Nobody likes to receive cold calls and therefore we are very hesitant to cold call. Why don’t we like to get them? Because there are several perceived risks;
1. You’re going to waste my time!
2. If I agree to see you, you’re going to leave a huge feature dump on my shiny desk.
3. You are going to request information that you have not earned the right to know.
So why not be different? Why not be the only incoming call that immediately sets a different tone? What are the goals of the cold call?
1. Minimize the risk of talking to you (that’s why you only ask for 2 minutes)
2. Minimize risk when making an appointment (only talk about benefits, never features, benefits or any other indication of a launch)
3. Don’t ask questions. If they agree to the quote, you may be able to get away with a question or two, but be careful! You just distinguished yourself from everyone else who will call. Why risk ruining that first impression?
4. The ONLY other purpose of the cold call is to schedule an appointment.
Here is the script I use.
“Hi Mr. Smith, I’m Greg Deming from Sales Performance Advisors. I’d like to take two minutes to tell you why I called and then you can decide if we should talk more … do you agree with that?” (I’ve already established the guidelines letting you know that it won’t take more than 2 minutes if you’re not interested)
“Most of the sales leaders I speak to today tell me that they are concerned about the same issues I faced when running large national sales organizations:
– They realize that the effectiveness of individual sales varies dramatically, with their best results closing above expectations and wrestlers contributing below expectations. (indisputable fact)
– They also recognize that coaching and mentoring of sales staff tends to be sporadic and that sales performance would improve if coaching were carried out more frequently.
– And most importantly, they admit that their field sales managers have not been given a routine process to prepare, deliver and contract development coaching sessions. They recognize that some field managers are excellent coaches, while others need considerable improvement.
Sound familiar? “(It’s time to take a breather, give them a chance to speak. They can steer the conversation in the direction you want or they can offer important information.) So far, you’ve taken less time than you requested. You probably stood out because you’ve only spoken of the problems facing (needs) other companies.
“Mr. Smith, the companies I’ve worked with tell me they trust that struggling taxpayers are easily identified and that field managers understand how to take people to the next level of productivity. Field managers tell me that are better equipped to help people be successful and feel part of a high-performing organization. Most importantly, an effective solution turns field managers into world-class leaders and coaches and coaches. The beneficiaries are your sales representatives and your shareholders because better results are guaranteed.
Are you interested in meeting to see if your company can benefit? It won’t cost you anything to keep talking about this, and who knows? It may be difficult not to. “
Some rules of the road. The most important thing to remember is that the goal of the cold call is to make an appointment to have a conversation. You must resist the urge to talk about your product / service. Talk only about areas of general need and the benefits of doing business with you. Don’t talk about the features or benefits of your product unless you are using that information to answer a specific question.
A note to sales managers. Sellers will always resist scripts. They feel like they will become a canned tar machine. While some of the resistance is genuine, some of it is also simply fear. Remember what it feels like to receive a cold call from someone. They ask questions that they have not earned the right to ask. The glide in feature-driven presentations. Those calls can be frustrating to receive. The value of learning a script is solid, and conversion rates to quotes are dramatically higher. Just a tip from someone who worked from sales trainee to SVP of sales for a well-known Fortune 500 company … if you make the practice of cold calling negotiable, no one will. Find a way to make it nice, but don’t make it negotiable.