Cold Calling - I’m Hearing But I’m Not Listening to You

April 17, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Strategies

Cold Calling - I’m Hearing But I’m Not Listening to You illustrates what can go wrong with a prospecting call. I was busy at work, just buzzing along like a honey bee…ring, ring. Ring, ring, the phone went. Hesitantly, I picked up the receiver. It was a salesperson from a major creditor. You know, one of those subsidiaries of a major automobile maker. I answered hello. Bamm!

The lady on the other end started with a spiel on selling me some add on insurance. She got out about 15 words, then I politely interrupted her and in the most respectful manner I could after an interruption, said, mam, thank you kindly, but I’m not interested. Bamm! She ran right through that stop sign and kept on talking as though I had never said a word.

I interrupted her again, unusually polite because normally, that’s about the time I would begin to be a bit irritated, but because of my training in understanding how to make cold calls, I gave the lady another chance to demonstrate her listening and empathy skills. I again refused her offer, and expected her to stop and let me get on with my work. Bamm!

She came at me with another offer. Even before I knew it my left arm had already begun extending it’s 38 inch reach toward the handset so I could hang up the receiver. I tried one more heroic effort to end the call politely and Bamm!, she slapped me again with another attempt to sell me something.

At that point, I realized she was poorly trained in sales and cold calling. She had been taught that sales was a numbers game, and to “never hear the word no.” How do I know that? Because I was trained that way also. What a creepy approach and lack of professionalism.

I took control of the call, told the lady I tried to be polite and at that point I would hang up the phone. She then got the message, said a quick good by and my torture was over. I thought, how pleasant that call could have been had she only learned the skills of Unlock the Game, (TM) a revolutionary process of cold calling that virtually eliminates objections.

Cold Calling - I’m Hearing But I’m Not Listening to You

The lady lost her chance to sell me anything at the moment of hello. She was driving for the close, i.e. the finish line as typical sales people are taught to do, and she never moved beyond “go.” Though she was a telemarketer, her situation is common to network marketers as well. It’s the reason most don’t enroll anyone and why even more quit the business due to lack of success.

It’s all unnecessary. Within minutes, I could have given that lady some tips that could have postively changed her sales career for life. She’s too busy going through the numbers, making people upset like she did me, to even consider there could be a better approach.

Here are the things she failed to do

Have an effective opening for the call that attracts versus repels.
Determine whether there was the possibility of a sale before attempting to sell me.
Determine what my needs were by addressing my problem versus hers which was needing to make the sale.
Listen to my concerns versus make her pitch.
Respect my request three times when I tried to end the call.

Are you making these mistakes? Would you like to know how to “get in the door” of the call on almost every dial you make? Would you like to know how to build trust with your “cold prospects” and turn them into friends versus enemies? Remember, people do business with those they know like and trust.

If you’re open to a possible alternative approach check out how you can make more sales, recruit more prospects, eliminate objections.