| The main reason why most Cold Calling
doesn't work is that most people just don't understand the point
of it. For most Outside Sales Reps, the cold call is not the last
step before a sale, it is the first step in determining whether a
person or business is a suspect or a prospect.
Let's start by first defining the difference between the two. A
prospect is a person or company that has a need or desire for the
product or service you sell and the money to pay for it. A suspect
is a person or company that you have not yet identified as either
a prospect or not a prospect.
The purpose of a cold call is to determine:
- Is this a prospect or...
- Are they worth the effort to find out
Not everyone is a prospect for your product or service. The
faster and more efficiently you can separate the people in your
territory into the "Prospects" and
"Non-Prospects" the more money you will make. In person
cold calling can be the best way to do this if it is done right.
For starters, make sure you are prepared. Have plenty of
business cards, flyers, info packets, and a way to take notes.
(perfect use for that pocket recorder you bought but never figured
out what to do with.
Remember, you are not looking to make a sale. You are only
there to qualify and disqualify each company or person. The rest
will be done on your follow-up calls. What you want to find out
is:
- How big is the company. Are they big enough to afford your
product.
- Do they currently use a similar product or service.
- Who do you need to speak to. (who is the decision maker)
If you collect business cards, use a system to mark them. Put
an "H" for hot, if they are currently in the market. Put
a Star on the card if it is a large account with a big potential
for your product or service. Put a "C" on the card if
the person asked you to call back. Put an "S" on the
card if the person asked you to send them some information.
Once you are back at the office, it is time to process those
accounts while they are still fresh in your mind. If you follow-up
with the accounts, you will never have to cold call that part of
your territory again. Instead, you will be able to place warm
calls to the contacts you identified and increase your sales. |
