Train Your Sales Team with Wendy Weiss, How to Follow Up on Cold Calls

Based on a conversation with Wendy Weiss, author of Cold
Calling for Women. (DFD
Publications, 2000) and a
self-study program, Cold Calling College. Weiss is a sales trainer and sales coach whose clients include Avon, ADP, Sprint, and thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the country. Weiss
can be reached at The Queen of Cold Calling, 412 W. 25th Street,
Suite 1-F, New York, NY 10001.
Phone: 212/463-8212.
Fax: 212/807-9875.
Web: www.wendyweiss.com

Strategy: Understanding Cold Calling

Think of cold calling as a performance similar to a performance in the theater or sports arena. Great performers, regardless of their area of expertise, rehearse daily and always “warm up” before a performance. Football players and ballet dancers alike stretch their limbs and muscles; even actors spend quiet time going over their lines and getting in character. When it comes time to perform, great performers have internalized the mechanics of what they need to do so that, rather than thinking about what to do next, they can react effortlessly to whatever actually takes place.

With cold calling, you rehearse by role-playing the cold call with colleagues and you warm up by scripting out the call that you’re about to make. When you prepare thoroughly, your cold calling becomes the performance during which you impress and convince your audience, the prospect. More important, because you’ve prepared yourself thoroughly, your “stage fright” (if you experience it) will serve as a source of excitement and adrenaline, rather than a debilitating fear.

Another reason to rehearse and to warm up is that it gives you a way to get yourself back on track after you’ve experienced a cold call that didn’t have the result you wanted. It’s easy to make the next call when you’re having a “good day,” but unless you’re in the habit of reinforcing your skills on a regular basis, a series of unsuccessful calls (which happens to everyone) might make you conclude that that this is a “bad day” and that you won’t be able to succeed, no matter what you do.

Sales professionals usually dread cold calling because they have ineffective beliefs. Results come from actions, and actions come from beliefs. If you believe that you’re having a “bad day” or that “prospects don’t want our products” or any other of the thousand varieties of negative thinking, you won’t be able to see, much less capitalize upon, the opportunities that do come up. Worse, you’ll start mental
“filtering” by noticing everything that goes “wrong” rather than everything that goes right.

Many sales reps don’t like cold calls because they interpret a “no” as a rejection. But while it’s true that some prospects may be in a bad mood, or may not want to buy, or may have any number of reasons for not behaving the way you’d like, the fact that a customer said “no” is all about that customer, not about you, much less your company, products, or services. If there’s something to learn from the experience, learn it and move on to the next call.

When “calling high” you’re likely to run into gatekeepers. To get around such people, always consider yourself as important as the person whom you’re calling. Secretaries are used to doing what their bosses want. If you sound like you’re a boss – not rude, but authoritative – the secretary will naturally want to do what you want. To sound more authoritative, pitch your voice a little lower than usual. Make statements rather than questions; say, “Please put me through to Ms. Warbucks,” rather than, “Can I please speak with Ms. Warbucks?” Make sure that every sentence – even a question such as, “When’s the best time to reach her?” ends in a downward inflection.

Tactics: Effective Cold Calling

Effective cold calling requires a systematic approach. The following 10-step program shows exactly how to ensure that your cold calls will be as productive as possible.

Before the Cold Call:

Step 1. Determine the goal of the call. This is dependent upon your company’s sales process and the location of the prospect within that process. For example, if your company’s sales process launches with a face-to-face meeting, the goal of the cold call will be to set up that meeting. Conversely, if your company’s sales process launches with trial usage of a product, then your goal is to get the prospect to accept the free trial.

Step 2. Understand the nature of the prospect. To achieve the goal of the call, you’ll need to research and understand your prospect, your prospect’s company and industry, and the “hot buttons” that will cause that prospect to consider taking the action that’s the goal of the call. For example, if the prospect is a CFO inside a medium-sized high-tech firm, you will probably want to know the basic financials of the company, and, say, how companies in that sector are reacting to increased government regulation.

Step 3. Script the intended conversation. While many sales professionals would prefer not to script, knowing what you’re going to say ahead of time ensures that your message will be heard and the call will be successful. Your script should map out the basic conversation, potential objections, and the “close” on whatever action would fulfill the goal of the call.

Step 4. Rehearse the cold call conversation. Rehearsal transforms the scripted conversation into a more natural dialog. By working through the conversation with a colleague, you will internalize the rhythm of the call, so that your statements and questions flow more naturally. In addition, the repetition will greatly reduce any anxiety that you may feel about making the call.
Step 5. Mentally reinforce your newfound confidence. Following the previous steps ensures that you’ll be more confident when you actually make the call. Because you’ve prepared and rehearsed, you’ll find it easier to keep focused and speak effectively during the call. Being aware of your newfound confidence helps increase that confidence and thus helps ensure success.

During the Cold Call:

Step 6. Assume the prospect needs you. Approach the call as if you have information and perspective that the prospect truly needs. Emphasize in your own mind that you can contribute to both the success of the prospect and the success of the prospect’s business. This should be easy if you’ve followed the first five steps.

Step 7. Differentiate yourself within 15 seconds. On the typical cold call, you have 15 seconds (more or less) to communicate to the prospect that you’re somebody worth talking to. This is generally not enough time to convey much information, so you’ll need to accomplish this by touching one of the “hot buttons” that you researched in Step 2. You can also accomplish this differentiation through your posture of confidence.

Step 8. Mirror the prospect’s speech pattern. Mirror (but don’t mimic) the tempo and rhythm of the prospect’s way of speaking. If the prospect talks in quick bursts, talk in quick bursts. If the prospect has a long drawl, slow your talking speed to match. Note that some of these patterns are regional, but not always. While uncommon, there are (a few) laid-back New Yorkers and hard-driving Alabamans.

Step 9. Move the call toward the goal. While there will be times when your cold call might engender an in-depth conversation, you should be constantly aware of the intended outcome of the cold call. Without being pushy or abrupt, move the conversation toward that goal. In most cases, the prospect will treat this as a sign of respect for their time.

After the Cold Call:

Step 10. Celebrate or contemplate. If the call went well (and you achieved your goal), take a few moments to congratulate yourself. If the call did not have the outcome you would have preferred, spend a few moments figuring out why. Decide what needed to be different in order for the call to be successful and then, if that difference is within your control, do additional research, script changes, etc., in order to ensure that you’ll do better next time.

Quick Tips for Your Next Sales Meeting

When all else fails, and you can’t get through to the prospect,consider adapting the “Abducted by Aliens?” letter, excerpted from Wendy Weiss’s book, Cold Calling for Women.

Dear [name of customer]

You may not know this, but I have been attempting to reach you, almost on a daily basis, for some time now, with no success. You are never available when I call, and clearly, you have been unable to return my phone calls. I am worried about you. Have you been abducted by aliens?

If you have, and can somehow use the enclosed, pre-addressed, stamped envelope to notify me, I will notify the Coast Guard and alert the media and do everything in my power to obtain your release. If, however, the problem is limited to a demanding schedule, I am writing to encourage you to call me when you have a free moment.

Hopefully, the information I am enclosing will justify that call. [Information about your company, product or service.] Don’t you agree that if we can show you [customer benefit], your time will have been well spent?

It would be nice to hear from you.

Sincerely,
[your name]

With your letter, enclose a response card, something like this:

Dear [your name]:

You are right!

PLEASE CHECK APROPRIATE BOX

[ ] Help! I have been abducted by aliens! Please do whatever you can to rescue me!

[ ] I have not been abducted by aliens. The next time you call, I will
be available. I am looking forward to speaking with you!

[ ] The best time to reach me is ____________ (day) at _______ (time). Please call me then. I am looking forward to speaking with you!

Sincerely,
[customer name]

Sales Manager’s Training Guide

At Your Next Sales Meeting
Below are 15 practical steps to improve your sales teams ability to make
effective cold calls. This sales meeting should take about 40 minutes.

1. Prior to the meeting, make a slide summarizing the 10-step cold calling process.

2. Open the meeting with a statement that you’re going to work on cold calling and that the exercises will require some role-play. Ask the team to play along, full bore.

3. Briefly review the strategy of cold calling and the 10-step process. This should not take more than five minutes.

4. Separate the team into groups of three. Have them decide which group members are A’s, which are B’s and which are C’s. Tell them that the C’s will be the cold callers, B’s will be the prospects, and A’s will be the passive observers. Explain the cold call must last no more than two minutes.

5. Tell the groups to separate and begin. Every group will almost certainly jump right into making the cold call. If so, stop the exercise and remind them that the first five steps take place BEFORE the cold call.

6. Tell the groups to start over, and have everyone write out a “script” for the cold call that they’ll be making. Have everyone privately rehearse.

7. Tell the groups to separate and begin, starting with the same letter assignments for “caller,” “prospect,” and “observer.” When the role-play calls are complete, have the “observers” give their impression of how the call went.

8. Switch roles, and repeat, twice, so that everyone in each group gets to play all three roles.

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8. You should now be about 30 minutes into the meeting.

10. Open the floor for discussion. Ask for specific examples of improvements that took place in the second round of practice calls.

11. Explain that you are instituting a cold calling “mentor” system and that the C’s will be the mentors for the B’s, the B’s for the A’s and the A’s for the C’s.

12. Have the “mentors” commit, over the next week, to let their “mentee” practice cold calling at least 10 times.

13. Explain that “mentees” should make commitments to make a certain number of cold calls over the next week and that the “mentors” are responsible for making certain that those calls are actually made.

14. Tell your team that you’ll be reviewing their progress on cold calling over the next week. Have them put together a list of relatively unimportant prospects to practice on prior to calling the really important prospects.

15. Provide rewards for team members who make their committed number of calls – regardless of whether those calls were successful.

Quick Tips for Your Training Session
Cold calling can sometimes strike terror into the heart of even the most successful sales professional. Here are 10 ways to overcome the fear of cold calling, excerpted from Wendy Weiss’s book, Cold Calling for Women.

1. Make some telephone calls. The fear you create for yourself is far worse than the reality of cold calling, so overcome fear by doing.

2. Make a lot of telephone calls. The more calls you make, the more success you will have.

3. Prepare. Know what you want to say, how you want to say it, and how you want to represent yourself, your company, your
product, or service, as well as the goal of your telephone call.

4, Practice. Practice your pitch out loud and role-play with colleagues, so that you will be prepared and can focus on your prospect.

5. Start with less important leads. Once you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important leads.

6. Stay calm. If a prospect is rude, remember that they may just be having a bad day and then move on.

7. Your priorities and your prospect’s priorities are different. Be very careful not to read negative or extra meaning into early
conversations with your prospect or prospect’s secretary.

8. Some things are out of your control. But what is within your control is continuing to prospect and continuing to make calls.

9. Make it a game. Give yourself one point for every “no” answer. When you reach 100, give yourself a prize. (If a prospect says “yes,” that’s a bonus!)

10. Have fun. The fate of the world does not rest on you and your telephone, so loosen up and be creative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What if I only make “warm calls” – where I already know the client, or have previous sent a letter?

A: Just because you think it’s a “warm call” doesn’t mean that the client thinks it’s a “warm call.” In most cases, the concept of a “warm call” is just a semantic device that helps sales reps pretend that they aren’t making a cold call. Here’s the rule: Every call that starts the sales process is a cold call.

Q: How do I handle objections?

A: Rehearse your response to possible objections. If you get stumped during a cold call, after you’re done, figure out why you were stumped and how to
do better next time. If you can’t decide how to overcome an objection yourself, ask your colleagues or research the answer in sales training books. Remember: Every objection under the sun has surfaced a million times.

Q: What if I keep getting voice-mail?

A: Don’t settle too soon for leaving a voice-mail message. Try making 10 times as many calls as you would have done in the past. Call after or
before business hours. Call during lunch. Call extensions close to the extension of the person you’re trying to reach and ask the person who answers if he or she knows when your prospect might take calls. Get creative and eventually you’ll probably get through.