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Cardinal prospecting rule

In both of these examples, getting the appointment would have been easy had the salesperson not contributed to their own demise. They destroyed their chances of landing the appointment by breaking a cardinal prospecting rule: They told their prospect what they were selling.

The moment that you read the words "carpet cleaning" and "real estate," you, too, immediately stopped absorbing the presentation and began to prejudge the value of the call. So when you’re prospecting for new business, keep in mind that the person you’re talking to is going through this same mental evaluation process.

For example, if a receptionist answers the call and you say, "Good morning, it’s Peter from Lucky Print. How are you today? Could you please tell me who orders the printing for your company?" he or she will most likely respond, "Thank you for calling, but we’re not interested right now. We’re happy with our printer."

The receptionist knows to respond that way because she’s been listening for and has just heard the key words that allow the call to be screened. The moment that you said "printing," the sale was over!

Many receptionists have clear instructions to block salespeople, so it is crucial that your initial telephone presentation bypasses screening techniques.

The most important prospecting rule of all: When making a cold call, never tell the receptionist what you are selling. Instead, use one of the following techniques:

Don’t mention your company name. Instead, just ask for the person you want to speak to. "Good morning, could I please get the correct spelling of your marketing manager’s last name?
Use an acronym. Instead of saying, "It’s Peter from Lucky Print" use the first letters of the company name and say, "Good morning. It’s Peter from L&P."

Since the receptionist doesn’t hear the key words, he or she cannot screen your call. Although you may be asked probing questions, if the receptionist is busy, he or she is just as likely to answer your question and put your call through. By making this small but all-important change, you will dramatically increase the number of appointments you land, while making fewer cold calls.
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