Do you dread picking up the phone to make one more cold call? Here are a few tips that are sure to help, from Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling.
Make a lot of telephone callsIf you only have one prospect to pursue, that prospect becomes overwhelmingly important. If you have hundreds of leads, no one prospect can make or break you. The more calls you make, the more success you will have.
PracticeIf you are new to cold calling or uncomfortable with cold calling, practice your pitch out loud. Role-play with friends or colleagues. Practice various sales scenarios. This way you will not have to worry about what you are going to say, you will be prepared and you can focus in on your prospect.
Start with less important leadsIt will be good practice and less stressful. Once you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important leads.
Wendy Weiss is known as The Queen of Cold Calling. If you ache with dread when you pick up the telephone to call a new prospect, put Wendy's advice to use. If you break out in a cold, clammy sweat at the mere thought of having to make cold calls, Wendy can help you.
Wendy teaches an 8-week virtual Cold Calling College beginning Feb 19. You can learn all about it, and get some immediate expert advice, by joining her on a FREE preview call on Tuesday, Feb. 5th at 4:00 p.m. EST. Wendy will talk about cold calling, appointment setting and how to develop new business. She'll be sharing some tools and techniques that you can begin to use immediately to increase the numbers of qualified prospects you are able to meet.
Go here to learn more and register
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Too Much Certainty Kills Curiosity - and Costs You Money!
I was reading Bill Caskey's blog and came across this intriguing post. We often encourage you to research and educate yourself to become an expert in your field, and while this is very important, there is a point when too much confidence can become a deal-breaker. This story from Caskey will definitely make you think about how you position yourself:
Last month I was giving a sales training seminar, and one of the participants voiced his opinion on how he does something in the sales process. He was actually saying all the right things, but the "way" he said it turned other people in the room off a little.
I got to thinking about what he said and was curious about why that had such an effect on people; I determined that certainty kills curiosity. Whenever I hear someone say, "This is how I do it and it's always worked," they almost certainly have killed themselves off from being curious about other ways to do it better. You've heard the saying, "only fools are positive." To me, that is exactly what happens when you are so sure of yourself that you are not open to other ways to improve your results.
As you think about your sales approach to prospects and clients, be careful that you don't "have all the answers and don't need more input," because you may be cutting yourself off from one easy tactic that can monumentally affect your business.
Bill Caskey is a sales development leader and experimenter. His ideas about selling are convictions about life, money and meaning. He has coached sales professionals and executives for over 19 years, and his philosophies and strategies have fueled explosive growth in sales and profits for clients. Visit his website at www.caskeytraining.com
Last month I was giving a sales training seminar, and one of the participants voiced his opinion on how he does something in the sales process. He was actually saying all the right things, but the "way" he said it turned other people in the room off a little.
I got to thinking about what he said and was curious about why that had such an effect on people; I determined that certainty kills curiosity. Whenever I hear someone say, "This is how I do it and it's always worked," they almost certainly have killed themselves off from being curious about other ways to do it better. You've heard the saying, "only fools are positive." To me, that is exactly what happens when you are so sure of yourself that you are not open to other ways to improve your results.
As you think about your sales approach to prospects and clients, be careful that you don't "have all the answers and don't need more input," because you may be cutting yourself off from one easy tactic that can monumentally affect your business.
Bill Caskey is a sales development leader and experimenter. His ideas about selling are convictions about life, money and meaning. He has coached sales professionals and executives for over 19 years, and his philosophies and strategies have fueled explosive growth in sales and profits for clients. Visit his website at www.caskeytraining.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
"Setting the Table" for Referrals
Getting referrals is one of the best (and easiest!) ways to build your business. However, many salespeople are timid about asking for referrals. Business coach Tom Kelly has the advice you need to ask for referrals in a considerate and professional manner.
"In order to effectively generate referrals for your business, you need to set the expectation up front with your clients," says Kelly. "This way, your clients know that you are looking for referrals, and you know what exactly you need to do to earn their referrals." Below is an example of how to accomplish this:
You: "Mrs. Client, may I take a moment to share with you how I build my business?"
Client: "Sure."
You: "Well, what I enjoy most about what I do and where my time is best served is working with my clients. I want to spend as much time as possible serving my clients and exceeding your expectations. In order for me to spend more time with my clients and less time marketing or prospecting for new business I really need the help of my satisfied clients."
"Please understand, I'm certainly not asking for any referrals from you now. After all, we just started working together! However, in a couple of months or even weeks, when you are clearly realizing the benefits of my services and have gotten even more value than you expected, would you be comfortable sharing the results you have experienced with others and introduce me to those people who might benefit from my services?"
Client: "Sure, I don't see why not."
You: "That sounds great. Thanks in advance for the consideration. Just so I know what it will take to make you a raving fan, what can I do to make you comfortable enough to actually want to refer business to me?"
"Having this conversation up front with your clients allows you to let your clients know that you are looking for referrals, gets their permission to do so, and also allows them to tell you exactly what you need to do to earn their referrals," says Kelly.
"By 'setting the table' up front, you remove any awkwardness around the process of referring business to you, and it allows you to feel comfortable after you exceed their expectations to ask them for referrals."
Tom Kelly is the founder and owner of Potential In Motion, Inc. As a coach, Tom is dedicated to working with salespeople, entrepreneurs and small business owners that want to reach their full potential in business and life. Visit his website at www.potentialinmotion.com
"In order to effectively generate referrals for your business, you need to set the expectation up front with your clients," says Kelly. "This way, your clients know that you are looking for referrals, and you know what exactly you need to do to earn their referrals." Below is an example of how to accomplish this:
You: "Mrs. Client, may I take a moment to share with you how I build my business?"
Client: "Sure."
You: "Well, what I enjoy most about what I do and where my time is best served is working with my clients. I want to spend as much time as possible serving my clients and exceeding your expectations. In order for me to spend more time with my clients and less time marketing or prospecting for new business I really need the help of my satisfied clients."
"Please understand, I'm certainly not asking for any referrals from you now. After all, we just started working together! However, in a couple of months or even weeks, when you are clearly realizing the benefits of my services and have gotten even more value than you expected, would you be comfortable sharing the results you have experienced with others and introduce me to those people who might benefit from my services?"
Client: "Sure, I don't see why not."
You: "That sounds great. Thanks in advance for the consideration. Just so I know what it will take to make you a raving fan, what can I do to make you comfortable enough to actually want to refer business to me?"
"Having this conversation up front with your clients allows you to let your clients know that you are looking for referrals, gets their permission to do so, and also allows them to tell you exactly what you need to do to earn their referrals," says Kelly.
"By 'setting the table' up front, you remove any awkwardness around the process of referring business to you, and it allows you to feel comfortable after you exceed their expectations to ask them for referrals."
Tom Kelly is the founder and owner of Potential In Motion, Inc. As a coach, Tom is dedicated to working with salespeople, entrepreneurs and small business owners that want to reach their full potential in business and life. Visit his website at www.potentialinmotion.com
Monday, January 28, 2008
Quote of the Week
"The most unprofitable item ever manufactured is an excuse." - John Mason, Author - Conquering An Enemy Called Average
While they may make you feel better, excuses don't do anything to change a situation and they won't fly with your boss. Promise yourself that this week you'll take complete responsibility for a lost sale - and then work on what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen again.
While they may make you feel better, excuses don't do anything to change a situation and they won't fly with your boss. Promise yourself that this week you'll take complete responsibility for a lost sale - and then work on what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Friday, January 25, 2008
SalesDog Quick Tip
Sales trainer Lori Richardson has a sales blog on AllBusiness.com that I highly recommend - it's well written and her posts are always content-rich. She recently wrote a "Sales Prospecting Tip Sheet" to help make your prospecting a success. Here are a few of her tips:
- DIVERSIFY - Mix up how you contact your more probable prospects. Call early in the day, call at 5pm.
- BE CONSISTENT - You must set regular time slots in your calendar to do this! Once you set the times, honor your commitment to yourself and to growing your business.
- GET FEEDBACK - Ask trusted advisors to let you "call them" with an introductory call. Find out how you can tighten what you say - especially in voice mail messages which are nearly always way too long.
- SEPARATE research time, calling time, and updating time. Work like a machine - create a smooth process so that you do research at a different time, and you are able to crank through calls and email messages.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Selling to the Opposite Sex
No one will deny men and women have different ways of communicating - just ask any married couple. The question is - how do you deal with these different styles when selling to the opposite sex? Sales trainer Will Turner has the advice you need to break down the communication barrier and start selling.
If you're a female salesperson calling on a male prospect, focus your talk on goal-oriented activities, tangible accomplishments, or problem solving. Observe and listen rather than processing out loud, and be succinct and bottom-line focused. Be careful not to offer help before it is asked for, as doing so may indicate a lack of trust in his ability. Above all, never force a man to talk if he is not ready.
If you are a male salesperson calling on a female prospect, ask what you can do to help, as she will interpret this as a show of support. Understand that women may process out loud as a way of including others and building relationships. Listen patiently to the stories of your prospect, even when you are anxious to get to the bottom line. Never short-circuit the opportunity to get to know your prospect.
This nugget of sales wisdom was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets, a collection of sales advice of 50 top experts edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. To get your copy plus $2,500 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS when you buy today, click here.
If you're a female salesperson calling on a male prospect, focus your talk on goal-oriented activities, tangible accomplishments, or problem solving. Observe and listen rather than processing out loud, and be succinct and bottom-line focused. Be careful not to offer help before it is asked for, as doing so may indicate a lack of trust in his ability. Above all, never force a man to talk if he is not ready.
If you are a male salesperson calling on a female prospect, ask what you can do to help, as she will interpret this as a show of support. Understand that women may process out loud as a way of including others and building relationships. Listen patiently to the stories of your prospect, even when you are anxious to get to the bottom line. Never short-circuit the opportunity to get to know your prospect.
This nugget of sales wisdom was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets, a collection of sales advice of 50 top experts edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. To get your copy plus $2,500 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS when you buy today, click here.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Close With Confidence
It's hard to know the perfect moment to initiate the close ... if only you were a mind reader, right? In the new book of sales advice, Top Dog Sales Secrets, sales expert Linda Richardson gives you the next best thing to mind reading powers -- advice on how to close the sale confidently.
Perhaps the biggest reason salespeople are hesitant to close is that they are anxious about facing rejection, or shutting down communications. This typically happens when they haven't elicited enough feedback or signals from the client to know if it's safe to close. Most often, they haven't received these closing signals because they haven't asked for them during the call.
Checking is the process of asking for feedback throughout the call. For example, after positioning your message, responding to an objection, or answering a question, ask, "How does that sound?" or "How would that work?" or "What do you think about ...?" Asking for feedback on what you've just said provides critical information, and increases your confidence either to ask for the business, or proceed to the next step. When you fail to check for feedback, asking at the end of the call becomes an all-or-nothing situation.
This nugget of sales wisdom was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets, a collection of sales advice of 50 top experts edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. To get your copy plus $2,500 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS when you buy today, click here.
Perhaps the biggest reason salespeople are hesitant to close is that they are anxious about facing rejection, or shutting down communications. This typically happens when they haven't elicited enough feedback or signals from the client to know if it's safe to close. Most often, they haven't received these closing signals because they haven't asked for them during the call.
Checking is the process of asking for feedback throughout the call. For example, after positioning your message, responding to an objection, or answering a question, ask, "How does that sound?" or "How would that work?" or "What do you think about ...?" Asking for feedback on what you've just said provides critical information, and increases your confidence either to ask for the business, or proceed to the next step. When you fail to check for feedback, asking at the end of the call becomes an all-or-nothing situation.
This nugget of sales wisdom was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets, a collection of sales advice of 50 top experts edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. To get your copy plus $2,500 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS when you buy today, click here.
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