OffCoarse

On Monday I got a tweet from @stammy letting me know someone had put a ad on craigslist for some sales training. They said they were having a phone blitz next week and would like someone to teach them how to sell over the phone. I have had some good experience with this, and so replied to his request. We set up a time on Tuesday afternoon, and he sent me a list of things he wanted to learn. I went down the list and made some quick bullet points for him, and gave him the run down of things I have found worked for me in the past. I figured there are lots of people who need to know how to sell, who have never had to do it before. It’s is a little scary when you do it for the first time, and many people are uncomfortable with it, so I hope this helps out.

1.    Honing Script/Pitch

• Put yourself in their shoes
• Rehearse in a mirror
• Change it with reactions
• Use a tape recorder, and practice, and record your calls. Replay it and ask yourself “How would I react to that call, if I was on the other end of the phone”.
• Make sure you can say it flawless and with out hesitation

2.    Mental Attitude

• Smile while you talk
• Think of them as a friend or old pal, never think of them as someone you don’t know
• Treat them with respect

3.    Dealing w/ Rejection

• You only get 5 questions so figure out what you want them to be
• Don’t ask stupid questions
• “NO” only means you haven’t answered all of their concerns yet. Follow it up with a “Why” question.
• Prepare for the worst, make a list of all possible scenarios of rejection and figure out what you would say. Practice these and know when and how to overcome these common objections.

4.    Interacting with the Gatekeeper

• Chat them up, be nice. Must be sincere, Be nice, be nice, be nice. I usually just call up and ask for the person I want (use first name and act casual, never say Mr. Jones they know if you say that you don’t know the person) and if they ask you questions just say “ I am calling about _________” Make it short, and then stop and let them make up their mind about what to do.
• Call back as much as you need to, and remember they will not remember you. So don’t worry about calling multiple times.

5.    Getting to the Decision Maker

• Call early, call late, and don’ leave more than 1 message
• Persistence pays off here
• If you have to use “Lumpy Mail”

6.    Pitching

• Figure out your style and then stick with it
• Practice your pitch, but don’t have it canned. Just know what you want to say, and be able to adapt it to the person you are delivering it to.
  • You have to understand when pitching there are 4 personality types, which means 75% of the people you talk with won’t be the same as you. So you have to adapt your style to how they want to obtain information.
• Lambs - always agree even if they really don’t
• Owls - very analytical and numbers are important
  • Most CFO types are Owls
• Bulls - quick decisions and usually can be gruff, and very to the point
  • Most CEO types are bulls
• Tigers - shinny things distract them, they ask questions which have nothing to do with their buying decision.

7.    Getting the Appointment

• Set appointments when you can
• Always set the next time you will talk to them while you are on the phone.
• This is a close, so use this to get to a close as well. You can say, “We can get you set up on wednseday, how does that work for you?”

8.    Follow up

• How to follow up with a call you have never made
  • They wont remember you, ask for your contact, if you dont get them put that person back in the cue to call again. No message.
• How to follow up with a call you have contacted
  • Ask to speak with the person.
• Always have a reason for calling, this allows you to call more often and not be a pest
  • Wanting to catch up
  • You saw they were in a paper
  • You saw something them might be interested in
  • They kids birthday
  • Their team won
• It is okay to leave a message for someone you call every month or so, but email is just as good. Call people you have spoken with and have a good understanding of their business every quarter or two.
• Always ask for a referral,
• IF YOU GET NO ask them what you should have said to get a yes. Be honest and say you just starting to cold call and you want to get feedback.
• One key to selling is just like telling a joke. You have to wait for people to respond. Don’t overload them and keep talking. Know when to stop and shut up and let them make up their mind and give you a response. If not you will sell you way out of a sale.
• Good luck