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Here
are four reasons to consider making cold calls without referring
to a sales letter:
1.
You get pegged as a traditional salesperson right away
When
you start your cold call by referring to a sales letter, you’re
following a traditional sale and marketing technique. This
indicates to potential clients that you’re a traditional
salesperson.
Do
you really want to be associated with something that brings up
painful memories of sales pressure?
Better to break out of that negative salesperson stereotype
entirely, and offer something new.
2.
People just don’t read sales letters all that much
The
hope is that potential clients have seen your sales letter before
you call. From among all the other letters that arrived on their
desk that day, you hope they’ve read yours (which is unlikely),
and remembered it (even more unlikely).
The
idea is that when you call, they already know what the call is
about. However almost
no one reads sales letters. If
they do, they remember them only vaguely.
3.
Cold calling conversations are harder to initiate
Most
people take it for granted that it makes sense to send out a
letter before cold calling. They think this gives them something
to start speaking about. They
can say, “I sent you a letter, did you get that?”
Nevertheless,
when you call, these are the reactions you typically get:
•
What letter/e-mail?
•
What was it about?
•
Sorry – I don’t remember seeing it. What are you selling?
You
may as well not have sent out the letter at all.
Saying, “Hi, I’m just calling to see if you got my
letter?” does nothing to move the conversation forward or to
generate two-way dialogue. You’re
still at square one.
4.
A sales letter makes you talk about yourself first
When
you start your cold call by explaining what a sales letter was
about, you’re talking about yourself, your product, and your
company. This is
exactly what we’re trying to avoid in the new cold calling
mindset. We want to talk about how to solve their problems first,
not about what we’re selling.
Isn’t
it true that sales letters, brochures, and e-mails focus entirely
on your company and your product or service, rather than on
solving a particular client’s specific, individual problems?
It’s essentially just an advertisement that you’re
referring to. Moreover, you’ve lost the opportunity to be seen
by your potential client now as a problem solver. You’re just
another salesperson who’s only interested in making a sale.
So
what do we do?
Suppose
your marketing manager sent out several letters or e-mails and you
need to follow up. How
would you open that conversation?
By simply making your cold call without mentioning the
letter. Just because
your company sent out the letters or e-mails doesn’t mean you
have to refer to them. In
most cases, the letters are only going to hurt you, not help you.
Basically,
if you have to follow up on a sales letter, then treat the cold
call as usual and don’t refer to the letter at all. You’ll
find that you won’t be tagged with the “telemarketer”
stigma, and you avoid being pulled into the numbers game.
At the end of the day, you’ll feel much more satisfied
with your cold calling approach. You’ll be able to continue
moving forward, firmly anchored in the new cold calling mindset.
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 |
