I just received this free report by the Dale Carnegie Training of Ohio and Indiana Team. It's chock full of goodness! Sorry about the weird format.
13 Myths and Facts About Cold Calling
Cold Calling Myths and Facts:
1. The primary goal of a business-to-
Business cold call should be to
Schedule an appointment.
Fact. In our first encounter with a
Contact, we need to get a commitment to
Move the conversation to the next stage.
This means getting an agreement to do a
More in depth analysis to insure a good fit
For your services. Sales people often
Make the mistake of jumping ahead to
Selling their solutions when cold calling. If
By some chance, the contact is willing to
Spend more time with you initially, it
Simply means that you have succeeded in
Moving from getting your prospect’s
Attention to performing discovery and
Generating interest. Know your audience,
Know what you’re selling and know the
Purpose of the call with your prospect.
2. Cold Calling will generally produce
Much better results than referrals.
Myth. Referrals always have a higher
Closing ratio for scheduling meetings
And getting results. Prospects tend to
Trust the voice of a friend or someone
That they know over someone that they
Are meeting or hearing from for the first
Time. A referral can be that
Intermediary bridge to give you
Credibility in your prospect’s eyes.
3. Qualifying prospects when cold
Calling is not a high priority.
The focus should be to set as
Many appointments as possible.
Myth. Qualifying a lead saves time,
Gasoline and allows you to tailor your
Message. Be considerate of your
Prospects’ time and yours by making
Sure you have qualified the contact
Before taking the time to move to the
Next sales stage.
4. You should leave a message
When you get voicemail instead
Of getting the actual contact.
Fact. Never miss an opportunity to
Make an impression about you and
Your company. The media can be a
Standard letter, radio, your website, a
Podcast or a voicemail. Regardless of
The media used, the intent is always
The same; to get the audience’s
Attention and sell the next step.
5. Most sales people stop cold
Calling a contact after eight
Attempts.
Myth. Most sales people give up after
Only four attempts. On the average,
You will need to “touch” your prospect
Seven times before your message
Registers in their mind.
6. When you get past a certain
Number of cold calls, keeping
Records of your results becomes
Less important.
Myth. Keeping records is a part of
Efficient business management. It
Provides you with a record of what is
Working, what is not working and gives
You insight into the business trends at
Work in your industry. Remember, what
Gets measured, gets managed. And the
More awareness you have about the
Results you have achieved gives you a
Decided edge in your selling effort. Most
Sale people hate paperwork and keeping
Records. However, it’s the only way to
Find out what is working. And just
Because something works this year
Doesn’t guarantee that it will work next
Year, or next week.
7. You should always make friends
With the gatekeepers.
Myth. You should always be friendly with
The gatekeeper, but you do not
Necessarily want to be their friend. You
Have not earned the right. Also, they
May never have any contact with any
Decision makers in the company. Be
Careful believing that you’re making great
Progress when you could be wasting their
Time and yours. Be cordial, be respectful
And be friendly. However, remember why
You are there: to determine if your
Product or service is a good fit for their
Company.
8. If a prospect refuses to talk to you,
It’s probably personal.
Myth. We have no idea what is going on
In a person’s world when we call on them.
It’s critical to remember not to personalize
An encounter that has gone south.
9. Less information is better when
Leaving a voicemail.
Myth. Being prudent with your time is
Better when leaving a voicemail, but
You still want to leave as much
Information as possible. Twenty to
Thirty seconds is about as long as you
Can hold someone’s attention with a
Voicemail. Use the time wisely to get
Your prospect’s attention. Be concise,
Direct and clearly state your call to
Action as quickly as possible. Refrain
From using rambling fillers like, “the
Purpose of my call…” Remember that
Your contact doesn’t care why you
Called. They are preoccupied with
What is happening in their world at that
Moment. Get their attention and
Provide enough information to get to
The next step in the sales call.
10. Experienced sales people are
Past prospecting, and develop
All of their business from their
Current clients and referrals.
Myth. Over time, we all lo see customers
For a variety of reasons. Contacts
Move to other organizations,
Companies go out of business and
Sometimes our contacts just retire and
Start the next chapter of their lives.
Experienced sales people plan for
These circumstances and continue to
Look for new prospects through a
Number of vehicles, including lead
Generation, networking and cold
Calling.
11. Experienced professionals use
Scripts when phone
Prospecting.
Fact. Using scripts insures that we are
Using the right words to impact our
Contacts and keeps us on track with
Our call flow. Professionals practice their
Scripts until they have a call flow that they
Are comfortable using.
12. Cold Calling doesn’t have to be a
Constant activity. Once your
Business gets going, you should
Be able to eliminate it.
Myth. The majority of your business
Should eventually come from existing
Clients and referrals. However, if you
Stop prospecting, you’re missing valuable
Business opportunities. And as explained
In myth 10, your business will always
Experience a natural attrition. The only
Way to compensate for this attrition is to
Find and develop new business.
13. With all of the tools on the Internet
Used for lead generation, cold
Calling is a dead practice.
Myth. Lead generation is extremely
Useful for getting prospects to “raise their
Hand” and identifying themselves as
Interested in your product or services.
However, the telephone is still one of the
Best ways to enhance your
Communication strategy. The ability to
Introduce yourself and perform
Consultations over the phone gives you a
Competitive advantage. Also, if you’re
Conducting an onsite meeting with a client
In an office complex, strong
Communication skills will serve as a
Foundation, giving you the self confidence
To introduce yourself to new clients in that
Complex. It gives you a decided edge in
Your sales and lead generation.
Copyright © 2008
Dale Carnegie Training of Ohio and Indiana
5350 Transportation Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44125
P: 216.663.2500 Web:
www.dcarnegietraining.com
All rights reserved.
Cold hard facts about Cold calling
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