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The way we’ve always wanted
to do cold calling!
You probably never tell potential
clients your real goal in calling them, but you don’t need to.
They’re already aware, because we’re all sensitive when the
phone rings and it turns out to be someone we don’t know.
In the old traditional training,
we learned the latest techniques for making a sale. We talk to
“prospects” rather than with people. And we “guide”
conversations along rather than letting them unfold naturally.
The way we do this sometimes might even be called a bit
manipulative. After all, we’re relating to another person while
holding an ulterior motive of making a sale.
Where does honesty and integrity
fit into this scenario? Well, most of us honestly believe in our
product or service. But beyond that, we carry a somewhat
artificial persona when we’re cold calling. We talk with people
for the primary purpose of making a sale, and we’re not really
interested in them or their world. Doesn’t this make you feel uneasy at times? It does
me.
So let’s discuss some ways
we’ve been trained in the traditional sales mindset that feel
artificial and dehumanizing, and ways we can overcome them.
1. We intrude upon
another person uninvited, with the goal of making a sale
It’s against our nature as human
beings to create uncomfortable situations. We have a natural
instinct for courtesy and connection it’s usually hard for
us as regular people to call uninvited, because on some level it
feels discourteous.
We can change that by changing our
goal. What if our goal is not to make the sale, but to find out if
we can help someone? This shift makes us more relaxed. And it
keeps us in harmony with personal integrity.
2. We project ourselves
as personable and friendly, while also holding an ulterior motive
for securing a sale
There’s an inner conflict with
integrity when we find ourselves using our connections with others
for self-gain. We can bring ourselves back into honesty and
truthfulness by shedding ulterior motives entirely.
We do this by focusing on whether we can provide something
that will benefit another person. We find out if they have a
problem we may be able to solve. And if it turns out we can’t
help with our product or service, we graciously accept the
outcome.
By being honest and not playing a
role, we find ourselves really liking what we do. And when our
“ulterior motives” are simply non-existent, people are more
open to trusting us.
3. When we meet someone
new, we immediately talk about ourselves and what we have to offer
It’s actually not normal for us
to start an interaction by launching into a self-focused
monologue. As regular people, this just goes against our grain.
Common courtesy dictates that initial conversations be dialogues,
not monologues.
In normal conversations we would
feel self-absorbed if we primarily talked about ourselves and what
we have to offer. Yet in the traditional cold calling situation,
it’s an accepted “norm.” We’ve been trained to read a
script, follow a strategy, or give a sales pitch.
This really isn’t the way we’d like to relate to
people, but it’s the way we’ve been taught.
We can break out of this
artificial game of sorts by just being ourselves. Integrity and
truthfulness means being authentic. We begin cold calling
conversations with a natural focus on the other person. We find
out their needs, and respond with genuine interest.
4. We “rev up” in an
artificial way, hoping to carry the potential client along with us
into a sales process
When we “pump ourselves up”
with enthusiasm, it feels somewhat fake. It’s not our normal way
of being, and it throws us out of integrity.
And we also appear artificial to potential clients. They
become wary of possibly being maneuvered into a sales situation.
If we can navigate a cold calling
conversation without such games, people will sense we’re
trustworthy. They react warmly and unhesitatingly to a
conversation that feels natural to them; especially if it revolves
around their issues rather than our agenda.
So how do we approach cold calling
in the most truthful way? We stop being “salespeople” and
become humans. We engage in an honest dialogue rather than a
monologue. We look for ways to help others, and we’re
comfortable knowing that our product or service may not be an
honest “fit” for them right now. We essentially stop playing
roles, especially the “high enthusiasm” game.
This is what I mean by bringing
integrity back into selling. It’s unbelievable just how
rewarding both personally and professionally this can be.
Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Cold Calling Game, makes cold calling
painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales
gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit
http://www.Unlock-The-Cold-Calling-Game.com |
