Cold calling can be one of the most difficult things when it comes to sales. I think that I’m a “Rock Star” sales woman, but honestly, if I had to spend the entire day cold calling, it might not be as easy to love what I do. In a way, it’s like gambling for me. I love it when I win and hate it when I loose. It seems like cold calling can feel more like a losing proposition . . I believe you must knock on a lot more doors to get a “yes” when you compare cold calls to warm leads.
With that said, I ran on to a great article about the 5 biggest mistakes made in 2009 when it comes to cold calling. I found the article in a group that I follow on Linked–In. Gina Birge, a Blaire Group Analyst, penned the article. The following details my interpretation of the article as it relates to cold calling for the family entertainment business.
- Inability to manage objections. When it comes to selling, it is necessary to know why your customer may object to your product. However, knowing is not enough. If you are new, you may not know what the common objections are. Work with a manager. Ask customers what would keep them from purchasing your products. Ask your friends. Then rehearse your refutation. I have found that most of the time, when a customer has an objection, those objections usually fall into the following categories:
- They don’t have enough information. Usually this is a direct result of a salesperson who hasn’t asked enough questions to help the customer know how he or she can solve their problem or meet a need.
- You are not speaking to the right person (the decision maker). The objection is disguised in verbiage like, “Let me get back to you. I need to talk more with my boss.”
- They are afraid of something–price, time, or that the experience won’t be good enough. It is OK to say, “Mr. Customer, I sense that I haven’t answered all of your questions or that you may have some concerns about having your event at our facility. I’d like to take care of any of those issues today.”
One of my favorite qualifying and objection–overcoming statements comes from Tom Searcy of Whale Hunting. He says to simply ask the customer, “When you’ve held this type of event in the past, what was your experience?” Any fears that this potential customer may have will come to the surface, and now you are in the best position to know how to calm those fears and win the guest over because you know what the objection really is!
- Voicemail mistakes. Statistics show that there is less than a 1% call back rate when voicemails are left. Many times sellers just hang up or they leave messages that really give the receiver no good reason to call back.
- Product Vomit. Seriously – Ms. Birge did not make this reference in her article. This is definitely my own interpretation. What often happens with a cold call is that a salesperson reaches the intended target and makes a fast desperate pitch in order to get the information to the potential buyer. So, a cold call, whether in person or on the phone, might sound like this: “Hello Mr. Customer, this is Beth from TTT Fun Center. I’d like to tell you all about our new team building program. Everyone is doing it. It’s called Play Therapy and your team will really benefit from coming out to our place and playing together. (take a short breath here). It’s awesome! We split your teams up so no one thinks there’s a hidden agenda, and then you’ll play video games, laser tag, and bowl. We’ll have prizes and awards and everyone will make up a team cheer. I am going to be in your area this afternoon and would like to drop off some information today. May I stop by around 2:15 or would 3:30 be better?” That’s product vomit. It’s a spill out of the features and benefits, and it’s too soon. A cold call as well a sales call requires more finesse.
- The call is all about you and what you are trying to sell rather than finding out what the customer needs and selling them that. I recently read a great article about successful companies who play together. Wouldn’t it be great to take or send this article to your cold call prospect as a helpful piece of information that supports your option of having a great place to play? Now the call is all about them and how your product can make their world better and you’ve based it on what someone else has said! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
- Giving the cold callee an easy out. If you begin the conversation with statements like:
- “Is this a good time?”
- “Do you have a minute?”
- “Are you free to talk now?”
Then you are sure to get the cold shoulder from your cold call prospect. It’s just too easy for this person to say no. All yes/no questions need to be eliminated from every sales person’s vocabulary.
If you would like more information about how to handle these objections, watch our webinar schedule at www.trainertainment.net. We produce interactive web sessions every two weeks and tackle issues like how to overcome objections, getting your foot in the door, how to handle the incoming call so you book the party every time, and many other sales, service, and leadership topics.
