“When prospecting via phone and the contact picks up, do you ask for their time? Or do you go into your spiel?”

This question was asked on Linkedin and below is my public answer:

This is a great question and there are many ways to approach this. Assuming this is a pure cold call and they are not expecting your call, the first thing I would recommend doing is put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to hear? How would you want to be treated? Start there and you might find your own answer…

Here are just some of the ways to approach it below, and the key is finding what works for you! If I were able to learn more about your particular style as well as objectives, we could create something more custom and authentic. That is what will work best for you. I also want to underline that it is important to know why you are calling in the first place. What is the purpose of every call you make?

Be clear on that before you make the call. For example, are you calling to set a meeting such as a phone meeting or an in person meeting? Are you calling to determine if there is a mutual fit? Are you calling to sell something on the spot? Make sure you know what you want to accomplish and your results will increase.

Here are some openings that may help you approach this from a few different perspectives:

1. “I know you were not expecting my call, so I will make this brief…”

2. “Hi John, my name is Sally with ABC Consulting. Did I catch you at a bad time?” (You are using a negative here on purpose. When are you going to catch someone at a good time? How might they respond to this question: “Yes, you did catch me at a bad time, but go ahead, quickly.” or “Yes, please call later.” or “Yes and please don’t call back.” Any of those responses are okay. You respected their time by asking the question.)

3. “Hi Jane, my name is Jim with ABC Consulting. We help businesses get in front of more qualified prospects and close more sales faster. Is that something you want for your business?” (This is a very direct approach on what you do, takes about 10 seconds to deliver, gets to the point, and doesn’t waste their time. Keep it simple.)

4. “Hi George, my name is Sarah with ABC Consulting, I help directors like you who are (struggling with or challenged with…or looking for ways to…etc…) would you like to set up a time to discuss this further to see if there might be a mutual fit/to see if we can help/to explore this further?” (Focus on their needs here, not yours, learn/listen.)

Sales people in general are often trained to simply deliver information, to give it the wow factor, to persuade, and to convince, that is an ‘old school’ approach that is not very effective. Shift your mindset. Focus your energy, listening and attention on to the prospect. All the bells and whistles don’t mean much to them, until they know you understand their challenges first. No one wants to be sold, they (might) want to buy.

You don’t need to persuade or push if you sell the way you would want to be sold to…from a place of authenticity and focus on what the prospect wants and needs. Ask questions and let the client be heard. If you can’t truly listen, you won’t be effective with your solutions, nor will you be effective in developing a relationship or partnership.

Again, these are just a few examples to get you started. There are 100’s of ways to approach this!

Are you ready to make a cold calling breakthrough and do you want to produce better cold calling results?  Contact me for a free consultation to learn more about how I can help you with my sales coaching and cold calling coaching programs.

1. Most people do not enjoy cold calling, but they need to realize it has to be done. It really is a mind-set. You have to set time daily to call, and make it part of your daily behavior/activities.

2. Not everyone will be a fit and that is ok! If they say “No” or “No Thanks!” that is totally fine. You are simply finding out who might be a fit or not. There will be less pressure on you if you keep that mind-set.

3. Celebrate the little sales. When you land a meeting or secure a conference call appointment, celebrate it on your own or with your team.

4. Get creative on the call and be yourself.

5. Recommend you attempt some calls prior to 8AM local time and after 5:00PM local time. Try some on Sat and Sun as well if needed!

6. Treat the prospect the way you would want to be treated, don’t hold them on the phone. If they don’t have time to talk now, call back. Remember, you are popping into their day unexpected, so be very courteous.

7. Focus on seeing if there is a mutual fit or not, versus making the sale. Then, focus on setting an appointment versus making a sale.

8. Gain their attention quickly, be concise and clear as to why you are calling…and then, LISTEN to their challenges/goals and struggles.

9. Quickly explain what is in it for them and the potential value of an appointment.

10. Start at the top and DO NOT GIVE UP.

Are you ready to make a cold calling breakthrough and do you want to produce better cold calling results? Contact me for a free consultation to learn more about how I can help you with my sales coaching and cold calling coaching programs.

This question was asked on linkedin.com. “At what point is it a good idea to stop attempted contact with someone who showed mild to moderate interest from your initial sales pitch? If they aren’t returning calls or emails, do you continue to attempt contact or is it best to let it go?” Below is my public answer.

It depends on each individual situation.  In some cases it will be best to let it go immediately and in others it will be best to have a clear follow up process.

Each situation needs to be evaluated.  I have witnessed sales professionals/business owners chase after opportunities way too long, and I have also helped them implement a highly professional follow up method to eventually do business with very large clients.

It is essential that your follow up process does not put the prospect on the defensive or cause any pressure at all.  In general, when someone is not responding to a voice mail or phone call after they showed mild to moderate interest, it means something may have changed.  Or it means they realized they showed some interest, but have a hard time saying, “No” and they don’t want to have to tell you, that they don’t want what you have to offer.

Hence, they (may) just choose to ignore the sales person, knowing eventually they will go away.  This sometimes is easier than saying, “No thanks, we have no interest in your product or service.” So, what can you do?

First, in your meeting or conference call where they showed mild to moderate interest, it is essential that the next meeting and next step is clearly covered. (Before you leave!)  Ensure it makes sense for your business and for their business goals most importantly.  Don’t leave the meeting without next action steps in place.  That will help prevent all of this.

Yet, if it is too late, and that step was missed or steps were canceled or there was a major delay…Here are some other ideas: Make it easy for them to say “No.” Let them know it is ok, ‘if you don’t want and need this, it is not for everyone.’ You can even tell them, “It is ok to say ‘no’ and that you don’t want this.”  Guess what happens when you do this? They respect you, and feel no pressure to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

You are not trying to push anything on them either way, you are just trying to find out if there is a mutual fit or not to do business.  You clearly explain that it may not be for them, and that is ok.  Make it easy for them to say, “No thanks,” and you will quickly filter out those prospects who are a good mutual fit, and those who are not.  You will then find yourself spending more time with those who may be a good fit, versus chasing those who are not a good fit.

So, to tie this back into your question, think about how you can implement this philosophy into your selling, your voice mails and emails when you get to this stage (If you failed to set next steps or the actions plans changed)

Example: “Mr. X, I know we spoke 3 weeks ago about your specific ‘marketing goals’ and how our ‘ABC Service’ can help you achieve them this quarter.  I have not heard back yet on the information we needed to finalize the program.  I just want to let you know, it is ok, if you are no longer interested or if you don’t need this service any more, but if you could kindly let me know, either way, I would greatly appreciatete it.  Thank you.” (This will take *under* 30 seconds to deliver, which is ideal for a Voice Mail)

(This is just an example, I help clients create their own msg, that is natural/authentic to who they are, and their situation)  You could also tie this messaging into an email.

How do you hold yourself accountable in your life or in your business?  What is accountability to you?  Where is it present and where does it not exist?  What is the impact in your life or your business if there is no accountability?

From my coaching perspective on accountability with my clients, it does not include judgement or blame.  If someone does not follow-through, I ask them what they took away from the experience and what they learned about themselves.  I help them uncover what prevented them from accomplishing a goal, so they can move forward more effectively next time. 

I help them learn to hold themselves accountable so that they can learn to self-manage.  I do help to hold my clients accountabile to their visions and goals, but I realize that the learning that takes place from the experience is what is most valuable.  Sometimes we uncover a new action that needs to take place to reach their commitments, or we find something that works great, and apply it to other areas of their business or life. 

It is also important to mention that with each client I partner with, we custuom design how much accountability is needed, and tweak it along the way for maximum results.

Think about ways that you can hold yourself accountable.  When you don’t complete a task or a goal, think about what stopped you or slowed you down.  Come up with solutions, so that going forward you can experience better results.

Learn more about Life Coaching, Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, Sales Coaching with Coach Jeremy.

Jeremy J. Ulmer, Professional Coach, Sales Coach, Sales Mentor, Business Coach, Life Coach