Call Reluctance

I have found this to be true for myself. Of course, that first step is a doozy!

Yes, it sure is. But the good news is the FIRST step is actually the worst. As I have found true with most things in life that I dread, the actual event is rarely as bad as my own imagination .

I'm only a newcomer here, but I'll add my 2 cents worth.

I'm no fan of cold calling , but as a consultant, I still do it. One approach that I use from time to time, is to pick my target market, send an ice-breaker letter with an attention grabber attached, and a few days later call the business owner. Because of the format that I use, 9 out of 10 times the letter gets read, and this is a good lead in when I start talking to the business owner. To a certain extent I have already pre-sold them on what I am going to talk about, and in some cases I get the appointment without even having to say much.

Stephen

Stephen,

Welcome to the forum - from another relative newbie.

Your approach sounds like it works extremely well. What type of an attention grabber do you send with the letter?

Kathleen

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Hi Kathleen

At different times I have used silver coins, chocolate coins and scratchy lottery tickets. They all work effectively, because whoever opens the mail, they are instantly drawn to the grabber. If it is not the business owner, the person feels compelled to pass on the letter. If it is the business owner, they read the letter because they think if this person is going to use this clever type of marketing, then perhaps they have something useful to say.

Stephen

Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean by "attention grabber attached?" (also it is a letter in an envelop as opposed to a postcard...etc.)

The idea of the attention grabber is to physically stick some object to your letter so that it stands out. I mentioned in my reply to Kathleen that I use silver coins, chocolate coins and scratchy lottery tickets. I then say in the first line of my letter - "The silver coin attached to this letter is to get your attention, to focus your mind on a question: are you getting the best return for your advertising and other marketing efforts?" Then I launch in to the rest of my letter.

This idea works well.....but it is not the be all and end all. In other words, it will not overcome the whole process of cold calling. In some cases it will help you gain an appointment with the business owner straight away.....but in most cases you still need to have a good script to get your point across.

However, when it comes to cold calling, for most people, every little edge that you can give yourself helps!

Stephen

How intereesting. I LIKE it. Well, maybe except the chocolate coins...I live in FL, they might win me a dry cleaning bill or two!

Yeah, fair point. Most people laugh but I have had a few that weren't happy when chocolate crumbled in their lap. I stick to silver coins now!

Hi!

A few questions to ask yourself b4 you make your first call:

1) Why are you calling them - what do you hope to achieve - appointment, sale, lead, survey etc

2) Prepare answers to some objections b4 they arise - enabling you to think on your feet!

3) Why would YOU purchase what you are selling - never forget your Unique Selling Point (USP)!

4) Understand the ways that your prospect can benefit from your product/services - cost less, better quality, leading-edge, saves time, easier to use, reduced costs, improves productivity, better ROI etc etc

5) Set yourself small targets - after calling 10 prospects, after calling 25. Also set targets for outcomes - "Today I am going to aim for 5 appointments" or "Today I am going to get 10 sales" etc. You may not always hit them, but you focus more on little successes (which builds confidence in you and makes you feel like a winner) and less on how you "feel" when you make them.

Finally, remember what you can achieve when you get those sales. What are you goals in life for this week, month, year? What will you spend you money on - remember the goal after the goal. Why are you willing to do what 90% of people are not willing to do? What floats your boat?? Good luck

Tony D - Sales Journey