"Sales is a bit like dating. Don’t agree? Think about it.There’s attraction (to a product or service, vs. a person). Persuasion (convincing a prospect to buy, vs. enticing someone to go out). Negotiation (price or conditions of sale, vs. where to go for dinner). Finally, closing (signing on the dotted line, vs. "I’ll pick you up at 6.")" Sales is a bit like dating. Don’t agree? Think about it. There’s attraction (to a product or service, vs. a person). Persuasion (convincing a prospect to buy, vs. enticing someone to go out). Negotiation (price or conditions of sale, vs. where to go for dinner). Finally, closing (signing on the dotted line, vs. “I’ll pick you up at 6.”) Continuing the sales/dating analogy, cold calling is the initial approach to the other person. It’s the … [Read more...]
Cold Calling: Should You (Voice) Mail it in?
Everyone has fears. But cold calling? C’mon. We’ve covered this ground before. Do your research, be fully prepared ... and melt those fears away.One of the oddest hesitations out there, though, deals with a specific aspect of cold calling: voicemails.If you’re in sales, you know voicemail well. It’s a tool or a terror, depending on your perspective. The voicemail response rate for cold calls hovers around 1 percent ... so it’s probably the latter for most. Here’s why the callback rate is so bad: Most salespeople stink at leaving voicemails. They talk too long. They try to do too much. They sound like salespeople, without even realizing it. Everyone has fears. But cold calling? C’mon. We’ve covered this ground before. Do your research, be fully prepared … and melt those fears … [Read more...]
Meet the Gatekeeper, Your New Friend and Advocate
Sometimes you meet a person, and hit if off right away. Other times, a relationship only develops after several interactions. The dynamics are unpredictable. Anyone in sales knows this. Patience, and frequently persistence, are virtues with no price tag. However, salespeople should never forget one of the most valid entries in the oft-trod world of clichés: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Sometimes you meet a person, and hit if off right away. Other times, a relationship only develops after several interactions. The dynamics are unpredictable. Anyone in sales knows this. Patience, and frequently persistence, are virtues with no price tag. However, salespeople should never forget one of the most valid entries in the oft-trod world of clichés: You don’t get a … [Read more...]
The “Don’ts” of Grappling with the Gatekeeper
Traditional sales training instructs that the gatekeeper is a person to be overcome by any means necessary. After all, they’re just an obstacle to your reaching the head honcho! Get them out of the way! Well, no. You can’t outsmart the gatekeeper. They deal with salespeople all the time. They’ve been instructed on handling uninvited sales calls. Like it or not, they’re smarter than any salesperson. Sales isn’t easy. Being good at sales is even harder. The challenge only grows when salespeople put false obstacles in their way. Some are self-made. Others are put into their heads by so-called “sales experts.” Still others come from trite “you have to read this” sales training literature. The concept of “The Gatekeeper” is true for all three. A gatekeeper is, of course, someone who … [Read more...]
Sorry Inc., but Your Stereotype of Cold Calling is All Wrong
“To bypass voice mail, cold callers began using auto-dialers … Auto-dialers however, always have a slight lag, making it obvious to the person being called that they’re being auto-dialed. Most people (consumers and businesspeople alike) simply hang up.” - Excerpt from com column written by Geoffrey James, Contributing Editor Don’t you hate stereotypes? We all say we do. Yet, at some point, everyone falls back on them. Inevitably we lump everyone working in certain professions into homogenous masses, with the same characteristics and ethics (or lack thereof). Think used car salesmen – what immediately comes to mind? Hey, we’re only human, after all. But few of us have a national bully pulpit such as Inc. magazine to dispel wisdom. When a columnist for a major business … [Read more...]
Four Part Cold Call Training Program Announced!
For the first time since February 2017, The Cold Call Coach will have a training event that is open to the public. You will not want to miss this special event! Click the link below to learn more. Hosted by The Starr Group, this Cold Calling for Success event is the first of its kind and will provide you and your sales team with everything that you need to be more effective, efficient cold callers. Low cold call success rate? Suffer from call reluctance or phone phobia? Once you complete this innovative and game-changing training program, those will be things of the past! Because the program builds off of the themes in the training session that preceded it, all attendees are encouraged to partake in each of the programs that are being offered. If, however, you are short on time, no … [Read more...]
Hey Inc., Why the Cold Shoulder for Cold Calling?
“The general lack of confidence in the news media as an institution aligns with findings last fall that showed trust in the mass media at an all-time low.” - Quote from June 28, 2017, article on Gallup.com by Art Swift Recent public polling indicates that, on average, barely one in four Americans expresses high confidence in the media. They just don’t believe what they read or hear. Reasons “why” vary. The big takeaway is that skepticism abounds regarding content from “traditional” news outlets. You might count Inc.com among those media sources viewed with an increasingly questioning glint. It’s certainly been around a long time. Count me among the new skeptics. As detailed in my last post, a recent column on Inc.com about cold calling was so pompous, dismissive and wrong … [Read more...]
Could Inc. be Wrong about Cold Calling?
“For decades, companies have been getting diminished returns from cold calling. Now they’re flogging a dead horse.” Preface to com column written by Geoffrey James, Contributing Editor If it’s on Inc.com, one of the most venerable sources of online business journalism … it must be true, right? Well, maybe not. Or, at least debatable. Or maybe highly debatable. The headline of a recent column on the well-trafficked web site declared “Cold Calling Is a Waste of Time,” followed by the aforementioned introduction. The accompanying photo? Wait, didn’t that guy work with Don Draper? The column itself is well written and, on its surface, well reasoned. Its premise is that technology and human behavior have changed in ways that render cold calling useless as a modern sales … [Read more...]
Yes Cold Calling Is Very Much Alive
There is a nasty rumor going around that cold calling is dead. Have you heard that one before? Well, don't for one second believe it! If you do, your sales career may suffer the same fate. … [Read more...]
Paul Neuberger Interviewed on Sales Podcast
Recently, Paul M. Neuberger, Founder & CEO of The Cold Call Coach, was interviewed by Kevin Davenport of Stratus Leadership Development for his sales podcast. Paul shared several of his key cold call philosophies, as well as why more folks in the sales profession should be building this activity into their new business development and client acquisition strategy. Additionally, Paul provided resources to the audience regarding how they can better improve their success on the phone, as well. For more information on Stratus Leadership Development, please visit www.kevinjdavenport.com … [Read more...]
