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I Advice - Cold Calling: How to Warm Yourself Up Before You Start
Greetings to all!Well its easy to see that in our day and age, money is just as important as Oxygen! A Bold statement you may ask, but lets face it Life without Oxygen = No Quality of Life. Life without money = Not very much quality of life. Everything we do these days is harbored by the size of our wallet and bank balance.Seeing the world, Trying new sports, buying the home we deserve and everything else in between requires the universal communicator MONEY!To be honest I have a Love Hate relationship with money, I hate it because it can be very difficult to acquire it! but I love it because it allows you to broaden your horizons in terms of physical and material gains! For example if you wanted to see Elephants in the wild, living in there own habitat rather than a man made cage you need to have the funds to travel, etc.What I have learnt in this life is it is always up to yourself to make money for yourself - and there are many people trying to cash in on people wanting to make there financia
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft lis
Most business people want to see improvements in sales and profits. But how do you get there? What choices do you have?To build your business there are four strategic options that must be considered:1) Sell existing products to existing customers.2) Develop new products to sell to existing customer groups.3) Expand existing products into new market segments.4) Develop new products for new market segments.Each one of these choices carries with it inherent risks and certain marketing implications. Which one is right for you? This is one of the most important decisions to be made. In fact, the best strategy may combine more than one of these options to suit different products or different areas of the business.The least risky option is number 1. Simply find more customers for your existing products. Sometimes this is easier said than done, especially if you already have a dominant market share or you occupy a relatively small market niche. Although for most businesses there is
Why do we hate cold calling so much? Why does the very thought of it send shivers down some people’s spine? Firstly, what were we taught at school and by our parents? Don’t talk to strangers! No wonder picking up the phone and speaking to someone you have never met causes such mental problems.
What about every small business owner’s fear – the fear of rejection. That’s enough to find any reason not to pick up the phone. Here’s another one – lack of self confidence and the nagging doubt that you won’t live up to the expectations you put in your prospect’s mind.
I think that’s enough! Perhaps all very good reasons why you may find it hard to pick up the phone but, at the end of the day, to be really successful in business, it’s a necessary evil. Yes, you can convince yourself that you are too busy servicing your existing customers and looking after their every need, but unless you get out and bring in new business, one day you may find yourself with a tired and sold-out customer base. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can do it. All it needs is careful planning and a structured approach. If you can see the error of your ways and understand the impact this lack of action is having on your business, I’ll show you how you can become a successful cold caller. You have got it made if you follow this structure: Identify, Preparation, Just Do It! and Review.
Let’s consider each of these steps in turn.
Identify
The first step is to identify who you are going to cold call. How do you go about building up a list? Here are some ideas:
• Ask your customers who they think you should be talking to; who could benefit from your product? Referrals from happy clients can be very powerful when speaking to your prospective customers. It tells them that if their colleague was happy to pass on their name then that’s a good recommendation
• Go through your old database and identify companies that no longer deal with you. Unless you really messed up first time round, they may appreciate a call
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft list
Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe cause-related marketing, an activity in which businesses join with charities or causes to market an image, product, or service for mutual benefit.Embracing a cause makes good business sense. Nothing builds brand loyalty among today's increasingly hard-to-please consumers like a company‚s proven commitment to a worthy cause. Other things being equal, many consumers would rather do business with a company that stands for something beyond profits.Powerful marketing edgeCause-related marketing can become a cornerstone of your marketing plan. Your cause-related marketing activities should highlight your company's reputation within your target market. Cause-related marketing can positively differentiate your company from your competitors and provide an edge that delivers other tangible benefits, including: Increased sales Increased visibility Increased customer loyalty Enhanced company
What about every small business owner’s fear – the fear of rejection. That’s enough to find any reason not to pick up the phone. Here’s another one – lack of self confidence and the nagging doubt that you won’t live up to the expectations you put in your prospect’s mind.
I think that’s enough! Perhaps all very good reasons why you may find it hard to pick up the phone but, at the end of the day, to be really successful in business, it’s a necessary evil. Yes, you can convince yourself that you are too busy servicing your existing customers and looking after their every need, but unless you get out and bring in new business, one day you may find yourself with a tired and sold-out customer base. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can do it. All it needs is careful planning and a structured approach. If you can see the error of your ways and understand the impact this lack of action is having on your business, I’ll show you how you can become a successful cold caller. You have got it made if you follow this structure: Identify, Preparation, Just Do It! and Review.
Let’s consider each of these steps in turn.
Identify
The first step is to identify who you are going to cold call. How do you go about building up a list? Here are some ideas:
• Ask your customers who they think you should be talking to; who could benefit from your product? Referrals from happy clients can be very powerful when speaking to your prospective customers. It tells them that if their colleague was happy to pass on their name then that’s a good recommendation
• Go through your old database and identify companies that no longer deal with you. Unless you really messed up first time round, they may appreciate a call
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft lis
Yesterday I received an email from Janet Brooker who wanted some tips on how to make her cold calling more effective.Here's exactly what she asked:Dear Sean,I am an Area Sales Manager for an IT hardware provider.I am having real problems with my cold calling. I call up to get interest and to set up an appointment to see businesses about their hardware requirements but I never know what to say in response to objections and excuses.Could you give me some quick pointers please?Thanks a lotJanet BrookerMy thoughts:Cold calling is full of ups and downs but your success will always come down to two things:1. What you focus on during the calland2. Your techniqueYour primary focus on the call is to set up a meeting.FULL STOP!It's not to send brochures out.It's not to engage in the pros and cons of what you can do and it's certainly not about giving up on the first objection that you receive!So that's wha
Let’s consider each of these steps in turn.
Identify
The first step is to identify who you are going to cold call. How do you go about building up a list? Here are some ideas:
• Ask your customers who they think you should be talking to; who could benefit from your product? Referrals from happy clients can be very powerful when speaking to your prospective customers. It tells them that if their colleague was happy to pass on their name then that’s a good recommendation
• Go through your old database and identify companies that no longer deal with you. Unless you really messed up first time round, they may appreciate a call
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft lis
10 Ways to Improving Your Client Relationships One thing is true for all consultants; if we have any work, we have clients! One of the most important parts of our work is maintaining and enhancing our relationships with our clients. Maintaining and growing these relationships makes the time spent on a project more enjoyable, satisfying and effective. Improved relationships also improves the chance that we will get referrals and future business. The following are ten things you can do to improve these important business relationships, and some suggestions on how to get started. 1. Have a clear contract with your client. This is the number one guideline for a successful client engagement. Without a clear contract neither you nor your client can be clear on roles and responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables, methodologies and measures. Beyond the importance of the contract to the project itself, a clear contract also is a great aid to a good working relationship.
Identify
The first step is to identify who you are going to cold call. How do you go about building up a list? Here are some ideas:
• Ask your customers who they think you should be talking to; who could benefit from your product? Referrals from happy clients can be very powerful when speaking to your prospective customers. It tells them that if their colleague was happy to pass on their name then that’s a good recommendation
• Go through your old database and identify companies that no longer deal with you. Unless you really messed up first time round, they may appreciate a call
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft lis
Once you have decided to make the use of business cards to not only identify your self to strangers, but also to advertise your business you must always have them with you so that you can distribute them to passers by wherever you are.Your contact details can be printed on the one side with your advertisements on the other side. The space is minimal but you will still be able to mention a few special offers and discounts that you are promoting at the moment.There is a lot to be said about having your cards professionally printed. The end product is a cut above the home printed ones. If you are on a budget, you could still design and print them yourself but let your friends and family help you by giving their opinions on your design.By giving someone a card and explaining what it is that you are selling or what type of service you provide you make them interested to come and look for them selves what you have on offer. They can keep the card after you have left and they have something to refer to
• Read all your local newspapers and magazines. Is there a story which would be a great excuse to call them up? “I read about your award in the newspaper and …”
• Use networking events and any other social gatherings to make new contacts
• E-mail everyone in your mailing list and tell them that you are on the look out for new leads!
• Train your brain to spot new opportunities
It doesn’t matter how outlandish your first draft list seems, stick the name down and get thinking about where the others are going to come from.
Preparation
Having got your initial list, the first task in the preparation stage is to tidy it up. Take another look at it and pick the top 5 which are likely to end in success. Why do this? Because to be motivated to carry on with something, there is nothing like success. Failure will not spur you on, but success will. So go for the ones which are likely to yield positive results. With practice, you will be able to tackle the more challenging ones later on!
Next, set yourself an objective. What do you want to achieve out of your phone call? An appointment, an agreement to send a sample, a sale? Being realistic, the best you can hope for is an appointment. Be clear on what your aim is. This will help you focus on the outcome during the rest of your preparation.
The most crucial part of the preparation stage is your research. Find out whatever you can about both the company and person you are going to call. What exactly do they sell? Who are they buying from at the moment? How many employees do they have? Do you know of any problems which you could resolve? What is the perception in the market place? What can you learn from their web site?
All of this information will help you in the next part of your preparation – your opening statement and subsequent words. Actors don’t go out on the stage without thoroughly learning and rehearsal and neither should you. Write out your opening statement, which says who you are, which company you are with and what you do. Keep it short, focused and punchy. Remember that many businesses receive cold calls all the time, so what is the benefit in the person spending some time with you? Think of a clear benefit statement to include in your remarks.
As in any selling situation (which a cold call is after all), you are very likely to be met with objections – can’t see you, too busy with a rush order, its Audit time, too many staff on holiday etc. Try and think of every objection and write down what your response will be. Being this prepared will keep you ahead of the game.
Bearing in mind your end objective, how are you going to go in for the ki
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