Cold Calling Quick Tip

Sam Manfer has shared a lot of cold calling tips and ideas in his newsletter, and I particularly like this one, because it helps you probe for need, and determine when it's time to move on - two very difficult things to determine on a cold call. Read on for his advice!

Be Prepared to Expose and Entice -- No Pushing

When the prospect gives you the expected "Everything is fine" on a cold call, you must try to get the conversation going without putting them on the defensive.

Therefore, have two or three issues ready to offer, one at a time, that you think they should have. For example, in my business, creating more sales, shortening the sales cycle and cross-selling are three common issues among the prospects I pursue.
So when I get the -- "Everything is fine." -- I might say, "Well what about sales cycles. Is this an issue?" If s/he says, "No", I then might say, "And cross-selling, is cross-selling meeting your expectations?"

I will do this for a maximum of three No's, and then I give up, politely hang up and recycle this prospect for a future retry in three or four months. If however, one of these exposes and/or entices gets a "Yes", then I'll go into my selling mode.

The idea here is to see if this prospect has a need or want that she realizes she has. If she doesn't, you're beating your head against a wall and setting yourself up for rejection. You'll think you're just not good at selling. Whereas, the prospect just isn't interested.

Basically, the reward for her to change is less than the effort plus the risk to change. Think about that for a second. The key to selling is finding people that have an issue or want, and would like to do something about it. Give up on the idea that "I have to convince him or her." You need to find those that want help.

Since 1995 Sam Manfer has been speaking, consulting, writing and leading seminars in sales and personal development. As a keynote speaker and seminar leader Sam has addressed thousands of new and experienced salespeople and managers all over the world in all types of businesses and industries. Learn more at www.SamManfer.com.