Sales 101: First Approach - Rule #1
16 May 2009
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So, you’re writing a blog and you want to make money; really what you want to do is run a business. I have yet to find someone who made money without some sort of an interaction with another. I’m sure there’s a brave blogger out there who will say: “Whatever man, I signed up to an affiliate program or AdSense and I’m making money and I didn’t interact with anyone.” What about the account registration form you filled out? -Interaction. The email confirmation button that you had to press in order to verify yourself? -Interaction. And how about the How to Guide which you’ve read? -Interaction. The posts that you write on your blog in an attempt to win a comment? -Interaction. It’s all about interaction even on the Internet.
To make money you have to interact because by interacting you start to develop trust and that leads to a relationship. And when selling directly to advertisers, you want to build and maintain a healthy and long-term relationship.
Consider the following: you want to read a good blog about Bicycles you have the following choices to make which one do you choose first:
1) Your best friend sent you a URL to what he considers a great bicycle blog
2) Google gives you a list of blogs
Almost everyone will chose option 1 first because we have a relationship with this person, a developed trust that tells us this person wants what’s good for me. Google does a good job and obviously wants to give us what we want, however, from experience we know we can’t always trust that the right information will be presented. [afterall, there are some great SEOs out there]
Every relationship had to start with a first approach at some point in time. The right first approach is crucial to a good start of a relationship. In sales this first approach often takes the form of a cold call. [Wikipedia entry: Cold calling is the process of approaching prospective customers or clients, typically via telephone, who were not expecting such an interaction. The word "cold" is used because the person receiving the call is not expecting a call or has not specifically asked to be contacted by a sales person.] Cold calling is probably the toughest aspect of selling and the biggest deterrent for most people. Read on and I’ll teach you how to turn every call into a warm call, meaning the person you talk to will want to talk to you.
First, let’s set something straight, everyone is in business to make money through a value proposition. Therefore, every business owner/CEO wants to be contacted by anyone who can offer him something valuable , either a cost saving solution (more money in his pocket) or an increase in revenue (more money in his pocket).
So,
Rule # 1: Find out the names of the top people running the business (owner, president, CEO, CFO, VP Business Development) and their direct numbers/extensions.
You want to start first at the top because of what I said above: every business owner wants to be contacted by anyone who can offer him value. Everyone else is there to do their job and get a pay cheque. You don’t want to start at that level.
How do you get the names of these top ranking executives? Easy. Call the company and ask.
Rule #1.1) Always use *67 (block your number, free from all North American telcos) when you call.**This rule applies to all calls made to a prospect.
After you dial the number whoever picks up the phone tell them your name and ask for the owner’s name or the CFO’s name.If it’s a small local business you will most likely get the owner on the phone, in that case go to Rule #2.
Rule #1.2) Never get into a conversation with the receptionist/gatekeeper/bulldog.
If you get asked who you are, repeat your name. If you get asked for the name of your business or reason for your call, tell them it’s personal. Don’t ever say the reason for your call. If they don’t want to give you the name of the CEO or owner, say thank you and hang up. Never get into a conversation with the receptionist.
Keeping with the objective of finding out the names of the top executives if you don’t get the information from the receptionist you will have to resort to the following methods of obtaining the name:
a) Call back after hours, early in the morning or on weekend. The receptionist is usually not in until 8:30am and is out at 4:30pm or 5pm. Others come earlier or stay late. With the receptionist gone you will most likely get the automated phone system answer your call. Choose the directory option and start pressing buttons to spell a last name. All you have to press are 3 characters and hit the # button. The system will come back with names, sometimes even prerecorded by the people themselves. Pay attention to the prerecorded messages. You want to choose the person who sounds most amiable, possibly with an accent. If you hear a tough, and deep “John Smith” followed by an old lady’s voice with an oriental accent you want to make sure you choose her first. She will most likely give you the information you need. If she doesn’t, repeat the step. You may have to repeat the steps a number of times.
b) Google the company and try to search for the names online.
Once you have the names and direct numbers (if possible) you are ready to do your first Warm Call. Remember the person on the other line is expecting a call from you because you have something valueable for them. They want you to call them as soon as possible.
Come back to read Rule #2. Or subscribe to my RSS to get the updates right away.
Tags: bulldog, business, cold call, first approach, gatekeeper, receptionist, rule #1, Sales 101, selling, warm call
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Sales 101: First Approach / Cold Calling - Rule #1…
This is an online seminar I began on my blog: http://www.sisymoney.com. Please feel free to visit the site or see the articles posted here on salespractice.com
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