- 26,127
Using your voice is something that is not taught enough it seems. Adding to your list. Pauses, cadence, smiling, tone, and bits of humor.
Of and most importantly, listening. Not hearing, but listening.
Ultimate [Guide] to Cold Calling
- Thread starter Glen Shelton
- Start date
Using your voice is something that is not taught enough it seems. Adding to your list. Pauses, cadence, smiling, tone, and bits of humor.
Of and most importantly, listening. Not hearing, but listening.
Listening is the key to the sales process, from start to finish. Learn to ask questions, then listen.
Too often sales people are taught how to "pitch" their product or service. Worst thing in the world you can do. Prospective clients really don't care about your product.
What they want is to know if you can solve THEIR PROBLEM.
But if you are too focused on telling them how wonderful your product is you will completely miss clues they are telegraphing.
You don't have to sell, or close, if you give the prospect what they want.
Some people have a natural conversation style to their presentation while other come across as authoritative and dictatorial. You may not feel that you are being a jerk, but if you watch the facial expressions and body language of your prospect you should be able to pick up on it.
Telesales makes listening skills imperative since there is no visual feedback. I use a headset, pen and composition book to take notes. While my prospect is talking I am taking notes of things they say, especially when they raise an issue that has not been addresed in conversation up to that point.
"A few minutes ago you said your mother (brother, best friend, etc) has a plan that pays all their claims and they owe nothing for doctor visits. Would you like to know more about how that plan works and how it compares to something 95% of my clients own?"
If you are too busy talking you will miss an opportunity to turn a prospect into a client.
Too often sales people are taught how to "pitch" their product or service. Worst thing in the world you can do. Prospective clients really don't care about your product.
What they want is to know if you can solve THEIR PROBLEM.
But if you are too focused on telling them how wonderful your product is you will completely miss clues they are telegraphing.
You don't have to sell, or close, if you give the prospect what they want.
Some people have a natural conversation style to their presentation while other come across as authoritative and dictatorial. You may not feel that you are being a jerk, but if you watch the facial expressions and body language of your prospect you should be able to pick up on it.
Telesales makes listening skills imperative since there is no visual feedback. I use a headset, pen and composition book to take notes. While my prospect is talking I am taking notes of things they say, especially when they raise an issue that has not been addresed in conversation up to that point.
"A few minutes ago you said your mother (brother, best friend, etc) has a plan that pays all their claims and they owe nothing for doctor visits. Would you like to know more about how that plan works and how it compares to something 95% of my clients own?"
If you are too busy talking you will miss an opportunity to turn a prospect into a client.
- 26,127
I actually tried one of those services, they didn't work despite all the proof I gave them after I was passed to a clueless assistant...
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Hiring an attorney is an emotionally driven "purchase" triggered by an event. When you are in a car wreck who do you call?
An attorney.
Not a life insurance agent.
Other than the warm and fuzzy TV commercials for life insurance (I think Mass Mutual did some) and the Alex Trebek pitches for "you can never be turned down" life insurance, I doubt any of them work very well.
Alex would be the exception.
You still see them on TV but can't think when I have seen an emotional commercial for life insurance that has staying power.
An attorney.
Not a life insurance agent.
Other than the warm and fuzzy TV commercials for life insurance (I think Mass Mutual did some) and the Alex Trebek pitches for "you can never be turned down" life insurance, I doubt any of them work very well.
Alex would be the exception.
You still see them on TV but can't think when I have seen an emotional commercial for life insurance that has staying power.
I may be misremembering but I think that he posted a goodbye message at some point. He hasn't logged in for the last year.
- 30,573
Nice guy, but he started making some wacky posts, like saying he would only talk to people who had a referral letter from their lawyer...or something like that. Sounded kind of funny after sitting in the Food Court with a hand written sign on a piece of cardboard that said, "Ask me about Medicare".
BADTROUT
Guru
First I've read this post... good stuff and thanks for the hard work compiling. Brings to mind a story a life insurance guy told me recently...
They had to cold call for life insurance. It was brutal. All of the finesse and technique that was coached... all had similar results give or take. One then others tried an easier technique and quickly realized it produced the same results but it was far an easier cold call...
*r*i*n*g*
"Hello, would you like to buy some life insurance" had exactly the same results as creating rapport and identifying the need blahblah..
If you want the perfect cold calling technique and want to be sucessful... make more calls... what you say is far less important with volume... and no robots either.
They had to cold call for life insurance. It was brutal. All of the finesse and technique that was coached... all had similar results give or take. One then others tried an easier technique and quickly realized it produced the same results but it was far an easier cold call...
*r*i*n*g*
"Hello, would you like to buy some life insurance" had exactly the same results as creating rapport and identifying the need blahblah..
If you want the perfect cold calling technique and want to be sucessful... make more calls... what you say is far less important with volume... and no robots either.
- 4,304
That's interesting. I heard of a guy when I first started that would cold call for appointments just using the phone book. He'd start with the first name under A and dial all the way through. His script was something like "I'm calling to see if anybody needs life or disability insurance." Apparently he was pretty successful doing that. (Of course there was no DNC list, caller id, or even many people with answering machines, so most answered the phone if they were home.)
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