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JANUARY 2002 ISSUE
6 Habits of Highly
Successful Cold Callers
By Ann Barr
How many people do you know, who are
successful at cold calling? It’s a difficult thing: calling people
who don’t know you and whom you’ve never spoken with before. It
takes a special skill to do this – and to convince this person to
buy from you. So, last week, when I heard from someone who bought
because of a sales person’s cold call, I decided to find out why
she bought from this particular sales rep.
An American Management Association study shows that only 65% of
customers buy every year where they bought before. So you have to
sell enough NEW business to replace lost business just to stay even.
How do you get new business? Some companies use direct-mail
marketing successfully. Others use a combination of fax blasts and
direct mail marketing. But when effective telephone marketing is
added, your sales can skyrocket.
Special skills are needed for really successful telephone marketing
and not everyone is good at it. Last week I heard from someone (Ann
Gaines) - a customer – who bought toner cartridges from a specific
business only after getting cold calls from the sales person
(Patricia Fisher).
From The Customer’s
Perspective
I asked Ann why she bought from this sales person (what set
Patricia apart from other sales reps Ann heard from) and this is
what she told me: "Actually, it was her persistence. I kept
putting her off. And she picked only one item – printer
cartridges. She simply asked me to get a price quote from her before
I ordered from the discount store. And after I placed my first
order, she sent me a fancy little thank you note in the mail!"
Secrets of Productive Cold
Calls
I asked Patricia Fisher for her success secrets and this is what she
wrote: "I think it is very important to believe in the product
you are selling as well as the company you work for. When I am cold
calling a customer I mention that I have been handling office
equipment supplies for many years and I am very fortunate to be
working at Bond Business Products. Be persistent! I tell customers
that I don't expect to get all their business after one or two
calls. Try us out! We will show you the type of service we provide -
Let us be an alternative to your current vendor - a "Back
Up."
"When I cold call and speak with the receptionist, and can't
get through to the decision maker - I ask for the name of the person
who is responsible for ordering office equipment supplies - I'm not
trying to sell anything - I just want to send information. I then
send an introductory letter to the decision-maker and information
about our company.
"After I have a good cold call - I send a thank you note
along with my business card. A lot of my customers mention that they
like the ‘note’ they have received from us."
6 Habits of Highly Successful
Cold Callers
Six habits that set Patricia apart as a sales professional:
1. She is persistent. Even though the customer "put her
off," she did not give up after only one or two calls.
* * (Research from Sales & Marketing Executives
International found that 81% of all sales made are made in the
fifth call or later in the sales process.)
2. She picked one item to focus on. She didn’t
confuse the prospect by talking about a variety of products.
3. She believes in the products she sells and the company she
works for. She communicates that belief to her prospects.
4. Patricia offers to be a "back-up supplier" in
case the customer’s regular vendor doesn’t have what the
customer needs. This is a non-threatening soft-sell approach that I
have seen pay off over and over and over again.
5. She makes the first call just to get the name of the
decision-maker, then she sends an introductory letter with
information about Bond Business Products.
6. After a successful cold call, she sends thank-you notes
with her business card. This is the mark of a professional. It sets
Patricia apart from her competitors. A personal thank you note is
remembered and appreciated by prospects and customers.
Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer with 19 years’
experience in Sales and marketing. ENX readers can get a
complimentary e-mailed copy of her report: "64 Ways to Increase
Your Sales" by subscribing to Ann’s free e-mailed newsletter
"Weekly Sales Tips."E-mail your request to: annbarr@sellingsupplies.com
with "Sales Tips" in the subject line, or visit Ann’s
web site: www.sellingsupplies.com
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FEBRUARY 2002 ISSUE
How to Increase a
Sale by 100%
By Ann Barr
Each sales professional has her/his own method for handling
objections. Recently I heard an unexpected response to an objection,
which resulted in a sale. This sales person’s response to the
objection may surprise you.
Objections Might Not be Obstacles
One day in November I made the rounds of several neighborhood
shops to pick up a few necessities before leaving for a trip out of
town. One store I visited was Radio Shack – to buy audiotapes for
an upcoming seminar. As I stood at the cash register and handed my
money to the sales person, she asked me: "Do you need a cell
phone today?" I answered: "No. I have a cell phone."
That was a pretty definite objection, right? That statement would
have stopped most people.
It did not stop this sales professional. She
immediately said (in a cheerful voice): "We offer both Verizon
and Sprint service." Then she showed me her "favorite cell
phone."
She (her name was Janice) had no way of knowing that for nearly a
year I had been unhappy with my current cell phone service and that
I had been thinking of switching
to Sprint, but had put it off until I had time to make the change.
Janice broke most traditional selling rules. She did not acknowledge
my objection. She did not use a cushion statement, like
"I understand," before responding to my objection. What
she DID do, was turn a $16 sale into a $160 sale – by telling me
what Radio Shack could provide in the way of cell phone service.
Before I walked into that store, I had no thought of switching to a
new cell phone service on that day, or purchasing a new cell phone.
But on the theory that every consumer is a prospect, this sales
person persevered and ending up selling me something I really did
want, but had not made the effort or taken the time to buy.
How Do You Know?
When you hear the response "I’m happy with my current
supplier," this may be a smoke screen – a way to end the
telephone call. How can you know if your prospects might be willing
to switch – and consider buying from you? How do you know if your
prospects may not be completely happy with their current supplier?
You cannot possibly know until you:
Ask, Suggest, or Let them know what else
you have to offer.
Example:
You may hear this objection: "Your price for Hewlett-Packard
printer cartridges is too high." You could reply:
- "We also stock very high-quality compatible cartridges,
which can save you money. Would you like to evaluate one of our
premium replacement cartridges?" Or,
- "We also stock most branded fax supplies. Do you need a
fax cartridge today?" Or,
- "We have an excellent service program for Hewlett-Packard
printers. Our service technicians are Certified Hewlett-Packard
technicians. How do you care for your printers?"
Try it
Find out how this method of handling
objections can work for you. Every day this week, when someone
voices an objection, give her/him a fact and benefit relating to
your products/services or suggest another product or service. If it
doesn’t result in an immediate sale for you, it will at least give
your customers more information about other products and services
you can provide.
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