Cold Calling

[Suis]

I believe in our day and time that "dialing for dollars" is dead. My biggest challenge as a manager and trainer was to help new reps get effective at obtaining "recommendations" (referrals).

Learning how to make a "personal observation" is critical. For example, if your business isn't done primarily from a telephone, what is an agent doing with all the people he bumps into throughout a normal day? One of the most successful agents I ever worked with would just be "out and about" and whenever the situation allowed, he would ask someone "Who do you buy your life insurance from?" After the person answered (and many times they aren't clear on what they have, which company, their agent's name, etc) the agent would ask them "if I could save you on your premiums or give you more coverage for the same premium, would you let me look into that for you?"

If you're in a more upscale market, you might change the question to "Who helps you with your over-all financial plan?"

Along these same lines, you need a concise "elevator speech" that allows you to tell someone what you do and who you do it for in 30 seconds.

I applaud those of you who are making a good living through unsolicited cold calls. I could not do it.

Can you give a good example of an effective 30 second phone script to get your lead to let you change to the casual talk? How do you get your "foot in the door" on the phone?
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For cold calling purposes you would be able to reach more people if you were using a list that you could upload into a dialer like Mojo that allows you to call up to 3 numbers at a time and will stop dialing when you reach someone.

What are the percentages of reaching a lead with the mojo method and even better, landing a sale? Thanks

 

[Larry Tew]

Can you give a good example of an effective 30 second phone script to get your lead to let you change to the casual talk? How do you get your "foot in the door" on the phone?

No I can't, because the conversation I'm talking about happens face to face in a casual setting or even in aisle 3 at the grocery store. Personally, calling total strangers on the phone in order to sell them something died along with the 8-track tape player.

 

[Kicker]

Larry,

You are in my geographic area. Are you interested in splitting the cost of a telemarketer/appt setter? Can we get others to help?

Danny

I would be interested in splitting this type of service. I am also in NC.

 

[VaDwayne]

No I can't, because the conversation I'm talking about happens face to face in a casual setting or even in aisle 3 at the grocery store. Personally, calling total strangers on the phone in order to sell them something died along with the 8-track tape player.

That's what everybody say's that either doesn't know how to do it, or is too lazy to do it, or is too frightened by the phone to do it.

Compared to the way it may have used to be done and it's effectiveness, to the way it is now done and it's effectiveness, the calls/appt. ratio may be less, but it still works.

However, I concede that there are BETTER ways..

 

[Larry Tew]

That's what everybody say's that either doesn't know how to do it, or is too lazy to do it, or is too frightened by the phone to do it.

Compared to the way it may have used to be done and it's effectiveness, to the way it is now done and it's effectiveness, the calls/appt. ratio may be less, but it still works.

However, I concede that there are BETTER ways..

dwayne, I want to make sure I'm not misunderstanding you. After 30 years as an agent, advisor, recruiter, and trainer I sometimes get confused. Are you saying I'm stupid, lazy, or afraid?

 

[VaDwayne]

dwayne, I want to make sure I'm not misunderstanding you. After 30 years as an agent, advisor, recruiter, and trainer I sometimes get confused. Are you saying I'm stupid, lazy, or afraid?

Not at all. Heck I don't even know you.. I am saying that cold-calling still works but it doesn't work for most because they are afraid of the phone. When I was cold-calling the first several calls were uncomfortable and it never got better.

Now on the lazy part, I have had many agents that I spent time with on the phone, who called me from this forum, do nothing but make excuses when asked how it was going. They don't have the work ethic to make cold-calling work, but it does work.

You say you have 30 years, and my other statement was simply stating the fact thatit probably doesn't work as well now as it did then, due to the DNC among other things, but it still works.

I will say this, as a trainer, if you are teaching people that cold-calling doesn't work, you are wrong, and it is an inexpensive way for new people to get up and running.

The reason I used the word "or" was to emphasize that one or the other may apply, not all. Some could be afraid of cold-calling, somone may be lazy, some may be whatever applies. Just because someone has been in the business for 30 years, or 20 years, doesn't mean they do everything well, and are not adapted to doing a particular way of creating business.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because a person has done something for a long time, doesn't mean they do it well. I am sure there are agents, like any other career I assume, who have been making the same mistakes over and over again for their entire careers.

As an example only, just because you have been a trainer for 30 years, a recruiter for 30 years, and whatever else for 30 years, doesn't necessarily mean you are as good at it as you could be. I'm sure you are though, I'm just trying to make a point.

 

[Larry Tew]

Dwayne, your explanation almost makes me feel better. Not to beat this issue to death, but yes... cold calling in the dempgraphic I work in and have trained in for decades IS DEAD. You can't tell me I'm wrong since you don't know the market I work in, and I said in my original post that for me PERSONALLY that cold calling is dead. I'm not lording 30 years experience over anybody here, but I have seen and done most all of it in that time and I know what works for my arena and what doesn't.

If I were selling something that required me to make 5 sales a day or even 5 sales a week, then maybe cold calling woud be a part of the process. I could just as easily say that anyone who doesn't build their prospect pool by obtaining referrals, endorsements, and personal observations doesn't know how, is too lazy, or is afraid to come out from behind the phone to meet people face to face. I wouldn't say that because that approach isn't feasible for every market.

 

[Blue]

We have found that true cold calling of individual prospects at home really does not produce anything more than disappointment. We have been focusing on the worksite market selling individual health insurance using list bill. The employers allow us to speak with their employees because their is no cost to them when the employees purchase coverage. We cold call the employers using either telemarketers or our agents.

 

[Davis]

We have found that true cold calling of individual prospects at home really does not produce anything more than disappointment. We have been focusing on the worksite market selling individual health insurance using list bill. The employers allow us to speak with their employees because their is no cost to them when the employees purchase coverage. We cold call the employers using either telemarketers or our agents.

What is list bill and can you give me some information about them?

 

[Mark]

What is list bill and can you give me some information about them?

List bill is where you send a lot of people a bill all at one address..