Cold Calling/Prospecting
Cold Calling in Today's Marketplace - How to Better Attack a Task Common to Every Salesperson
By Gerry Layo
Aug 31, 2004, 13:11

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For more information please visit: http://www.salestrainingcamp.com/t_gerry_voicemail.htm.)

For many sales people, the number one challenge that they have in their profession is prospecting or cold calling on the phone. There have been literally thousands of excuses developed over the years in order to avoid prospecting on a regular basis. And yet, probably the biggest factor in the growth of a salesperson's book of business and his or her career is prospecting.

Now, as a salesguy for years myself (and when running your own company, you still are) I realize and acknowledge that prospecting is not always fun. In today's world of e-mail, automated attendants, voice-mail and other screens, it can be even more challenging. But one absolute remains the same: If they ain't knocking at your door, you need to be knocking at theirs!! Now, for those of you who have attended some of my seminars, you know that I discuss using appropriate approach campaigns and touch campaigns as a means of prospecting for opportunity. I discuss the importance of lowering the screens by creating several value-add touch pieces that can precede your call. However, this article is based upon the good old fashioned cold-call and the prospecting tools necessary to be effective.

Why does Cold Calling cause so much fear? The biggest fear of cold calling is the fear of the unknown. Our mind races to ask:

“What if this person is rude?”

“What if they ask me a question I don’t know the answer to?”

“What if they are too busy to take my call, even if I do get through?”

“What is the purpose of this call?”



But, perhaps the scariest unknown of all is . . . “What am I going to say when I get this person on the phone?” Many or all of these questions and fears can be overcome with appropriate planning and pre-call preparation. Let’s face it….if you are clear on the purpose of the call, you have a much greater chance of accomplishing the purpose. It is way too often that salespeople tend to get on the phone and feel that they have to sell, sell, sell instead of accomplishing the purpose of the call, which may be as basic as setting an appointment.

We can overcome fear with the big 3 Ps planning, preparation, and practice. In anything that we do from sports and fitness to development of relationships, we tend to improve and increase results through focused action in these three areas. It is very natural to lay this theory over the daily development of professional sports teams. They map out a solid game plan where everyone plays a role. They prepare for any and all scenarios and how to counter any resistance where again, everyone plays a specific role. And then they practice, practice, practice! It amazes me how few companies and professionals with whom I work every year actually take the time to practice their skills to improve their results. It seems that, in sales the rule is that you improve by doing, not by practicing. Doesn’t this seem ridiculous?

Most of what we commonly refer to as Cold Calls, are really simply “first” calls, but there is no reason why they have to be cold. There are several ways we can warm them up. As with most things in life, planning and preparation can make us much more effective and in this case, it may also serve to substantially improve our confidence. Prepare yourself before you call. There are several ways you can prepare yourself for success even before you pick up the phone:

Do your research before you call. That way, when you get someone on the phone, you can have a relevant conversation about something you’ve read or heard about their industry, their business, or even about them personally.

Precede your call with some other form of communication. Use an organized series of cards, postcards, letters, fax, voicemail, and email, to introduce yourself and your company before you make the first call. It has been said that people do business with whom they know. If you do not have the ability to introduce yourself physically in advance of the initial call, look for different means by which to accomplish this. If a prospect has been “touched” by you several times previous to the first call, you will increase your chances of making the impact you desire on that call. *A word of caution here however: Be creative, but be relevant. Make sure that your “touches” are relevant and provide a value-add component to your prospect and/or their business. And most of all, don’t do the same thing that everyone else is doing!

Before you actually get a prospect on the phone, make sure that you develop a short value proposition – preferably referencing how you’ve helped a similar client – that is clear, concise, and compelling. Then, learn how to ask the questions that “set you up” to weave the story into your conversations. Don’t just start spewing information at them as soon as you get them on the phone. Remember, the shortest course on selling is to Ask Questions and Listen. Although your job on the initial phone call may not be to sell, it is important that you engage the interest of your prospect so that they are open to hearing you value proposition.

Prepare a list of the ten most common questions or objections your prospect is likely to have and the appropriate responses for each. There is usually only a handful that we hear over and over and over. Let’s get prepared with a strong explanation or rebuttal for each. In doing so, make sure that you clarify their question, validate their concern, address their specific issue, and thus explain your point to potentially overcome their challenge. Avoid sounding like you are reading form a screen by practicing this approach many, many times in advance.

Compile a list of happy clients to use for “name dropping” during your conversation. Make sure you understand exactly what kind of value your solutions have delivered to make them happy, and how your functional capabilities can do the same for your new prospect. In selling, we call this 3rd Party Success Selling. This technique is used by top pros the world over and can be used on the phone prior to the sale. Using another company name creates validation, increases prospect confidence, and adds credibility. Again, however, I caution you on making sure that the names that you drop are relevant to the prospect with whom you are speaking. Using references is one thing…using references that resonate with the prospective buyer is much more impactful!

Stop trying to “fight it.” Accept the fact that for most sales people, Cold Calling is just part of the job. It is a necessary evil that must be something in which you engage every day in order to continue to grow your book of business. Spend your energy learning to enhance your skills instead of dreading and avoiding the phone. If Cold Calling is something that you must master in order to build your career, then learn to grow your skills on purpose. Read the books, listen to the tapes and CDs, attend the seminars, and practice. Heck, it’s only your career. It’s only the thing that you spend over 60% of your life doing. It’s only the thing that feeds your family, puts a roof over your head, and clothes on your back. So……be the best you can be by design!

Stop taking yourself so darn serious. You must realize that, in order to grow in this area of your sales career, you must detach yourself (and your ego) from the process. After all, when you boil Cold Calling down to the basics, it is really just a series of actions such as:

Dialing the phone

Posing certain specific questions

Proposing the prospect take a specific action



In order to cope with the anxiety and stress, you have to let yourself off the hook. You can’t control your prospect's reaction to your proposal. All you can control is the actions you take to propose it, and the resolve to take the action again regardless of the outcome. What could happen on every call? I believe there are only a handful of potential outcomes:

The prospect is not available and you leave a voice mail or live message.

The prospect is not interested and hangs up on you.

The prospect is not interested but thanks you for asking.

The prospect is not interested today, but states that they may be a player later.

The prospect is not interested but refers you to someone who may be.

The prospect is interested and sets an appointment to meet with you.



I look at this list and feel that 50% of the potential outcomes seem fairly positive. What do you think…everybody wants what it is that you have to offer? Simply dig in and get the right attitude to get through these tasks as quickly and effectively as possible. The better you get at doing this, the less calls you will have to make.

If you are to set only one goal this year, make it one that allows you to open more doors. Set a goal to increase your amount of quality in AND quantity of those FIRST calls on prospective buyers for your product or service. One of the beautiful and most exciting things about outbound sales is that you have the power to increase your income and success by increasing the quality and quantity of contacts that you make into your marketplace. It is not merely a good suggestion that you do this…it is an absolute mandate in order to grow in an ever-changing marketplace.

About The Author:
Gerry Layo is one of the nation’s most dynamic and sought after speakers offering world-class keynote addresses, seminars, and workshops throughout North America. Gerry offers his audiences 20 years of street-tested, no-nonsense business experience. Gerry comes from a fresh new perspective on the platform today. Gerry began a sales career 20 years ago in a business-to-business sales capacity. He has since co-founded and ran three companies, building sales organizations that grew into multiple offices throughout the nation. Before partnering in Professional Sales Coach Inc., Gerry was the VP of Sales and Marketing for publicly traded ITEX where he ran sales training efforts for over 75 offices worldwide, dramatically increasing growth and profits.

Contact Information:
Gerry Layo
Professional Sales Coach, Inc.
5842 La Jolla Corona Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
1-888-298-6868
www.professionalsalescoach.com
gerry@professionalsalescoach.net

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