Thanks for taking the time to write all that out, just had a couple of questions. Ive cold called before and frankly I hate it (tend to be an introverted person), is there any suggestions you have that you used to make yourself feel confident in cold calling? When you ask who makes the decisions, are you literally asking that question or do you phrase it in another way? Lastly what are some of the mistakes you have seen, that immediately turn people away and what are some things you have seen done that have drawn people in, without immediately rejecting you?
First of all, the people answering the phone are used to getting multiple sales calls a day so it's not a big deal to them. Get used to the realization that they make appointments to see sales reps all the time. Don't freak out however it will NEVER get comfortable. NEVER.
This is also a numbers game. You HAVE to call 200 companies a day. Minimum. If that sounds horrible then hire it out. Remember don't be embarrassed or feel like you have to apologize for being a business owner who wants to meet another business owner. You are a professional not a salesman.
Recruit a college intern (cheapest) on commission or odesk / elance professionals to call for you. Out of 1000 calls in a week you should have a full week of 20 appointments. If you can't see making that many calls a day hire it out.
Mistakes:
- Sales requires FACE TIME so don't use your materials or samples as a crutch. They won't get a signature on a contract and like GetRight said they get a ton of promo crap. It's not that impressive.
- Some of the larger businesses have a regular schedule for reviewing products. Some don't. Don't be afraid to schedule an appointment during that time even if it's 6 months out.
- Some companies in some industries especially franchises can't approve large purchases or changes for an individual site. That's why it's important to find out what decisions are made by whom. If you're going to the CEO of a large company. That's often a marketing / PR campaign.
- NEVER EVER try to sell over the phone if you can get an appointment face to face. I've rarely closed a sale over the phone and if you try to close the sale too early they'll say no. Once the no is out there you're in an uphill battle to get a yes.
- Don't start pushing your product too early. Find out how and if you can help. Make a list of questions and ask the same ones every time so you head the right direction. Open ended "Explain how you set events now..." or "People in this industry have mentioned to me that they see [problem your product solves] as one of the biggest problems, what do you think about it?" Yes, no (closing questions) "Would you agree that in a perfect world solving that problem would save you time / money / effort?" If you ask enough of these... you will have your close fall into your lap.
- Always warm up and cool down. Talk about kids, the town, the weather for a few minutes before, then wind down with a "Thank you" and "What are your plans for the weekend?" or something else.
Appointment Setting:
- If you have the owner's first name (from infofree.com or salesgenie or just the phone book), use it. "Hey Betty, this is Bob from XYZ company over here on Main Street (sounding local), is Joe (owner) around today?" If she thinks you know him on a first name basis, sometimes she'll just transfer you. If it's that easy just say, "Hey Joe, thanks for taking my call. This is Bob over here at XYZ company on Main St. I know you're a busy guy so I'm not going to take up your time today but I'm going to be out that way on Tuesday and just wanted to stop by for 5 minutes and introduce myself. Are you a morning or afternoon guy?" Then set your appointment. This is the script you would give to your callers if you want to have people call for you. Only they would say this is Gary calling on behalf of Mr. Bob. I know that may sound too informal but if sometimes if you're too formal they feel a sales pitch coming and often shut you down right away.
- If the owner's not in, don't get all speechy about your product with the gate keeper..she doesn't need to know you've got the most amazing product in the world just that you're a super relaxed nice guy and she likes you. Just say, "Thanks Betty. Hey, what's the best way to reach him? How can I get some time with Joe?" Sometimes she's actually in charge of his calendar and can schedule you an appointment. So ask. If she keeps answering your questions then keep asking. Make her sound like a genius for knowing so much about the company. "Thanks Betty, Oh...hey you might know, does your company use a [your type of product] now? Who makes the decision about what kind of [your type of product] to use? Is that Joe? OK thanks Betty you've been very helpful."