Cold Calling - Advice wanted

moggie4000

Hey,

I'm looking for advice on cold calling. I will be ringing up businesses trying to get an appointment to see them and also cold calling on the businesses doorstep.

I'm looking for ideas, best advice etc to get me started. I have obviously done sales before but never cold calling.

So any advice would be very helpful...

AARRRGH

moggie4000 wrote: »

...and also cold calling on the businesses doorstep.

I'd scrap that. It's too aggressive.

I've worked in a few cold calling places. The best sales people always had a very relaxed, non-pushy technique.

For example, they would ring a customer, introduce themselves, and mention how they might be able to save them money over their current service provider. If the customer bites, they go into further details. If the customer declines, they ask can they send them a brochure anyway. And they ring back again in 6 months...

flash harry

^^^agreed.... how to ensure you will never sell me anything, turn up at my office unannounced and presume I'll drop everything to let you pitch a service or product to me!!!!! Seriously I wouldnt go there unless people cannot live without your product/service.

pipsqueak

bad bad time to be cold calling, country is broke!

the_syco

pipsqueak wrote: »

bad bad time to be cold calling, country is broke!

If the product saves the company money, the product may have come at the 11th hour.

moggie4000

It is a great product, so that helps. And it's a product that everyone needs...

kittensoft1984

AARRRGH wrote: »

I'd scrap that. It's too aggressive.

I've worked in a few cold calling places. The best sales people always had a very relaxed, non-pushy technique.

For example, they would ring a customer, introduce themselves, and mention how they might be able to save them money over their current service provider. If the customer bites, they go into further details. If the customer declines, they ask can they send them a brochure anyway. And they ring back again in 6 months...

+1

The following link may help to http://www.google.com/cse?cx=010837026464449256333:1okytpg5xok&cof=FORID:1&q=cold+calling&sa=Search

Alun

moggie4000 wrote: »

It is a great product, so that helps. And it's a product that everyone needs...

They always are ... :rolleyes:

AARRRGH

Alun wrote: »

They always are ... :rolleyes:

Yeah, I always find that kind of funny. I don't think I've ever needed a product "everyone needs". There's always a cheaper alternative or simply no requirement for it.

Darragh29

AARRRGH wrote: »

I'd scrap that. It's too aggressive.

I've worked in a few cold calling places. The best sales people always had a very relaxed, non-pushy technique.

For example, they would ring a customer, introduce themselves, and mention how they might be able to save them money over their current service provider. If the customer bites, they go into further details. If the customer declines, they ask can they send them a brochure anyway. And they ring back again in 6 months...

I remember last year, two guys walked into my garage, walked right into my workshop, in under a lift and there was me trying to take a gearbox out of a car and these two lads start trying to sell me saucepans and frying pans and kitchen and cooking utensils!

I asked them to come back when I wasn't wrestling with a 6 stone gearbox and they kept at it, "this is an excellent product, it will only take a minute", etc, etc, etc. Eventually I had to get another mechanic to hold the gearbox while I got out to deal with these two, and by this stage, my floor was a demonstration area for a range of saucepans and frying pans. My first question to them was what in the name of f*ck where they doing in a garage of all places trying to sell me pots and f*cking pans?!?!? To be hoenst, I lost the head, no appointment or nothing and trying to sell a mechanic a set of f*cking saucepans ffs! Anyway an argument ensued. Next thing one of the guys raises a frying pan and goes to lamp me over the head with it, I think he was Russian or something!

So the morale of my little story is forget about cold calling, as in turning up unannounced! You could end up in a brawl with staff dragging you out the door, as was the outcome of above! :D:D

moggie4000

I think, in fairness, you have to know your market also. Like, trying to sell saucepans to a mechanic...wtf! Tools maybe but saucepans no...

So knowing your market is vital!

Darragh29

moggie4000 wrote: »

I think, in fairness, you have to know your market also. Like, trying to sell saucepans to a mechanic...wtf! Tools maybe but saucepans no...

So knowing your market is vital!

That was what annoyed me!!! If he was selling screwdrivers or something remotely relevant to my business, I'd at least have given him a hearing, but frying pans and pots and wooden spoons and saucepans and there not even a cooker in the building!!!! Get out ta f*ck! :D:D

Running Bing

AARRRGH wrote: »

mention how they might be able to save them money over their current service provider.

Thats a great point right there.


You have to look at it from the customers perspective. You ring me up, I dont really care if you have a "great product you want to tell me about" or you have something "you think I might be interested in", all I want is the bottom line...can you save me money? Can you save me time? How? Be specific.

I think if you start off the conversation as AARRRGH suggested it immediately tells the client "this is for your benefit and not for the person making the sales pitch". You have to get that reaction because until you do all the customer is thinking is "what is this fella trying to get out of me and how can I get rid of him". Good luck anyway moggie.

GoneShootin

Darragh29 wrote: »

f*ck

I can appreciate you are enthusastic about the subject, but tone down the language please!