As you make cold calls (whether by phone or in person), on these initial prospecting sweeps for leads and information, your tone should be that of a conversation, not an interrogation. Be friendly. Don't put them on the spot with a barrage of questions.
If someone you meet during these calls is reluctant to talk, it could be that they are only a temporary employee and doesn't want to admit it. Or it may be that they don't want to give away too much information without knowing why you're there, and what you're going to do with this information
Cold calling is usually much more productive as a way of prospecting for leads than it is in making the actual sales. In sales skills terminology, "prospecting" often means looking for industrial parks and the like, then doing a quick sweep in order to rapidly scan and flush out potential prospects. 71811
In those sweeps, you speak briefly with the receptionist or secretary to make a quick determination of whether it is worth calling back to see the Decision Maker.
Just what information you are looking for at this early stage of your search for viable leads will vary with your product and the market.
While these sweeps are, technically-speaking, cold-calls, the purpose is more to gather useful information: information you will draw from later in determining whether to come back here, with an appointment, as well as what kinds of questions to ask and information to present.
The checklist below is a starting point; adapt it to your own uses.
On the topics of consulting, contract work, and independent contracting, did you see Paul Davidson's article in USA Today (Dec 7, 2009), "Contract workers swelling ranks"? Go to article Some interesting points:
— About 8% of the US workforce consists of contract employees, most of whom are independent contractors.
— One person interviewed, a member of an employment law firm, predicts that half the jobs created in the recovery "will be filled by contractors, consultants, and other temps."
— More than half of all of these temporary slots are now "filled by professionals such as engineers and physicians."
— One of the key benefits for contractors like that is freedom: freedom to choose opportunities, and freedom to move on.
— From the perspective of an employer, one of the key benefits is flexibility: for example, firms can pull in specialists for product launches and new ventures without having to undertake the front-end costs in time and dollars of a permanent staffing-up.
All of this, need I point out, ties in with our overall theme: by learning to sell yourself (or your skills or whatever) face to face, you can help fill those needs.
Purchasing managers, you might assumed, are the folks who decide what to
buy.
But that assumption is usually wrong. In reality, the
purchasing manager will be more of an obstacle than a help . . .
provided that is, that you are selling anything other than commodities.
In a recent post, I mentioned an article from the British magazine New Scientist on non-verbals in the job interview situation (very analogous to the initial face-to-face sales call).
But if you really want to know more, check out the website Simply Body Language. Lot of good stuff for the sales person. But also an array of funny videos and photos on when body language goes bad!
Though there is a science (of sorts) of responding to objections, usually the best is simply getting the person talking. Listen, explore what is behind the objection (or their hesitation, even if it is not a clear objection). Then, when you have a sense of what is bothering them, respond accordingly.
Suppose you've arrived for your sales appointment, and now the prospect is saying something to the effect, "Sorry, I don't want to keep this meeting with you, after all."
You could respond, "Why not?" That might be okay, but it might also be perceived as confrontational.
A better probe to get them talking: "When you say that you don't have time to talk, do you mean just as the moment?" Pause to listen to their response. Then: "Perhaps we could reschedule for some time next week, perhaps on Monday afternoon? Or would Thursday morning be better for you?"
Second probe, if necessary: "You say that you don't feel our meeting would be a good use of time. Why do you feel that way?"
Third probe: "When we talked on the phone last week, you seemed quite interested in discussing the possibilities, particularly given (my firm's) record of success with other firms in the area." (If you had made that call on the basis of a referral from another client, remind of that name at this point.) "Has there been a change since then?"
For whatever reason (mischievous elves, gremlins, perhaps even human error!) Amazon is showing the wrong cover for Sales Presentations & Demonstrations. What is showing is the cover for How to Sell Face-to-Face: Survival Guide both for itself and for Sales Presentations.
"It'll be fixed soon," so they say.
Till then (or whenever!), here's the correct cover for Sales Presentations & Demonstrations.
A few weeks ago, I expressed my frustration in getting the new series of sales training books up by quoting Yogi Berra: "Things take longer than they do." Still true, but now I'd add a corollary: "And sometimes things take not only longer than they do, but even longer than you can ever imagine!"
In any case, the three new sales books are finally out, as you'll see in the column on the left. (How to Sell Face-to-Face Survival Guide (for people very new to, and maybe a little intimidated by, the thought of selling face-to-face); Sales Training Tutorials (more detailed, with more advanced guidance); and Sales Presentations and Demonstrations.
(Alas, there's still a small glitch: as of this moment, Amazon is showing the cover for Sales Survival Guide both for that book as well as for Sales Presentations, which has a green cover. "Within the week it'll be fixed" — so I'm told.)
By way of celebration, I'll be putting up free sample chapters within the next few days. (That is, samples beyond the free sections available via the link at the top of the left column.)
That said, this blog has been in semi-hibernation while waiting for the books, and now will begin adding fresh material.
In Part #1 of this series on sales and business courtesies, I mentioned Mr. Latham Jones and his respect for a sales person who followed through on a promise even though there was no direct benefit to him.