| How to Throw Out Your Cold Calling Sales | | | | |
| Script Five Ways to be yourself Again in | | | | You might want to ask yourself why you think |
| Cold Calling | | | | you won't know what to say, because the |
| | | | reason for that is important. It means |
| Recently you may have received a cold call | | | | you're basing your cold call on what you have |
| from someone using an old-style linear sales | | | | to offer, and not on what's important to the |
| script. You probably recognized it as a cold | | | | prospect. |
| call because the person sounded a bit robotic | | | | |
| and kept talking without allowing the | | | | Pitching your solution as soon as you begin a |
| conversation to "breathe." | | | | cold call is one of the biggest problems with |
| | | | linear sales scripts. That's because you |
| If you've been selling for a while, chances | | | | trigger sales pressure by doing that. This |
| are you've been asked to use sales scripts | | | | causes potential clients to react with |
| yourself. Consequently, you've probably used | | | | defensiveness or immediate rejection. |
| them because they were the only way you knew | | | | |
| to start a cold calling conversation. | | | | 3.Create Openings Rather than Forcing a "Yes" |
| | | | Selling scripts are designed to be linear |
| Here are some questions you need to ask | | | | and step-by-step so you can move cold calls |
| yourself: | | | | in the direction you want them to go. From |
| | | | the traditional cold calling point of view, |
| ·How do you really feel when you use a | | | | that direction is toward a "yes." The belief |
| script? ·How do your potential clients | | | | is if you don't get a "yes" at the beginning |
| feel when they know you're using a script? | | | | of the cold call, you're not "selling." |
| (And they do know.) ·How many sales are | | | | However, that's the biggest problem with |
| you losing because you're using a script? | | | | scripts. They give you only one path to |
| | | | follow. If you can start a conversation |
| When people call me and ask how they can | | | | that triggers a "What do you mean?" response |
| throw out their scripts and cold call the | | | | from your potential client, then you'll find |
| natural way, the first thing I do is ask them | | | | you can explain yourself in a natural way. It |
| whether they're willing to role-play with me | | | | creates a two-way dialogue, which in turn |
| using their script. | | | | lets you learn what you need to find out. |
| | | | You flow with the conversation without |
| After a few moments of listening, I gently | | | | feeling you're getting off-track. |
| stop them and tell them they're sounding like | | | | |
| a totally different person from the one who | | | | 4.Tape-Record yourself talking with someone |
| called me and talked with me so naturally | | | | you know. Then Record yourself Reading your |
| about their sales issues. You know what they | | | | Script. Have you ever heard yourself |
| always say. "Ari, you are so right. When I | | | | calling a potential client and reading your |
| use a script, I feel as if I can't be myself. | | | | script? The answer is probably not. Most |
| I feel like a robot or an actor, and it's | | | | people who use scripts think they sound |
| awkward and uncomfortable. Is there any way I | | | | natural because they've never actually heard |
| can be myself again?" | | | | themselves before. If you do this simple |
| | | | exercise, you'll hear the same kinds of |
| Here are five ways to throw out your linear | | | | differences I hear when people role-play with |
| selling script and be yourself again: | | | | me. |
| | | | |
| 1.Admit that Scripts Make You Sound | | | | In our day-to-day relationships, we simply |
| "Scripted" | | | | want to get to know and communicate with |
| | | | others. However, when we go into cold calling |
| When you begin your sales script, potential | | | | using scripts, we have an agenda, which is to |
| clients detect the very subtle change from | | | | make the sale. People sense this immediately |
| your natural voice to your unnatural scripted | | | | and put up their guard. Between our hidden |
| voice within seconds. | | | | agenda and their reaction, there's no chance |
| | | | to build trust through communication. |
| "Fine," you might say,"I'll just work on | | | | |
| making myself sound natural." However, that | | | | 5.Set a New Goal for your Cold Calls |
| in itself creates a conflict. You can't | | | | |
| "work at" being natural. Really, you either | | | | Focus on simply opening the conversation |
| are or aren't. | | | | rather than trying to control it, so that |
| | | | potential clients feel comfortable telling |
| 2.Start your Cold Call as a Conversation, not | | | | you the truth about their situation. We've |
| a One-Way Pitch If you're used to | | | | been taught for too long that we have to |
| scripts, you're probably wondering, "How the | | | | control the process. We never stop to think |
| heck will I know what to say without a | | | | that scripts make it impossible for us to be |
| script?" | | | | flexible in how we communicate. |