Cold calling is a doom-dart to the heart for most new home business owners and even many seasoned salespersons. Recollections of our thoughts the last time a telemarketer slipped past our call display screening causes most of us to shudder. No one wants to be hated - even anonymously - except, perhaps, actual telemarketers...
For many of us there's more to call reluctance than just the fear of rejection. We don't really know what to say. A memorized pitch or reading from notes sounds horrible. How do you handle a brush off, objections, a request for your price, or a rude comment and the sound of the phone being slammed into its receiver?
Finally, cold calls are annoying. Most of us are busy people with responsibilities and deadlines to meet. It must be somewhat insulting to your prospective client to suggest, by your unscheduled cold call, that you felt they weren't engaged in anything important at the moment. Not the best way to start.
In spite of what many sales trainers say cold calling isn't required for success. Its actually more of an obstacle to success for all but those blessed at birth with a cold calling gene. The good news is, you don't have to make cold calls. In fact, you will make more sales if you avoid cold calls and follow these three steps.
Step 1: Network
There is no more efective and cost efficient use of a small business persons marketing time than networking. Often the simple fact that someone has met you, and has a smiling face to connect to your product or service, is enough to give you an edge.
Think about your own life. Let's say you meet a plumber at a networking event. A few days later you wake up to a plumbing emergency in your home. Wouldn't your first thought be of the plumber you recently met rather than a wild card draw from the phone book? In most case the answer is yes.
If we don't know someone who provides a product or service, and can't get a referral for a provider from a trusted friend or associate, we go with the next best thing - someone we have at least met.
Where do you network? Everywhere, really, but there is no more comfortable place to network than a formal networking event. Everyone is there to meet and greet. Your local Chamber of Commerce probably holds one regularly.
Volunteering for high visibility positions in a local non-profits, or even your church, will also provide opportunities to meet others and to let them know what you do. Trade shows also offer a great opportunity, though at a considerably higher up front cost.
Networking events also offer an excellent opportunity to qualify people as you meet them into prospects, likely customers or contacts.
Step 2: Follow Up
Following up is the key to creating warm calls out of your networking. Get cards from your fellow network event attendees. Send them an e-mail the next day telling them how great it was to meet them and mentioning that you would like to get to know more about their business, or position in the company. Tell him, or her, that you will be calling in the near future to set up an appointment to do just that.
When you call, remind them of your initial meeting. Say again it was great chatting briefly at the event and reiterate your desire to get to know their work/business better. Offer the standard two choices for dates and times when you are availble to meet. Offer to buy the coffee.
You just made a warm cold call.
Step 3: Set Up The Sale
From here its a standard first sales call. Ask questions. Finish qualifying. Identify needs. Look for opportunities.
My favorite method is to establish needs in this conversation and then use a summary of those needs and a brief presentation of how my product or service is the right choice to fill them. I then ask for an "official" sales appointment to atually present my product or service for their consideration and purchase.
Does this work? It does for me as a consultant.
The time frame from networking event, to close, is usually two to three weeks. Three out of four properly qualified contacts approached in this way end up as closed sales. I usually have anywhere from one to three good prospects from every newtworking event. If you do the math you can see that attending a good networking event each week results in 3-8 contracts, an average 4-6, every month. Without a single cold call.
Jess Huffman is a Business Consultant and Coach working from his home office in Calgary, Alberta. Jess has helped hundreds of clients start and grow successful home based businesses.
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