SalesHQ

Open Ended question start with Who, What Where,When How & Why. Now I could give you a whole list of questions to ask, but I think that would defeat the purpose.

The purpose is??????????

You said

Let's get you to think and respond with what you say. And then, I will give you THE TWO "BEST"

Why not give us the "Two Best" first then we can discuss/argue/agree/disagree. Right now it seems to be a sales 101 lesson with a test at the end.

If your initial premise about most sales reps is correct, most sales reps are so pathetic they couldn't be helped anyway.

I listen to  how the decision maker answers the phone. If they say Hello this is John I say  Hello John it is an honor to speak with you.

 Then I shoot a hook  that gets their attention and if a referral is involved thier name is brought out and before the hook.

 I then may or may not inform them who this is. Depending on their response.I do  introduce myself  with the 3,4,or 5th item I follow.

 My final questions is who do you recommmend  to take this forward.

 This is how I do it.

Basic homework you already have a name. If you do not have a name you should not be calling due to not being prepared. Why are so many afraid to be known as a saleman or a sales professional? I disagree with those who try to trick the client into thinking they are not there to sell them something. That seems to be the thought of today. I do not believe the clients are that stupid to think that you called them without having the intention of selling nothing.Setting up an appointment is selling the appointment.

 Please do not tell me you are going to say I am not hear to sell you anything. I am looking to see if we have a fit or can build a partnership.

Rich, I don't see anything in my comments that might imply I am not proud to be a salesman or use tricks. I have been in sales and Sales Mangement  since 1975 and as a Sales traininer now I tell as many people as possible what I do for a living.

As this site could be a forum for reps just getting into the business I feel the "TRUE' pros should help them where & when we can.

As far as tricks, I teach a non-combative style of selling geared to solving customer problems. I might add, with a very heavy emphasis on PMA.  My feeling towards tricks or lying is the first time you do them will be the last time you do business with that person.

Keep in mind not all of the people reading this are calling on businesses only. They may be doing in-home sales, so my approach is to cover as many situations as possible.

Plus some T/Ms still use phone books and may not have the luxury or time of doing their homework to research a name. It's a tough road I agree but thats the road they are on right now. They just  dial, dial, dial. Good for them. Its a good way to get experience,

Rich you are talking to a PRO here, not a wimp. I AM PROUD OF MY BACKGROUND, MY EXPERIENCE AND MY SUCCESSES &(and failures for that matter because thats where I really learn from)

As far as what I say I' selling or  May have a fit:

I sell to my clients (for a lot of $) my opening statements. Trust me they are not what you suggested.

"The world is full of Rainbows, take a look at them once in a while and DREAM- DREAM-DREAM!  WIT

Any chance of getting those "two best" approaches. I still haven't discovered and your respondents haven't been inclined to share their professional opinions or best openers either. would be helpful if the members of this site would embrace the benefits of sharing their experience as well as thier opinions.

Please share . . . that's the reason i joined this forum. Gratefully , JD

For B2B calls -- I have been successful with this opening; "Is this a bad time", after my intro.   This shows respect but also nobody wants to be negative.

I'm back and hopefully will be more active once again.  As far as the cold call, I'm rocking and rolling through them.  In response to this topic, I'm going to fall back on one of my old answers and modify it slightly.  You have to know your market and your objective of the cold call.  What is the typical time frame from 1st call to close?  How many calls/meetings is typical to get to a point where you've earned the right to ask for the order.  If you are calling on a large prospect in a market/industry where the typical sales cycle is long term, you are wasting your time and probably annoying the prospect if you start trying to close them (or get them to close themselves) on the first call (or first few calls).  If you are in a market/industry where the sales cycle is very short, NOT asking for the business right away can cost you the business.

I am currently calling on companies where the sales cycle varies depending on who I'm calling on.  The bulk of our business historically has been long sales cycle, but I'm reaching into some shorter cycle areas that we have never pursued before.  Before going in the door, I try to have a feel for what to expect and who to ask for.  I'm either stopping by to learn more about their company and see what they have going on, or I'm stopping by to learn more about their company and identify ways we can work together in the future.  Regardless, be ready to switch modes instantly.  I recently did this with a chemical company I've been trying to meet with for 3 months.  I finally got the guy on the phone and he gave me a 30 minute window to stop by.  This was going to be an intro meeting to find out exactly what they do and identify the right person to work with going forward.  The prospect made a comment that caused me to change tactics and I ended up examining an issue and will be quoting the project tomorrow.

On the flip side, I stopped by a small manufacturer about 2 or 3 months ago and walked in to see what we could do for them in the short term.  It became obvious quickly that asking for work then was going to be the wrong tactic.  I let the owner know that I understood what the market was like and wasn't interested in selling him anything then.  I just wanted to get to know them and be there to help when things turn around.  I stopped by again about a month ago just to say hi.  I got a call 2 days ago and am going by the office to pick up information on a project he needs help with.  The bonus here is, he's not calling anyone else.

Know your market/industry, know your sales cycle, be ready to change tactics instantly.

Luke

Luke, that's fantastic!  Often we call on people just to continue to build rapport, and eventually they will add us to their "vendor" list!

Even the shortest sales call begins a relationsip. Here's a formula I use. First it's contact, then it's conversation, then it's relationship, then we move to trust, which is where the sale can be made.

Sometimes that all happens in one call, but usually not. It's all about intention. My intent at the beginning of the call is to make contact with someone who can move my conversation forward. Sometimes it's with them, sometimes they can connect me with that person. Next it's to engage them in real conversation. Wants. Needs. Issues. From there, I can see if there's a fit or not. If not, I need to either move on, or have them help me move to a more appropriate person.

Once in, the pitch comes. Done correctly, it doesn't look or sound like a pitch. I use consultative selling, so I "talk" about problems, solutions, benefits, using personal anecdotes, and it works for me. Got this out of OWN THE ROOM by Deborah Shames and David Booth. It works particularly well in B2B selling, and professional services. (www.owntheroombook.com)

Like Stephen Covey says, begin with then end. To make a sale, you need trust. To gain trust, you need respect. Resect comes out of real conversation. Conversation comes from making contact with the right person. Reaching the right person takes a little legwork or homework.