17th Dec 2007
Does the thought of cold calling give you the heebie-jeebies
It’s not my favourite activity - in fact, I’ve always avoided it like the plague. Give me a nice pad and pen any day to write my first communication with someone and I’m as happy as a lark.
Give me a phone to call someone I don’t know - and who doesn’t know me - and you wouldn’t see me for dust!
I know, it’s the way I think about it. I suppose it’s no different to people saying they are terrified of the thought of public speaking, which I have no problem with at all!
So why am I sharing this with you?
Because I discovered someone who is extremely comfortable with cold-calling and totally understands the fears many of us hold and is able to help allay those fears.
His name? Steve Brewer.
I saw his presentation at a business seminar and was totally impressed - he even motivated me to change my view about this marketing activity; well that’s what it is isn’t it? Because, as he said, you have to create a relationship before anyone is going to buy from you and that’s what cold-calling is - the start of a relationship.
In the presentation he explored how our mindset is the key to being successful at cold-calling. Tell me, if I asked if you enjoyed cold-calling would you say “I love it!” as Steve does, or would you say “I’d do absolutely everything I can to put it off!” as I did?
Understanding this, knowing the best approach that empowers you and building on the successes you experience makes this not only a more pleasurable task but one you get more and more success from.
So what else did he share?
- Use Customer Centered Selling. Focus on the real benefits for your prospect; think of the damage you’d be doing if you didn’t make the effort to speak to him and explain how your company’s offer delivers a solution for him.
- Decide the 3 biggest things that would make an impact for him, write it on a post-it and place it on the screen in front of you - it helps keep you focused.
- Don’t regard the ‘gatekeeper’ as an obstacle. Make friends with her, ask for her help, use her name if she’s given it.
- Remember decision makers often work outside normal hours. Calling between 8am and 9am or between 5pm and 6pm may give you a better chance of getting through.
- If you get through to voicemail leave a compelling message. Steve said to copy the style of a radio advert - you want your prospect to call you back or at least be happy to take your call when you get back to him. Review your Elevator Speech - can you turn that into a radio ad style message?
- When you call you have less than 30 seconds to intrigue your prospect enough for him to allow you to continue. You must be able to answer the 3 questions he is silently asking himself:
- Who are you?
- Where are you calling from?
- Why should I stop and talk to you? (What’s in it for me?)
I know Steve only scratched the surface of the fund of valuable experience and knowledge he has. How do I know? Because I’ve got his new book and audio programme, in which he explains in plain English how to turn this spine-chilling activity into a more pleasurable experience.
Steve’s not only good at what he does; selling, but he’s also a great communicator presenting this difficult subject in a humorous and enjoyable style.
You can find out more about his programmes at http://www.stevebrewer.co.uk or visit his blog at http://www.stevebrewer.co.uk/blog
~ Carol Bentley
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptI saw his presentation at a business seminar and was totally impressed - he even motivated me to change my view about this marketing activity; well that’s what it is isn’t it? Because, as he said, you have to create a relationship … […]