It's 7:00 p.m. and you're about to sit back in your favorite chair when the phone rings. As you pick up the receiver this is what you hear. "Good evening, my name is Peter and I'm with Lucky Carpet Cleaning. How are you tonight?" How would you respond to this call? If you're like most people you would probably respond with three simple words. "I'm not interested.”
Why would most of us react in such a negative manner when we don't even know what the call is about? In fact, had you listened to the rest of the presentation this what you would have heard. "The reason I'm calling is to offer my congratulations. As a promotion by a local carpet manufacturer your house has been selected to receive FREE wall-to-wall broadloom. This top of the line carpet is available in a choice of ten different colors and includes installation and taxes, so it won't cost you a cent."
It's Saturday morning and you are busy working around the house when the front door bell rings. As you open the door a well-dressed lady hands you her business card and says "Good morning, I'm with ReMax Real Estate." How would you react to this intrusion? Once again, most people would simply say "Thank you, but I'm not interested" and swiftly close the door. But, why would we desire to end this conversation so quickly? Had Susan been given the chance to talk this is what she would have said. "I represent a corporation who is transferring one of their executives into this area. As such they are willing to pay a large premium for your house."
In both of these examples, getting the appointment would have been easy had the salesperson not been the master of their own demise. They destroyed their chance of landing the appointment by breaking a cardinal prospecting rule. They told their prospect what they were selling.
The moment that you heard the words carpet cleaning and real estate you stopped listening to the presentation. Instead, you began to prejudge the value of the call, so when you are prospecting for new business keep in mind that the person on the other end of the line is going through this same mental evaluation process. For example, you've decided to grow your client base so you begin to phone local businesses. When the receptionist picks up the phone and hears "Good morning, it's Peter calling from Lucky Printing. How are you today? Could you please tell me who orders the printing for your company?" she will likely react to your phone call in the same way that we do. She'll say "Thank you for calling, but we're not interested. We're happy with our supplier," because she's been listening for and has just heard the key words that allow her to screen the call. The moment that you said "printing" the sale was over! When you consider that many receptionists have clear instructions to block salespeople, it is crucial that your initial telephone presentation denies her this screening opportunity.
So here's 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 Printing" use the first letters of the company name and say "Good morning it's Peter from L &P."
Consider the huge difference this small change can make. Since the receptionist doesn't hear the key words that identify your product and service she cannot screen your call. Although she may ask some probing questions, if she's busy she's just as likely to answer your question and put your call through. In fact, 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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