The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

A consipiracy exists in the world of selling. A cold calling conspiracy.

What I’m talking about is the requirement by most sales organizations to make cold
calls on your time and at your expense. They say that cold calls equal appointments
equal sales, but that’s not true anymore. All sales managers are guilty of teaching
it, believing it, and using it. “Increase your activity and increase your income” are
the mantra. We’re told to do the sales math to “motivate” ourselves. Have you
heard this one? “If you make five hundred dollars commission per sale and it takes
five appointments to get the sale and twenty calls to get an appointment, then each
cold call is worth five dollars in your pocket.”

Did anyone ever really believe this?

Hey boss, put your money where your mouth is! If that were really true, companies
would pay us the five dollars per call! They don’t because that equation never works
in the real world… for anyone. The simple fact is that we are only paid for
completed sales, not for attempts. Directing salespeople to make more calls and
increase activity is a weak excuse for a sales manager or trainer to justify his or her
job. Cold calling is an expensive waste of your time. The reason companies have
you cold calling is because it is a waste of your time and your money, not theirs.
You only make money when you sell something, yet over eighty percent of most
salespeople’s time is spent looking for someone to sell to.

The bottom line is that we, as salespeople, cannot afford to continue fooling away
our time on low-percentage activities like cold calling. It’s a way for companies to
save money at your expense. We must focus our attention on activities that get real
results in this new Information Age economy, and the effectiveness of cold calling
fell dramatically when we left the old Industrial Age and entered this bold new era.
Forget cold calling and learn how to market yourself intelligently, systematically,
and automatically. Self-marketing is the key to success in today’s selling
environment and the “secret” of all those top producers who obviously don’t cold
call and won’t tell you what it is they’re doing to make those huge numbers every
month. Remember, Napoleon Hill’s great work is entitled “Think and Grow Rich,”
not “Work Harder and Stay Broke.” Don’t become a victim of the Cold Calling
Conspiracy - learn to market yourself successfully and join the elite club of top
producers. I did it and you can too.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In
The Information Age. He is the founder of FJR Advisors, LLC, which publishes
training materials that educate salespeople on how to generate business without
cold calling. For more information, please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

Here’s a chilling thought. If you were to die tomorrow, would you have the same two regrets that many business people share?

According to a study, just before people die, if they express any regrets at all, those regrets tend to fall into two categories. The bigger, by far, is regret they didn’t do better by other people. Such as, they didn’t spend enough quality time with their children. Or they didn’t end the feud with their sister. Or they let pass too many opportunities to say “I love you.”

The second area is, people regret they didn’t try to do something. They regret they chickened out and didn’t try to open a restaurant, for example. Or they didn’t try to write a book. Or they didn’t try being an actor in addition to being an accountant. They looked into the future, got scared, and didn’t push ahead to make their dreams come true.

Starting today you can keep it from happening to you. Call someone you have been avoiding. Make a date with your kids — no matter how old they are — to do something special with them. If you’ve been dreaming about changing your career or starting a new business, then today, on your way home, drop into a bookstore and buy two books on your dream subject. It’s time for action.

Because of the miracles of modern medicine, the fastest growing demographic is people over 80. The odds are you’ll live a long life. Make it a rich and fulfilling life. Starting today, do better by other people and be willing to try more new things. Otherwise, you might live to regret what you didn’t do.

Doug Smart is the co-author of the book, “Reach for the Stars.” He is a management development consultant, professional speaker, and host of the daily motivational radio show, “Smarter by the Minute.” For more information, email Doug@DougSmart.com. Copyright 2005 by Doug Smart

Do you remember that fable - one of Aesop’s, maybe - about the
Emperor who wore no clothes, and the nice young man that paid
the ultimate price for audaciously pointing that out?

Now, let’s fast-forward a few millennia, and recast this fable
in a 21st century look and feel. To make things as simple as
possible, let’s just go ahead and assume that the entire world
of training is one big Emperor, and the multitudes of people who
experience that training are, collectively, that Nice Young Man.

But this is where the similarities between these two tales
should stop.

In the old-fashioned version, as you know, that exasperated
young man - a kind of early ancestor to the whistle blower –
pointed out that the Emperor wore no clothes; and he suffered
dearly for it. Eventually, however, other folks caught on -
Knights and Dukes and Lady’s and other important regal people -
and things turned out okay in the end. The Emperor was
dethroned; or at least, given a bathrobe.

In our modern version, however, things are not unfolding with
such bold, visible steps. Today’s Nice Young Employee - which,
as noted above, is the collective mass of modern trainees -
isn’t saying a word. Not even coughing. S/he isn’t even excusing
himself from the training room right before the ice breaker, and
returning seven and a half hours later during evaluations.

No, s/he’s doing something altogether more devastating than his
ancestor who merely inspired a revolution. S/he’s detaching
himself from your company, bit by evil bit, second by agonizing
second.

I agree with you.

It really doesn’t get sadder - or more ironic — for training
and HR professionals than this. Here you are investing in
someone, spending time to develop their skills and increase
their capacity, and there they are, playing hangman on the
handouts, mentally crafting the opening lines of their next
cover letter, and popping red-striped mints every 15 minutes to
maintain a sugar sustained semi-wakeful state that will
invariably lead to collapse by about 2:15pm.

Future historians will reflect upon this phenomenon as “an
interesting development in the early 21st century”.

Current Sales Managers (and those who love them), however,
choose a somewhat different approach to summarize this, and it
goes like this: AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Why so many H’s?

Because Sales Pros know - better than they deserve to - that
there is an ironic wisdom emerging here that goes like this: if
your staff is not effectively trained, then they might leave
your company. But what happens if your staff isn’t effectively
trained, and they don’t leave your company? They’ll become an
albatross to themselves and to your sales success.

So you lose on both ends. Something must be done. And quick!

The Problem, The Hatred, and the Blame

So what’s the problem? Why do your employees fear training? Is
it your fault?

These are important questions, and they can all be answered in a
row: the problem is that your trainees aren’t approaching the
training with the right perspective; your employees hate
training because of this same reason; it’s not your fault at
all.

At least, it’s not intentionally your fault.

And there’s another really good question that many will ask: can
it be fixed?

The answer: yes, absolutely!

Your task is to get the biggest bang for your training dollar;
and for that, most of you will look outside your company walls.
This is perfectly normal and largely successful (when it’s
successful), because people who know how to train are invariably
going to be in a better position to do it than those who don’t.

So far, so good.

But how to you actually go creating the most effective training
experience? Here’s how.

The 4 MOST IMPORTANT Factors in a Successful Training Experience

1. You must enable trainee buy-in.

Psychiatrists have been telling us for years (er…or they’ve been
telling a good friend of ours…yeah…a friend…) that a patient has
to want help before help can be provided. Fair enough. The same
axiom holds true in the training world. You must provide your
trainees with the right training framework. And what is the
right training framework? Easy: they must want to be trained.

If it’s going to help them increase sales, convince them of how
wonderful this will be. If it’s going to increase their capacity
to earn more commission, tell them. Work with your outsourced
trainer before the actual training event and promote these
benefits.

Remember, please: negative expectations from trainees will
pollute even the most well designed training, just as the
world’s best psychiatrist can’t help our… friend…overcome his
fear of circus clowns.

2. You must know what the problem is, and what the solution will
be.

This one sounds too simple to be true. But you’d be amazed to
see how often this factor is overlooked. Do you know what needs
to be fixed? Is it deal-closing, or relationship building? Do
you want to improve ROI? Motivate? Cut down on process
redundancy? Align communication from different units, functions;
heck, even cubicles and floors? If you don’t know what’s wrong,
you won’t know how to solve it.

Or worse (and yes, there is a worse here), you might actually
create problems by trying to solve the wrong thing. Scary, yes,
but it happens. If you’re trying to solve a team-building
problem by promoting individual accomplishment in your training,
then you’re actually making things worse. And on top of that:
you’re paying for it! AHHHHH!

3. Measure and monitor your sales metrics. All of the training
in our solar system is regrettably not going to improve your
sales metrics if you don’t know what those metrics are, what
they should be, and whether or not you’re moving in the right
direction. You want to measure before and after the training to
gauge effectiveness.

4. Who’ll own post-training?

One of the greatest advancements in the language of business is
that people are now told that they own certain tasks. So who in
your company will own the essential task of post-training?

What?

Post-training. You may have successfully taken care of #1, #2,
and #3 above, but what happens a week, a month, or a year after
the training ends? Who will ensure that its legacy lives beyond
the actual training experience? Memories fade, and enthusiasm
wanes. You must elect someone capable of this ownership task,
and empower her/him to do what is necessary to ensure that
post-training gains are achieved over the long-term.

Training is not a 4-Letter Word

Please remember: as a decision-maker and training change agent,
the problems that we’re solving here aren’t your fault. The
perception of training has changed dramatically in the last
decade; and it’s something that more and more people -
especially skilled/knowledge workers - are disliking; even
resenting.

Yet what hasn’t changed, and what will never change regardless
of how dramatic things get, is that training is an essential
part of a successful enterprise. The strategy is therefore not
to fly the white flag of human resource surrender, but to
approach training with total success in mind. Implementing the
four steps noted above will firmly put you on the right track,
and head you in the right long-term direction.

Immediately establish rapport on cold-calls by matching your prospect’s voice qualities - tone, pace, and emotion. Matching the emotion, or mood, of your prospect is key. If you begin your call sounding excited when she is not, you will be immediately branded as a salesperson, and the prospect’s guard will be way up.

By matching her emotion, you immediately get her thinking “this person is like me”. And we all want to talk to people like us. Begin your call with a simple question to verify the prospect’s name even though you know who you are calling. This is your first chance to establish rapport.

Let’s say that the next name on your prospect list is Dave Jackson:

DJ - “Hello. This is Dave Jackson”

You - “Hello, is this Dave Jackson?”

DJ - “Yes it is.”

Repeat his name while matching his voice qualities - tone, pace, and emotion. You ask the name verification question, even though he stated his name, to break his thought pattern.

Then make a judgment about just how busy he is. If the prospect feels receptive go ahead and deliver your attention grabbing intro.

Do not ask if this is a good time to talk. If you do, you will only give him a chance to get rid of you before you have a chance to gain his interest.

If he sounds busy, tell him so, and ask when would be a good time to call back. He will likely ask why you are calling, giving you the perfect opening to deliver your attention grabbing introduction.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown’s sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

To be frank, $60,000 a year with permission email marketing is
conservative. Had you been part of this program 3 months ago you
could have made $23,750 in just two weeks. I’ll show you how
below.

Permission email marketing is the most powerful and profitable
way to create a consistent source of income on the internet.

Amazon uses it. Microsoft uses it. Sharper Image and Motorola
use it. Even IBM and The Wall Street Journal are using it!

Anyone can follow my simple PE strategy from beginning to end in
one sitting and begin earning money with permission email
marketing. It is the same strategy online marketing guru’s are
using to rake in tens of thousands of dollars within a few short
weeks. This isn’t a pie in the sky promise. It’s a fact. If
you’re willing to be patience and make a sincere effort, you
will be pleasantly surprised at what you can do!

Ready? Ok, let’s begin…

WHAT IS PERMISSION EMAIL MARKETING?

Generally speaking, permission email marketing is email
marketing which utilizes an opt-in list of names and email
addresses of people who have requested information from you.

(An “opt-in” is a prospect who has requested free information or
signed up for a free service you provide.)

Marketers use their opt-in email list to create an ongoing and
consistent source of high income by first CULTIVATING the list.

CULTIVATING the opt-in email list establishes an ongoing
relationship with your subscribers because you will be sending,
via email, highly desirable and FREE information.

The information you offer will teach the subscriber something of
value. You, the marketer, will make money when you occasionally
endorse a new product to the list.

Over time the people on the opt-in email list become familiar
with you and grow to trust you.

Having built such trust, when the time comes for you to endorse
a product to the list, you can reasonably expect to produce
anywhere from 10% to 40% in sales.

The more times you have communicated with your subscribers and
the more value the information received offers, the greater
expectation there is of a higher percentage of sales.

Remember this one simple FACT and you will not fail to earn a
remarkable income as a permission email marketer:

**People are 1000% more likely to buy based on the
recommendation of someone they TRUST than from a complete
stranger**

SEE HOW OTHERS ARE MAKING AMAZING PROFITS FROM SMALL OPT-IN
EMAIL LISTS

Let me give you an EXAMPLE of the power of a well done
“Permission Email Marketing” campaign and the profits that can
result from such an effort.

In 1999, Mark Provo of Provo & Gladwell Associates developed a
hot new software product. The associates hired a web developer
to create a web site and place it prominently on the major
search engines. However, only a few orders trickled in each
week. To speed things up they spammed 1,000,000 random email
addresses.

The emailing produced less than $100 in sales and generated a
landslide of not-so-nice responses.

It was a dreadful disappointment.

However, on another occasion Mark emailed the same ad to his own
in-house, opt-in email list of 8,000 people. These were people
who had purchased products from him before or who had, at one
time or another, requested more information about other products
and services.

Mark had an established relationship with the people on his
list. Over time he had CULTIVATED his list by sending out free
tips and valuable information. Those on his opt-in list
benefited from these emailings and learned to trust him and the
advice he gave.

The end result of emailing his ad to his in-house, opt-in list
was a whopping $190,000 in sales and zero complaints — all
within three weeks! People on his personally cultivated, opt-in
email list trusted him and in no time at all, he made a small
fortune and he continues to do so to this day.

As for yourself, consider this:

If you had a high-demand product, your own in-house list of
1,000 opt-in email subscribers, and sent the same email ad, you
could very well have made $23,750 in just three weeks.

And just think about it for the long term! If you have your own
opt-in email list of 1,000 subscribers, and only 20% of the
people make $300 in purchases per year, your income would be
$60,000.

If your opt-in email list had 2,000 subscribers and 20%
purchased $300 in products per year, your income would skyrocket
to $120,000 annually!

Get the picture?

YOUR FIRST GOAL AS A PERMISSION EMAIL MARKETER MUST BE TO BUILD
YOUR OPT-IN EMAIL LIST TO A MINIMUM OF 1,000 SUBSCRIBERS.

Next, you’ll need to build TRUST with those on your email list
by offering them FREE information of real value.

Finally, endorse products of equally real value and you could
kiss your money worries good-bye tonight.

AS YOU CONTINUE READING, you will learn how to acquire
pre-cultivated, opt-in email list, a free, pre-written
newsletter you can use to send to your opt-in email list to
continue building TRUST.

Plus you will learn where to get free products with high
value… all for FREE! Additionally, you will learn to work only
30 minutes a week and be in a position to earn $60,000 a year or
more.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I want to be thorough
and explain to you an important detail you must understand about
CULTIVATION before attempting this strategy.

HOW TO WORK YOUR OPT-IN EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS INTO A BUYING FRENZY!

As I mentioned above, when you gain your subscribers’ TRUST,
they will buy from you over and over again. What’s more, they
will buy from you even if your price is higher than any of your
competitors.

The best way to build trust is simply to Stay In Touch with your
subscribers. Trust is gained by consistently CULTIVATING them.
In advertising circles this is called REACH and FREQUENCY.

For example, if you hear a song played over and over again on
the radio (Reach) enough times (Frequency), sooner or later
you’re going to wind up whistling that tune while at work and
getting so caught up in it, that you will go out and purchase
the tape or CD, and, this action being repeated by thousands of
others, the artist will have a hit.

The radio allowed the recording artist to REACH you; the number
of times the disc jockey played the song created the FREQUENCY.

As a permission email marketer, you can REACH your opt-in email
list audience for free, as FREQUENTLY as you wish, simply by
broadcasting an email with desirable information to them once or
twice a week.

Quiz #1: What do you get when your subscribers hear from you
consistently? Ans: TRUST!

Quiz #2: What do you get when your subscribers TRUST you? Ans:
…SALES! SALES! …and more SALES!

Let me give you a real world example of how I used Reach and
Frequency to earn a substantial income as a Permission Email
Marketer starting with only 48 people on my email list.

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:

I emailed a newsletter twice a week loaded with useful tips and
valuable information. This is how I CULTIVATED the list to gain
recognition and TRUST.

These 48 individuals purchased virtually EVERY new product I
offered them…

I made, on average, 2 offers per month and usually earned around
$30 per sale on these offers.

48 people X $30 = $1440 per mailing X 2 mailings per month =
$2880 a month just from a list of 48 people.

That’s over $34,560 in a year’s time.

So what have we learned so far…

STOP STRUGGLING to sell products to strangers on the internet.

BUILD A RELATIONSHIP with an opt-in email list by offering
subscribers something of real value–free of charge.

OFFER DESIRABLE PRODUCTS to your subscribers and kiss your day
job good-bye.

By completing the steps outlined below you’ll be on your way to
quickly becoming a professional, email marketer and a full-time,
online income will be well within your reach.

HOW TO GET 1,000 TO 3,000+ OPT-IN, HIGH-RESPONSE EMAIL
SUBSCRIBERS VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT

A cultivated opt-in list is your key to earning an income as a
professional, permission email marketer. Building your own
opt-in, email list can take months or even years and cost you
literally thousands of well spent dollars.

However, through the wonders of modern technology, I will
introduce you to an amazing short-cut that will make acquiring
your own Pre-Cultivated, opt-in email list an overnight process.

Additionally, you’ll get FREE ACCESS to my Professionally,
Pre-written Newsletter to continue the ongoing cultivation of
your opt-in email list. PLUS- free access to high-demand
products.

I will show you how to broadcast the newsletter once or twice a
week. You will learn how to endorse one or more of the high-end
products inside the newsletter.

The pre-cultivated, opt-in email list, the pre-written
Newsletter and high-end products are designed to create an EASY
SELL.

As noted above, if only 20% of the people on a 1,000 subscriber,
opt-in email list make $300 worth of purchases in a year, your
income could be $60,000, or $5,000 per month.

If you have 2,000 subscribers on your list you’d be looking at
$120,000 per year…4,000 subscribers could mean as much as
$240,000 annually!

Your first goal as a professional, “Permission Email Marketer”
must be to build your opt-in email lists to 1,000 subscribers.
Acquiring 1,000 subscribers MUST be your driving objective if
you truly desire to make real money on the internet.

GET STARTED BEFORE THE DEADLINE

I am well aware this email will get passed around to friends and
relatives. I am Very Serious about letting only 50 people into
this program. Shortly you will see why.

So be advised: You will have only yourself to blame if you are
locked out after my initial 50 member quota is reached.

Below you will find a very special URL. By clicking on the Link
you will be whisked away to my private web site where you will
see…

**How To Get A 1,000 to 3,000+ Opt-In, opt-in email list
virtually overnight.

**How To Get My Free, Pre-written, Tips Newsletter, along with
free software and instructions on how to broadcast the
Newsletter to continue CULTIVATING your subscribers’ TRUST.

**How to get high-demand, free products to endorse to your
opt-in email list.

**PLUS learn exactly how to put it all together and begin
earning money…!

Click The Link Below And Get Started Tonight:

http://www.thewealthguide101.com/PE_GetStarted2.htm

All My Best

It’s time to take inventory. What worked for you and what didn’t
work for you throughout 2005?

When you think about last year what are the things you regret
not doing? Will you also regret not doing these things in 2006?

The best way to turn regrets into opportunities is to set them
up as personal goals. It’s always worked for me and I’m sure it
can work for you.

For example, write down five things you regret not doing last
year. With this in mind create another list. What are the five
things you’d like to accomplish in 2006 personally and
professionally?

Putting your list on paper is very important. You see, most
people don’t do this and it’s the biggest reason why 92.5% of
all New Year’s resolutions never get done. 92.5% of all New
Year’s resolutions become individual regrets. That’s no way to
start the New year, especially if you’re in sales.

There’s a little space in your mind and it’s called -
imagination. Everyone has one but so few people engage it.

The more vivid you can imagine yourself achieving something the
more likely you will be able to achieve it. Pretty simple stuff
huh?

If you can’t see yourself (Clearly) doing something why in the
world would you expect to achieve it. The plain truth is if you
can’t see it you won’t do it.

It all starts with you. Crank up your imagination! The world is
waiting for you to claim your share of the available abundance.

It’s not so easy to imagine yourself being very successful and
wealthy. It’s even more difficult trying to imagine a new life
for you and your family.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Everyone has an inner voice that
speaks to him, but very few people listen to it.” I’m
paraphrasing this based on my memory of it from 20 years ago.
After reading that quote 75 times I began listening to what my
inner voice was saying.

I turned my life upside down. I walked away from a six-figure
income, a big job, a corner office, a big bonus, a company car,
stock options, and at the time, all the security that came with
a corporate job.

The decision to leave my job and start my sales training company
was the most courageous decision I ever made - including the
decision to volunteer to go to Vietnam.

It doesn’t take courage to fire up your imagination. It takes
courage to live the life you imagine. You and I are here only
temporarily. Why not make the most of it?

Dream big!

Imagine vividly!

Establish goals that will light the way for the life you deserve
to live.

The only acceptable place you’ll find people with no problems
and no goals is a cemetery.

Some people die early (Mentally and attitudinally) and get
buried later.

Take hold of your life. Grab the wheel. Establish goals to
eliminate future regrets.

I don’t think it’s the person with the most toys who wins.

I believe it’s the person who dies with the fewest regrets.

You have my best wishes for a healthy, happy, and deliriously
successful 2006.

Let’s go sell something . . .

If you’re at a crossroads in your life and would like to talk
to someone (Me) who has been there and done that successfully
take a quick look at this link. I have enough wiggle room in my
calendar to talk one-on-one with only 15 people.

Here’s the link:
http://www.meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/oneonone.htm

Do you invite your prospective customers to ask questions …or do you try to avoid getting questions from them? You’re walking away from a lot of easy sales if you don’t encourage prospects to ask questions.

1. Prospects Who Ask Questions Are Usually Ready To Buy

Prospective customers who take the time to ask questions usually have a high level of interest in your product or service. By asking questions they identify themselves as likely buyers.

A prompt and complete answer to their question along with a gentle reminder of the benefits they will get is usually all it takes to close the sale.

Tip: Make it easy for prospects to ask questions when they are at your web site or in other selling situations where there is no personal contact. For example, list your phone number or an email address they can use for questions.

2. Set up A Procedure for Managing Questions

Answering questions from prospects does not have to take a lot of your time. Many of the same questions will be repeated over and over again. But you only have to answer each question once …if you save the answer to each question to a permanent file.

Every time you get the same question again, just copy the answer from your saved file into your reply - and customize it appropriately. You will be able to answer questions quickly. And you will impress prospects with your promptness and personal attention.

3. Always Reply Promptly

Answer questions promptly. Your prospect’s level of interest and your chances of getting the sale will decline as time passes without a reply. Prospects are also likely to judge your commitment to serving customers by how long they waited to get the answer to their question.

Tip: If you find yourself personally answering a lot of questions, add a Questions and Answers page to your web site - or to your printed sales material. Include the answers to your most frequently asked questions. This reduces the number of questions you have to answer individually.

4. Take Advantage of the Selling Opportunity

People tend to pay close attention to what you say when you answer a specific question they asked. Take advantage of this. Don’t just answer their question. Include a reason for them to buy as part of your answer.

For example, a typical question may be whether or not your product or service applies to the questioner’s situation. If it does, expand your answer to remind them of the specific benefits they will get. Then tell them exactly how to order it so they can get those benefits immediately.

Remember, prospective customers who ask questions are usually close to buying. A gentle nudge from you will often get them to take action. Provide that nudge when you answer their question.

Many businesses try to avoid questions from their prospects and customers. They are making an expensive mistake. Answering questions from prospects and customers is a highly effective and very low-cost way to boost sales.

Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

4 key ways to be seen as helpful while cold calling

Can’t you tell when somebody wants something from you? I certainly can. And it usually feels inconvenient and intrusive. So you can understand, then, why potential clients will often run for cover when your cold call is only about “making the sale.” Most people sense that cold calls are self-serving to the person calling. You can almost hear the unspoken thought, “You want something, right? Otherwise why would you be calling?” This triggers almost immediate resistance.

For cold calling to be done in a non-intrusive way, we must shift the perception away from “you want something,” into “you are being helpful.” When our cold calls do not feel intrusive, people naturally are more open to talking with us. Shifting this perception in others is all about shifting a perspective within ourselves. Focusing on being helpful takes us away from the traditional sales mindset. In the old mindset, we talk about ourselves and our product or service. In this new approach, we’re focusing on potential clients and what may be helpful to them.

To be perceived as helpful, we must actually be helpful. If we try to use “being seen as helpful” as just another sales technique, people will sense our hidden agenda and react with suspicion. Be sincere in your approach and desire to help the other person.

Here’s how to stop being intrusive and start being helpful:

1. Make It About Them, Not About You

We’ve all learned that when we begin a conversation with a potential client, we should talk about ourselves, our product, and our solution. But this self-focus almost always feels intrusive to the other person and shuts down the possibility of a genuine conversation.

Instead, step directly into their world. Open the conversation with a question rather than a sales pitch. For example, “I’m just giving you a call to see if your company is grappling with unpaid invoices issues?”
Never let the person feel that your focused on your own needs, goals, or agenda. Communicate that we’re calling with 100 percent of your thoughts and energy focused on their needs.

2. Avoid the Artificial Salesperson Enthusiasm

People feel pushed along by artificial enthusiasm. This triggers rejection because it feels very intrusive to be pushed by someone they don’t know.
Artificial enthusiasm includes some expectation that our product or service is a great fit for them. Yet, we’ve never spoken with them before, much less had a full conversation with them. We can’t possibly know much about them or their needs. And so to them, we are simply someone who wants to sell them something.

It is better to modestly assume you know very little about them. Invite them to share with you some of their concerns and difficulties. And allow them to guide the conversation, even when it means getting “off track” a bit.

3. Focus on One Compelling Problem to Solve

Don’t go into a pitch the way you would if you were operating out of the traditional sales mindset. Make what you say about them, not about you. Try to keep in mind that who you are and what you have to offer are irrelevant at this moment. The key is to identify a problem that you believe the other person might have. Depending on your business or industry, here are some examples of what you might say:

I’m just calling if you’d be open to looking at any possible hidden gaps in your business that might be causing sales losses?

I’m just calling to see if you’re grappling with problems of employee performance related to a lack of training support?

I’m just calling to see if you’re open to looking at whether any department in your company might be losing revenue due to vendor overcharges?

Address one specific, concrete problem that you know most businesses experience. Don’t make any mention of you or any solutions you have to offer. Remember, it’s always about them, not about you.

4. Consider “Where Should We Go From Here?”

Let’s say the initial call turns into a positive and friendly conversation. The other person feels you’re offering something valuable, and wants to know more. Both of you feel there may be a match. Rather than focusing on making a sale at this point, you can simply say, “Well, where do you think we should go from here?”

This question reassures potential clients that you’re not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda.

Rather, your giving them space and time to come to their own conclusions. You’re helping them create their own path, and you will follow.

Details (yuck!) are the bane of a sales professional’s existence.

None of us wants to crunch puny little numbers throughout the day. Save that for the accountants who eat that stuff up.

Let us be free to sell, sell, and sell some more. The only puny numbers we’re interested in are numbers like ‘ones’ and ‘zeros’, as in the number one followed by lots and lots of zeros. Give us a nice round number like $1,000,000 … that’ll put a smile on the faces of just about every professional who sells!

Ah, but here’s the rub … those puny, little numbers hold captive the secrets to getting to the big round numbers, sooner rather than later.

Now, read closely and let your mind think about possibilities as the power of puny, little numbers is revealed.

A well-known, rarely implemented truth in the world of sales professionals is this…

What You Can Measure, You Can Manage…
What You Can Manage You Can Improve…

Dramatically!

Let’s start with little numbers like 10 and 1. As you review your call ratios for the year, you may find that you smile, you dial, and you make about 10 cold calls a day—around 50 cold, prospecting calls per week.

And you see that at the end of your time on the phone, you average about 1 appointment for every 10 cold calls.

You close roughly 1 out of every 2 people you meet with. When all is said and done at the end of the year, these puny little numbers of appointments result in sales that yield a pretty good income for you, around $70,000.

Now, let’s say you want to double your income. Yep, as the new year rolls around, you decide you want to double your income, making it $140,000.

The secret to reaching your goal is hidden in the numbers. Sure, your call ratios and salary may be much higher (or lower) than the numbers used in this example. No worries, simply plug your numbers into these equations to determine your desired outcome.

Being in control of our goals is one of many wonderful things we like about the profession of sales, isn’t it? We know the only thing standing between our dreams and us is our level of skill. We’re glad to gobble up any tips, tools, and techniques that’ll improve our seemingly magical talents that are the envy of others … especially those who think they don’t have the skills to give away ice water in the Sahara!

OK, as we look at just the numbers, you can reach your goal of $140,000 of take home pay by doubling one of a couple of puny numbers.

> You can learn how to double the number of appointments you get from your dials, so you get 2 appointments out of every 10 dials.

> You can learn how to double the number of sales you close, and make sure you get business from 2 out of every 2 people you meet with.

Hmm. Makes you pause and think doesn’t it?

Here’s a bonus tip for you …

As we closely scrutinize where these numbers come from, we might even find that if you changed the level of your approach call, you could do even better! Imagine what would happen to your sales if you added a few executive-level sales calls to the mix and spent your time talkin’ to The Top Dogs with unlimited ability to sign off on big deals!

Makes the goal of doubling your salary next year seem possible, doesn’t it?

In brief, you can double your income by learning how to:

1. Double the appointments you get from your dials
2. Double the sales you close during appointments
3. Double the size of your sales as you elevate the level of your point of entry … and talk to “The Top Dogs” first

So, next time you’re tempted to skim over the puny numbers in favor of the big round ones, slow yourself down, and take a close look at those little guys.

Determine where you want to focus your efforts to double your income. Do you want to double your call/appointment ratios; double your closing ratios; or elevate your prospecting calls to the top decision makers?

If you take the time to think, really think about these numbers, you’ll be amazed to find that doubling your take home pay in 2006 is much, much closer than you think!

Forward this article to friends—they’ll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time).

Article I of a two-part series.

No matter what customers say they want, what they’re really looking for is “something special.” They can’t quite describe it, but when they find it, they know.

Indeed, those little details of the buying experience may appear intangible. But what you sell is usually less important to customers, almost incidental–unless they don’t get what they expected.

As Walt Disney said, “Do what you do so well that people want to bring their friends to see you do it again.” Any business able to satisfy customers in these five ways will consistently beat the competition.

NOTICE: More important than WHAT you provide, is HOW you provide it.

So much attention is paid to the WHAT, the HOW often takes a backseat. Yet it’s the quality of your HOW that determines whether the sale is made or lost. Buyers focused only on price are likely to be one-time visitors, but even they sometimes decide the cheapest price “just isn’t worth it.”

1. How well they’re treated

People (even business buyers) care about the human touch. They want to be treated with respect and fairness. They want to feel like valued customers–whose time and opinions matter. If people can’t trust you to treat them right, they certainly won’t trust you with their money. Whether or not the sale occurs depends on whether the customer feels taken for granted–or taken.

Equally important is how the business deals with problems or complaints as they arise. Making mistakes needn’t be fatal, customers understand that. However, the willingness to fix them and minimize their impact on the buyer is crucial. Solving it immediately, with the right attitude, can even strengthen the bond. But fumbling the ball a second time simply isn’t forgiven.

2. How efficiently the buying process went

From start to end, did each step of the sale go smoothly? Could the buyers get the answers or help they needed? Could they find what they came for (or why not)? Was the operation arranged to accommodate them? their time frame? Were prices and payment options clear and easy to deal with? Can most buyers complete the transaction without triggering number 3?

3. How much aggravation they had to endure

Aggravations are of two types–those that shouldn’t have happened (glitches). Or those that happen to everyone, like long waits, multiple visits, shortage of parts, etc. A buyer is willing to endure a little inconvenience, but not for long, not every time. Your job is to minimize inconveniences so they don’t arise–not treat them like business as usual.

Here’s where the helpful, informed employees will make or break the business. First in building customer rapport, anticipating their concerns, and avoiding problems in the first place.

4. How many mind games are played on them

Sorry to say, the word “sales” gets misused too often. Selling isn’t an opportunity to manipulate the potential buyer to do what the seller wants, rather than providing the buyer what they want.

No one wants to feel like a sucker or to be mislead about prices, delivery dates, or terms of the sale. Even a hint of such treatment kills trust, kills their willingness to hear you out. And if a person feels tricked into buying, they won’t buy again. Or they might cancel the sale afterward from buyer’s remorse.

5. How well the business has its act together

Starting with the first impression, did everything about the business live up to its promise or reputation? If every part of the operation works smoothly as an integrated whole, consider the customer well served. When the parts are mismatched or full of snags, it screams “small potatoes.” That scares business away. Even if the issues are minor, they pull the plug on trust. Fortunately, a focus on your HOW yields big benefits from quick and inexpensive solutions. For tangible ways to wipe out small potatoes signals, visit my website where I discuss this.

Get your HOWs in order, and you’ll drive the competition crazy

Customers notice when they’re treated well. Let your uniqueness shine in the HOW of customer-pleasing practices. It pays off in your bottom line.

(c)2004, Lynella Grant

Part II, about Internet buyers, can be read at: http://www.giantpotatoes.com/article202.htm

About The Author

Dr. Lynella Grant decodes and repairs unintended messages in the “body language” of a business. Appear to be a seasoned pro. Author “The Business Card Book” and “Stop Looking Like Small Potatoes” Off the Page Press

http://www.giantpotatoes.com, grant@giantpotatoes.com

(719) 395-9450 P.O. Box 4880 Buena Vista, CO 81211