Pop Icon Mr. Cold Call™ - eNewsletter Edition - Thursday, April 16. 2009
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"10 Very Common Cold Calling Mistakes and Misunderstandings"
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Someone once asked me what is the secret to successful cold calling? I turned my head straight ahead, placed my telephone on the table, took a deep breath and proceeded to remove my lampshade. I felt like Darth Vader, but the only difference here is I'm on the good side and not the bad. But anyways, I looked this person directly in the eye and said, "The secret to successful cold calling is 10% sales technique and 90% attitude." 
"10 Very Common Cold Calling Mistakes and Misunderstandings"
1. More Calls Equals More Sales
That statement is incorrect. The outcome and success of your calls will be much greater if you make less calls and do more research on your sales prospect's website prior to picking up the phone. Many sales managers focus on the quantity of calls versus the quality of the call and this is a terrible mistake!
2. Cold Calling is about Selling on the First Call
Those who say that cold calling doesn't work probably say this because they think that cold calling is about making "the sale" on the first call. Cold Calling is really about planting seeds of information. If you go into the call with this philosophy you may not get the sale right away, but in time, you will make that sale!
3. Not having a Contact Management System in Place
Every cold call made should be entered into a contact management software program such as ACT or Salesforce.com. If you're old school and prefer just writing down your sales notes then that's fine. However, keeping good notes on your calls is your ace of spades. In your notes, just down facts such as what the company does, who the executives are, recent news, birthdays, top competitors, current vendors in your space and the details of each conversation, the date and your results.
4. No Sales Appointments for the Week
Try to set about 5 new sales appointments each week. That's really not too much to ask, that's only 1 appointment each business day with a qualified sales prospect. If this sounds like too much then you're probably not really taking the time to make engaging and strategic cold calls.
5. Not Knowing Your Sales Ratios
Most sales reps don't even know how many calls they need to make to set an appointment? If you're really good at cold calling then I would guestimate that you need to make from 15 to 20 cold calls to set a face to face meeting. If your just good at cold calling then I would guestimate that you need to make from 20 to 25 cold calls to set a face to face meeting.
6. Lacking Enthusiasm over the Telephone
Einstein, how can you expect your prospect to be excited if you're not excited? Get excited, stay excited and get your positive attitude in order.
Everyone knows that listening is important, but not everyone does it well. Listening on a sales call is something you should be doing more than talking. When I go on sales calls I try not to talk too much. I just ask a few strategic questions and just sit back and listen. It's really an empowering exerience. Who ever would have thought that closing your mouth more would reap so many rewards. Make a conscious effort to close your mouth and really listen to your prospect. You will learn so much more!
8. Targeting Everybody
Who are your top prospects? Stop wasting your time on everybody, focus your sales efforts on your top 20%. Start working smarter and stop working harder!
9. Leave Voicemails
So many sales reps decide not to leave a message. "Oh, they won't call me back!" Get familar with Henry Ford's quote in which he once said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."
Be different. Make your cold calls memorable. Stand out in a crowded room. You need to do what ever it takes to let your prospect know that you're unique from the rest. Attitude is one solution and doing more research prior to your cold calls is another.
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