Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

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  1

  joannesblack

  07/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Why even bother to cold call? From my No More Cold Calling Back in the Black Blog:
  
  Why is it when the economy tanks, sales article after sales article, webinar after webinar, sales strategy after sales strategy promote cold calling as the tried and true sales prospecting method? STOP cold calling. It?s a total waste of time. Your time. The prospect?s time. And wasting time is stupid. So stop, already.
  
  Continue reading http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/blog/back-in-the-black-blog-post/stop-cold-calling
  
  This just in from a colleague: "I was referred to a prospect who needed some sales/marketing help. He told me he hired some one as an Inside Sales person who was doing cold calls! Ugh! He said that person wasn?t working out. Well, I wonder why!!! No more cold calls!"
  
  Geoffrey, your links aren't working. I couldn't read the rest of the article.

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  2

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Re Note 1:
  Joanne,
  Thanks for pointing out the broken link, which I have now fixed.
  
  As for the "cold calling" thing, as I've explained before, Sales Machine considers any telephone conversation that involves a person to whom you have never spoken before as a "cold call."
  
  Even if you've got the customer calling you as the result of a referral, it's still a cold call if you've never had a conversation with that person. The mechanics are exactly the same when it comes to what you need to communicate as if you're calling from a list. The fact that there's been referral gives you the inside track and creates some extra credibility, but you still have to be articulate and clear.
  
  And you need to be able to get yourself into the right attitude.
  
  I realize that you've built your practice on teaching people how to avoid "cold calling" from a list of leads. However, many people work in that kind of environment, and even people who do referral selling still need those basic "cold calling" skills, even if they haven't used a list in decades.

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  3

  tmdale57

  07/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Geoffrey, I love your blog and share many of your posts with my colleagues.
  
  In my particular advertising sales arena (cooperative direct mail), cold calling means hitting the streets to see local business owners, because that has been the most effective way to get the appointment to perform an effective needs analysis. It's just too easy to prospects to blow you off over the phone. It's much harder for them to ignore you in person, especially when you have a compelling value statement.
  
  Can you address this great post to the in-person cold call, rather than the telephone? Not all of us find the phone effective, especially on the local business level.
  
  While referral business is preferable, not every sales job aligns itself to that exclusively, as you so rightly point up,
  
  Referrals are a tremendously important part of my pipeline, but I can't afford to be limited by those customers and prosopects who are willing to share a name, let alone call a colleague or acquaintance for me. Small business owners, especially in my market (Southern California) are too focused on their own issues.
  
  Thanks again!

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  4

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/28/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Re Note 3:
  I certainly can and will do this. But since you'll need to prep up right before the in-person meeting, I'll need to make it a podcast. Stay tuned.

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  5

  EASTeam

  07/28/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Thanks for the post Geoffrey. Thought it was very insightful,
  however, honestly havent read the entire entry (yet)...
  
  Seems to me that business, and specifically B2B, continually
  attempts to dehumanize the sales process. This is usually
  done by folks that arent in a sales role. Imagine that?
  
  Ironic isn't it? Many of the same business strategies are
  simultaneously asking computers to act more human... Yikes.
  
  Personally, I don't believe you can be a true Sales
  Professional unless you are able to effectively cold call. (my
  definition of Sales Pro is an individual that is consistently
  producing in the top 10% of his/her chosen field, and NOT
  because the product is selling itself). My opinion.
  
  I also just did a post this weekend on this... If you or any of
  your readers care to an amusing if not entertaining approach
  to this topic, check out this post via my blog @ http://bit.ly/Cu1OG
  
  As always thanks for your mind share...
  
  Kirk Abraham
  http://bit.ly/EAST_Web_Hub

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  6

  joannesblack

  07/28/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Hi Geoffrey:
  Re Note #2
  
  You gave me a great "aha." We have a different definition of cold calling.
  
  I define cold calling as calling someone who does not know you and is not expecting your call. It's an outbound sales calling effort where salespeople or telemarketers are calling from a purchased list or names they've been given.
  
  If someone calls you through a referral, that's not cold. It's really HOT! If they took the initiative to pick up the phone or send an email because someone suggested they talk to you, they're really interested, and most likely, qualified. (You'll need to decide on that.) As salespeople, we love this kind of sales call. Keep 'em coming!
  
  

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  7

  writersblock

  07/28/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  "Even if you've got the customer calling you as the result of a referral, it's still a cold call if you've never had a conversation with that person."
  
  I strongly disagree with this. The fact that they have called you has changed the dynamics of the relationship completely. It is no longer you "peddling" your wares or service.
  
  They now have enough interest in you, and consider that you may be able to solve their problem, to have taken the time to call you.
  
  Therefore, they can not be considered "cold".
  
  Sure you still have to get your message across. But the best thing you can do is "listen" to their problem and not try to sell them anything.
  
  Once they have communicated their problem, you have established the relationship. The two primary obstacles of "first contact" and "trust" have been overcome.
  

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/28/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  Re Note 7:
  It's true that the conversation is accelerated when the referral calls. But this post is about attitude, not what you say. The ATTITUDE has to be the same. If you're not on your game, a prospect could call, with checkbook ready, and you could blow the sale. Trust me, it happens all the time.
  
  Example. Just the other day, I tried to call my local appliance store to order a new clothes dryer -- and would have ordered one sight unseen (because I've worked with them before) and the idiot sales rep simply told me to "get on the Internet and figure out what I wanted and then call back." So I ordered one from Best Buy.
  
  Look, referrals are great. I have nothing against them. But it's stupid, frankly, to insist that sales reps who don't yet have contacts or existing customers should be waiting around for referrals that aren't going to happen.
  
  Most B2B environments depend heavily on cold calling to build the pipeline. That's just reality and I'm not going to turn Sales Machine into a platform for the "cold calling sucks; you gotta get referrals" cult.

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  9

  Software On Sailboats

  08/03/09 | Report as spam

  The cold call must build your personal value

  Nothing undermines your personal value more than an ill-
  prepared, same-as-the-last-one cold call, and nothing builds
  your personal value more than a well researched, thought-
  out, spot-on cold call.
  My view, your cold call must immediately establish that you
  are the expert at solving a problem they have.
  Hard to do and many won't invest the time or effort....but
  worth it.
  
  Rod Kimmel
  Sell More, Spend Less

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  10

  ndlicht1

  08/04/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Get Insanely Motivated to Cold Call

  So, one reader says don't cold call. OK, I'm waiting to be called by an audience who doesn't know I exist, is that it.
  
  How you make a cold call as in what you say is the key. Its not cold if you have researched beforehand re company, person, probable need, who to start with and why they will hear you out. Thens its a matter of the right 30 second commercial to get attention, or if voicemail, a returned call.