One of the most powerful tools for the small business owner to reach prospective customers is the telephone. It is more cost-effective than direct mail, which is expensive and easily pitched, or than advertising, which is expensive and easily overlooked. When someone answers the phone to a well-prepared business person with a well-prepared and relevant presentation, human contact is made and communication is achieved.
Selling over the phone is more difficult than selling face-to-face. Even well-experienced and highly successful sales training and coaching professionals, such as Paul S. Goldner, author of Red-Hot Cold Call Selling, find it a challenge. There is always the reluctance to risk being rejected.
The arithmetic of cold-call selling by phone is simple: more calls equal more sales.
Objective of Telephone Cold Calls
The objective of the cold sales call by phone is not to make a sale. It is to make an appointment for a personal visit to make a sale. Only a minority of calls will result in an appointment, but that does not mean every call has failed. If a call has enabled the caller to identify the right person who can make the decision to buy, it has been a success; the sales person has learned a vital piece of information not known before.
Tools for Success over the Telephone
The tools of a successful cold-call telephone sales process are:
1. A list of companies likely to be in the selling organization’s target market segment. Part of the purpose of the call is to find out if they are in the market or not. Lists can be obtained from sources such as chambers of commerce, industry associations, directories published by business and trade publications. The Yellow Pages is a useful but less specific source.
2. A written script that will guide the caller during a call or when leaving a voice-mail message. It does not have to sound artificial as if the caller is reading. With practice and use of a tape recorder, a person can learn to use a conversational tone.
The script must include questions that will enable the caller to learn about the prospect’s company and its needs, and will elicit “yes” responses that will dispose the prospect to agreeing to a sales visit.
Because several calls might (probably will) be necessary to get an appointment, the script should contain something new to tell or ask the prospect each time the caller calls back.
Paul Goldner also recommends use of a mirror so the caller can see his or her facial expression. A smile comes across in the voice
Telephone and Accessories
3. Obviously, the caller needs a telephone. Less obvious, perhaps, is the need for a headset. A headset leaves the hands free to make notes or to call up information on a computer, or to enter information to the computer.
A headset also enables the caller to stand, which helps the caller to adopt a confident, authoritative attitude that will be apparent in his or her voice.
Telemarketing Software
4. Contact management software, such as in Microsoft’s Outlook or CRM software from Maximizer, is vital. Each call will take 2 to 3 minutes. The caller needs to enter information on each prospect quickly and to be able to retrieve information quickly so that the time between calls is kept short.
It is vital to record what each prospect said during a conversation, especially objections.
5. A spreadsheet that records how many calls and the outcome will help track performance. There will be so many calls that do not result in an appointment that it is easy to be discouraged. The spreadsheet will confirm the truth -- more calls equal more appointments equal more sales.
The Vital Tools
A list, a phone, a computer, software -- these are the obvious tools. A tape recorder and a mirror are also important. And to forestall objections and "warm up" calls, effective marketing tools, especially web sites, are invaluable.
See also: Best Times To Make Sales Calls, Telephone Sales Tips - Finding the Right Person
Sources: Red-Hot Cold Call Selling, Paul S.Goldner, American Management Association.
Mark Hunter, the Sales Hunter.
Thomas Kelly - Tom Kelly has pursued a long, successful and award-winning career as a technical and business writer, marketer and publisher, during which ...
Join the Conversation