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Make your cold calling about them, not
about you
In the old way of making cold calls, we offer
a sales pitch to a perfect stranger, cross our fingers, and hope
for the best….right? This really doesn’t work very well
in building a business relationship (or any other relationship,
for that matter). Stepping into the world of the other
person and finding a problem we can solve for him or her is the
best way to do this.
That’s how we begin a conversation with
another person – talking about them rather than talking about
ourselves. It’s a very common dynamic that occurs in any human
interaction. When you’re dating somebody, for instance, if you
just talk about yourself he or she is not going to like you very
much, right? It’s the same in cold calling. Don’t talk
about your solution for a while. Talk instead about their problems
for a bit.
It’s a movement of dialogue. This
dialogue is around talking about their world and not about your
product. That’s the shift. All you have to do is
identify three or four major problems that your product solves,
and use those problems as phrases to begin the dialogue of your
cold call.
You see, this new cold calling approach has
to tie in to a specific, real problem that the person experiences
in their world. This is necessary in order for them to feel
comfortable having a conversation with you. When you’re
relevant to them and their world, they trust you. They sense
that you’re there to help them solve a problem – not sell a
product. Hence, remove yourself for a moment from what you
have to sell, and think about what problem your solution solves
for somebody.
For example, if you’re in the coaching
industry, think about what problem you’re solving for your
clients. You might say, “I’m just calling to see if your
company’s open to the idea of using coaches to improve
management performance.” When you use the word “open,”
people respond positively. Who would say “no” to being
open? You’re not challenging them. You’re not
forcing a solution. You’re not even saying what you’re
offering to sell. You’re simply asking a question
regarding whether they have a particular problem.
This also invites a question back to you.
Potential clients will often ask at this point who you are and
what you do. They might say that they already have a
service, but they may need some more help. Thus, it opens up
even more conversation. Here’s an example of how
salespeople focus their cold calling around something that appears
to be a need, but they haven’t tied it to a specific problem.
Let’s look at financial services. In
this case, people who sell financial services start cold calls
with a focus on the future of the person’s situation. They
might say, “I’m just calling to see if you’d be open to some
new ideas to help you increase your income.”
The better approach here would be to problem
solve. For example, “I’m just calling to see if you’d
be open to identifying any gaps in your portfolio that might be
holding you back in some way.” It’s about problem
solving and closing gaps, as opposed to promoting a beautiful
future. “Hire me and I’ll make you a lot of money!” Everyone
does that. That’s the problem. It gets old and very
stale
You see, there’s no push here.
There’s no sales pitch. There’s no presentation.
The conversation is focused on really seeing if the person has a
problem, and if they want to solve it. After the first few
phrases, you have a natural conversation back and forth. They may
say, “What’s your service?” “How much does it cost?”
That’s really the time to begin talking about your service
-- but not before that.
If you don’t talk about your solution for a
while and instead talk about their problems, you’ll find
yourself having better and deeper dialogue, with more trust.
So be careful not to immediately go into a presentation and spend
the conversation talking about your service. In this new way
of cold calling, you’re asking in a very conversational tone
whether the other person has a problem that you can solve.
You won’t believe how this simple technique
can make such a difference in the way potential clients receive
your cold calls. This technique vastly reduces tension and
resistance, and results are greatly improved.
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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 |
