When it Comes to Prospecting, Planning is Key

Efficient prospecting is the difference between success and failure in every B2B sales career. However, good prospecting requires much more than just prospecting skill and professionalism; it also takes good planning.

There are many aspects to an effective prospecting plan; however, if you follow this one tip, it will virtually ensure results. Simply, “Work the stats, then stat the work.” Let me explain.

You need to work by science; statistics and data; the averages. You must know for a fact, exactly how many calls, or emails, or letters you need to send or complete everyday and stick to that number—no matter what.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say in your sales model you first make cold calls to companies that fit your target demographics. Then, you reach the decision maker (DM) and qualify the person and the company, asking the prospect to opt in to receive your literature. You then call to follow up and try to set an appointment. Finally, you make an in-person sales presentation and close for the sale.

You want to know exactly how many of those initial cold calls it takes, on the average, for you to end up with one sale. Now, you should already be working with a good Customer Relationships Management (CRM) software tool like ACT!, Sage, Salesforce, GoldMine of something which records your sales activity in detail. Or you should be able to find such data on previous sales people. In either case, how many calls does it take for you to end up with one sale?

For instance, let’s say that you have a closing average of about 33%. In other words, over time you know that you close about one out of every three presentations or consummated appointments that you make and ask to the order. Now, determine how many of those follow-up calls it takes for you to set one good appointment. You obviously don’t set an appointment with every single person you call to follow up. Maybe you find that it’s 50%: for every two prospects you follow up with, you set one appointment. And you need three appointments to make one sale.

So, actually it takes you six of those follow-up calls to make one sale.

Make sense?

Now take it just one step further. How many initial cold calls does it take for you to find one prospect to opt in and allow you to send information in the post and follow up? Say that you need to make five cold calls to get set two call-backs, to get one appointment.

So your stats would be: 15 cold calls = 6 warm calls = 3 appointments = 1 sale! Now remember, these are averages over time and it may not work that way every week or month.

But this is the data; the science of your business. Figure out exactly what your prospecting stats are first. Then concentrate on one number only: the first number—in this example, the 15 cold calls.

In planning your work, focus on the 15 and make them no matter what. Plan them according to your available prospecting time and divide it evenly. Perhaps you need to make five cold calls everyday or 20 cold calls every week. Figure out your first number, hit it with consistency and then keep good records of your work; periodically checking to make sure that you are sticking to the plan. Use the facts and not your feelings.

Also, do not get caught up in what happens during this prospecting period; remember it is a plan. If you are having a bad day, so what. As long as you maintain the numbers; the proper work ethic—the sales will come. Just hit your numbers. If you your plan is to make 18 cold calls everyday and you get on the phone and make three appointments after only 5 calls—so what?

FOLLOW YOUR PLAN!

Make those 18 calls no matter what.

Consistency is the key in successful selling.

So, in planning your prospecting, work the stats, then stat the work!

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
Tel: 0800 849 6732

Here’s an question I received last week.

Hi Sean,

Firstly I would like to thank you on your weekly emails. They have been thought provoking and really helped with my conversion to a competent salesperson. I am always surprised by the variety of subjects that you cover and hope this request for help brings back many more ideas.

I sell products and services and are often hit with the brick wall that is reception. “No cold calls are taken by IT”. Whilst I can empathise with this view point it is not helping me sell more!! The way for these companies to look at new products/services is by sending post and then they reply if they are interested. I am interested in your thoughts on this as I rarely, if ever respond to what I would consider SPAM and am not sure why anyone else would. Should I just concentrate on the lower hanging fruit?

They have been saying that it is company policy but whether that is something that gatekeepers learn or not, I cannot tell. As I am sure you are aware there are a lot of people in the IT industry and if they put through all of the “sales calls” then the IT Manager would get nothing done. I understand why they do this but it should also be due diligence that different products / services are looked when decisions are made. My experience of when I have bypassed the reception (occasionally we have old contacts that facilitate this) then when I find the correct person they tend to be in the wrong frame of mind for selling to (i.e. annoyed that I got past reception). Not all receptionists do this and some are very helpful (which helps for motivation). Do you think postal SPAM is likely to work with these companies, or should I leave these for the instant wins?
I suppose the counter point is that they are likely to talk to less people and would be more reliable customers but they are likely to take a lot of time. Any ideas?

John Morris
ABC Computer Services (made up company name)

Here’s my ideas:

Hi,
Ok, I think I understand exactly what the situation is, and I have some interesting thoughts for you, though they may not be what you were expecting. First, you are right, it is not time to give up the ship and turn to hoping and wishing that you get calls or responses to literature that you send in the post. You can more effectively get through to the people you are trying to reach by learning to deal with four challenges.

1. An M & M Infection
2. Projecting the right image
3. Empathic listening skills
4. Terminating a call

As you explained, it is obvious that somehow, almost before you have said anything, that the gatekeeper; (receptionists) has labeled you as “sales person” and that this is a “sales call.” Somehow you are projecting the image of the call that they are supposed to stop. This is M & M or Money Mouth. M & M is that sound, that voice or demeanor that acts like a warning beacon to prospective customers and GKs.
Here are a few steps to eliminate M & M.

First DO NOT SMILE and lose the enthusiasm. Don’t begin your call with a big enthusiastic smile on your face. It is true that people can “sense” if you are smiling and they can feel your enthusiasm over the phone; but that is the problem. If you think about it, you will see that there is no logical reason for you to be so hyped and excited to speak to a stranger, unless you wanted something. It is unnatural and usually projects the image of the stereotypical telemarketer.

To protect against this, make absolutely certain there is no hint of a smile on your face when you make that cold call. Do not be enthusiastic. You want to sound professional, but subdued and like an executive that is no one who has time to play games. This alone, will get you pass a lot more of those receptionists.

Another step in eliminating M & M and to begin to project a professional and trusting image, is: DO NOT BE PERFECT. In every normal, natural phone call and conversation (that is other than a sales call) there are stutters, mistakes and small broken chains of thought. However, in a sales call, the sales person is deliberately trying to sound professional and flawless and inadvertently removes all of the natural tendencies that are present in everyday speech. This creates an unnatural and abnormal “tone” to the call, in particularly in the very beginning of the call.

If you listen carefully, you will see that about 80% of every phone call that is natural, they begin with what I call a “fumble.” The caller has a brief hesitation, almost as if collecting their thoughts before they speak. Calls actually begin with, “Ah” or “Yes, uhm” or something like this. It is a split second, almost imperceptible fumble. But when that fumble is missing, because the sales person is rehearsed and has said the same words a thousand times; the person receiving the call, though they do not know exactly why, feels that there is something “not right” with the call. Add to that lack of a “natural” sound; the big smile and overly enthusiastic pep, and you begin to see why the red “sales person!” flag goes up almost after you said hello.
With the GK and the DM, lose the smile; kill the enthusiasm and add in a small fumble:

GK: ABC Technologies
You: Yes, uh, Steve Johnson, please
GK: Who may I say is calling?
You: Oh, I’m sorry. Uh, John Morris–ABC Computer Security—is he in today?

GK: Hold please

DM: Steve speaking

You: Yes, uh, Steve Johnson?

Also, do not say, “May I speak to…” or “Is the DM available…” Just state the name.

Now, there is something else I want to point out to you in that example and that is that you need to qualify the DM on two issues: Time and Attitude. As you mentioned, usually when you finally get to the DM, you find the timing is not right or the person does not have the right attitude or state of mind to talk to you.

In the first six to eight seconds of a cold call, you have to project a positive image, eliminate preconceived negative and stereo-typed images, and determine if the timing is convenient and if the prospect has the right attitude and an open mind to listen to you. Again, you have to do this within the first six to eight seconds and you have to do this almost non-verbally as with the fumble.

At MTD, I teach a method called “T.A.L.K.” While I can not get into the real detail of this training in this short letter, I think I can give you an overview of the first to steps; that is the T and the A.

TALK stands for Time, Attitude, Legitimize and Knead (& Need) in that in the first two steps in the process of a cold call, you must determine the time and the attitude. With the TALK method, you use pauses, fumbles and non-verbal questions along with intensely empathic listening to pull out responses from the prospect, to make the determination as to if the DM has the time and the correct attitude to talk to you.

You are going to reverse the thinking on this in that the prospect has to pass a series of tests to qualify for you to spend your time speaking to them. They must qualify by showing that they have the time and the mind for you to continue the call. If you feel that they do not have the time or if they do not have an open mind, then you will initiate the termination of the call.

So, first, listen intently to the way the DM answers the line, including how he or she actually lifts the receiver. Most sales people pay no attention to these first few seconds, but if you just listen you will see the DM gives you many clues as to time and state of mind just by the way they answer.

Listen carefully: did the DM yank the receiver of the hook? Are his words hurried, tense? Is she a little out of breath; speaking really fast; loud? Or is this DM calm and relaxed? Listen.

Then begin to ask questions (mostly non-verbal) to illicit responses from the DM and you listen and judge those responses as to the attitude of the prospect. To begin, start by using your introduction as a question. Simply raise the tone of your voice on the last word, ever so slightly, to make it into a question, and then pause.

You: Ah, yeah, Steve, John Morris, ABC Computer Security?

DM: Yeah

Now, usually the DM will respond with a quick, sort of nod-of-the-head, “Uhm-um” or “yeah” or “yeah what can I do for you?’’ basically saying “ok, what do want?” And frankly that is all you really want; the invitation to explain why you are calling. But again, your main thing in these first few seconds is to listen to determine time and attitude. Let’s look at this:

DM: This is Steve (First response: begin to judge the T & A)
You: Ah, yes, Steve Johnson? (First question)
DM: Yeah (second response—judge T & A)
You: Yeah, uh, Steve, John Morris, ABC Computer Security? (Second question) (***Also do not say, “This is John…”)

DM: Yeah, what can I do for you? (Third response)

Do you see what is happening here? This is extremely fast, but if you do this correctly and analyze the first few seconds, you will know when to continue or not. Let’s look at this another way:

DM: Steve! (with this answer, the DM speaks very fast and hurried and is almost yelling over noise in the background)
You: Ah, yes, Steve Johnson? (First question)
DM: Yeah!!! (Now you are almost certain this is a bad time, but you decide to confirm it)
You: Yeah, Steve, John Morris, ABC Computer Security? (Second question)

DM: Yeah! What is it?!

This DM did not pass the T & A qualifications and for you to continue, even if the DM does not stop you, would totally disrespect the DM and make you a stereotypical, old-school, smile & dial, telemarketer. Instead…

You: Steve, it sounds like you are swamped over there—(no pause)—listen, why don’t I get back to you when you have a moment to sit down—(no pause)—are the early mornings best for you, Steve—or do find late in the afternoon is when you might get a minute to come up for air?”

You see the difference? Now let’s say that the DM does ask for literature…

You: Steve, it sounds like you are swamped over there–why don’t I get back to you another day—is the beginning of the week better for you or is Thursday or Friday a little quieter?

DM: Well, why don’t you just send me something in the post?

You: Absolutely, Steve—but we have a ton of stuff, and I want to make sure to ONLY send you information relevant to your situation—that’s why I wanted to talk with you for just a moment—I can get back to you late today—or should I just wait until Monday?
OR
You: Certainly, Steve, and thank you. I’ll get that out to you and follow up—is next week good, or should I get back to you around the first of the month?

Again, John, this is an extremely quick overview of these techniques, but I think you can get the idea. We have a lot of detailed material on these subjects including a lot of teaching on getting pass strong and sophisticated Gatekeeping screens.

But in the mean time, remember:
First eliminate the M & M: get rid of any hint of a smile in the beginning of the call, kill the enthusiasm and don’t be perfect. Then use a small raise in tone to begin asking those non-verbal questions to judge the DM’s Time and Attitude. Use pauses to pull out responses to judge state of mind. And terminate those calls that do not pass the T & A qualifications.

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training
0800 849 6732

One sure way to help make the challenging task of cold calling a little easier is to work from a pre-qualified database.

When you are calling from data that has already narrowed the parameters to those businesses that fit your customer demographics, you save a lot of time, money and headaches. And if you are fortunate enough to have names and contact numbers for decision makers (DM), you’re half way home—before you begin!

However, often we do not have such luxuries and many times you are calling literally from scratch with little or no information. When you make a prospecting call pre-armed with a contact name and number—that is indeed a cold call. However, when you are prospecting from almost nothing and have no idea of whom to talk to or where to find them; that I call an ICE-COLD call, because, man, that’s really cold! Here are a couple of very simple, yet extremely effective ways to pour a little warm water on the ice.

The first thing to keep in mind is that these techniques are as simple as they look. The main reason I see sales people fail with this is because they overcomplicate it in their heads. It is simple and it is easy—keep it that way.

“I just want to double check…”

This one simple concept will get you where you want to go most of the time or at least close. All you want to do is to double check this company’s mailing information and throw in who is the Decision Maker. Remember, in these cases, even the address you have can be incorrect — so just double check — everything.

GK = Gatekeeper

GK: “ABC Company”

Sales Person: “Yes…Nick Price, XYZ Widgets — I just wanted to double check —- you’re on Big Time Avenue — right?

GK: “Yes, that’s right. 123 Big Time Avenue”

Sales Person: “So that’s Summertime City?”

GK: “Correct.”

Sales Person: “And what’s your postal code there?”

GK: “It’s CV2 TX5”

Sales Person: “Thanks — and the person who manages your marketing is he still there?”

GK: “Oh no, John left 3 months ago - It’s Lisa Thomas now”

Sales Person: “Great—thanks!”

Again, this is simple and fast.

The key is the nonchalant, matter-of-fact tone of your voice.

This is not some big deal — not something important — you are nobody in particular –you just want to double check.

When you do this correctly you will be shocked at the knee-jerk, near instinctive reaction.

Now if the GK does not know the answer, simply ask for that department if they don’t offer to do so:

GK: “I don’t know who handles that…”

Sales Person: “That’s fine; could you transfer me to that department?”

One Magic Word

Now once you get to that department, OR when you are calling a smaller company where the real GK may answer the incoming call and hit you with a screen, then take this approach:

GK: “ABC Company.”

Sales Person: “Yeah, Nick Price–XYZ Widgets—who am I supposed to talk to about the management of your widgets?”

Simply use the phrase, “who am I supposed to talk to…” in the place of the standard, “Who may I speak to…” or “who is in charge of…” or “who handles your…”

This will also shock you at how powerful and effective it is—–IF you don’t over do it!

Lastly, don’t worry too much about that first contact person on the “inside” that you may reach.

It is much easier to get the correct information from a coworker than from a GK—-just get in the door!!!

Use any combination of these two techniques and get the job done.

If you are sending literature for a follow up:

“I was about to put some things in the post —- I just wanted to double check……And the person who manages your help desk—to address this to?”

Or you can take it from scratch all the way to the matt!

GK: ABC Company
SP …I wanted to double check… and the widget manager—who’s that?
GK I’m not sure. I’ll transfer you to widgets
GK ABC Company, widget department
SP ….who am I supposed to talk to about widget purchasing?
GK I think Lisa Thomas
SP Is she in?
Pros Lisa Thomas
SP Yes, Nick Price, XYZ Widgets—who am I supposed to talk to about the purchasing of widgets—do you handle that?
Pros No, that’s Mark Steven’s department…

This is quick and effective too.

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Looking for sales training?
Call 0800 849 6732

How To Get Past Gatekeepers

The Gatekeeper: the secretary, receptionist or personal assistant, whose job it is to “screen” your call and stop you from talking to the decision maker. If you are in B2B sales then you have come face to face with gatekeepers and a “screen” and learning to get past these guardians of the gold, is a mission-critical objective in your sales career.

Understand that gatekeepers are important and powerful and play a pivotal role in business. Also, realise that while some gatekeeper screens may frustrate and anger you, the best screens are invisible. A high-level gatekeeper’s screen is so sophisticated that most sales people never realise it is there, usually attributing their failure to reach the decision maker to bad timing or misfortune. Also, you will find that at the high corporate level, many gatekeepers have gatekeepers of their own. You may have to go through one or two screens just to get to the main gatekeeper!

A vital clue in recognising a Gatekeeper (GK) screen

Watch the timing of the GK’s questions: If you listen carefully, often you can tell if the GK is screening you or not by the way he or she asks questions.

Example #1

Sales Person:
“Is Mr. Decision Maker available?”

GK:
“No, he is not in at the moment. Who’s calling?

Sales Person:
“This is Jo Salesperson”

GK:
“I’m sorry, Jo, Mr. Decision Maker is out, can I take a message?”

Example #2

Sales Person:
“Is Mr. Decision Maker available?”

GK:
“Who’s calling please?”

Sales Person:
“This is Jo Salesperson”

GK:
“I’m sorry Jo, Mr. Decision Maker is out, can I take a message?”

Note that in the first example the GK answers the question as to the whereabouts of the DM before asking who was calling. In the second example however, the GK first asks the sales person to identify herself, before telling her anything. It is very likely that number two is a screen.

Determining the TYPE of Screen

Once you know that you are facing a GK screen, you must immediately identify the type of screen. The reason it is so important to be able to recognise a screen, then the type of screen, is that getting past them requires the exact opposite technique.

There are two types of screens:

A. The Investigative Screen
The investigative screen is the screen in which the GK investigates and asks you a lot of questions.

B. The Blind Screen.
With a blind screen, the GK wants to stop anyone from getting through without asking any questions. If he or she does not recognise your name, that’s it, you’re done.

The Investigative Screen
With the investigative screen, the GK’s primary asset is time and he or she will usually ask you lots of questions. This GK will usually have a pleasant personality and will often seem to be a very nice, innocent person who will often engage you in small talk.

The key to getting through is that you need to force the GK to make a decision quickly without having time to think or ask the usual questions. You need to come across as a VIP who does not have a lot of time. Who are you? You sound like a very important person. Could you be the BIG BOSS? Could you be a very important customer? This GK has to either connect you to the DM or risk offending someone who might be a VIP.

The Blind Screen
The Blind screen GK is just the opposite. This GK has no time and does not want to ask you any questions. This GK just wants to get you off the telephone because you are not on a preferred list of callers.

With the blind screen you want to be someone who talks extremely slow; someone who has to think for a few seconds before each sentence. The blind screen GK is expecting the high-level sales person who is smooth, polished and perfect. So you do not want to be smooth, polished and perfect. This GK has no time, so you want to take up his or her time. Once again, you force the GK to make a quick decision. You don’t sound like a sales person, in fact you sound harmless. So the GK has to let you take up his or her time or put you through. And since they feel that you are harmless—they will put you through.

To get past the gatekeeper and screens you need to do the opposite of what the gatekeeper expects and is trained for. If the GK is looking to stop the fast talking smooth sales person, then you want to be a slow talking, confused person. On the other hand, if the GK wants to talk and ask questions, be a fast talking person who has no time to talk and answer questions. Force the gatekeeper to make a quick decision and they will connect you rather than risk making a big mistake.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

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