Why Cold Calling Is Dead

Writen by Frank Rumbauskas

Our world of selling is closed off from other areas of business that continue to adopt and embrace new, efficient ideas. I was reminded of this recently while re- reading Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing." Here's a book that was intended for business owners and marketing executives, yet it provides a much-needed dose of common sense that would be of great benefit to sales organizations, especially sales managers, who continue to cling to very old, and, in their minds, very right, ideas. Unfortunately, our brave new world has made these old ideas very wrong.

Seth Godin talks about Interruption Marketing versus Permission Marketing. Interruption Marketing is traditional advertising that interrupts your day in an attempt to get your attention and sell you something. In other words, it is the marketing equivalent of Cold Calling. Permission Marketing is systematically getting prospects to give you permission to present to them. In other words, it is marketing's equivalent of what I teach salespeople to do. In the book, Seth uses the metaphor of someone trying to get married to describe the flaw in Interruption Marketing, or Cold Calling. The bachelor goes into a singles bar and asks every woman in the place to marry him. When they all say no, he blames his clothes, buys a new suit, and tries again at another bar, only to fail again and again, just like a cold caller.

Are you getting the point he tries to make in that story? Think about it. A salesperson spends weeks cold calling with dismal results. The salesperson goes to the sales manager for advice on what to do differently to start getting results. A conversation ensues about what the salesperson is doing. A lot of old ideas begin to surface. Ideas such as "Initial Benefit Statement," "Elevator Speech," and other concepts that once upon a time were the right answers, but have since become very wrong answers. Working on these things is the equivalent of the man in the story blaming his failure on the suit, changing into a new suit, then going to a different singles bar to do it all over again.

With the business world in its present state, I really don't see how salespeople can afford to keep fooling away their time on old ideas that were once right but are now fatally wrong. It is this very feature of capitalism that is causing salespeople, managers and organizations to fail in record numbers. Capitalism is essentially "creative destruction." In other words, capitalism is a perpetual cycle of destroying old, less-efficient businesses and ideas and replacing them with new, more efficient ones. People and companies are clinging to old, obsolete ideas and are being dragged down to failure by them. Yet they still won't let go. I think the reason they can't let go is simply because it wasn't all that long ago that they really did have the right answers. It reminds me of a story I once heard about Albert Einstein when he was a professor. One of his student assistants who was preparing for an incoming class said, "Professor Einstein, what test are we giving them?" To which Einstein replied, "The same test we gave them last week." Bewildered, the student assistant replied, "But Professor Einstein, we already gave that test." Einstein simply said, "Yes, but the answers are different this week."

The bottom line is that the answers are different. The rules have changed. Time is running out for those who do not adapt to the new rules. As Napoleon Hill put it so well, "Whenever a nation, a business institution, or an individual ceases to change and settles into a rut of routine habits, some mysterious power enters and smashes the setup, breaks up the old habits, and lays the foundation for new and better habits."

If you're not achieving the sales success you desire, perhaps it is time for you to lay the foundation for new and better habits.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age. He is the founder of FJR Advisors, LLC, which publishes training materials that educate salespeople on how to generate business without cold calling. For more information, please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

Why People Dont Buy

Writen by Tim Connor

People buy for their individual and personal reasons, not for the reasons the salesperson's (or the organization's) marketing department think they should. You cannot turn a poor prospect into a customer with a great product or persuasive sales appeal. The key to increasing sales is to identify why people buy and what will cause them not to buy.

People don't buy for any number of the following reasons:

1. They can't afford what they want.
2. They don't really know what they want.
3. They have had a poor history with salespeople or organizations in general.
4. They don't want it.
5. They don't need it.
6. They have not been convinced that the value equals the price.
7. They are concerned with what others will think of their purchase.
8. They don't trust the salesperson.
9. They don't trust the organization.
10. They don't like it.
11. The timing isn't right.
12. They are indecisive buyers.
13. They don't trust the salesperson (repeated intentionally).

When a prospect doesn't buy, I suggest that you do everything possible to determine what prevented the purchase – especially if this was a well-qualified prospect. This can be done with an after-sales call visit, telephone call, letter, or fax. Once you learn why many of your prospects are not buying, then, and only then, can you disarm these resistance areas during the sales process.

Most poor salespeople give more information than they get. They TALK TOO MUCH. You learn nothing while you are talking. You can learn a great deal if you can get the prospect talking and keep them talking. After every failed sales attempt, make it a regular practice to ask the prospect, "What was it about our product or service that prevented you from making a favorable decision?"

You will learn a great deal which can have a positive impact on future sales results if you will consistently determine why people don't buy from you and/or your organization.

Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That's Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com.

Sales Ten Ways To Gain Business Relationships

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

The Power of ten simply means that anything you do should be done in tens. It may seem quite simple but if you think about how many follow-up calls you should do in any day plus the number of new calls to be made and the number of new appointments per week, you are already on your way to success in sales. By repeating a task ten times, your results will skyrocket.

Here are some excellent ways to use the power of ten to start gaining more business and forming closer business relationships.

1. Join organizations where your potential customers attend


2. Learn to network and work a room to your advantage (see our chapter on events)


3. Follow-up with everyone whose card you have gathered at an event


4. When joining a leads group, make an appointment with everyone in the group to discover what they do, how you can help them find business and also what they can do for you in the way of leads.


5. Keep in touch with people on a monthly basis through mailers (postcards or email)


6. Call ten people a day to touch base and ask for referrals


7. Send a quarterly "Letter from the Heart"


8. Use your inner circle to send non business related information to your customers


9. Do ten activities a week which includes customer meetings


10. Be truthful and work with integrity at all times, this is worth more than all the business you can gain and lose without it

Try these ten ways to jump start your sales and you will start gaining more business. The hardest part is getting started but once you begin, you will enjoy knowing you have a process in place that really works.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com

Are You A Winner Or Whiner

Writen by Doug Smart

I've found that winners say "I choose to." Whiners, on the other hand, say "I have to."

Let me explain. On a plane, I mentioned to the executive next to me that I'm a professional development consultant and speaker. She smiled, gave me a knowing nod, and before the wheels were up revealed her "pain." She launched into telling me about her demanding and exhausting work responsibilities. She said things such as, "I have to leave home at 6:30 every morning to beat the traffic." "I have to go to Germany next month on business." "I have to attend a daily mini-meeting with the VP of Marketing." She prefaced all of her duties with "I have to."

I shook my head. "No wonder you feel over-stressed!" I exclaimed. "Your motor's running full speed but your parking break is on!" I recommended she release the brake. "You are a closeted whiner," I said. "Viewing your work as a series of burdens is holding you back. Empower yourself by changing your perspective. Quit using the victim phrase 'I have to." Replace it with 'I choose to,' 'I get to,' or by just stating the facts."

"For example, saying 'I choose to leave at 6:30 to avoid the traffic' means you are making a quality choice about making your commute easier. Saying 'I get to go to Germany' affirms your company's appreciation of your special skills -- plus you are fortunate to get to go on an adventure most people will never experience. Stating 'I meet daily with the VP of Marketing' clarifies your duties and signifies you are a key person whose observations and opinions are so valued the VP gives up part of her day to hear what you have to say. Making these phrase changes subconsciously signals you're in control of where your time and energy go. That makes you a winner not a whiner." She thought a moment, smiled broadly and said, "I feel the difference already. I'm going to quit saying 'I have to'."

To keep yourself in the winner's circle, it's smart to ditch the whiner phrase, "I have to," unless you want to signal the listener you're being forced to do something against your will. Victims say "I have to." Winners are smart to say "I choose to."

Doug Smart is the co-author of the book, "Sell Smarter." He is a sales consultant, professional speaker, and host of the daily motivational radio show, "Smarter by the Minute." For more information, email Doug@GrowYourSales.org. Copyright 2005 by Doug Smart

How To Sell A Car Wash

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many car wash is skim money from the till each week and it is widely known in the industry. In fact, the Internal Revenue Service has a special booklet for and rolled agents which explains the types of things that car wash is due to cheat on their taxes.

Many car wash owners when they try to find a business broker to sell their business discovered that the business broker is rather upset with them since they are keeping two sets of books. Tax returns work very well for selling a car wash because they show the Schedule C.

However, if the schedule C. does not match the amount of cash flow that the business generates then the car wash owner is often called a liar by the potential buyer. This is when it gets tricky, as the car wash owner has to reveal a second set of books and admit to the buyer that he has been cheat on his taxes, skimming money and lying to his accountants. The buyer of the car wash has to decide if he trusts the car wash owner. After all, what else is he cheating on? Is he cheating customers? Is he cheating on his wife? Does the car wash owner have any integrity all?

Having been in the car wash industry for about 27 years and now retired I would say that most car wash owners have zero integrity. Although there are quite a few that are very good upstanding gentleman in the community. Now then, when the car wash owner is trying to sell his business he has to sell his business to someone else that does not care that he is and lying and cheating, but is more concerned with the cash flow of the business.

This means the car wash owner must find someone equally yoked with low integrity to sell to. If you own a car wash and you are such a scoundrel perhaps this article may help you sell your business since you have been cheating all your life. I never did have much respect for the competitors and my industry, as I think they are all crooks. But this is just my personal opinion after 27 years in the industry and reviewing over 3800 car washes so what do I know?

Lance Winslow

Gatekeepers

Writen by Sharon Drew Morgen

When I ask salespeople to define what a gatekeeper is, I generally hear: "Someone who keeps out people who will waste the boss's time."

But gates are two-sided - they open as well as close: a gatekeeper's job is actually to make sure the boss gets to spend his/her time efficiently.

I've probably gotten approximately $500,000 in business as a result of the word or deed of gatekeepers.

How have I done this? By remembering a few simple rules:

1. whoever answers the phone is my client;

2. in order for a gatekeeper to open OR close the gate, she has to decide which category to put me in - in, or out.

3. it's the job of the gatekeeper to make sure her boss gets to speak with people who can help him/her do a better job.

My own secretary has a very unique habit of putting messages on the bottom of my In Basket when they are from folks she doesn't like – and she keeps moving these back to the bottom as I go through the pile. But I've come to trust her judgment (once I got over the initial discovery of her deception. Of course, I look there daily now, and just don't tell her.)

"WHY are these HERE?" I asked the first time I noticed a rather large grouping of pink message slips at the bottom of the pile. "I was WAITING FOR THIS CALL."

"He was rude to me, and I didn't trust him."

I address my follow up calls with her feedback in mind; she has saved me time, money, and effort through her gut responses. And she's never been wrong.

Here are two stories of how I got business from gatekeepers. Note that I was using Buying Facilitation with each of them, and taught them how to decide to choose me.

TWO CASE STUDIES

Case Study #1

I got the name of the Vice-President Southwest Region of DEC (Remember DEC? It's been subsumed by Compaq/HP.) Dave Heil was allegedly a dynamic, innovative thinker, and was located in Albuquerque, NM when I lived in Taos. His secretary Judy answered the phone.

Judy: Dave Heil's office.

SDM: Hi. My name is Sharon Drew Morgen, and this is a sales call. I know you're busy so I'm wondering if this is a good time to speak.

Judy: it's never a good time. Thanks for asking. How can I help you?

SDM: I'm wondering how you folks are adding new sales methods to any current sales training you're doing.

Judy: Can you get here next Wednesday at 8:10? Dave is on vacation til Wednesday, and his first meeting is scheduled for 8:30. He always gets in at 8:00, and I bet he'd like to spend 20 minutes with you before he starts his day. SDM: You're having him meet with me the day he comes back from vacation??

Judy: Yes. I speak with a lot of people trying to get through to Dave; you're the first one who respected me, and who trusted my involvement. I also know that Dave is always on the lookout for innovative material, and if your opening question was a representation of what you're doing, and I suspect it is, Dave will be interested in meeting with you. Can you come?

Of course I went. At precisely 8:10, Dave walked in with a dark tan. "Well, you must be a very smart person that I need to meet. Not many people get through Judy. So, who are you and why do I need you?"

I got the job; Dave Heil is still my friend and colleague 13 years – and several job moves - later.

Case Study #2

I was given the name of a small manufacturing company (company has since been subsumed by a much larger company) and told that they were seeking new sales training. I called in and spoke with the receptionist, Susan.

Susan: Hello. This is Company X. Who would you like to be connected with? SDM: I'm not sure, but maybe you can help me. Are you sure this is a good time?

Susan: I've got the time. What do you need?

SDM: My name is Sharon Drew Morgen, and this is actually a sales call. I've developed an innovative and ethical sales methodology, and am not sure if your company either seeks innovation, or has a desire to bring in new material. Can you tell me how your company chooses to bring in new sales material?

Susan: If you send me a packet with your stuff in it, and call me back in a week, I'll make sure it gets to the proper person.

I sent her a packet on Wednesday. On Friday, Susan called me back.

Susan: I put your material on the desk of our sales director. Two hours later he was fired, and he cleaned out his office. He either threw your stuff away or took it with him. Can you please send me another packet and I'll get it to the new person?

I sent her the packet immediately. The following Tuesday I got a call.

Joe: Hello, Sharon Drew. You don't know me, but the receptionist gave me a packet of information, and I promised her that not only would I call you, but I'd report back to her on what we decided. Since this is my first day, you must be a very important person. Who are you?

I began doing work with this company about 2 months later.

WORKING WITH, NOT THROUGH

For some reason you have been taught to view the person answering the telephone as a deterrent to getting where you want to get. But this person is your guide. And, since she decides whether you 'get through' or not, she's in control of the conversation. No matter how smart you are or how good your product is, no matter how much your prospect needs you or how much money you can make or save them, if the gatekeeper doesn't put you through, you're toast.

Whole books and programs have been devoted to 'getting through' the gatekeeper. But this person is a human being, with a job. And she is happy to help you. I've heard of sales people using an authoritative voice to show her they're important (um, they're in control, remember? Doesn't matter how important you are to you – she's the one who determines if you're important or not); or sounding familiar and suave, as if they are friends with the boss already (and, you don't think she knows who the boss knows?); or using the name of a reference as if it were the boss's best friend (the boss rarely knows the reference well, or the reference would have already called the boss on your behalf and the secretary would be awaiting your call).

These are all ploys to 'get through'. Why not teach the gatekeeper how to choose to help you? Here are a few stories of what gatekeepers have done to help me over the years [Note: all of the following responses have been to my calling on a cold call, with no reference and no prior contact]:

1. go into the men's room (literally) to get their boss to hurry up so he would speak with me and not keep me waiting;

2. tell me when the prospect would be available, with a clear calendar;

3. give me a specific time and date, and put my incoming call on the calendar so when I'd call in the boss would be awaiting my call (and, when the boss's calendar shifted even called me back to give me another time commitment);

4. told me the correct person to speak with so I wouldn't waste my time on the person I thought I needed ("Oh, you don't want to talk to HIM. He'll turn it over to her anyway, so you might as well start with her.");

5. told me to hang up and call back during morning hours when the guy would be, um, more able to have a cogent conversation rather than after his lunch break (This guy must have been REALLY productive in the mornings!);

6. given me lists of names to call in addition to the name I had, with an offer to get more names if I weren't successful with the ones I had.

ATTITUDE

A supervisor I was coaching from a large software company called to ask for one of the Project Managers. He used a very snooty, condescending voice.

Gatekeeper: Hi. How can I help?

Seller: Give me Stephanie please.

Gatekeeper: Stephanie is on holiday for two weeks. I'll take your name and have her call you back.

I asked this man to call the number again and this time I took the call. I believed there was something more than a vacation happening here.

Gatekeeper: Hi. How can I help?

SDM: Hi there. My name is Sharon Drew Morgen and I'm with XYZ company and…..

Gatekeeper: you're from XYZ company? Do you have any idea how long we've been trying to reach you? We've put in over a dozen calls to have you fix a problem here, and no one has called us back. I'm the Systems Analyst; let me get the Project Manager.

Stephanie: Hello. This is Stephanie. I hear you're finally calling me back, but it's too late. We've taken you off of our preferred supplier's list.

We fixed the problem (groveling works!), but my client realized that his attitude was quite annoying to the person on the other end no matter who answered the phone. He had assumed – hearing a woman's voice – that the person who answered was the 'gatekeeper' and he had to show her who was boss. The Systems Analyst wasn't going to be treated that way by anyone. How many other times had prospects been 'on vacation' or at a 'meeting' because the gatekeeper was being verbally abused by a seller's attitude? If you act as if everyone who answers the call is your client – and everyone is your client! – you'll have an easier time getting to speak with the right person sooner.

Sharon Drew Morgen is the author of NYTimes Best seller Selling with Integrity. She speaks, teaches and consults globally around her new sales model, Buying Facilitation.

She can be reached at:

512-457-0246
Morgen Facilitations, Inc.
Austin, TX

http://www.newsalesparadigm.com
http://www.sharondrewmorgen.com