Here’s a little Girl Scout on the street carrying boxes of different flavoured cookies, timidly trying to knock on her neighbours’ doors worried that somehow she’d be booted out and that doors would just slam shut on her face after offering her cookies for only a few cents? Such a pitiful sight, eh?
But imagine what this little girl could be feeling even before approaching doors. Will they know that this little girl is on official business and would just be selling cookies for the good of humanity? Will she be able to speak her rehearsed cookie scripts? Will she make her first order?
Little that we know that a lot of grown-ups, even professional salespersons, experience anxiety the idea of making their cold call. It’s so typical to feel butterflies hitting big time up and down your belly that just thinking of making the call (whether personal or business) would even want to make you throw up.
But, let me give you the exact explanation of what a cold call means. A cold call is a personal call; it can be a visit or phone call to someone you know a little or someone whom you don’t know. The main reason for the request is that you are selling something for personal or official business.
Others think that you only make a cold call to total strangers, taken from internet listings or referrals from other persons. On the contrary, you can make a cold call someone or a prospect you already know. It can be someone you met last month at a party or maybe a friend introduced him to you before, and you found him to be an excellent prospect to sell the product. But still, contacting someone you know breaks the ice for a moment. Try to narrow your possibilities at first where you feel comfortable. Once you’ve mastered the technique, that’s the time to move on to more challenging prospects you never even thought of approaching.
The ordeal that you have to go through first is making that personal meeting one-on-one or telepresence can make you so tense that you feel like quitting everything.
Even professionals like doctors, lawyers, and professors feel the same, which is why they depend on friends or clients’ referrals for fear of losing their dignity and right name after making an unsuccessful cold call. One deep breath can help do the trick.
Nothing can be as uncomfortable as prospecting someone for your cold call. The fear of being shouted at or making a fool out of yourself are roadblocks and keep you from selling, overcome with the right attitude together with guarded planning, preparation, and if possible – Training. Believe it or not, salesmanship is possible for everyone.
Take these simple tips on how to Cold Call
Always be Positive
Remember that cold calling is a powerful business strategy. First, be positive with yourself. Feel positive about the cold call. There must be enthusiasm in your voice the people can feel right away.
Prepare to be Prepared
It’s not enough to know the procedure and having the right attitude. Prepare the list of whom to be called or visited, how the introduction should be, learn what prospects do, and the most crucial part of all is that your offered product or service should be something that could be of real use for them. Being well prepared can turn a simple cold call into a real business.
I am what I am
Never sound too over-reactive or nervous on the phone or when you shake your prospect’s hand. Never try to be somebody you are not with an aim to getting the attention you need. Assume that talking to your prospective customer for the first time should be the key to a lasting relationship.
Calm Down
Anticipate that you’ll receive rejections. It’s hard but never take it as a personal attack on you. Don’t let the feeling of being dismissed put you down and roll you back. Be patient and learn from your mistakes. You will reap a good harvest if you commit yourself to be persistent, which will also help you find a strategy that will work in the long run. Look at each turn down as if it were the next stepping stone.
The Art of Questioning
You can not expect someone to believe you right away and just sign up after describing your company’s objectives. You have to ask the right questions. Ask what they do accurately and promptly to help you use it along with the conversation.
© Wordscapes® (David Turner). All Rights Reserved.
