Six No-No's When Cold Calling
by Pop Icon Mr. Cold Call™
#1 No-No
"Never Ask For Mr. Jones or is Ms. Jackson there?"
If you ask the receptionist for your prospect by their last name then you're instantly saying, "I am a salesperson." To avoid these type of situations use their first name. So when the receptionist says, "(Insert the name of your prospect's company here), may I help you?" Just reply with the following: "Yes, (Insert the first name of your prospect here), thanks." or "(Insert the first name of the prospect here), please." - always sound confident - anything less will ruin your chances of getting through to the decision-maker." - Learn how to improve the sound of your voice - CLICK HERE!
If the receptionist responds and says, "What is this call regarding?" Then read this article to learn techniques to by pass gatekeepers..
#2 No-No
Don't ask your prospect, "What do you do?"
If you ask the question from above then what you're really telling your prospect is the following: "I did not take the time to review your company's website or industry and rather have you tell me."
This type of mindset will definitely get you started with your prospect on the wrong foot. How about doing a little research before your call. With a little research you could say the following: "(Insert the first name of your prospect here), I was reviewing your most recent press release and found (Insert something interesting that you had learned here) can you tell me a bit more?" With this type of response you will let your prospect know that you mean business and that you have a genuine interest in helping them.
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#3 No-No
"Avoid being a sales puppet."
What is a sales puppet? An example of a sales puppet would take place when your prospect asks you to send something and you sent it, but with no commitment on your end.
Read this article: "Just Go Ahead And Send Me Some Information."
It's ok to send your prospect what they request, but get some kind of commitment on their end. Ask your prospect for a follow-up date (and time), ask for their email address so that you can briefly summarize your conversation and what you have sent them and finally, once you do ask for a follow-up day, date and time then at the end of the conversation repeat the follow-up information again. While you should be conscious of your prospect's time it's important that you protect your time as well and the best way to do so is through commitment.
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#4 No-No
"Time is a commodity so don't overload your prospect."
We all get bombarded with emails and quite frankly, sometimes it's hard to read everything. Keep your emails short and to the point with your prospect. If you happen to get your prospect's email address then make sure that you address the following points of interest:
- Include how you came to contacting them (i.e. Did you read about them in a local news article? Were you referred to them and by whom? Or, Did you come across their name in a member directory?)
- Include your full name, position and company name
- Include a very compelling reason for contacting your prospect (i.e. What can you do for your prospect?
- Ask for a meeting. So for example, "(Insert the first name of your prospect here), we'd like to learn a bit more about your company and discuss further about what we have to offer and what we can do (Insert a benefit here), how does your schedule look next week to visit your office?
Yes, I would like to become a Pop Icon Appointment Setting Machine!
#5 No-No
"Don't ask if your prospect has voice mail."
If you ask the receptionist if your prospect has voice mail then guess what? Congratulations! You have now again labeled yourself as a salesperson. At this point, if you ask this question then the receptionist is probably thinking in their head, "They probably don't know my boss because if they did know my boss then they wouldn't be asking if my boss has voice mail - they are definitely a salesperson." Your better off using the following: "I'll take (Insert the first name of your prospect here) voice mail." or "Voice mail is fine, thanks."
For 21 Powerful Voice Mail Tips - Click here!
#6 No-No
"Don't sound like you are reading from a script."
When you watch a movie, don't you think the actors in the movie have practiced their lines? They probably rehearsed their lines hundreds of times so that each actor sounds natural on-screen. As you make cold calls you need to apply these principles of practice in the same way that all major stars do in Hollywood. Scripts are ok to use, but are only effective if you practice them. As you begin practicing your script you will soon discover that your confidence begins to go north and you will find yourself sounding more natural on the telephone.
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Mr. Cold Call, Inc. - All rights reserved.
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