1. # Dr. Jim Anderson

   Leslie: good points - sometimes that phone can feel like it weighs a ton and is too heavy to lift again.

   When a string of rejections starts to make me want to avoid the phone, I take a break and psych myself up by telling myself that there is someone out there that both needs and wants my product. I need to get through all of the rejections so that I can reach this next “yes” and solve their problems for them.

   This seems to give me an amazing boost of energy. Somewhat coincidentally my next call generally IS a “yes”!

   - Dr. Jim Anderson
   The Accidental Negotiator Blog
   “Learn The Secrets To Successful Sales Negotiation - Close the Deal Every Time!”

2. # Leslie Buterin

   Your comment is awaiting moderation.Dr. Jim: you make good points yourself!

   Your phrasing “psych myself up” is critical to ongoing success in cold calling. When talking face-to-face with prospects the majority of sales professionals learn skills that eventually become automatic — seemingly instinctive. Sellers choose body posture and words that will impact the prospect’s psyche in a way that is favorable to buying and/or leaving the door open for another conversation about buying.

   When it comes to cold calling, however, the need to learn a new set of skills is rarely considered. Then, on the magical day when the light bulb goes on and sellers clearly see the need to learn about cold calling - then and only then do they give themselves the option of “psyching themselves up”. There is a genuine need for we who cold call to “sell ourselves” on the possibilities waiting for us on the other end of the line!

   Thanks for your comment. My next stop is your blog!

A few months ago my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Among other things my brother, sister and I pitched in with sparkling conversation to help keep Dad upbeat. Turns out he sparkled the brightest and kept we three in good humor. Dad fought a good fight and died a couple of weeks ago. That’s where I’ve been and why I am able to be back now.

Long time client and friend Scott, just called me to say he misses my posts. So, Scott thank you and here we go again!

The press, clients, and other friends are asking for my thoughts about the economy. In a nutshell here they are:

Yes, the economy is bad-lousy. Yes, it’s a street fight out there. Yes, I believe unemployment is considerably higher than reported by the government - as the gov stats do not count independent contractors, a huge percentage of the workforce. Yes, you can find plenty of people to have a pity party with you.

AND “Yes!” there is still money to be made. 

Now is the time for us to sparkle. No one has the energy and optimistic outlook we sales pros have. This is one of our gifts to the world.

Forbes has invited me into a brainstorming group - the topic being what to tell college grads. I “get” there is plenty of negative news to dwell upon. But I choose to focus on the positive. The first thing I will tell them is, “no matter what the circumstances you find yourself in, choose joy.”

Then, I’ll let them know I have personal knowledge of:

… a Used Car Business that has increased business by 15% over last year using several of the techniques and strategies written about in this blog. Then, I’ll ask … “anyone in this crowd that likes cars?”

… a 22 year who figured out a market niche and brought in $250,000 last month on ebay. Each month shows a steady rise in sales revenues. Then, I’ll ask … “anyone in this crowd that knows about ebay?”

… a cold calling business (big smile) with an increase in cold call coaching of 35% over last year. 

… an solopreneur accounting practice that is up 75% from last year

What’s the secret? Stop gloomy thoughts they only serve to sidetrack you. Stick with the people who are going the same direction you want to go … up! Let the members of your niche know the kinds of seriously strong results your product/service can get for them. Let them know you are there to walk the walk with them and to see the adoption of your product/service through to successful implementation. Then, do what you said you’re going to do. Make them sparkle too.

Have success stories to share … and details about the steps you took to get there? I am glad to post your stories (and tips) here to encourage and to give a shot of encouragement to our cold calling collegues.

Use the “Leave a Message Box” to send in your questions and stories. I’m glad to answer questions as time permits. Then, for when there are those times that you want to talk with a real person, in real time about your real and immediate cold calling stuck spots. Know that kind of one-on-one attention is just a click away!

Best,

Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread)

4. Now give them a taste of who you are… your credentials… (global $200 million, part of Internationale’s $3 billion group, etc.)
5. Here’s where you drop a few names of satisfied clients.  3 of 4 of your biggest and best (and most satisfied)
6. Now you can tell your prospect what he can expect to get from you and the benefits of each element/service.
 
IF you’ve offered something your prospect needs, impressed him with your credibility, and shown that you’ve helped others with the services and benefits you’re offering to provide… then you can set up the tele-conference with your Sales Director. (although I wish you could come up with a different title for this person)  No need to mention the 15-20 minutes. Your prospect now wants what you can do to help no matter how long it takes.
 
All the Best
Jody

My husband has seen this is true and I now confess to you and the world right here on this blog post that I am one of those people who goops up the top of the toothpaste tube.

Right now you are either like I was and thinking, “so what” or you are rolling your eyes in disgust because you are a clean tube kind of person like my husband is.

Luke never complained. Then, a couple of weeks ago he said the words that made me a convert, “Leslie, you disrespect the toothpaste.”

Those words are the words that I needed to hear. The very words that changed how I looked at a toothpaste tube. The magic words that triggered an immediate change in my behavior. Since hearing those words, I have transformed into a clean toothpaste tube person. 

Now, what does this have to do with cold calling? Plenty.

My husband sold me on taking the actions that took me the direction he thought was best for me to go.

He used the word(s) that were important to me “respect” and spoke in a way that was quite meaningful to me. I value “respect” so much that when my disrespectful habit was pointed out to me I made a prompt change that I wanted to make.

When you cold call top dog decision makers, success comes with using the right word(s) that are meaningful to them.

Use words that are important to your prospects. For high-level prospects those words have to do with increasing revenues, decreasing expenses and/or mitigating risk.

Remember, you don’t have to use a lot of words - Luke only used 5 and the most powerful cold call script EVER, only used 7 lines - you do, however, have to use the right words to trigger a change in your prospect’s behavior that they want to make.

We’ll cover this and more in tomorrow’s webinar Secrets to Successfully Cold Calling Executives - see you then!

Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread)

Regarding the script from CB:

This script sounds like everybody else - talking about themselves. Where is the value to the prospect for spending time with you?

As I read the second paragraph I am saying:

- “Who cares?

-  What a waste of time.

- How do I get rid of this person?”

The third paragraph might be better if it talked about “some of the challenges we have helped our other clients overcome.” Then ask if they are experiencing any similar challenges in their busines that would be worthwhile discussing.

In the fourth paragraph you are asking for an appointment to talk about yourself and how great your company is. My answer would be “No!”. Why not ask if it makes sense to schedule 15-20 minutes to explore an area to decide if there is enough of a basis for us to go any further.

I hope that helps.

Best regards,
Andrei

“Leslie,

First of all, I hope that things continue to improve with your treatment for Lyme Disease. (Reminder from Leslie - you can find out more at www.TheLymeLady.com)   You are very important to a lot of people and we wish you the very best.
 
I will give you some quick comments in response to CB’s correspondence.
 
He does have an excellent attitude in asking for help and acknowledging that the present script is not working to his satisfaction.
 
The first thing I would do is scratch the sentence asking if it is a good time for his prospect to talk.   I wouldn’t hand anyone the chance of saying “No”.
 
I would say the person’s name during the call at least once, probably twice.
 
This FIRST call should be about the prospect - with CB already having done internet research on the prospect so he can ask specific questions and comment on what they are doing to justify why he is calling them, why he thinks you can help them.  They think their company is special, not like all other manufacturers in Chicago and doing this research before calling will subtly let them know you are thinking about them and change it  from a cold call to a semi-warm call. 
 
I would do my cold calling prior to CB’s company’s free monthly Webinars - they are a huge asset to CB’s company and to all of the prospects he contacts.   They are also something that not many (any?) of his competitors are doing so he is already exceeding his competition.  .I would tell each prospect about them, tell when the next one is, what they cover etc.  I would then tell the prospect I am going to send him my contact info along with info about the Webinar (ask prospect if he wants it mailed, emailed or ?) and that I will call again after he has attended the Webinar.
 
Also send a reminder of the Webinar date and time 1-2 days ahead of time.
 
Again, I would make this a two call rather than a one call project because of the Webinar asset..
 
Just some quick thoughts.   Are you going to publish the revised script so we can all see what other people suggested?   Hope so.
 
Best wishes to you.”

Post here or “reply” to email you receive from me, then I will post your comments here!

Thanks,

Leslie

“I am brand new to telemarketing and struggling to improve to keep my job. 

We have a “permanent” air conditioning filter and my job is to call businesses and try to set an appt.  Before even meeting, we do a “cost comparison” that compares the current filter program cost of their disposable filters to ours.  While our filters help the environment and also reduce electric utility, and you have to service them about half as much as the disposable, the main benefit is we can typically cut any businesses cost in half. 

I have no idea how to craft an attention getting intro and I desparately need help.  What thoughts can you offer, and what options are available to me?  I would love as much feedback as possible - I don’t want to lose my job. 

It is expected I can get 2-5 appts a week, but I have averaged 1 a week for 7 months.  Thanks, K.”

I asked if I could post his email and give subscribers a chance to comment. He said, “No problem, just don’t mention my company’s name.”

Glad to oblige! Same goes for you.  Know that I’m glad to mask company name and any personal information. After all, the goal is to help you move forward not get you thrown up against the wall by the legal department.

WANTED - you comments giving CB feedback on his script!

CB says,

“I am an avid follower of your site and on Twitter as well. I work for the US market and pitch our company’s Finance & Accounting services to the manufacturing companies there. We also hold a Webinar once in a month to give the prospects a feeler about outsourcing F&A services and the area’s of engagement.

My challenge is the same old; Missing motivation because of the difficulty to be able to reach the ‘C’ level executives. I am patient and confident when I talk to them, however my pitch doesn’t seem to work. It looks like this;

‘I am calling from ACME International and would like to have a discussion about strategic sourcing. Is it a good time to talk to you for a couple of minutes?

ACME International is an IT & BPO company headquartered in Chicago. We are a global $200 million company with 5000 employees providing IT consulting & BPO services to clients from around the world. We are a part of Internationale’s $3 billion group.

The intention of my call was to discuss our F&A service offerings like AR/AP, Accounts reconciliation, Expense Reporting, Order Management, Fixed Assets Management, General Ledger/Reporting. Our current clients include (Names of some clients & a testimonial of what we’re doing for a couple of Fortune 200 companies)

Our Sales Director is very keen to have a short tele-conference with you, say for about 15-20 min where we could formally introduce ACME International and discuss our capabilities in the F&A domain, explore the areas of engagement and how we could add value to your organization.

Is there any particular service or engagement area that you would like the call to be focused on?’

Get contact details and confirm appointment. I also need to know what time and day of the week is the best to reach them.”

Thanks in advance for sharing your hard-earned expertise!

Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread)

Outside work; consulting with clients and treatment for Lyme disease are about all I have had time for in the past few months … and as you will soon see I have fit in some writing time.

If you have a quick minute would you be so kind as to stop by our two new sites and let me know your questions about the site page; your comments; and thoughtful feedback?

http://www.Cold-Calling-Top-Dogs.com is beginning as an information site. I sure would appreciate your thoughtful feedback on the current pages … I can easily expand upon what is written with your thoughts as to what else should be included.

http://www.TheLymeLady.com is a revision of an old site. Every single cold calling client that I talk to has a family member or knows someone who suspects they may or actually do have Lyme disease. If you are interested in this subject thanks for your feedback on this site too!

Best,

Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread)

Can you help me out! What can I say!

Judy

Answer:
Yours is a troubled industry to say the least! It is a bit like being in the Oil industry when gas prices are high. Everyone wants to take his/her frustration on the guy behind the register! Still there are many who need and want your services and your job is to find them.

Considering that your day is filled from beginning to end with cold calls - my comment is going to leave you thinking that I must live on another planet. With that at risk - here is my counsel.

Reduce the number of calls you make each day. If there is any way you can reduce your call list to 5 per day do it. At the very least reduce your number of calls in half.

Here’s why…

When you make cold calls from the moment you walk through the office doors right on through to the end of the day, the people you call become nothing more than a task to scratch off of your To Do list. When you make a few calls, you will have an easier time connecting with the human being on the other end of the line.

This is important. NO ONE likes to feel used and abused by a telemarketer at inopportune time. That is precisely what your prospects will feel like when you call them one right after another– worse yet you won’t feel “clean” about making the calls. You will feel as though you call is intrusive and unwelcome. With your call load — how could you possibly feel anything else?.

Your mindset will “travel” over the communication line in the sound of your voice, with your pacing, and with your attitude. So, make sure you put your best foot forward … even if your best foot is your voice-pacing-and-attitude. Reduce your daily call volume significantly so that you, Judy, can genuinely connect with each prospect you call.

You also asked about the words to say. I’ve made several posts to that topic — look in the lower right-hand portion of this blog to read-up on the subject. Then, if you still need help with words - consider a coaching package of two, 30-minute sessions - so you can be on your way to success sooner rather than later!

Best,
Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread)

PS. For even more help on “what to say” check out the Downloadable Webinar - Crafing the Compelling Script on the right side of the blog under Cold Call Training Links. 

 PPS. Prefer one-on-one help? Use the leave a message box on the left side of this blog to inquire about coaching calls.