Cold calling is probably the mosted dreaded part of selling. But it’s probably the most necessary.
No one likes it but everyone has to do it. For many companies, the cold calling salesperson is the main person to bring in new prospects. They are the lifeblood of the company.
But it doesn’t have to be painful. With the right mindset and a few simple techniques, this is something that can be stress-free and even fun.
First Change Your Mindset
Most salespeople are very goal oriented. They want to “make the sale” or “get the appointment.” That’s the goal.
That means it’s about them. Their goals and their needs.
This is the very thing that makes it stressful and really what turns off prospective customers. And once a customer is resistant, or skeptical, the stress level goes up and the games begin. And a prospect can smell that “commission breath” a mile away.
So the first thing a cold caller needs to do is change the game. Instead of “needing” to get the appointment, or make the sale, why not change the goal to “building trust.” If the prospect senses that your only goal is to help them solve a problem you just might have a chance to change the game to “trust building.”
And guess what? I bet you’ll make more sales along the way.
New Cold Calling Language
Typically a salesperson starts the phone call or cold-call visit with something like… “I’m Joe Smith and I’m from ABC Company.”
Guess what? Now the prospect knows exactly why you are there and the wall goes up. Once they get that guard up it’s very difficult to get any kind of quality attention. Let alone trust.
How about saying something like… “I wonder if you could help me out?” in a very sincere and humble tone.
Now they may not get so defensive. They may even relax a little and do what most people do when they are being asked for help… they may want to help you.
And you do want to be helped. You have no idea if they have a problem that you can solve so you need help determining if they even need what you have to offer.
So if your “solution” helps them get on the Internet you may say something like…
“I was wondering if you would be open to discussing the problem of how difficult it is for people to find you online.”
“I noticed you weren’t on the first page of Google and I was wondering if that might be a problem for you.”
Maybe now you can be seen as a “problem solver” instead of a salesperson. At least you may be able to have a conversation based on a little trust.
And if you ask permission every step of the way, in a humble and sincere way, perhaps you may be able to get to a place of mutual trust and honesty. No more chasing and wondering if what they tell you is really true.
And best of all… Much less stress for both you and your prospect.
Now doesn’t that sound better?
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