Mark Victor Hansen, co-author with Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul and other Chicken Soup books, says, "Everyone has to have a big list of who they're going to call on."
The product or service you are selling will determine where you get your list of prospects. For example, if you are selling ear identification tags for cattle, you'd start with a list of members in the Cattleman's Association. If you were selling tongue depressors, you would start with a list of doctors, clinics and hospitals.
If you are in sales or trying to find clients, sooner or later you are going to have to try cold calling. To someone who has never done it, cold calling is a scary concept. Picking up a phone and calling someone you do not know and trying to interest them in your product or service is nerve wracking at the beginning. Believe me when I tell you that you can learn to enjoy it once you realize that it is no different than talking to an acquaintance that you only talk to once in a while.
In 1994, I got a part time job calling people to see if they were interested in changing their long distance phone company. Because the job also involved having prospective customers complete an application form, I decided to use a Henderson's Directory for my prospect list.
For those of you who have never heard of a Henderson's Directory, it contains a list of all the streets in a city. Each street is then broken down by address numbers. Each address lists the names and phone numbers of each occupant plus their occupation. Then, using a map of the city, I called each address in an area of the city. One day would be spent calling prospects and the next would be spent delivering application forms to the addresses where the prospective customers lived.
I dialed the first number on my list and got an emphatic "NO" from the homeowner. Fifty calls later, I had 45 "NO" responses and five phones slammed down in my ear. I felt like quitting. Since that was not an acceptable option, I sat down with a cup of coffee and rethought my approach. I decided that instead of asking if they would like to change to a less expensive long distance provider, that I would pre-screen them.
Before getting back on the phone, I spent several minutes practicing smiling while I read out the new script I had just written. When I felt that I was ready, I picked up the phone and called the next number. A lady answered and I said, "Hi, my name is Gilbert Griffiths. I'm doing a survey. Do you do a lot of long distance phoning?" She said, "Well we do some." I asked, "How many calls would you make in a month?" She said, "Oh, about eight to 10." I asked, "How long would these calls be?" She replied, "Well, I phone my mom once a week and those calls are 20 to 30 minutes long, and the rest would be 10 minutes or less." I said, "How would you like to make those calls for 10 cents a minute?" She said, "That would be great, I'd save at least $10 a month." I then explained how she could do it and she told me to bring the forms over.
The next 200 calls resulted in 176 yes replies. I experimented with other approaches and some worked and others didn't. One thing I did learn was that if you smile while you are talking, you will have more positive responses regardless of which script you follow.
Here are several tips to make your cold calls more successful from someone who has made thousands of these calls.
1. Believe that what you are offering is going to benefit the person you are calling. Note! If you are only doing this to make money, you will be far less successful with your calls. Your motivation is reflected in you tone of voice.
2. If you believe in what you are offering, you will be much more enthusiastic.
3. Smile while you are talking to your prospect. You would smile if you were face to face, so do the same thing when you are talking on the phone. It affects the pitch and tone of your voice.
4. Don't be discouraged by negative responses. It is not personal. They just don't want what you are offering.
5. If you find that you are getting a lot of negative responses and you have a good offer, then change your script.
6. Never give up. The more calls you make, the better you will become. Remember, these people don't know you. Treat them like a neighbor, with respect and familiarity. You have their name, use it. "Hi, Judy, this is Gilbert (or Gilbert Griffiths) calling, and I'd like to interest you in a fabulous new thingamajig for your kitchen. It slices and dices and does the dishes, cooks supper and entertains the kids. I could bring one over this evening to give you a free demonstration. How does that sound? Would 7pm be a good time?"
7. Don't waste their time. Don't ramble or mumble or talk about things that don't matter. Follow your script and respond appropriately to your prospect's comments.
8. Listen carefully to what your prospect says. Sometimes when they are saying "NO" they mean "maybe" or "not now." If they give a very emphatic "NO" they mean it. Thank them and hang up. If they say, "I don't think that it will do me any good" or "We can't afford it right now," they are leaving an opening for you to continue the conversation. Find out why. Then convince them that buying it now would be to their benefit.
Good Luck! Keep calling. There's a gold mine out there waiting for you to stake your claim.
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About the Author
Gilbert Griffiths helped thousands of people during a professional career that spanned more than 35 years. He recently came out of retirement with a passionate goal to help one million people improve their lives. Would you like to be one of those people? If you would, go to
http://www.rockettosuccess.com
