – where you reflect the prospect’s words back to them to help them understand what you are hearing.
Note that ALL of the above require you to have HEARD not just the prospect’s words but the intentions behind those words. Pay attention, listen carefully and you will be rewarded with valuable insights and you will, more importantly, earn their trust! They can tell when you are listening and will appreciate that you have HEARD them.
Resources
Because we know that ACTIVE LISTENING is such an important skill, we have collected many useful resources on this topic. Here are a few articles and videos we think can help YOU improve YOUR active listening skills:
An excellent Sandler Training Podcast where they not only explain quite clearly WHY this is necessary and HOW to do it but they also point out that these skills are valuable both in sales AND in your personal life!
Would you like to improve your cold calling results? As anyone who has ever shot an arrow will tell you, one of the KEYS to hitting the bullseye is knowing WHERE the target is located. Otherwise, it is like shooting while wearing a blindfold! Salespeople who are calling without being totally clear on THEIR targets, are frequently DIALING BLINDLY.
The ‘target’ in this context, is NOT the salesperson’s ‘target audience’. You can be dialing blindly even if you know your ideal prospects’ name, age and serial number. The targets that I am talking about here are the salespersons’ productivity targets. Without a clear understanding of YOUR productivity targets, also known as KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) you may as well be dialing in the dark!
Here are some tips to improve your Cold Calling results:
How many tries does it take?
Do you know how many calls you need to make before you set a qualified appointment? This is NOT a trick question! This is a number YOU need to know and keep track of, based on YOUR lists, YOUR calls and YOUR experience. I cannot supply this answer, but I can assure you that if you identify and keep track of this number, you WILL be able to improve upon and reduce it!
Peter Drucker, the man who is often credited with having ‘invented’ the management practices of the corporate business world, famously said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. I agree!
Knowing the number of dials it takes to get to the point where you engage in a conversation with a decision maker is the first step to getting a handle on your target. The next step is knowing how many conversations, with decision makers, need to take place to set qualified appointments. You also need to know how may qualified appointments you need to set before you close a sale. Again, there is no one correct answer – this is a compilation of data based on YOUR experience.
Gather and use this information to set YOUR productivity targets
Identifying these stats will help you monitor your cold calling progress, keep you on track and close more sales. Once you have these numbers, you can challenge yourself to hit or beat them. You will be able to measure AND to improve them!
The first step to hitting ANY target is to be very clear on what it is. What are YOUR current stats and what will YOUR target be? Improve YOUR Cold Calling Results – don’t dial blindly!
If your sales team is dialing blindly and/or not hitting YOUR sales targets, give us a call at 908.879.2911 – our Call Center In A Box service includes the training, management and monitoring YOUR team needs to SUCCEED!
Cold calling success is largely based on the ability to differentiate yourself from others doing the same exact thing that you are doing. It makes sense that successful cold callers catch a prospect’s attention and build a relationship by being different in their cold calling approach. It starts with the first phone call and the cold calling script. Here are nine ways to differentiate yourself when cold calling:
Craft a script that sounds genuine, and unique. Messaging must catch the attention of your audience. Interject something unexpected. Incorporate content to make your script your own.
Catch the prospect’s attention. Successful cold callers make the first 30 seconds memorable by tailoring the message based on the prospect’s communication style.
Be likeable. Incorporate a genial approach that builds trustworthiness. Trustworthiness leads to being influential.
Inject humor. Connect with people over shared human experiences and tell stories that leave a positive effect.
Be sincere. Differentiate yourself by being genuinely interested in the prospect and the prospect’s needs and wants. Generate trust by truly caring about your prospect.
Ask the right questions. Incorporate high-value, thought-provoking questions. Pose enough deep, probing questions to really learn what the prospect needs are. Keep questions short following a response that the customer just shared to encourage them to talk more.
Embrace active listening. Pay close attention to the prospect’s words, their tone of voice and their body language. Remember, it’s all about them. Distinguish yourself by being able to truly understand and respond to your prospect and their particular situation.
Be prepared. Since prospects are inundated with sales calls, voicemails and emails, it is crucial to differentiate from all that noise. Come to the conversation with a knowledge of the prospect’s business and the kinds of challenges they face. Be ready with relevant open-ended questions. Sales is all about language that is pertinent to the prospect.
Add value at every opportunity. Offer blogs, videos, white papers, etc., to be a thought-leader, not just a “seller”. When buyers see you as an expert, they will welcome your call.
Implementing these suggestions will help you cut through the noise and really stand-out when making your cold calls – and that is the first step to setting up qualified appointments and closing sales!
Need help crafting an effective script? Or does your team need coaching and management to be more productive? Click Here to learn more about our Call Center in a Box program where we train, manage and monitor YOUR inside sales team to improve YOUR bottom line. No inside sales team? With One of a Kind Search we find well trained sales people to work for you or call us at 908.879.2911 – we LOVE to Cold Call for you!
Yes, you can just pick up the phone and start cold calling but if you want to successfully set QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS that will convert to ACTUAL SALES, you need to be prepared. At One of a Kind Sales, we LOVE Cold Calling and have years of experience training Salespeople to make calls and set appointments that get RESULTS!
Here are 5 things you MUST do BEFORE you start Cold Calling in order to ensure Sales Success!
SCHEDULE: Make sure you have the schedule of the person who will follow up! There is nothing worse than setting up an appointment with a warm prospect, only to learn that the salesperson you are setting the appointment for will NOT be available at the date and time agreed to!
SCRIPT: Have a script. Too many people think they can ‘wing it’ on their calls – make sure you have a script you can trust and …
MEMORIZE: Memorize and practice your script. Really! I know you are not an actor but in our (extensive and proven) experience, memorizing the script allows you to be more comfortable on the call, to elicit the info you need and leads to more, qualified, appointments.
GOALS: Be clear on your goals. Whether it is a set number of dials per hour, appointments set per day or another inhouse metric, be clear on what you are setting out to achieve. This will help keep you focused and help you meet (and exceed!) those goals.
SKILLS: Polish your skills. To succeed, you need to be at the top of your game. Get the help, training and support you need to feel confident and ready to dial!
Sales is a ‘NO’ business – you are constantly being rejected and frankly, it can be difficult! Our training and management programs provide you and your inside sales team with the skills and oversight they need to succeed!
Don’t have an inhouse sales team? We can hire one for you! Don’t have the bandwidth or patience to set up and monitor a team? We can make your calls for you! We LOVE Cold Calling!
Give us a call today at 908.879.2911 to see how we can help you and your sales team SUCCEED!
Are you unhappy with your cold-calling results from 2018? Know something needs to change but not sure what it is? Here are 5 ways to boost YOUR cold-calling results in 2019!
1. Be CONSISTENT
Consistency is KEY to your success in this business! I HIGHLY recommend setting aside a specific amount of time EVERY DAY, to make your cold calls. I know that things come up and meetings need to happen so you may not be able to make the calls at the same time every day but make sure that you are making time, every day, for calls.
The amount of time you need to spend is dependent on your goals. (I will address this formula in an upcoming post.) But studies show that you need to ‘touch’ someone 8 – 12 times before you make a real connection. Keep this in mind as you dial!
Stick to the same script to keep your messaging consistent and you will see results. Remember, NO means ‘not just now’ and every dial gets you closer to a YES!
2. Stay POSITIVE
When you are making your calls, think ‘positive’!
Not only can the person you are speaking with FEEL the positive vibe but getting yourself into a positive mindset can really make the difference between just making calls and SETTING APPOINTMENTS.
Remember that ‘Attitude Drives Behavior’ and YOU control YOUR attitude.
Here is a short video with an interesting take on how to stay positive with ‘Inverse Paranoia’ Darren Daily: Inverse Paranoia
3. Have, and use, a FOLLOW-UP PLAN
Deals are LOST due to lack of, or poor execution of, follow-up!
I HIGHLY recommend using a CRM that automatically enters your calls into your queue and having a cohesive follow-up plan. Depending on the outcome of each call, you may be identifying and reaching out to the ‘right’ person or setting appointments – the call is only the first step, be sure you have a clear map to CLOSING.
Your plan will vary based on your needs and goals but make sure that it also includes a STOP point. You don’t want to OVER follow-up (which leads to burn out on both ends – the prospect AND the salesperson making the calls!)
If the prospect is not interested after your fourth call, you should take them out of your rotation for a few months before reaching out again. And if they have ghosted you – are no longer taking your calls – you should have an email follow-up that you can send. In that email, ask prospects to clarify where they are in the process, what has changed and to be frank, clarifying if they no longer wish to be contacted.
4. Know and MONITOR Your KPI’s
MAKING a specific number of phone calls is NOT the ultimate sales goal – know what YOUR goals ARE!
Clearly identifying your goals and monitoring your progress towards those goals is KEY to ACHIEVING them! Knowing YOUR KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) will help you stay ON TRACK.
Sales tactics, techniques and technology change constantly – you need to be a life-long learner to succeed! Practice WILL get you closer to perfect but staying on top of industry trends and refreshing your skills is VITAL. Educational posts with sales insights and tips can help, as can videos and podcasts.
We offer training for salespeople of all levels, keeping them up to date with best practices, sharpening their skills and giving them the tools they need to succeed. We make sure that they KNOW and MEET their KPI’s and consistently hit and EXCEED their sales goals.
If you are NOT seeing the results you need, give us a call – we can help you with your script, train you and your team on your delivery and even make calls for you if needed! Contact us at 908.879.2911 or leads@oneofakindsales.com
While psyching yourself up to make that first dial of the
day may be the most daunting part of cold calling, MAKING the calls is NOT the
ultimate sales goal for most organizations. Setting QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS and
CLOSING SALES are what impact your organization’s bottom line. Understanding
the full sales process and knowing (and monitoring) your KPI’s will help you
meet your ultimate sales goals.
KPI’s are ‘Key Performance Indicators’ – clear, specific
actions YOU need to take, during a specified time, to achieve a specific
outcome. In the example above, picking up the phone and making calls IS key,
but the specified desired outcome is to set appointments with qualified
individuals and then to close sales with those prospects.
If you are responsible for making that first call, your KPI
might be to make X number of calls per hour, day or week. If the other
subsequent metrics are falling or failing to be met, this number may need to be
increased.
Are you responsible for setting appointments? That KPI
might track the number of calls that result in an appointment. If this number
slips, go back to the initial call script and make sure it is solid. Re-work
that as needed to ensure the calls you are making lead to appointments.
The next metric to track would be the number of appointments
that are converting to actual sales. If you find this number slipping, you
don’t necessarily need to make MORE CALLS (though that may help increase your
odds) but you need to work on the delivery and content of those calls so that
when you are setting appointments, they are with people who are truly QUALIFIED
to close a sale.
Clearly identifying your goals and monitoring
your progress towards those goals is KEY to ACHIEVING them! Knowing and
monitoring YOUR KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) will help you stay ON TRACK
to meet and exceed your sales goals.
Are your calls not converting? Need help with your scripts or to tune up your teams’ delivery? Give us a call – our training programs can boost YOUR team’s results.
And if you still need help, WE LOVE COLD CALLING! Give us a
call at 908.879.2911 to see how WE can make calls for YOU!
