Episode Sponsored By: Owler
On today’s Sell or Die Extra
Don’t you hate to make cold calls? A lot of people do, but a lot of people are still stuck making them. Make them a little easier and a little more fun by listening to this week’s Extra which includes Jeffrey’s 3 steps to a successful face-to-face cold call.
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Full transcription
Jen
This is a Sell or Die Extra.
Jeffrey
Sales red meat. That’s what it is. Red meat that you can take out into the street one minute after you hear it, and turn it into money.
Jen
In a New York minute?
Jeffrey
No, actually, Jenny, in a Jersey minute. And today’s Sell or Die Extra is brought to you by Owler.
Jen
Owler is the crowdsource competitive intelligence platform that a million business professionals use to outsmart their competition, gain competitive insights, and uncover the latest industry news and alerts.
Jeffrey
And here’s the best part. If you sign up for free, you can follow me on Owler, and automatically get my latest sales tips and videos along with insights relevant to your business. Go to Owler.com and in the search box you type in BuyGitomer, then just click on the yellow star and follow me. Owler is completely free to use, and valuable. Come on. Follow me. Go to Owler.com today.
Jeffrey
This little piggy got in the door. Don’t you hate cold calls?
Speaker 3
Yes.
Jeffrey
And sometimes don’t you think they’re a waste of time?
Speaker 3
Yep.
Jeffrey
Well, for those of you that are still stuck doing them, here’s a refreshing look at the process. There are three steps or objectives to a face-to-face cold call.
- Getting to see the decider.
- Gaining the decider’s interest.
- Making a sale, or closing the next step in the sales cycle. You can’t get to number three unless one and two are executed. Easy to say, not easy to do.
Jeffrey
Most cold calls fail miserably. But not you. You get in every time, right?
Speaker 3
Uh.
Jeffrey
The biggest problem in cold calling, is not the gatekeeper, or the customer that won’t let you in, it’s the sales people who are uncreative, take no risk, and have no fun. Now that isn’t you is it?
Speaker 3
Uh.
Jeffrey
My friend, Pam Lantos, a sales training expert, knew a salesman named Bill, who combined creativity and high risk to get into the offices he was rejected from, but really wanted to get into. At the end of a week, he made a list of the high value prospects that refused to see him. And then one day a week, he made cold calls to his re-hit list, only this time, he took his pot belly pig with him.
Jeffrey
He walked up to the receptionist, and said, “Tell Fred, that Bill and his pig are here to see him.” Can you imagine the gatekeeper announcing to the boss, “There’s a guy out here with a pig who wants to see you.” Most of the time, he would get escorted right back to the boss’s office. Sound crazy? “Just call me Crazy Bill with the big bank account,” he would say.
Jeffrey
Look at the principles of cold calling that Bill executed successfully:
- He got in where others, including himself, could not before.
- He gained the prospect’s interest.
- He will never be forgotten.
- He was having fun and created smiles for others.
How can you adapt this principle to your cold calls?
Well, figure it out. That’s why they call it creativity.
Jeffrey
But a word of caution. If you take an elephant, bring a shovel. What should you say when you get into the boss’s office? Now, supposed you used a pig, and you actually get in. Try these: “My pig has an important message about your product, and I’m his interpreter.” Or, “The pig was off from school today, and I couldn’t get a sitter.” Or, “We’re trying to upgrade the salesman’s image.” Or, “I brought lunch.”
Jeffrey
Now, for those of you who are about to scream, “This is unprofessional!” Remember the first objective of a cold call: Get in the door. Here are two scenarios to ponder. One, I’m the most professional salesman in the world. I make a cold call or a sales call in the traditional consultative way, and establish rapport and ask great questions and find out the prospect’s needs. And make an appointment to return with answers and a proposal next week.
Jeffrey
Or, I walk in unannounced, or five minutes late for an appointment, looking ragged, and explain in two minutes how the prospect can use my product and say, “Sign here.” And the prospect signs. Who did a better job? Now, I’m not saying sacrifice professionalism, nor am I saying this will work in every scenario, nor am I saying that you won’t piss off a few people, but it’s fun. And sales people aren’t having enough fun.
Jeffrey
If you’re cold calling, you must have a counter balance for rejection. It doesn’t have to be a pig. But the pig worked for Bill. My challenge to you is that it ain’t that serious. If you got to make cold calls, have a good time doing it.
Jeffrey
This has been a Sell or Die Extra. If you like it, and you like this show, and you like all the information that’s inside of it, go to the GitomerLearningAcademy.com and subscribe. What are you doing? What’s this noise?
Jen
I’m going to GitomerLearningAcademy.com to subscribe.
Jeffrey
Way to go. Way to go. You can also subscribe to Sell or Die on Overcast if you have an iPhone, or if you don’t, go to the store and get an iPhone. Or if you don’t, go to iTunes or Stitcher, and come back every single Tuesday for a full Sell or Die episode with expert sales analysis that will help you do the one thing you’re hoping for: make more sales.
