Cold Calling Archives

The Art of the Cold Call – A Numbers Game

Making a cold call doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience if you consider the numbers game involved.

Few things are more terrifying then making a cold call. As the name implies a cold call is cold in nature. Because there is no existing relationship with the person on the other end of the line, he or she may feel quite cold towards you. And the fact that you know very little about them, may leave you feeling a rather chilly as well. What you are trying to accomplish with a cold call is to make a total stranger interested enough in buying what you are selling? If you do not understand and appreciate the art of the cold call, this process can be met with much resistance and can lead to personal frustration. However, master the cold call skill can set you apart from the competition and lead to increased sales. Read the rest of this entry

A sales call is a must for any successful marketer. You can get your pitch out clearly and effectively by following a few simple steps.

A sure way to strike fear in some of the bravest of hearts is to tell the person they must make a sales call. Especially in the digital age, we have learned to depend upon e-mail, Twitter, text and instant messages to communicate. The less we use the good old telephone, the more intimidating the sales call becomes. While all of these more modern methods are effective, there is still something very powerful about the sales call, especially when you know how to use it.

One of the worst things you can do as a sales person is to make a sales call that lacks purpose and in the end does not deliver your pitch. Even if the sales call feels uncomfortable and awkward at times, you can trust that you have done your very best if you at least manage to squeeze in your sales pitch.

As important as a well written sales pitch is in a sales call, equally important is the way in which you lead up to it and then finally deliver it. It might help if you break it down in baseball terms. Think of a sales call as first settling on the mound, then winding up, and finally delivering your pitch. Check out these top three sales call tips to improve your game:

Sales Call Tip #1: Settling on the Mound

Before you even dial the number make sure you are in the right frame of mind. If you are too nervous or anxious then it will become abundantly clear to the prospect in a matter of seconds. If you feel yourself beginning to get overly nervous, count to ten and take a few deep breaths. While you may be making a sales call with fear in your heart that you will get shot down, there is an equal chance the next sales call could be your biggest sale ever.

Sales Call Tip #2: Starting the Wind Up

When you are making your sales call, be sure you follow protocol. Don’t just say, ‘Hi’ and then spout off your pitch, as that approach may seem unprofessional and lacking tact. Instead, take the time to greet the person at the other end of the line, clearly stating your name and the name of the company you represent. This is also a great opportunity to thank the person for taking a few moments out of their busy day to talk to you.

Sales Call Tip #3: Delivering Your Pitch

After a well thought-out greeting, it’s time to get to your pitch. Don’t waste a lot of time with small talk as you need to remember that time is money to them Your pitch should be well-planned and prepared ahead of time. Focus on using a natural calm voice. Just like baseball if your pitch is too fast you risk it going wild and that is never good for anyone.

While the sales call may not be a favorite among today’s salespeople, it is one method that needs to be conquered and delivered effectively. With the right preparation and a high level of confidence, you can expertly deliver your sales pitch through a sales call. Once you have a few successful sales calls under your belt, you will wonder why on earth you ever feared them.

For more tips on the ever important sales call and finding ways to change your life by staking your claim in the business world, visit http://www.localbusinessmoneymachine.com.

Is a Career in Telesales Right for You?

If you are great at sales and don’t mind calling complete strangers then a career in telesales may be the challenge you are looking for.

A career in telesales can be very rewarding, but it can also be filled with stress. To be great at telesales you have to be more than just a good salesperson. Many people who may be great at one-on-one selling in person may not be so good when they have to cold call complete strangers.

A typical telesales job will have you making call after call in what is known as a call center. The call center consists of a number of people all making numerous phone calls. Just as with any other sales job you may have had, in telesales your job will be to convince the people you call to buy the products you are selling. Some companies make telesales a bit easier by allowing you to give a free trial away. This usually decreases the amount of resistance you’ll face because people like to try before they buy.

As you can imagine, calling people at their homes or their place of business is a challenge. Talking to someone you have never met before and trying to convince them that they cannot live without what you are selling can draw an ugly response at times. The general rule of thumb is that you will have eight or so people tell you ‘no’ before one person will tell you ‘yes.’ If you are the type of person who is easily discouraged then the telesales industry is probably not for you.

Being well organized will go a long way in ensuring your success. You’ll have some people say no, some say yes, and others who will be a bit wishy-washy and require a follow up. By keeping your call list and leads organized you will be more efficient ultimately hear ‘yes’ more often.

With telesales persistence pays off. Hearing ‘yes’ is the name of the game and because of the high ratio of people who will simply not be interested no matter what it is you are selling you can imagine how many phone calls you’ll need to make each day. Being determined but not pushy is a key component in any telesales job. This all starts with a good script that is memorized before the call. However, you must also be good at rebuttals when the person on the other end of the phone challenges something you say. This is an art in itself and is learned over time.

Succeeding in telesales jobs is like playing an instrument – the more you practice the better you become. If you can conquer the world of telesales then you can probably master any sales challenge out there. Many salespeople are now learning how to use telesales along with the internet to build their own businesses. As rewarding as it can be to dominate the call center you work in, it is even more rewarding to use those same skills in your own business.

For more information on how to use your telesales skills to create a business all your own, visit http://www.localbusinessmoneymachine.com.

Getting through Your Telesales Script without Sounding Scripted

Are you hearing more and more clicks with your sales calls? Evaluating the way you deliver your telesales script and conducting some simple exercises can mean less clicks and more sales.

Anyone who has ever been to a kindergarten play knows what it is like when talking sounds scripted. Many salespeople unknowingly do that with their telesales script. With telesales sometimes it isn’t so much what you say, but rather how you say it.

A well written telesales script is the first thing you have to have on hand before you can expect to make any sales, but a smooth delivery of that script will make an enormous difference in your results. When you call a prospect on the phone and you sound like a recording people know within seconds that you’re trying to sell them something and the call loses any chance of a relaxed and personal feeling right away.

Another scenario is calling a number, asking for the person you want to speak with, and then delivering your telesales script ten times too fast. How the heck is the person on the other end supposed to know what you are talking about let alone be interested in buying anything from you? This speedy delivery comes from feeling anxious feeling and an overwhelming desire to simply say what you have to say so you can hang up the phone. If you are that anxious to hang up, just hang up.

In order to be truly successful at telesales you have to deliver your telesales script in a smooth and natural way. The only way to accomplish this is by being aware of your delivery. If you’re not getting the results you think you should, maybe it’s time to evaluate your telesales script delivery.

Here are two exercises that will help:

Telesales Script Evaluation Exercise #1: Mirror Technique

Stand in front of a mirror and make a mock phone call to yourself. This may sound silly but this is a wonderful opportunity for you to actually see your script delivery in action. Are you stumbling with the words? Are you talking too quickly? The bottom line is that at the end of this exercise you should walk away thinking that you would buy from yourself based on your telesales script delivery.

Telesales Script Evaluation Exercise #2: Cold Call Friends

While the first exercise is wonderful, many people can’t self-evaluate. If this is the case you can always turn to those who are more than happy to point out your flaws – your friends. Choose a handful of your friends and let them know that you’ll be calling them to practice your telesales script delivery. After you call them ask them for an honest evaluation and then be prepared to get peppered. While some of what your friends will say to you may frustrate you, wear a thick skin. Don’t take the exercise as disparagement, instead think of it as constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to learn your faults so they can be corrected. Better your friends tell you that your delivery stinks versus a potential customer or your boss.

Telesales are arguably the most frustrating types of sales jobs that there is. The anxiety and the pressure of having to deliver a perfect telesales script feels even worse if you have a boss always looking over your shoulder. Many salespeople who are great at sales, but not so good with telesales are discovering how they can pair their skills with the power of internet marketing to make a lot more money without ever having to endure the pain of running through a telesales script again.

If you have the sales skills of a champion, but hate the cold calling take a few minutes to look at Local Business Money Machine. You could put your  telesales script to rest for good and use your unique sales and marketing skills for your own business. For more information, visit http://www.localbusinessmoneymachine.com.

Cold Calling in a Digital World

Cold Calling in a Digital World

Businesses are discovering a combination of cold calling and Internet marketing creates a successful mix for obtaining customers in today’s competitive markets..

As the Internet has seemingly taken over the business world, sales people question whether there is still a place for cold calling. There are proponents on each side of the fence, some insisting cold calling is a lost art form and others believing cold calling can still be an effective way to get customers. How can one be sure which is the best method? Like most things in the business world, a combination of methods may be your best bet. The most successful salespeople will likely know how to utilize cold calling in conjunction with Internet resources to maximize effectiveness and ensure the business is putting its best face forward.

The argument that cold calling is an old school technique that no one utilizes anymore can actually work to your advantage. All the better for you if you incorporate cold calling into your customer conversion methods, because you will be contacting customers in a way that isn’t typical for them. While it’s true that cold calling is still out there, the fact is that the numbers of salespeople who regularly cold call are steadily decreasing. Instead of discrediting the method all together, it makes sense to go against the grain and use a method that fewer people are using. It is a way you can set yourself apart from the pack. Less competition in cold calling means more opportunities for you.

Using the Internet to Improve Cold Calling Results

Consider how much more effective your cold calling skills can become if you embrace the online world and incorporate it into your method. With a few quick key strokes you can discover the details of a business prior to making the first call. Use the Internet to learn who the key players are and better understand what the business is all about. Conducting Internet research on the business provides you with a window into their world, giving you an opportunity to determine if the business or person will need what you are selling.

Use the Internet to look up the competition of the businesses you are targeting to learn the ins and outs of what they are doing. If your competitors are doing better, then use what you can learn about them to your advantage and let the prospective customers know how you can help their business not only meet but also beat the competition’s results.

While people may say cold calling is dead, it is really the old form of cold calling that is no longer as effective. There is no need to make several phone calls just to determine whom you need to speak with in order to work directly with a decision maker. These days, the Internet makes getting touch with key business players a snap. It is still important to have excellent people skills, but being able to do the background research prior to contacting business owners and leaders gives you a huge advantage right out of the gate.

High performing salespeople are realizing the positive effects Internet marketing can have on a business’s customer conversion efforts, especially when coupled with the old-school cold calling marketing approach. Now is the time for businesses that are serious about being competitive in their niches to take cold calling to the next level by using the Internet.

For more information on coupling cold calling with Internet marketing and discovering new ways to use your marketing skills to better your life, visit http://www.localbusinessmoneymachine.com/.

Want more business? Go after it! Here are some of the best cold calling techniques that can help you bring in customers.

Cold calling is often a necessary, if unpleasant, part of the sales world. It’s even harder these days as businesses watch their bottom line and are reluctant to take risks. By building some of the best cold calling techniques, you can learn to do it successfully and reap the rewards. When done correctly, cold calling can be a very effective sales tool. Most sales people cringe when those two words come up. Bringing up the idea of a cold call can make many otherwise successful salesmen and women want to run for the hills. It can be terrifying, but it is also one of the few must-do’s in business to gain new clients and get your business information out there. There are some techniques that can help make cold calling less painful and more effective. Read the rest of this entry

Cold calling is a daunting task. Use this cold calling guide to help ease the pain and the process to let cold calling work for your business.

Cold calling is one of the most difficult chores in sales and marketing, but having a cold calling guide can help you find your way through the process. Cold calling is basically contacting someone you don’t know and trying to sell them something they may or may not want to be sold. Your job is to make them understand how what you have to offer is something that will help them or their business. Many sales people hate cold calling because it’s so personal. It’s one-to-one contact with someone who is very likely to reject you and your ideas. That’s why using this cold calling guide can help guide you and help make you a better and more successful cold caller as well as help you feel more comfortable making the calls. Read the rest of this entry