The Fear of Phoning
Charter Marketing Survival Bulletin October 2009
In This Issue
Overcome the Fear
The Secret
How to Work a Room
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Many of you hate making cold calls. This month, I'm going to teach you five steps for making them. With these steps, you'll be more comfortable and confident making phone calls.
 
I'm also going to tell you a secret that will boost your confidence and make you more successful on the phone...and help you and your staff overcome the Fear of Phoning!
 
Keep reading. This is really good stuff!
 
Mike Ryan     (800) 769-6082   
HowtoHow to Overcome the Fear of Phoning 
 
Research: Spend at least 15 minutes researching a company before picking up the phone. You should start by reviewing a company's website. Then run a Google search, using the top 2 or 3 results, to see what financial and market data are available, especially if it's a privately held company.
 
Pick a Person: As you do your research, decide what person you'll call. Websites often list the names of top executives. Press releases are also a good source for names. It's always better to ask for someone by name, rather than asking by title or job function.
 
Look for the Hook: As you prepare for the call, look for the hook, or the specific reason for calling that person. Be thinking about how you'd complete a sentence like this: "Good morning, Mr. Jones. My name is Mike Ryan with AirPSG and the reason I'm calling you is that..."
 
File a Flight Plan: The equivalent of filing a flight plan is writing down a bullet point outline of what you'd like to accomplish with the call. The discipline of writing it down will not only help you organize your thoughts before the call, it will help you stay focused during the call.
 
Don't Ask for a Sale: Never, ever, ask for a charter sale on a cold call. Instead, ask for permission to stay in touch. That could take many forms including a follow-up call or meeting, a proposal, or just adding them to your monthly customer communication list. Think of the cold call as just the start of a long term business relationship.
 
If you have any questions about these five steps, would like help implementing them with your staff, or need additional charter sales support, send me an email or call AirPSG at (800) 769-6082. 
secretThe Surprising Secret
 
The secret I teach my clients is to prepare the voicemail message they want to leave instead of preparing a greeting for someone who answers the phone. At least 60% of the time you're going to get voicemail. It makes sense to have a carefully planned, well-rehearsed message that sounds confident and competent when the listener plays it back.
 
If the person you're calling happens to answer the phone, simply tell them what you would have said on voicemail! There's no downside to this. And if you write down your messages ahead of time, you can test them to see what kind of message gets you the highest percentage of return calls.
 
To learn more sales skills, or if your staff needs recurrent sales training, why not request information about all the charter sales modules in our AirPSG Learning Library?
 
workaroomHow To Work A Room
 
Are you planning to attend a Chamber of Commerce "mixer" or any other business networking event this summer? If so, here are some suggestions on how to work the room. It's a four-step process. The steps are: (1) the walk-up; (2) the follow-up; (3) the inquiry; and (4) the close. (Read more...)
 
Quick Links
 
For More Information
To get specific advice or answers to questions about improving your charter sales skills and marketing results, please give me a call at (800) 769-6082, visit our web site, or send me an email. It's easier than you think to put these suggestions to work for you!
 
Mike Ryan