Introduction
We may want to start by helping you
understand the concept behind cold calling. In simple terms, cold calling is
the art of calling somebody who is not expecting your call. In today’s business
world, it has become an integral part of business model, especially as it
relates to marketing. In, fact some companies relies solely on cold calling to
get their products and services across to potential clients. It is simply
telemarketing in action- that is making contacts with potential customers over
the phone line. And bearing in mind the intricacies involved in the proper use
of telephone, especially the beyond-the-border kind, it dawns on us that, cold
calling if not handled well and in a professional manner, can have a damaging
effect to the image of the company, resulting to loss of potential customers.
Hence, to gain the best out of
telemarketing, every sales person must know as well as apply the following cold
calling tips:
1. Prepare before Hand: As a
sales person trying to engage potential customers over the phone line, your
first weapon of conquest should be thorough preparation; otherwise, you’ve
already prepared to fail. How do you prepare? Know and figure out what you want
to achieve from a call and note it down, with possible questions you expect
from your prospect. Experience and intuition helps you to be accurate in this
area. Having captured these, rehearse them so as to internalize them before
engaging your prospect. Never try to read from your script. Besides, you would need
a plan ‘B’ should your initial approach fails to work.
2.
Set Realistic Goals: If you’re new to telemarketing,
the best advice for you is to start small and work up from there. Never engage
the whole day cold calling on potential clients. With as little as 5 calls a
day, you are doing great as a starter. As you learn the rope, you can then move
to a higher scale.
3. Talk Slowly, Clearly, but
Confidently: Mind you, stage freight is not limited to physical
presentation before an audience, in telemarketing, you can face that too.
Usually, with a high quest to convince your potential client, there is always
this tendency to speak so fast, to get all the information over as quick as
possible. When you do that, you lose confidence, and be sure the man over the other
end will definitely notice that. And of he hangs it on you. You’ve lost him!
4. Listen to your Potential
Client: This is probably the most important, but the least often used tip
by many telemarketers. You have to understand that people generally hate being
talked at. Give your potential client time to express himself. In fact, you can
get more by just listening to him/her, as that might help you understand
his/her preferences, prejudice and general value system- great information you
really need to scale through successfully.
5. Talk to the Right Person:
Don’t waste your whole day calling the wrong persons- in this case, those who
are not in position of making decision on an offer. The moment you initiate a
call, one thing you should always do without wasting time is to verify if
you’re really speaking to the right person- that is the ultimate decision
maker. Quickly ask if there is someone else they recommend you to talk with, or
else reschedule the call.
6. Use
Open Question: By employing the use of words like What? When? Where? Who?
Etc, you come up with relevant questions to get your prospective client talking
and participating in the conversation, thereby making it possible for you to
speak more confidently.
7. Smile
and be Cheerful: Remember miserable and awkward feeling can show through
your voice, the same goes for a great and cheerful feeling. And you have to
know that it is not just what you say that get you sales, but how you say it.
It is quite obvious nobody wants to buy from a miserable fellow. So be cheerful
and smile while prospecting.
8. Don’t
Argue: Be sure to meet some hard people as prospective clients. However,
you don’t need to be scared about their harsh approach to your offer. The only
thing you should avoid is argument. Remember to go with the mentality that
customers are always right, even when they are not. Remain calm and polite
amidst tense situation. If you’re constantly coming up against a brick wall,
think of different ways to obtain the information you need.
9. Don’t
Take it Personal: Remember you’re just a sales person representing a
company. So, don’t overtly react to harsh treatment from your prospective
client as if you’re desperate to tie him down to your offer. If a call goes
bad, the person on the other end of the phone may simply be having a bad day.
Losing him today may not be the end of the road; you can win him over tomorrow.
10. Try
to always get something out of a Call: You’re not engaged in cold calling
to practice ‘trial and error’. Make sure that at the end of the day, you get
something out of every call you put across. For instance, if the ultimate aim
is to get a face to face meeting with your prospective client, make sure you
have a secondary objective, should the primary objective fails to realize.
Example could be sending out information and getting commitment to call and
follow up, or simply getting an email address.
These
tips, if judiciously followed up, can move an organization to the next level.
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