What do you do different?

Do you do anything different on a cold call than you would do on a sales call where the buyer calls on you? -Community Mailbox

Ummmm there is quite a difference when I'm soliciting as opposed to you coming to my office unannounced.

However, I still have to make a good impression. I still have to ask questions. I still have to find solution. I still have to recommend, but I don't have to beg for a hearing first..... :)

Ok... you know what I mean....


Aloha... :cool: -rattus58

Can you give an example of what all is different besides not having to beg [your word :)] for a hearing first? -Community Mailbox

When someone comes to my office for insurance, it is generally on the property casualty side and they are doing the begging... :)

It is much easier to solicit information when they are desperate as opposed to them coming to see me to see what I got. The time that they are willing to invest has to be established first as opposed to them "shopping". You'd have to understand the insurance industry in Hawaii to comprehend this, but no two agents can quote the same company here. That being the case, if you are going to actually quote, you need to have them give you a lot of information if you're going to do the job as opposed to just giving them numbers.

If someone is "shopping", my approach is no differnt than if I solicited them first. If they come to me in a panic, which is typical for various reasons, we have to usually fix the original problem, usually unexpected premiums, before moving on to doing a proper survey. Questioning is the basis of 80% of our approach to people. Getting them to talk is our method.. Columbo, if you say enough you eventually will say too much. That is our key, hook, target, or thrust. A finger in the dike won't help you....sn;

Ask the right questions... Who, what, when, where, why, how and is there anything else...

If they are just shopping, you've got to sell yourself first. That usually means you have to establish yourself as an individual and company that they would trust to do their busieness with. Asking questions about themselves in order to help them usually goes a long way towards that end and has to be accomplished first. The shopper the the cold call are fraternal twins... so to speak.

Aloha... don't know if I answered your question... now I'm confused.... ;bg :cool: -rattus58

Extraordinary insight and a thought that I haven't heard expressed before! -Ace Coldiron

Yes, very different.

The objective of the cold call is to get the customer to express interest - TO get them to say, "Tell me more".

If the buyer is coning to you then the interest is already there.

Dave Barnhart -DaveB

For me they are night and day even though you can shift within a sentence.

People who enjoy cold calling are intrinsically very different than those who have the prospect come to them. We found that while sales reps can shift back and forth their income takes a beating when engaged in the style that is not as comfortable.

This prompted our article called: Surf-Turf and Amphibian The title looked good at the time :)

Turf: car sales
Surf: cold field calls such as door-to-door sales or phone
Amphibian: they get both worlds as with Realtors.

I am talking about career styles, not when a car salesman occasionally tries to sell a car over the phone.

Turf
When a prospect comes to me there are many lose assumptions that can be made: they know they have a need; they are willing to pay for it; they most likely have the money; they have the time; a good idea of the process, and rapport is not that essential in most circumstances. ( I wanted a Chrysler 300 it didn't matter if the sales rep was on probation)

Surf
In cold calling: I must get their attention; convince them of the need; convince them of the value; often find the money for them, and educate them on the process in a very, very short time, all of which requires extremely effective establishment of rapport and trust.

_________________________________________________

What really makes the difference is a sense of security among many other advantages and disadvantages. In an office with people coming to you, there is no issue of self-worth. However, when cold-calling and with most saying "no" that has a very different impact.

There are Turf people who should avoid cold calling and Surf people who should avoid sitting in an office. -John Voris

John, that is probably the best description of the differences between the two forms of selling that I have heard.

The late Fred Herman labeled the two as Retail and Creative. -Gary A Boye

Hey there Gary,

Thank you for your nice comment. I will be exploring Fred Herman.
thmbp2; -John Voris

On a Cold Call I am selling the appointment! -MPrince

I believe you are and are very good at it. As a matter of fact--from your posts--I'm sure of it.

However in that case the Engagement has begun. You have not only Found (prospecting is finding) the person, you have Reached the person. Marketing accomplished. So now maybe you're on the phone still--in the same call. But the gears are switched from prospecting (finding) to selling (in your case the appointment). You are performing two functions in the same call--both with creativity.

Okay..so now I'll give a counterpoint to what I said. You're an advertising pro, so you probably know that both David Ogilvy and Claude Hopkins, two giants of advertising, said that advertising was Salesmanship. I happen to agree with that.

You see how the points of view can change if the context changes? However, regardless of context, it is still creativity, excellence, efficiency, and effectiveness that brings success in all aspects of sales and/or marketing.

So the Intrinsic Question rather than "What do you do different?", in my opinion, should always be "What can I do different that puts me in a place that is better than the competition?" -Gary A Boye

I know I say this over and over in my posts but I can't stress enough just how important it is. Without it I know just what my competition knows...which is very little about what my prospects wants and needs. I ask questions and Listen, Listen, Listen. If I allow the prospect to talk he will tell me everything I "need" to know. -MPrince

Completely agree with MPrince. The objective of cold calling is to obtain a follow up appointment/discussion. Therefore your strategy (i.e. script) should be specific to securing that next appointment.

If someone calls on you or calls in, you have to be much more flexible in the discussion. Take the prospects' lead, get as much information as you can and qualify their interest and need for your product/service. Be informative, answer their questions and be genuinely helpful.

Once I took a 'call-in' in my office and by following the above advice, I secured a multi-year competitive winback contract valued at $1.2 million! Good luck!

How you communicate determines your success! -CoachMaria

I become friend of the second line contact, so i pump him/her for information. that helps me to qualify the prospect. then i ask with any right a interview by phone to sell the appointment first, and then i procced with que sales sequence. -migueldelacueva

This is great...... -salestraining

On a cold call, besides setting the appointment, there is also the possibility to screen and qualify the suspect into a prospect. Even cold calls by phone or cold calls in person are two different things. Cold calls on the phone get you scattered all over the place, an perhaps your cover more with less sweat. On door to door, you get more effective coverage, you say hello to the person, some sizing can be done and mileage in travel and time is conserved. Door to door calls for guts. Must smile at every door . An inexpensive door gift breaks the ice. Carefully planned quick questions help qualify the suspect. A chance exists to recruit into sales team. There is also a chance to find out about the neighbour (without being nosy). Cold calls really have plenty of benefits. -Thiruselvam K