It’s Time to Brush Up on Your Sales Call Skills

What’s your favorite thing to do? It’s cold-calling prospective clients, isn’t it?

Just kidding, I know you hate that, because we all do! Or at least most of us do. However, it is a necessary evil at times, and one that may even pay off if you’re able to land a new client from it.

To do this, though, you need to be a skilled cold-caller. Most of us aren’t natural born salespeople, but there are some things we can do to brush up on those skills. Here’s what I’m talking about:

●     Remember your purpose and stick to it. When you’re calling people, get to the point quickly and don’t veer off track.

●     Have a script on hand so you can refer to it if necessary. You don’t need to read from it word-for-word, and you really don’t want to anyway because it will sound canned. But it’s a good idea to have something written down to glance at if you need to.

●     Make sure you’re pitching to the right person. If you’re delivering your spiel to the receptionist, you’re probably wasting your time because he/she is not the decision-maker.

●     Offer to connect with them another way, such as email, if that is preferable to them.

●     Be ready to describe how working with you will be a benefit to them. This what really matters to them anyway, so have a few talking points at the ready about how you’ll be an asset.

●     If they say they don’t have time to discuss anything at the moment, propose another time or ask them what works for them. Be persistent, but not annoyingly so.
*   Don't be afraid to leave a voicemail message. Remember, this is another chance for them to hear your voice.

●     Finally, if they’re not interested, thank them for their time and end the call. Don’t try to wheedle a few more minutes out of them or use other tactics to try and convince them to work with you. Not only is this irritating to 99.99% of the population, it’s also just plain rude.