| How to cold call and make sales appointments is a | | | | interrogation if not done with some flexible sales |
| sales skill that will benefit your small business, or | | | | skill, or if it is at the end of a long shift in a call |
| cost you a lot of time and resources if you get it | | | | center. |
| wrong. Many small business sales people have a | | | | The really effective technique, which I include on |
| cold calling script, either written or mentally | | | | the sales training I present to my teams on how |
| rehearsed, that isn't effective and doesn't get the | | | | to cold call, is to include in the conversation the |
| results. It's not their fault, they haven't got the | | | | questions that you need to ask. Simply record the |
| sales training resources that many large sales | | | | information as you talk, and I mean talk not |
| organisations have. One of the most common | | | | interrogate the buyer. Use motivators in your |
| mistakes I hear and see small businesses making | | | | conversation to move smoothly into the |
| when they make sales appointment calls is that | | | | questioning stage of the call. |
| they use a cold call script but don't build it around | | | | Phrases such as, 'So I can see if you could benefit |
| a proven effective cold calling process. | | | | from this offer.' You could even be honest with |
| If you use an effective sales appointment making | | | | them, now there's a refreshing change, and say, |
| process as a plan of the path you want the call | | | | 'To make sure I am not wasting your time can I |
| to follow, you can then build your own words and | | | | ask you.' Make your appointment setting call a |
| phrases around that process and your results will | | | | conversation. This is one of your big advantages |
| multiply. You will have more selling opportunities | | | | as a small business as you are not confined to |
| and your business will grow. Consider some of the | | | | rigid cold calling scripts and company rules. |
| ideas and sales training in these 3 stages of a | | | | You don't need linguistic tricks and manipulative |
| sales appointment call. Try them out and measure | | | | sales techniques |
| the results you achieve. | | | | Up to this point in the call process you have |
| The cold call introduction | | | | crammed in benefits that the potential customer |
| You have to grab the prospects attention, and | | | | could gain from doing business with you. Now add |
| make the possible benefits they could gain a real | | | | more benefits, especially those specific and unique |
| motivator for them to continue with the | | | | to doing business with your small business. You |
| conversation. This is where small businesses have | | | | want to communicate several messages to the |
| both an advantage and a disadvantage compared | | | | prospect that will influence, not manipulate, them |
| to the big well known companies. | | | | to meet with you and discuss what they could |
| The disadvantage is that the big companies are | | | | gain. |
| well known. The buyer recognizes the name and | | | | A message that my sales teams learn to use |
| has an idea of what they can offer. If there is | | | | when learning how to cold call, is that the |
| any spark of interest the buyer is likely to listen | | | | prospect will only really know whether they could |
| to the caller from a large well known organization. | | | | gain, or are missing out, when they have met |
| When making cold calls for appointments from a | | | | you. When you cold call to make a sales |
| small business you have to get into your cold | | | | appointment you are only gaining agreement to |
| calling scripts, who you are, what you do, and | | | | meet you. You are not asking for agreement to |
| most important of all, the reason for your call. | | | | do business with you. When they have met you, |
| You have to grab the buyer's attention. | | | | and heard what you can give them, they are |
| The advantage that a small business has is that | | | | then in a position to decide if they want to buy. |
| they can quickly adapt and be flexible with what | | | | Use any possible benefits that you have heard hit |
| they can offer specific sales prospects. Small | | | | a sweet spot during the call with the buyer as a |
| business sales operations can also target niche | | | | reason they should agree to a sales appointment. |
| markets, and change to meet the market and | | | | If when you spoke about saving money, |
| customer demands and trends. Because of this a | | | | increasing production, or that you are a local |
| small business, or self-employed person, selling | | | | company, you heard a positive signal from the |
| their own products can make the calls more | | | | prospect, you can use this when you try and |
| personal to each prospect. | | | | arrange the appointment. For example, 'So that I |
| Include questions in your cold call to qualify the | | | | can show you how I can protect your investment |
| prospect | | | | while still giving you a good return, are you |
| A good large scale tele-marketing operation will | | | | available on Monday evening?' |
| have a tick list on screen of the information they | | | | A simple question coated in benefits is all that's |
| need to ask a potential customer. The ones that | | | | needed. No double talk or sales tricks that you |
| use rigid scripts have set questions for the caller | | | | and your staff are probably not comfortable with, |
| to ask. In both cases the questioning stage of the | | | | and that get your company a bad reputation in |
| sales appointment process can sound like an | | | | the long term. |