Every day, I hear from sales people who are confused, frustrated or defeated by facing what they feel is a nearly insurmountable objection:

“I am sorry, but I am very happy with my current supplier/vendor. We have been doing business with them for many years and have no reason to change…”

This position strikes terror in most sales people and many ask me for advice on how to overcome this objection. The problem is that this is NOT an objection. It is a matter of fact, and should be expected.

Waiting for You?
My question is, when you call a prospective client, what did you expect their situation to be? Did you really think the prospect would be sitting there, without a current supplier or vendor and just waiting for you to call?

It is obvious that the prospective company is already doing business with one of your competitors. Now, if that decision maker were completely unhappy and unsatisfied with that current vendor, do you think he or she would have done something about it? What businessperson would continue to do business with a vendor for which they truly did not want to do business? And if, that were the case, then would not that vendor had probably called YOU?

Common Sense
Of course, they are happy with their current supplier or vendor, and you should already assume that. It is not an objection. Therefore, do not take it as an objection and move on. Instead of trying to argue the fact that perhaps you would make a better supplier, take the sales process as it should progress…one-step at a time.

Glad to Hear That
Do not argue the point. Instead, agree and even congratulate the prospect and let them know the reason for your contact at this stage of the sales process.

Prospect
“Well, I am really happy with our current technical training company. We have been working with them for about ten years, and we are very satisfied.”

Sales Person
“Great! I am glad to hear that Ethan. I would think that since you have been doing business with XYZ Tech for all of these years, that you are indeed very happy. I am also certain that they EARNED your business. Ethan, I am not asking you to GIVE me your business because I have NOT earned as they did. All I am asking is that you allow me to give you some valuable information about new developments in our industry over a quick 30 minute meeting. Perhaps in time, I might be able also to EARN some of your business. But in the mean time, the information will beneficial to you…”

The Opposite
The situation is the exact opposite of what most sales people think: Don’t fear the prospect who is happy with their current supplier…fear the one who is not.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

There are countless tips, tricks and gimmicks on how to begin a cold call. Of course, the majority of these ideas focus on how to get the call started or how to begin the call. Which makes sense, since if you do not get the call started correctly, it is over. However, what most people do not think much about is how to END that cold call.

The End is the Beginning
The way you end the call is as important and sometimes more so, than the way it began. If your goal was to set an appointment, and you did so, what you do and say as you end that call can make the difference on if the appointment happens or the prospect cancels or no-shows.

If you closed an actual sale on the telephone, then your call “Termination Tactics,” are even more critical. Below are three powerful tips to ending the call that will help actualise and materialise what you worked so hard to accomplish during that call.

#1 – Confirm and Summarise
After you have successfully set the appointment or closed the sale, you have to concretely summarise and confirm what happens. I know that sounds like it is automatic and assumed, and that is the problem. Most sales people take this for granted and it is a mistake.

Although, so you mentioned the product and costs ten times, or you talked about the meeting on several occasions during the call, you need to DO IT AGAIN!

“Once again, Sarah, I appreciate your time today and look forward to meeting with you next week. Let me just double check one last time; you will meet me at your office, located at 1234 Bending Road Place, Tuesday, that is the 12st, at 3:00 pm, is that right?”

#2 – Leave a Logical Backup
Remember, people make most buying decisions based on emotion and then justify or “back-up” those decisions with logic. On the telephone, when the prospect has agreed to buy or agreed to the appointment, he or she has made a buying decision, even if it is to buy the meeting. You must leave the prospect with some logic to help them justify or back up their decision after you get off the telephone.

“I want to just reiterate, Ethan, that during that brief meeting next week, I am going to show you exactly how to gain a slight advantage over your competition on the internet and leave you with some extremely valuable information. The meeting will greatly benefit you regardless of if you decide to do business with us or not…”

“Once again, Mary, the fuel adjustment gauges will arrive early next week, and you will see that you sill save a minimum of 24% on your costs starting from day one…”

#3 – Wait for the Prospect to Hang Up First
Lastly, after the good-day pleasantries, wait and let the prospect hang up the telephone first. You do not want the last thing the prospect or new client to hear be a telephone slam down on them. In addition, it is very easy for you to hang up as the prospect begins to say something or ask one last question. Also, you do not ever want it to appear that you were in a hurry to get off the phone. Slow down.

Confirm and summarise. Leave some logic behind and hang up last, and some of those great tips on beginning the telephone call might actually pay off in the end!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

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How do you get prospects to return your calls? Of course, it seems impossible to get a return call from leaving a message on a cold call. However, sales people also have problems getting calls returned from warm calls, or referrals given by satisfied customers.

So, what is it that you have to do in a voice mail to get people to call you back? Or should you even LEAVE a message in the first place?

The Objective
Just like any telephone sales call, you have to have a clear objective. When calling to set an appointment, you have to SELL the appointment.

When you call and get the dreaded voice mail, the objective becomes to get the prospect to return your call. Then SELL the return call, and ONLY the return call.

Return the Call
You must remember to sell and concrete only on getting the prospect to call back and nothing else. I know this sounds simple. However, while most sales people have think objective in mind, they do exactly the opposite in the call.

Look at this example of a voice message:

“Hi Ethan, my name is Sean Colby and I am with ABC Widgets. Your friend, Sarah Edmonds suggested that I give you a call. ABC Widgets sells the best widgets in town and they can really help you. In fact, Sarah bought some of our widgets and she was so impressed that she thought you might want some too. So, I am calling to see when I might set up a time to meet with you so I can show you the widgets and see if we can be of service to you. Our widgets are the best in the industry and Sarah agrees. So, please give me a call at 0800 123 4567 or you can send me an email at jevans@abcwidgets.com. You can also stop by our web site at abcwidget.com. I will be in your area next week, so anytime then would be a good time to meet or anytime at your convenience. Thank you”

This may sound like it makes sense, but actually our hypothetical sales person tried to sell too many things at once. He tried to sell:

1. His company, ABC Widgets
2. His products
3. The appointment
4. The email return
5. The value of the referral
6. The time for the appointment
7. Justification of the product
8. Industry recognition of his product and service
9. Their web site
10. His reputation and more

The last thing he sold was the return phone call, and guess what? No call back!
Do not make the mistake of forcing the prospect to make the big, hard decision of buying your product or service in advance. Instead, help them make the little, easy decision just to call you.

Let’s look at this same scenario, but this time with a sales person who understands that she should sell only one thing: The call back:

“Hi Ethan, Sean Colby with ABC Widgets. A mutual acquaintance, Sarah Edmonds, suggested that we speak with each other for a brief moment. I was able to share some information with Sarah that she was very excited about and she wanted me to talk to you. Please give me a call at your convenience and in a two-minute phone call, I can tell you what Sarah was so excited about. Please call my cell phone at 0800 123 4567 whenever you get a quick minute or two. Once again, that’s Joe Smith, with ABC at 0800 123 4567, and I look forward to talking with you. Thank you”

This sales person sold ONLY the return call. Also, note this professional stressed that the call would be quick and painless. He did not try to get the prospect to make a buying decision in a 30-second voice mail message. He just sold the importance of the returned call, the importance of talking for a quick minute and he made it easy for the prospect to do so.

If you sell only the return phone call, you will get few more return calls and in turn, you will contact a few more customers, close a few more sales and make a few more pounds!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

Ok, you are a pro. You have been cold calling for years, and despite the trend toward e-prospecting, and e-everything else, you have still perfected the art of being able to pick up the telephone and CREATE business, almost at will.

There are a few of us that have no fear of the cold-call and know how to get through the tough gatekeeper screen, get through to the decision-maker and set appointments or close sales. However, there are some pitfalls that even the best-of-the best have problems handling. Speaking to the telephone sales specialists, avoid these three mistakes and you will move on to levels that even you never thought were possible!

Simply put, sometimes your skill can be TOO much.

#1 – Too Smart
There comes a time when you know exactly what almost every prospect is going to say. You know every possible objection and you know how to handle each. Almost as if you have some type of extra sensory perception (ESP), you can cover every objection before they arise. It is easy to begin to assume that you know what the prospect is going to say before they actually say it. While you may be correct much of the time, you will be wrong as well.

In addition to assuming incorrectly, even when you are right, you will tend to cut the prospect off, sometimes in the middle of their sentence. You must remain open minded and listen to every response completely.

#2 – Too Quick
In addition to knowing too much, almost like somewhat of a psychic; always being right and having all the answers at the tip of your tongue, is a mistake. Prospects will often object simply because they feel you left them no objection. They feel you are too prepared and they have no control. Though you must maintain control, the prospect needs to feel as if they are in control. No one wants to feel as if they had no choice in the buying decision. Slow down and give the prospect’s objections and feelings some validity. Don’t overcome objections too fast and easy.

#3- Too Comfortable
Beginners and undertrained cold callers make the mistake of sounding too rehearsed, tense and phoney when making sales calls. However, the experienced pro can often sound too relaxed, loose and informal. You need to sound natural, and unrehearsed, but you must be careful to maintain a professional tone. It is easy to become so comfortable that your calls take on a casual, un-business like atmosphere.

Keep in mind that although you may have everything under control, the prospect cannot feel that there is a predetermined outcome.

You may be too good, but don’t be TOO good.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

The cold call went so well, you wished it were recorded so you all of your peers could hear. The prospect sounded glad you called, and seems anxious to receive your information package.

However, when you call back, it sounds like you are talking to a totally different person. Suddenly, the prospect became defensive and short. The rapport you established in the first call is gone and the prospect seems to be rushing off the telephone.

What Happened?
While there are several possible reasons for this, let me concentrate on just one culprit that you can eliminate right now and immediately begin having more success on that follow up call.

Watch the Sales Pressure
In that first contact call, even though it may have been a cold call, the prospect felt no pressure. You were not too aggressive and all you wanted to do was send a package. However, when you call back, the prospect can feel an enormous amount of pressure concerning if they have read the material and can recall it. Most of that pressure of reading the material, actually comes from you.

Usually, the first words in that follow-up call are something like this:

“Yes, Steve, I sent you out some literature in the post last week, have you had a chance to look at it yet?”

This question, while seemingly innocent, can cause immediate harm. In most cases, this nice prospect begins searching his or her memory, trying not only to remember the information, but trying to remember YOU. Remember also, this is a phone call, so the prospect has but a second or two to respond. That is why you usually hear responses like:

“Ah, I, um…well, I was really busy last week…” or, “Ah, I was out of the office…” or, “No, I don’t think I got it…”

An Adversarial Position
The prospect feels the pressure of an obligation to explain WHY he has not read your package. It is an offensive motion that forces the prospect to adapt a position of defence. That innocent question often produces an adversarial atmosphere that is usually impossible to reverse.

Redirect the Responsibility
The solution is simple; just do not confirm if the prospect has actually read or even remembers the material in the beginning of that call. Of course, you want to know if the package arrived, so ask exactly that, and put the blame for the prospect not seeing or remembering it on someone else.

Put the responsibility on the post or someone in the prospect’s office:

“Sarah, I sent a package to you last week, did the post get it to you safely?”

“Steve, I got out that literature pack that we spoke of, I was just wondering did it ever cross your desk?”

If the prospect begins to offer excuses for not reading or remembering, exonerate them!

Prospect
“Well, I, ah, I haven’t had a chance to get a look at it yet…”

Sales Person
“Oh no, Steve. Please don’t worry about that. I know how busy you are. I just wanted to make sure it got there in one piece. Anyway, the reason I’m calling…”

Your literature pack should be a mere extension of the first call and a way to move the sales process forward. Do not allow it to become the focal point.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

Small talk: That warm up is always a good thing in a face-to-face sales interaction. It’s that short period of time you have to create some rapport and chitchat a bit to ease into the sales presentation.

However, should you ever attempt to initiate such a warm up in a cold call?

While there are some very different, if not, vastly opposing views on this among sales people, I don’t think there really is a controversy. In fact, on this subject, I believe that EVERYONE is right. Here is why…

NO! No Chit-Chit At All!
Some sales professionals admittedly believe that you should never attempt to make the slightest bit of small talk when cold calling. They feel that even to say something as natural as, “How are you?” is a terrible thing. To extend any type of pleasantry at the onset of a cold call is artificial and even phony. Get right onto business, no matter what the situation.

YES! Warm Up, Chat!
On the other hand, some feel strongly that you must make some connection with the prospect before getting into business. They feel that it is only natural and human to extend rudimentary pleasantries that you would offer in a normal telephone call. They feel it makes the call more natural and real.

Which is Best?
This is what I mean when I say everyone is right: What we all need to understand is that a cold call, a warm call, indeed, any type of sales call, should be an individual and customised inter-relational experience; hence, and INTERACTION.

While you should have a PLANNED talk, you should not have a CANNED pitch.

How Are YOU Doing?
First, you should never say anything that is uncomfortable for you to say. If it makes you uncomfortable to ask, “How are you?” then you should not ask. If you do not honestly have an interest in how the person is, then it IS phoney. In that case, you are right; don’t do it.

Alternately, if you feel natural and comfortable asking such a question; then do so. Many sales people actually have a genuine interest in how the person who answers the phone is doing at the time of the call. Many sales people would really like to know if the prospect is in the right state of mind to listen, or is having such a bad day, that any conversation would be a disaster.

So the first thing to think about is how are YOU—the sales person doing? Do what comes natural to YOU and makes you comfortable.

EVERY Call is Different
Finally, you should be able to adapt slightly to the mood and personality of the prospect. You should not have such a word-for-word script that you say the exact same thing to everyone.
You may feel that you should never get into the small talk, but what do you do when you get that prospect on the telephone, who obviously likes the small talk?

Alternately, you may be the sales person who likes to chitchat a bit, then meets the prospect who is strictly business and will get thoroughly insulted by your asking, “How are you?”

Adapt!
In addition to being yourself and not doing what is too uncomfortable for you to do; let the prospect tell you which way you should go.

Instead of….
“Hi Steve, this is Sarah Smyth with ABC Technologies. The reason I’m calling is that we help independent business owners with…”

Try…
“Hi Steve? (Pause) Sarah Smyth, ABC Technologies?” (Pause)

Make your introduction a question or questions, and pause—shut up. Don’t be afraid to let the prospect respond. Let the prospect tell YOU what will work with their mental disposition and personality.

Sales Person with Prospect #1

Sales Person
“Hi Steve?

Prospect
“Yes.”

Sales Person
“Sarah Smyth, ABC Technologies?” (Pause)

Prospect 1
“Yeah.”

Sales Person
“Steve, the reason I’m calling is recently we help independent business owners with…”

The prospect made it clear…get to business. On the other hand…

Sales Person with Prospect #2

Sales Person
“Hi Steve?

Prospect 2
“You got him!”

Sales Person
“Sarah Smyth, ABC Technologies…how are you?” (Pause)

Prospect 2
“Doing pretty well. How about yourself?”

This is simple. Just remember that every prospect you call, is an individual, a real person. In addition, keep in mind that you are an individual as well. Treat both prospect and sales person like unique individuals, and you can’t go wrong.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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If you are still having problems with unqualified DMs (Decision Makers) when you show up, then perhaps you are not qualifying for the true DM on the telephone as strong as you think you are.

It is very common for even some of the most experienced sales people to under qualify or incorrectly qualify DMs on the telephone and there are three basic reasons for this. Watch out for these three telephone qualifying blunders and you will achieve more success in setting quality appointments.

#1 – The Title
Qualifying mistakes often happen due to the sales person seeking the prospect with a particular job title. In some instances, a person’s job title may prove a guarantee that he or she is the true DM for the related product or service. However, more often than not, this is not the case. The exact responsibilities for the same job title will differ from company to company.

While in company A the Help Desk Manager is the DM for help desk software, in company B, the DM may be a purchasing manager or the IT Director. Once you have found the person with the desired title, you should still ask some qualifying questions to confirm. Do not assume the person is the true DM based on job position alone.

#2 – Don’t Want to Mess Up a Good Thing
A very common reason so many sales people fail to qualify the DM properly on the telephone, is that they fear they will ruin a good call. The sales person makes a few dozen calls, all with little positive results. Finally, he gets a person on the telephone that is not only nice, but is willing to listen! The sales person is terrified to ask any qualifying questions out of fear of losing this great prospect. Instead, he deludes himself into believing that this person is indeed the DM.

Cold calling and even warm calling for appointments today can be tough sometimes. However, don’t make it worse by spending too much time with unqualified people. Ask!

#3 – A Buying Question
Another reason sales people fail to qualify the DM properly is because they feel that to ask direct qualifying questions is to introduce buying type questions too early in the conversation. When you ask someone if they are the DM with authority to BUY a certain product or service, the answer can be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ However, the answer could also be, “Yes, but I’m not interested…” Or, “Yes, but we are happy with our current supplier….” Worse yet, “No. But we are not interested anyway…”

Many sales people are afraid to ask the qualifying question as they consider it a direct buying question to which the prospect can object. Understand and help the prospect to understand that at that point, all you want to know is who the DM is. You did not ask anyone to buy anything yet. Do not fall into the trap of trying to overcome a buying objection this early in the sales process. You are trying to sell the appointment, not the product or service yet.

Before you ask for the order, you have to have a qualified buyer.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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You made the initial contact through LinkedIn. You then directed the prospect to your company website for additional information. You emailed more documentation and now it is time to call to set an appointment. Fear begins to set in. Will you face a strong gatekeeper screen? Will the prospect have time to talk? Will your voice present the wrong image and ruin the sales process?

Right before your eyes, the phone seems to be growing larger, heavier and you wonder if it is your imagination, or if the handset suddenly grew teeth! You begin to think that maybe it is a good idea to try to set the appointment by email as well.

Depending on your business model and sales process, perhaps a purely or mostly e-selling process makes sense. However, for most sales people, the telephone is still an indispensable part of the sales process, and using too much email has increased their phone phobia.

Email and other e-prospecting and communication avenues are a critical part of doing business today. However, there are times when you need to put down the mouse and pick up the telephone!

5 Reasons Why You May Still Need To Make The Call

#1. Image Is Everything
To truly secure your image in the mind of the prospect, especially before your first face-to-face meeting, the prospect needs to hear you voice. Sending great emails, photos and everything else, cannot replace your voice.

#2. Personality
Has the prospect needs to hear your voice, you should hear his or hers as well. By speaking to the prospect, you can determine many personality traits not evident in email correspondence. Does the prospect speak very fast or slow? Is the prospect a formal, business-like person is she more laid back and casual? These are important things to know before a sales interaction, and people do not write exactly the way they talk.

#3. Rapport
Once you have some insight into the prospect’s personality, you can slightly adjust your approach to match. To create rapport, you need to appear similar or familiar to the prospect. You can accomplish this in a telephone call.

#4. Questions
Many questions and fact-finding methods require instant feedback. When you pose a question, often you need to know the prospect’s reaction right away to be effective. Sometimes, waiting for an answer just does not work.

#5. Real Person, Not an Avatar
Until you actually speak with the buyer, you are in a sense, an avatar. That is, you are a graphic representation of your alter ego. We all know that people can represent themselves to be anything they want via a virtual environment. Pick up the telephone and put a real voice and personality behind the image.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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Every sales person knows that today’s modern buyer has had enough of the old smile-and-dial cold calling methods of the past. However, as mentioned in, “4 Reasons Why Prospects Fear Cold Calls,” most buyers still seem to harbour fear and animosity toward receiving a telephone solicitation call.

Many feel a cold call…

#1. Is an invasion of their privacy
#2. Is a violation of their personal space
#3. Puts them at a disadvantage since, the caller has information about them, yet they know nothing of the caller
#4. Leaves them with no control

A Lack of Control
The main problem with cold calling is that the buyer feels as if he or she has no control over the situation. They could not stop the caller from gaining entrance. Once they just answer the call…that’s it…the caller is virtually right there next to him! The cold caller is essentially an intruder, who barges into the prospects place without invitation or announcement. That lack of control and power creates the fear buyers feel.

It is that fear that causes buyers to react in a defensive manner; saying things like they are not interested even though they do not know what you sell or hanging up the phone.

Turning An Intruder Into A Guest
However, there is one way such an intruder could become a welcomed guest, and that is by simply knocking on the door. Behind the closed door, the buyer has the option to allow the person in or not—they have the control. Since the buyer has control, they do not fear.

This is the problem with cold calling. There is no knock, no announcement and therefore no way to help the prospect feel in control. If you could knock on the telephone and give the prospect a sense of control, they would not fear you. When the prospect does not fear, there is no reason for them to raise defensives and you are able to speak to a more open mind.

How to Knock on the Telephone
This technique is so short, inconspicuous and simple, that at first it will appear not to make any logical sense. However, I urge you just to try it, as it is extraordinarily powerful and effective.

Follow these three steps:
#1. Fumble
#2. Raise the Tone
#3. Pause

#1. Fumble
Almost every normal, natural telephone call begins with a fumble; that is a short stutter or miscue, almost as the caller gathers his or her thoughts for just a second. When cold calling, sales people take out that and other natural tendencies that are present in everyday speech. Start the call with a little hesitation to give the call a normal and natural sound and prevent the prospect from immediately becoming defensive.

Instead of…
“Hi Sarah. This is Steve Smith with ABC Widgets…”

Try…
“Yes, uh, Sarah. Steve Smith…”

#2. Raise the Tone on Your Introduction
Next, slightly raise the tone of your voice at the end of your introduction sentence; making it a question. Just slightly, elevate your voice on the last word or two as if you are asking a question or seeking confirmation from the prospect.

“Yes, uh, Sarah. Steve Smith, ABC Widgets?”

#3. Pause
After your raise in tone…SHUT UP. Wait for the prospect to respond to your non-verbal question.

Now I could spend the better part of a week explaining what you actually accomplish with this. But here is just a few golden rewards…

1. With the fumble, you did not aggressively charge the prospect or burst in the door, like an intruder. Helping the prospect to stay relaxed and dispelling the image of the stereotypical cold call.

2. With the raise in tone, you essentially asked the prospect a question. You asked them to confirm who you are. In a sense, you are still on the outside of the door, as the prospect takes a gander through the peephole.

3. When you then shut-up, you give the prospect the power, the control. This is exactly why most telemarketers and undertrained sales people never pause or shut up. They fear giving the prospect any control and this is a mistake with today’s modern day buyer. When you pause and give the prospect the feeling of control, they again have no reason to go into defensive mode.

4. 80% to 90% of the responses to your nonverbal question will be in the form of a simple nod-of-the-head, “Uhm um” from the prospect. The prospect essentially says, “Yeah, ok…what can I do for you?” Or, “Ok, what do you want?”

5. Then with that nod-of-the-head confirmation, the prospect has, (in not so uncertain terms), asked you to explain the reason for your call. He or she has given you permission to continue.

You have knocked on the door and the prospect choose to open it…at least partly

6. In less than six seconds, you have…
a. dismissed the image of the stereotypical telemarketer and cold caller
b. created an unthreatening image in the mind of the prospect
c. given the prospect a feeling of control
d. obtained an invitation to tell your story
e. promoted the prospect to say “Yes” once already!

What more can you ask for?

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

We have heard for years about how much today’s consumer detests receiving the dreaded cold-call. We all know that cold calling has become increasingly difficult and the modern-day buyer has become more evasive, defensive, suspicious and even hostile towards getting a telephone solicitation call.

As a result, there are tons of training and tips on how to handle such obstacles as well as many alterative prospecting avenues. However, my take is that to develop any solution, you must first truly understand the problem.

So, join me as I diverge today, and instead of giving you tips on how to overcome objections, get past gatekeepers or project a positive image; allow me to share some insight into WHY consumers have come to feel the way they do about receiving a cold call.

If you can genuinely understand and honestly empathise with the person on the other end of that telephone call, then you can begin to learn how to handle the situation from the inside– out!

#1. Privacy Violation
Of course, you have heard buyers complain that a cold call is an invasion of privacy. However, think of this analogy:

You are sitting at home with your family, relaxing or eating dinner or you’re in the middle of writing an important document at work. Suddenly a stranger bursts in the door and begins to walk right up to you. What would you do? Better yet, what would you actually say?

Responses to this person
Your first response might be questions like:

“Who are you?!”
“What do you want?!”
“Why are you here?!”
“How did you get in here?!”

You are doing nothing more than protecting yourself/family from a possible harmful source. It is a natural defensive reaction.

Now, if the answers to those first questions were inadequate, your next responses would turn more aggressive:

“We don’t have any valuables/money!”
“Get out of here!”

Responses to the Telephone Intruder
You have to realize that when you make a cold call, essentially you just “materialised” in that person’s dining room or working environment. When the prospect picks up the telephone, you are instantly in their living room, their office or perhaps their bedroom! Just like the above example, you just burst in the door, unannounced, and charged up to the person. Can you see why they react as they do?

Responses to a cold call:

“Who are you?!” “Is this a sales call?”
“What do you want?!” “What are you selling!?”
“Why are you here?!” “What are you selling!?”
“How did you get in here?!” “How’d you get my number/information/pass gatekeeper?”

These are not objections! They are normal and natural defences erected for protection from an unknown potential threat. If inadequate answers ensue, then real fear sets in:

Responses to a cold call:

“We don’t have any valuables/money!” “I’m not interested!”
“Get out!” “Click!” They hang up.

Can you understand why some tell you, “I’m not interested!” before they have any idea of what you sell?

#2. Personal Space
In addition to the intrusion, a cold call violates personal space. Think about it; when someone is talking on the telephone, where is the phone? It is right up against their face. You are a total stranger and suddenly you are right there, virtually nose-to-nose with the prospect. You are literally in their face!

#3. Lack of Knowledge
When you call someone, you immediately prove that you have more knowledge of him or her than he or she does of you. First, you called them, which means you have their telephone number and in many cases, it is a private number. You also knew the exact whereabouts of the person: you caught him at the office or her at home.

You know his name. You know her address. You know his job title. In fact, with very limited prospecting information, you could know what they do, where they work, how much money they earn and what kind of dishwashing detergent they use. However, at the time of the call, the prospect knows almost nothing about you.

People can feel this imbalance of power and it makes them uncomfortable.

#4. Lack of Control
Finally, with all of the above, the prospect was powerless in preventing any of it. They hired a sharp gatekeeper, set up voice mails, eluded calls, and still you caught them. The prospect simply had no control over your entrance.

This lack of control is what sends real fear into the hearts of today’s buyer and is why you have heard buyer’s use the term, “violated.” It is this severe, often hopeless feeling of a lack of control that is at the heart of the problems with cold calling.

However, if you think about it, there is one very simply thing the intruder could have done to avoid all of the first natural defences and the following unnatural defences.

All the intruder had to do was knock on the door.

Safely behind the door, the homeowner/decision maker could look and decide to let the person in or not. The resident could ask questions of the would be intruder—before they gained entry. Most importantly, the buyer would have the choice, the option of opening the door.

The buyer would feel as if they were in CONTROL of the situation.

That is the problem with a cold call. There is no way to give the prospect the immediate feeling of control. There is no way to knock on the telephone.

Or is there?

Posting Jan 6, 2012:
How to Knock On the Telephone

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

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