Examples include:
Hi, my name is Melody Tripp with National Systems. I’m hoping you can help me. I’d like to speak with Ms. Anderson, and to be sure that what I discuss is relevant, there are a couple of questions I’m hoping you can answer for me.
Hi, this is Zac Fenton with Premiere Software. I’m looking for some help. I want to be sure I’m in the right spot. Do you mind if I ask you a few brief questions about ?
Hi . I am going to be speaking with , and want to gather a little information first. Do you mind if I ask you a few brief questions about ?
What would you do if you were me to get an appointment with Ms. So-and-so?
Sandra, my name is Eric Mostetler and I could use your help. What are the criteria I must meet to have an audience with the CEO?”
The Point? “Help” questions are powerful tools to generating assistance rather than resistance from gatekeepers.
2. Sell the gatekeeper. On major accounts, send a personalized letter, note, or email directly to the gatekeeper. Sell the gatekeeper and you won’t have a problem gaining access to the primary decision maker. You might say to the gatekeeper, “Tammy, I’d like to make a deal with you. I would like to review our product with you. If what I present to you is not acceptable and you know it won’t fly, just tell me so and I’ll be on my way. If you like what I present and feel it will benefit your company, all I ask is that you allow me to represent myself to the president. Is that fair?”
Never forget the power of creativity. During our trainings, I encourage salespeople to relate stories about experiences they have had working with gatekeepers. I have had training participants do something as simple as sending a gatekeeper a pack of pencils with his or her name imprinted on it to something as extravagant as sending a basket of European cheese and a bottle of wine including a note that reads, “I hope this isn’t ‘cheesy’ or sound like I am ‘whining,’ but I would love to talk to you and Mr. Smith about X.” Some sellers find that sending gatekeepers items like gift certificates to local restaurants, movie passes, concert tickets, gift baskets, or other inexpensive items is extremely effective. I read of a salesperson who sent a gatekeeper a box of Minute Rice with a handwritten note that said, “I would like to meet with Mr. Jones when he can find a minute.”
3. Be polite. Rudeness will get you nowhere. Keep in mind that many sales are slammed shut by disrespectful, “off the cuff” remarks intended to put gatekeepers “in their place.”
4. Be honest. Nobody likes being manipulated, so don’t try to manipulate the gatekeeper. By telling gatekeepers your objective, you make them part of your team, so tell them the truth and ask them how you can get an appointment.
5. Call at off-peak hours or on Saturdays. As a last resort, and, because decision makers often work when gatekeepers don’t, consider calling at a time when the prospect is likely to be in, but the gatekeeper isn’t. The best times are early morning—7:00 A.M.; Lunchtime—noon to 1:00 P.M.; or early evening—5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. I know a company that sets aside early morning hours for cold calling specifically to bypass receptionists while other sellers strategically call after 5:00 P.M., knowing that potential gatekeepers typically go home at a scheduled time, but executives and managers often work late. In some industries, Saturday happens to be a pretty good day to reach heads of companies.
Chapter 10
Establishing a Powerful Telepresence
Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven are three of the most accomplished composers in history. Each man made an indelible mark on classical music. They were German and lived in roughly the same era, but each of them orchestrated sounds and harmonies that were completely distinct and unique to his own personality. Bach, for example, was only five feet tall. Nevertheless, he had a giant intellect, passionate personality (he had twenty children), and an overpowering presence that was reflected in his music. A devoted Lutheran, he integrated his deep religious convictions into his melodies. He is perhaps best known for his composition, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for Organ.
Mozart, unlike Bach, was foul-mouthed and socially distasteful. He had an odd fondness for shocking people with his love of swearing and uncouth behavior. He was, by traditional standards, unconventional, brilliant, and eccentric, as was his music. He created a distinct sound known for its mastery of form and richness of harmony. He composed symphonies, operas, concertos, sonatas, and choral and chamber pieces, and is credited with over six hundred works in his brief life (he died at the age of thirty-five). Mozart’s most famous works include his Serenade in G Major, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, and Concerto No. 21 in C Major for Piano and Orchestra.
Although Bach and Mozart created profound musical masterpieces, none can compare to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor. The combination of power and gentleness in the first movement of Symphony No. 5 represents the most famous four notes in all of classical music—dot, dot, dot, dash. (Coincidentally, the rhythm of these four notes spells out V in Morse code and came to symbolize Victory during World War II). Beethoven’s opening rhythm in Symphony No. 5 is the most recognized classical phrase ever created. Its distinct harmony and unique sound establishes a presence that is both captivating and engaging.
Making a Favorable Impression
Like the great composers of the past, modern sales professionals need to establish a powerful presence and make a favorable impression early in the buyer-seller relationship. For this reason, successful cold calls must start with an effective opening statement that creates an immediate telepresence, the verbal and mental image evoked in the mind of a buyer over the phone.
Think of the last cold call you received. What questions did you ask yourself about the caller? What judgments did you make? Almost like a gag reflex, the second we hear a seller on the phone we start forming opinions and asking ourselves questions such as:
Does this person sound friendly or pushy?
Does she sound natural or phony?
Is he reading from a script?
Does she sound knowledgeable or like a minimum wage telemarketer?
Does he sound authoritative?
I received a call from a company trying to get me to subscribe to a particular trade magazine. The caller was absolutely flawless. I listened to her initial “pitch” and actually smiled as I listened to her tone and formed a mental image of her sitting in her cubicle making calls. The first point that struck me was her attitude, which was upbeat and optimistic. She could have been cold calling on behalf of Disneyland for all I could tell. She was professional. Her language was appropriate and intelligent. At the conclusion of her opening statement, I said to her, “Young lady, you’re good!” She laughed and then got right down to business about the magazine subscription.
I had never seen or spoken to this person before. Still, I formed a mental image of her based on her voice, tone, and language and developed an impression of her personality in less than a minute. I even formed an image of what I thought she might look like. Admit it, we all do it.
I recently had a guest on my radio show walk into the studio and blurt out, “You look exactly as I imagined!” My voice, my tone, my language, and my personality created an image in the mind of my guest.
The same thing happens when we cold call. The young lady who sold me the magazine subscription created a telepresence that was mentally palpable. Her opening statement and attitude communicated that I could talk to her without getting pushed over a sales cliff or cajoled into a purchase. I was able to make this assessment in less than thirty seconds.
After subscribing to the magazine she was selling, I evaluated her call and jotted down a few notes. What was it about her call that made it so effective? Her success boiled down to two things:
1.The appeal of her opening statement
2.The favorable impression she created
In o
rder to make a positive first impression, a favorable telepresence must be established. In other words, you need to sound attractive. You need to project an image and attitude that is positive and authoritative. Your tone and language should reflect confidence. For this reason, I recommend making business-to-business cold calls first thing in the morning before getting bogged down or tired by the trials of the day.
Note: Being positive is an important part of cold calling. People can sense the mood of a salesperson by the tone of his or her voice.
I managed a gentleman named David who was the most positive salesperson I’ve ever worked with. Always smiling and upbeat, this guy was constantly happy. I would walk by him in the hallway and ask, “How’s it going?” He always responded with such statements as, “If I were any better, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself!” I noticed that everyone, including me, would smile when he came down the hall. He projected genuine optimism, and his positive attitude affected everyone else’s attitude, including buyers. He created a presence that was, to put it lightly, favorable. It wasn’t a coincidence he was one of our top sellers.
Let me give you a personal example of how dangerous a bad attitude can be when cold calling. When I first started my sales consultation business, I spent each morning cold calling and setting up appointments to sell corporate sales training. On one particular morning I’d been at it for close to an hour with terrible results. It seemed like everyone I spoke to was rude, cold, or indifferent. Their negative attitudes started to wear on me, and led to a huge mistake. I called a lead that I had left two messages for in previous weeks. Because of information I had from a mutual associate, I knew that company needed what I offered but, as fate would have it, the receptionist put me into the decision makers’ voice mail. I knew the decision maker was avoiding me. I then made a terrible mistake and left the worst voice message possible. I said, “Hi, this is Patrick Hansen again. I’ve already left you multiple voice messages. I think it’s unprofessional of you not to return my calls. I will not be calling you again. If you are serious about increasing sales, you need to call me.”
I hung up the phone and sat there in stunned silence, reflecting upon what I had just done. I’ll venture to say that decision maker didn’t create a favorable mental or emotional image of me after listening to my voice mail. I could not believe that Mr. Cerebral Salesman himself had just done something so stupid. Needless to say, I never received a call back, and in fact, months later I ran into the associate who gave me his name in the first place. I wanted to crawl in a sewer hole when he informed me that he had heard what I had done. I assume that I will never get another referral from that man again and who could blame him? I let my bad mood dictate my behavior.
Caution! Bad moods kill good cold calling scripts.
Projecting an optimistic telepresence is critical to the success of the initial sales call, so if you are feeling angry, frustrated, or upset, stand up and take a short break. You might go for a quick, brisk walk or splash some cold water on your face. You must do something to eliminate your bad mood.
Phone Etiquette, Verbal Skills, and Appropriate Language
Before I jump into the pulp of a good cold call, let me review the importance of using appropriate phone etiquette, pronunciation, and verbal skills.
Appropriate phone etiquette is a mandatory element of successful prospecting and starts with the appropriate use of language and correct pronunciation of words. Using clear language and correct diction is not optional when cold calling. You may get by with poor verbal skills when getting directions on the streets of a downtown city, but it won’t help you become a better, more productive cold caller in the business world.
The fastest way to frustrate a potential buyer is to speak in a way that is confusing, or unclear, or by using language a prospect can’t understand. If you don’t use appropriate, understandable language, you won’t make a favorable impression with buyers.
You should avoid a number of annoying speech habits when cold calling:
• Sounding nasal
• Heavy breathing
• Mumbling
• Sounding monotone
• Using slang
• Excessive stuttering
• Long pauses
Your voice needs to be properly pitched. Avoid speaking too loudly, too softly, too quickly, or too slowly. Make sure that your words are not garbled or slurred. A great cold call script can be sabotaged with poor voice control, incorrect diction, or both.
When I discuss verbal skills and appropriate language, I am not referring to foreign or regional accents. As long as people can understand you, accents are positive. People love to hear accents, and they sometimes lead to personal discussions about geographic locations (such as north or south), nationality, or national origin. All of us have had people with accents call us. Most of the time we inquisitively ask, “So where are you from?”
The Point? Opening statements either open doors or slam them shut. The telepresence you establish and the mental image you create in the first thirty seconds of a cold call can make or break the remainder of a sales conversation.
Prospecting Scripts
Effective opening statements don’t happen by accident. They are thought out, rehearsed, and practiced. Because effective opening statements don’t just happen, it’s important to create a prospecting script prior to cold calling.
Elite sellers use scripts when they prospect. Some read the script, in a conversational tone, of course, while others only reference the script. Some sellers simply have the script lying on their desk as a handy backup in case they get stuck. My point is that they don’t rely on chance or luck to make a powerful opening statement. They don’t count on their ability to come up with effective verbiage off the top of their heads. As every seasoned seller will tell you, it’s impossible to be on your mental “A” game on every call.
Note: Power prospectors understand that there are no second chances when it comes to cold calling. You get one shot to advance the sale. Scripts ensure that you make the most of the opportunity.
One of the advantages of selling over the phone is that you can use a script. I taught this principle to a sales team for a technology company where I was tasked with establishing a call center to generate qualified leads to pass to senior sales personnel. I spent a full day training and role-playing. In the group was a young college student whose confidence exceeded his intellect. After the training, he confided to me that although the other cold callers might need a script, he wouldn’t (wink, wink). I didn’t want to bruise his ego or crush his enthusiasm, so I said nothing. A few hundred calls later, he was using a script. After being drilled by astute buyers, getting flustered, verbally lost, and mentally shot down a few times, he didn’t think using a cold call script was bad after all.
Many sellers are reluctant to use scripts for fear of sounding “canned.” That’s understandable. No one wants to sound like he or she is reading from a piece of paper. This is why it is important to memorize and mentally internalize cold call scripts. By mastering your script, you will develop the ability to speak in a natural, comfortable way. One technique to conversationalize a cold call script is to practice it into a recorder or personal voice mail until it comes across as natural and unrehearsed.
Note: There is an enormous difference between “canned” and “planned” prospecting scripts. Scripts that are memorized, referenced, and verbally rehearsed are planned. Scripts that are obviously read are canned.
Preparing a Prospecting Script
Developing an effective prospecting script takes preparation. It’s like an Olympic athlete. Olympic sprinters and swimmers win gold medals in races that are won in seconds, not hours. Think of how much time it takes to prepare to run a 100-meter dash. The race is won in less than 10 seconds. How much preparation goes into winning the race? How many hours do athletes spend weight liftin
g, practicing, stretching, and running?
Karl Malone, the former All Star power forward for the Utah Jazz, publicly criticized his teammates for showing up to summer camp out of shape because he knows that what takes place in the off-season determines what takes place in the regular season. Selling is much the same. You need to prepare to be successful.
Scripts ensure that consistent cold call strategies are implemented. By going through the mental process of creating, editing, and rehearsing cold call scripts, sellers fine tune their messages. They develop key words and phrases and position key sentences for strategic moments in the phone call. (See Chapter 11 for a step-by-step example of creating a cold call script).
Furthermore, scripts give sellers confidence and provide a backup system should they become flustered. They can also be used to write down product notes, questions to ask, and/or responses to potential objections. (See Chapter 18 for effective rejoinders to common cold call responses).
Don’t Prospect Without a Script
I refer to non-scripted prospecting as, “Mumbling, Stumbling, and Fumbling.” Sellers who neglect to use a script end up not only rambling, but also using words and phrases that detract from the impact of the call because they inadvertently inject what are called “weasel words.” Theodore Roosevelt coined this term to describe, “Words that destroy the force of a statement by equivocal qualification as a weasel ruins an egg by sucking out its content while leaving it superficially intact.” Words such as “uh,” “ah,” “um,” and “you know” are considered weasel words since they have no purpose and add no meaning to a conversation. Weasel words can also diminish the authoritative tone every cold caller seeks to establish.
The Point? Don’t prospect without a script. Scripts make cold calls more effective, persuasive, and successful. Unscripted cold calls are longer, wordier, less effective, and tend to stray from the point of the call.
Power Prospecting Page 10
