home Audience 3 What are "cold calls"? Technique, diagram, examples. Examples and scripts of cold calls for a sales manager: how to increase efficiency

What are "cold calls"? Technique, diagram, examples. Examples and scripts of cold calls for a sales manager: how to increase efficiency

“Give me a point of support and I will move the earth”
Archimedes

To conduct successful cold calls, the “Ledge” technique is used in world practice.

Using the Ledge technique, you can make effective cold calls on the phone, an example of which will be discussed below.

The essence of this method is to use the first question or negative answer of the interlocutor as a fulcrum for turning a protracted call in the right direction.

The purpose of this is to arrange a meeting with the client. But often sales agents get drawn into any conversation, but the subject remains in the shadows.

How do failed cold calls happen?

It goes something like this. The interlocutor becomes interested in the information and says: “Please tell me in more detail.” Thus, a moment occurred that should have been avoided at all costs.

In this situation, the sales agent cannot refuse the interlocutor and is forced to explain to him the whole essence of the work, but he achieved a completely different goal than was pursued. After all, the main task is to schedule a business meeting. What to do?

It is very important to properly prepare for this issue. The sales agent must be a bit of a visionary, having previously planned for such a situation and thought through possible responses. It is impossible to leave the question unanswered. But simply answering the client is wrong. Here is a clear example of a cold phone call.

The manager calls a potential client, and on the other end of the line he hears the question: “How many years has your company been on the services market?” He enthusiastically replies: “We are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. That's a solid number, isn't it?" Client: “Yes, indeed, a considerable age. Please tell us more about the company’s work.”

This is followed by detailed explanations from the manager, a listing of the company’s areas of activity, and its most successful projects. Then the other person says, “This is amazing. How did you become so successful? The question is again followed by long and numerous explanations from the manager.

Suddenly, at the most interesting point, the client unexpectedly interrupts the conversation with the words: “Wonderful, but all this is not for me.” In this case, the manager’s main mistake is that he began presenting the service before he knew anything about the potential client. The latter was simply not satisfied with the services offered.

Example of a cold call using the Ledge method

Let's take a closer look at how Ledge works using the following example:

Trading agent:“Hello, Mr. Sidorov. Are you worried about Andrey Shishkin from A.B.V. Corporation. It is the world's largest sales services firm."

Mr. Sidorov:"Good afternoon. We were just thinking about this. Please tell us more."

Mr. Shishkin: “We have been working in sales for about 15 years. During this time, we have achieved significant success and have practical experience in this area.”

Mr. Sidorov:“Very interesting, and what kind of developments are these?”

Mr. Shishkin: “These are developments in the field of successful sales, training, management, and marketing. The most recent one is how to do cold calling, telesales.”

The conversation flows in a positive direction until the interlocutor is interested in prices. “The price range varies from B to C,” the sales agent replies, and the client objects: “Unfortunately, it’s expensive for us.”

At this point, the response scenario can go in two directions: the manager will begin to defend himself and argue, proving his point of view and describing the merits of his program, or he will simply say: “Mr. Sidorov, many people with whom we are actively cooperating now also reacted this way at first.” , have not yet been convinced of the benefits of our proposal.

Therefore, I propose to meet. Will it suit you on Wednesday at one o’clock?” The basic principle of the “Ledge” method is that no matter what the interlocutor says, always answer: “We definitely need to meet.”

Cold calling - examples of the use of the Ledge technique

The Ledge cold calling method can be used for conversations that go in completely different directions.

1. The client is not interested in the services offered by the manager. The conversation might look like this:

Client: Sorry, we do not provide professional development to our employees.

Trading agent: Excuse me, please, how is your team trained?

Client: No way. They work under mentors, that's enough.

Trading agent: Amazing! Many companies we cooperate with today also worked this way. I suggest we meet. Is Thursday at twelve convenient for you?”

Thus, the question “Curious how you train employees?” allowed me to find a foothold in the conversation and maintain control over it.

2. The client cooperates with another company.

Client: Please forgive me, but we have already made a deal with another company.

Trading agent: Let me ask you which company you work with?

Client: This is a SUPER company.

Trading agent: Great. We should meet because we can strengthen the promotion of your programs, making them more successful.

The conversation may proceed in a different aspect.

Client: We recently signed a contract with another company.

Trading agent: May I ask if this is by chance the SUPER company? Are you using the SUPER Manager program?

Client: No, we use the ICS program.

Trading agent: Wonderful. I think it will be useful for us to meet, since our projects complement this program well.

A sales agent can name any company and program. When answering, the client will correct him, and then the sales agent will again use the same “We definitely need to meet.”

Using the Ledge method allows you to turn a simple call into a conversation where information received from the client is used.

It is this that becomes a kind of fulcrum on which the further course of the conversation is based. Facts from the interlocutor’s lips help the manager to make a start and schedule a meeting at the right moment.

Mistaken cold calls: example dialogue

Often sales agents, when answered, “You should talk to someone else,” mistakenly respond with the question, “Who can I talk to about this issue?” There is no need to rush, it is better to ask: “What do you do?” In this way, you can make sure whether the person is really not the one you need. Here is an example of such a dialogue.

Client: Sorry, but this question is not within my competence. It can only be decided by the company's management.

Trading agent: Excuse me, please, but what is within your competence?

Client: I'm just organizing training for managers.

Trading agent: Very interesting. What training programs do you use?

Client: We carry out several types of training projects.

Trading agent: It seems to me that we need to meet with you, so that we can influence the implementation of your programs.

If the person's answer suggests that he might be helpful, the manager boldly says, “We need to meet with you.” The person on the other end of the line may say, “I’m just filling in for the head janitor in the office.”

If a manager offers services for installing plastic windows or alarm systems, then it is clear that he needs a completely different person. In this case, it’s worth asking: “Please tell me who I can talk to about this issue?” Information about the right person will be found out.

Cold Calling Examples: The Ledge in Action

Example 1

Client: Sorry, I am absolutely not interested in your proposal.

Trading agent: Many people said the same thing until they were convinced that our services perfectly complemented what they did.

Client: We had an experience with your company and it was not positive.

Trading agent: May I ask who is servicing your company's computers now?

Client: Company "IGREK" We have been working with them for more than two years.

Trading agent: Then we should definitely meet.

Client: I don't think so. Send the price list to my email address, if necessary, I will look at it.

Trading agent: Maybe it's better for us to meet after all? What about Thursday at four?

Client: I've told. I am not interested in your information.

Trading agent: Okay, good luck.

In this case, the manager tried everything.

Example 2

Client: Our company does not have the funds to provide such services.

Trading agent: Of course I understand. But may I ask, is your company working with anyone now?

Client: Yes. We work with the ZET company.

Trading agent: Then you probably use the ABC product?

Client: No, we use their product "GDEZH".

Trading agent: Really? Then we should definitely meet, since our offer is wider, which includes the product “GDEZH”. How about next Monday at two?

Client: I like.

Example 3

Client: Tell us more about your product.

With this question, the manager must give a clear, comprehensive, but concise answer.

Trading agent: We have been working in the field of computer technology for 15 years. During this time, our company has developed new programs that are successfully used by hundreds of companies. Pardon my curiosity, but what does your company do?

Client: We work in the field of accounting services based on the AB program.

Trading agent: How's that? Then we definitely need to meet, and I will tell you how to increase the effectiveness of the AB program.

Example 4

Client: Hello, I don’t have time to listen to you now. Send me materials about your company, if possible, I will familiarize myself with them.

Trading agent: You see, I'm calling to make an appointment. Would Monday at twelve suit you?

Client: Alas, I have a very busy schedule throughout the month.

Trading agent: Okay, is this same day in exactly a month busy for you?

Client: Just a minute, I'll take a look. No.

Trading point: So, maybe we will meet on the 24th in a month?

Client: Fine. I'll write it down in my diary.

In each specific case, when making cold calls on the phone, the sales agent creates a “Ledge” that he can cling to, and the fulcrum found helps turn the conversation in the right direction. Thus, the sales agent is able to increase sales efficiency by increasing business meetings.

In modern business, cold calling, as a telephone sales technique, is used in a wide variety of areas of commercial activity, regardless of the specifics of the goods/services offered and the personality of the potential buyer. Recently, this method of selling products has become so popular that it can be safely separated into a separate unique field of activity with its own laws, rules and methods, the study of which helps to increase sales volumes and achieve set goals.

Many business entities perceive cold calls as the most ordinary telephone conversations with clients, which an ordinary secretary without education and sales experience can do. Of course, this stereotype absolutely does not correspond to the real meaning of this telephone sales technique. A salesperson who makes cold calls must have the knowledge of a psychologist, a marketer, an ideal knowledge of the object of sale, and even have the talent of an actor. In this article you will find useful information on this topic, learn what cold calls are, how they are carried out, what is the secret of this sales technique and what every seller should know to achieve success.

Cold calling telephone sales techniques - essence and features

The prospects for developing business cooperation with him depend on how successful the first dialogue with a potential client is. If you were able to find those “thin threads” that are the foundation for establishing contact, then you can count, at a minimum, on the fact that they will listen to you carefully and show sincere interest in your proposal. In many areas of business, as already mentioned, cold calling is used for these purposes.

This sales technique received this name because most subscribers react to unfamiliar calls rather coldly (this is at best), and sometimes rudely and aggressively. In principle, this is a completely normal reaction when a person is very busy or is waiting for an important message, he is not in the mood, etc. The task of a sales manager who uses cold calling in his work is to overcome the “wall of alienation”, to ensure that the caller changes his aggressive tone to an interested and friendly one, and then to establish business contacts and turn a potential client into a real buyer of your products. Naturally, only a well-trained person who knows psychology and has at least minimal acting talent can cope with this task. If the first dialogue ends with unexpected beeps on the phone, you can forget about this potential client for at least a month.

Please note one interesting fact: in some countries, cold calling is prohibited or has serious legal restrictions. Although such laws can be considered as a violation/restriction of human rights and freedoms, which are enshrined in the Constitution of any civilized state.

If we consider the importance of cold calling for business, then in modern conditions they are one of the most common sales techniques. Even despite the constant complaints from managers that it doesn’t work, it’s just a waste of time, etc., the method of establishing contacts by telephone is used more and more every day and becomes more advanced. It is enough to trace the development trend of various call centers to understand how the popularity of cold calling is growing. Many of these companies operate according to the following scheme.

You provide a database of potential clients, set a goal (make contact, arrange a meeting, sign a contract, sell a product or service), agree on all the details of payment, and expect the results of completing the task. At the same time, call center employees do not care at all what products they need to work with, which is additional confirmation of the versatility of the telephone sales technique using cold calls. The services of telephone sales managers are in great demand among small companies that save significant sums of money on wages: there is no need to maintain a whole staff of sales agents and managers, because the call center employees will develop the client base.

Basic Rules

In order for your call to be successful, you must follow certain rules.

Your speech should be confident, competent and to the point. If you plan to work professionally in this direction, then constantly work on your speech.

Be prepared for the fact that you will have a large number of refusals. Even managers who show fantastic results in attracting clients are not immune from unsuccessful calls. You need to take this fact calmly, and not “wind up” yourself in case of refusal.

Don't focus on the products being sold. If you know something about a potential client, try to use this information correctly. For example, the other day a football club (of which the potential client is a fan) won a very important match, try to start the dialogue with this positive news. Then, you can switch to the benefits of cooperation with you, potential profits, etc.

Always respect the client's choice. Quite often, at the time of your first conversation with you, your potential client is already working with a company that sells similar products. You should never speak badly about competitors and their products - this rule is one of the main ones in business. Try to gently find out what your potential client is not happy with, and then use the information received in the process of presenting your products.

Learn to distinguish between a refusal and an objection. If in the first case the chances of establishing a dialogue are practically zero, then it is necessary to work with objections. In addition, do not forget that you can call when the client is very busy, does not have the opportunity to talk, is resting, or is not in the mood for a serious, business dialogue. In such situations, the minimum task is to agree on the next call, and best of all, taking advantage of the lack of time and desire to continue the conversation, schedule a personal meeting.

Before starting telephone conversations, you must have a clearly defined goal: sign a contract, arrange a meeting or sell a product/service. No troubles, failures or force majeure should stop you on the path to achieving these goals. If you don’t know how to work like this, quickly lose your positions and have a hard time even with a minor trouble, then it’s better to direct your knowledge and skills to another area of activity; cold calling is not your job.

Cold calling techniques and techniques

Practicing managers identify two main types of effective cold calls:

In the first case, the main goal of the dialogue is to schedule a business meeting in order to then agree on cooperation, sales of products, etc. Basically, the dialogue is very short, all proposals are made directly, without “lyrical” digressions. This is an aggressive and direct tactic that should only be used when communicating with prospects. A proposal for a meeting, as a rule, comes immediately after the greeting. The presented cold calls save time; even an inexperienced manager can use them, but clients may not like them and when scheduling a meeting, you do not know how fruitful it will be for both parties.

In the second case, the sales manager calmly finds out how promising a given client is and only then leads him to setting up a meeting. This tactic does not allow the use of direct questions; it is designed for a detailed discussion not only of substantive issues, but also of a number of other topics that are not directly related to your business. The advantage is that you make an appointment with the client, knowing his goals and capabilities, and the disadvantage of these cold calls is that a beginner cannot cope with such work on his own. In addition, this tactic of telephone conversations takes a lot of time.

Novice managers who know that cold calling is a telesales technique, but have never encountered even examples of it, should definitely study how they are carried out.

First of all, you need to collect as much information as possible about your potential client. To do this, you can use all available methods: accounts on social networks, opinions of former and current work colleagues, etc. Then you need to create a script (scenario, plan) for future calls. It is compiled for one group of clients with whom similar dialogues are expected. Your success largely depends on this moment. Beginning sales managers must definitely consult with experienced colleagues on all points of the future scenario of dialogue with a potential client.

Let's get straight to the call. Naturally, you should say hello and introduce yourself, saying your name (maybe surname), as well as your position and company name. Try to tell about your company in a nutshell; you need to do this briefly, to the point and in such a way that the client does not get bored. At the next stage, try to obtain from the client the information that is necessary to attract him to cooperation, using leading questions. For example, a company that provides services for advertising on the World Wide Web on the most promising resources (social networks, maps, message boards, thematic sites, etc.).

You work as a manager and your goal is to negotiate cooperation with a potential client. Leading question: “Have you ever tried to advertise your company/product on the Internet?” Next, you need to interest the potential client as much as possible. In our case (advertising company), you can talk about specific results when similar companies used online advertising services and, thanks to this, their customer base increased by 10-20%. When giving specific examples, use real numbers, but do not mention the real names of your clients (this information is considered a trade secret). In response, you can hear not only notes of interest in the subscriber’s voice when he asks about the cost of your services, but also an indifferent remark that they themselves can create a VKontakte or Facebook profile, as well as place a dozen advertisements on specialized resources.

Work with objections begins. Your script should have a prepared response to this remark. Representatives of advertising companies, as a rule, have agreements with the owners of all resources on which client advertisements are placed, so the process itself is carried out using special programs and it costs your company at least 2-3 times cheaper than for an ordinary user. For a normal, adequate person, these arguments will be enough. If you hear any other objections, act according to the situation, but never “let go” of the client without a persistent fight.

Remember, there is a certain category of people who get real pleasure in the process of such dialogues, when they are convinced, and they constantly find some kind of counterarguments. Sometimes, in such situations, it makes sense to end the dialogue by inviting the interlocutor to familiarize himself with the commercial proposal in writing. If the prospective client is really interested in your offer, he will provide his email address and will contact you in the near future.

In the process of communicating with potential clients, you must show yourself to be a true professional in your specialization. The interlocutor expects to receive an instant answer to any question. And it should be meaningful and useful information. If you don’t know what to answer to your interlocutor, don’t make up some fantastic stories, say that you need to consult with your superiors or more competent colleagues. Lies always cause misunderstandings, mistakes, etc., and as a result, you will lose a client and leave the worst impressions about yourself and the company.

Two conditions that must be met by every sales manager working with cold calling. When talking to potential clients, you need to smile as much as possible. This will not only have a positive effect on your mood, but the interlocutor will also feel that they are treated kindly, which means you can relax and calmly conduct a business conversation. Another important point is that the success of cold calling depends on the experience of the manager. If you make 80-100 calls daily using one script, in a couple of weeks your level of training will reach the maximum level, which will have a positive effect on the number of attracted clients.

Additionally, experienced managers recommend:

never use the words: “hello”, “I don’t know”, “fine”;

during the dialogue, address the client by name, but not every three words;

remain calm in any situation and do not raise your voice at the client;

If the subscriber does not answer the phone, call the next day.

The process of learning everything related to cold calling is quite interesting, and if you master the telephone sales technique in practice, you don’t have to worry about your employment, but it’s best to use this knowledge to organize the work of your own company. We also recommend that you read the article “”.

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For any company, the issue of finding new clients, which is associated with working in a “cold” market, is always relevant. How do “cold” sales differ from “warm” sales? How to turn a skeptical stranger into a “hot” client?

How are “cold” sales different from “hot” sales?

Negotiations with clients without intermediaries are called “Hot” and “cold” sales and are carried out in different markets. The “hot” market is regular customers, store visitors, that is, the target audience.

For any company, the issue of finding new clients, which is associated with working in a “cold” market, is always relevant. As a rule, “cold” sales involve business trips, telephone conversations and a mandatory meeting with a product presentation.

“Cold” calls are telephone conversations, the result of which should be a positive attitude, an agreement on a meeting or a concluded deal.

Specifics of working in a “cold” market

Working in a cold market has its pros and cons.

Positive sides	Negative sides
Effective work gives a significant increase and allows you to increase the competitiveness of the company, product, service.	Salespeople who have not been taught how to use cold selling and calling techniques receive many rejections and lose enthusiasm.
“Cold” sales are an unlimited number of potential customers.	Developing professionalism in this matter takes time.
Minimum financial costs and reduced advertising costs.	Developing professionalism in this matter takes time.

Any cold sales department needs technology that will help it work effectively with customers.

10 rules for successful cold sales

Before negotiations, let go of tension and relax. A successful salesperson is an energetic and confident person.
Self-motivation.
Thoroughly know the product to be sold.
Create a comfortable environment for the client and evoke sympathy. To “hook” the buyer, simply to interest them, but not to “shove” the product.
Get a feel for the client. What language, with what intonation does he speak? You can use similar vocabulary, tone of voice, style of speech.
Generate interest in yourself, in your product, service, company with the help of the media and participation in buyer meetings, forums, fairs, exhibitions and other events. Creation of mailings, leaflets with useful information for potential clients.
Record effective “cold” calls with appointments.
Constantly and daily replenish the database of new clients.
Remember that every “no” brings you closer to closing the deal. In order to conclude a profitable deal, you must be prepared to hear a lot of refusals.
Be sure to prepare before calls and meetings using cold sales scenarios.

Ability to respond to failures

Drawing up a form (table) for entering information received during negotiations.

Work in pairs. Conversation with the manager, department head and director. The goal is to make an appointment.

How to bypass Cerberus?

Choose a tactic and come up with a wording to bypass the adamant secretary.

Objections

Remember the answers to common objections and work in pairs.

“We entered into an agreement with another company.”
"We're not interested in that."
"We don't need this."
"We can't afford it."
“Call another employee.”

Statistics show that almost 90% of information received at trainings and seminars is forgotten after a month. Trainings are useful if the sales manager regularly trains, repeats and consolidates the knowledge acquired during the training.

Conclusion

All the secrets of “cold” sales lie in constant work on yourself. Those who are capable of self-motivation succeed. Faith and love for your work help resolve any difficult situations!

Cold calling is very difficult if you don’t know what to say and how to say it. But if you have a script written in advance, then everything immediately becomes much easier. And in this article, we will write a cold call script - a step-by-step conversation diagram for your specific situation.

And yes, of course, we will look at different examples of working with objections. So that you don’t just repeat this scheme like a robot, but can adapt it to the situation. Then your results will improve several times.

How I did cold calling

I remember about 6 years ago, I was attracting clients to our translation agency through cold calls. I put off starting work for two weeks and looked for excuses in every possible way not to call anyone. It was just very scary.

But when the money began to completely run out, I still forced myself to pick up the phone and dial the first number from the list. To my great relief, the other end of the line did not answer the phone.

Then I dialed the second number, and they quite politely told me that the head of the foreign economic activity department had just left, and asked me to call back in 15 minutes. I already thought that it was enough for a start, and I could go and take a break. But still, to clear my conscience, I decided to dial the third number.

It was a large industrial company in our city. And I knew for sure that they were already working with some translation agency. Therefore, I assumed that the conversation with them would not last long.

Imagine my surprise when the person on the other end of the line listened to me and offered to meet in an hour to show me the current orders. On the same day we received our first order from them. And this company is still our regular customer. And it all happened in one single call.

Of course, I understand that I was lucky. Clients are not always so willing to start working with you. But there are still certain statistics - how many cold calls you need to make to get one order.

How many cold calls do you need to make to get one order?

If you think that there is some magical cold calling script that will open all doors for you like a golden key, you are mistaken. There is no such script and cannot exist.

And there is not and cannot be a salesperson who would make twenty calls and conclude twenty deals. You can’t sell to everyone, no matter how hard you try, and no matter how wonderful the conversation pattern you prescribe.

Working with cold calls is a statistic. Statistics of refusals and agreements to meet with you. You need to know your statistics and just do them every day. For example, in most cases you need to make about 20 calls to schedule 2-3 meetings.

Next, out of 3 meetings (according to statistics), you will conclude one deal. That is, you need to make twenty calls and hear “no” nineteen times to close one deal. It is very important. Often salespeople are trained to “press” everyone on the phone until they agree to meet with you. My experience is that this is bad practice.

Why being too persistent is bad

If you are persistent enough and find your own answer to any “no,” then eventually the person on the other end of the line will still agree to meet with you. As a result, you will only waste your time.

That is, after half an hour of the “objection-response” game, your interlocutor will say, “Okay, you persuaded me, let’s meet next Monday, at two o’clock in the afternoon.” But he will say this only to get rid of you. Then you will not be able to reach him (he will write down your phone number under the name “Do not take it under any circumstances”).

And when you arrive at the meeting, you will not find anyone at the specified address. That means you will waste several hours, or even the whole day.

In fact, the goal of a cold call is not to “persuade” everyone, but to intelligently filter out those on whom you should spend time and on whom not. The entire conversation scheme that you will find below is precisely aimed at making this filtering as fast and comfortable as possible.

It was very important for me to clarify this before starting to analyze the circuit. Your task is not to get one “yes” at all. Your task is to get nineteen reasonable “no’s.” After that, you will make a deal and calmly move on to the next circle.

And yes, by the way, all of the above applies to the conversation with the decision maker (decision maker). But before talking with the decision-maker, we will most often have to talk with the so-called “Gatekeeper”. This is a secretary or assistant or someone else who doesn’t want you to distract the boss with your calls.

You have to do things a little differently with gatekeepers. After all, there is no way they can give us a valid no. This means they just need to be “pushed through”.

Scheme of conversation with the “gatekeeper”

And then it happened. After much procrastination and making excuses, you finally decided to get on the phone and start calling potential clients on your list. You sell antivirus for corporate computer networks. You pick up the phone, dial the number of the ACS department (Automation of Control Systems), and after a series of beeps you hear:

JSC Mashinstroyperestroy, I’m listening to you...

You answer:

Hello, my name is Dmitry. I'm calling you from the Peresvet company about a new antivirus for your computer system. Tell me, who can I talk to about this?

And in response you get:

Thank you, we are not interested. Goodbye.

This is one of the standard gatekeeper objections. And if you bought into this “we are not interested”, then it’s in vain. Now I will tell you one secret. In fact, the secretary on the other end of the line has no idea whether they are interested or not.

It's just that your call interferes with her work. If she lets you in to see her beloved boss Arkady Petrovich, head of the automated control system department, and you suggest some nonsense, she will get hit on the head.

And if you offer not nonsense, but a super solution that will save the plant a million dollars a month, and her boss is rewarded for it, then the secretary... will still not receive any benefit.

All the laurels will go to Arkady Petrovich, because he “found”, “suggested”, “implemented”. That is, the secretary will either get hit on the head, or (at best) get nothing. So why should she take the risk? The easiest way is to jump straight to the best option and get “nothing.” That is, just don’t miss your call to your boss.

But the secretary has his own problems and tasks, and you and I have ours. And task number one is to break through the barrier of standard “objections and denials.”

Overcoming standard objections

Here are some of the standard objections a gatekeeper might typically give you:

We are not interested/need it
What exactly do you want to offer?
Send us an email, we'll take a look and call you back
No (I won't connect you/he won't talk to you)

And here’s how best to build a dialogue with such an interlocutor.

Secretary: What did you want to offer (What specific issue are you on?) (Are you on the issue of advertising?) (What are your services?), etc.

You: We are installing a new antivirus program for computer networks. Who can I talk to about this?

Secretary: We are not interested in this (we do not need this)

You: Understand. You know, with about every fourth client our cooperation began in the same way. That is why I would like to ask your specialist a few clarifying questions. Who can I talk to about this?

Secretary: Submit your offer by email. We will review and call you back.

You: We do not have a general commercial offer; there are a lot of options. I need to talk to your specialist because we strive to offer only what people need, not everything at once. Connect me please.

Secretary: Everything is fine with us.

You: Amazing. Among our clients, most companies are developing successfully. That is why our services were useful to them. All I would like to do is talk about whether we can be of service to you. So who can I contact about this issue?

Secretary: No (I won’t connect you, he won’t talk to you).

You: If it’s so difficult to talk to him, maybe I can talk to someone else about this issue?

Two main points in the conversation pattern

You methodically work through all the “nos” and push the gatekeeper so that he still takes the risk of connecting you with the person you need.

Notice two important points in this conversation pattern. At the end of each response to an objection, ask to connect you with the decision maker. Usually people can't stand being asked for something several times and give up.

The second point is an explanation of the reason why you need to be connected with someone. In the famous book “The Psychology of Influence,” Robert Cialdini describes an experiment in which a person first simply asked to be skipped in line. And in the second case he added “Let me skip the line, because I really need". And in the second case, he was missed 3 times more often.

Of course, in our example we came across a very hard nut to crack. Usually secretaries give up after 1-2 objections. But there are even harder ones. They just tell you no.

What to do if you are still told “no”

If you just can’t convince the gatekeeper to let you through further, then you can try to “make friends” with him.

And making an acquaintance with a stranger is not at all difficult. This is what the dialogue might look like after four or five “no’s.”

You: Okay, I understand you. By the way, my name is Dmitry, I am a sales manager in our company. What is the best name for you?

Secretary: Maria.

You: Maria, what is your title?

Secretary: Assistant manager (secretary/assistant).

You: Maria, please advise me. What is the best way for me to deal with this situation?

In this simple way you win a person over to you. You met him and asked him to help you. In this case, even the stony heart will melt, and Maria herself will tell you how and with whom you need to contact.

And after that we move on to a conversation with Himself - the Decision Maker.

Scheme of conversation with decision maker

As mentioned above, the task of talking with a decision maker is to filter out those who are not worth wasting time on right now. To do this, we need to either get a reasonable “yes” or a reasonable “no”. Both results will suit us quite well.

Our conversation with the decision maker will consist of four stages:

Performance
Question-involvement
Handling objections
Make an appointment

After that, we are either told “no”, and we calmly move on to the next contact. Or they say “yes” to us, and we enter the time and place of the meeting in our diary. And let's look at options for conversation patterns using examples.

Stage #1 - Presentation

Here we just need to state our name, the name of our company, and explain why we are calling. The person on the other end of the line is primarily interested in who we are and what we need from him.

Therefore, do not try to be cunning and deceive someone. As a result, you will deceive yourself. For example, I am very annoyed by salespeople who call me under the pretext of conducting some kind of “survey”. I don’t have much time, tell me right away what you want.

You (we learned the name from the secretary). My name is Dmitry, I’m from the Peresvet company, and I’m calling you about a new anti-virus program for corporate networks.

That's literally all. You immediately said everything directly and honestly. In this case, the interlocutor may not answer you anything. And we need dialogue. not a monologue. Therefore, we immediately move on to the second stage.

Stage #2 – Question-engagement-pause

At this stage, we need to get a primary reaction to our proposal (most often the reaction will be negative).

You

We ask a question and fall silent. This is a very important and very difficult moment. Most people physically cannot bring themselves to pause. Because a pause is pressure. With our silence, we literally force a person to answer us something. This will be the beginning of engagement in the conversation.

We specifically formulate the question in such a way that the answer to it “is impossible” is no. Of course, most often the answer will be no. But at the same time, your interlocutor himself will feel the strangeness of the situation.

They offer him to increase the level of protection, but he says “no” - I don’t want to increase anything, let them hack our computers and steal data. We will lose clients because of this, and I will be thrown out of my position, and I will end my life under the fence with a bottle of Triple Cologne in my hand. Everything is great, I'm satisfied.

You: Please tell me, would you be interested in increasing the level of security for your computer network?

decision maker

Let him say “no” out loud (giving up everything is a person’s first normal defensive reaction). But subconsciously he says yes. And this is much more important for us. And having received this “no”, which is actually a “yes”, we move on to the next stage.

Stage #3 - Closing the objection

There is one simple phrase that gets around most objections. That is, it will encourage a person who, at least theoretically, may be interested in your proposal, agree to meet with you.

And if a person does not want to agree to anything, then this means that this is not our client yet.

decision maker: No, thank you, we are not interested in this now.

You

That's all, this simple phrase firstly calms down Arkady Petrovich - they say, there are other people whom I have already met, and they are all alive and well. Secondly, it explains the benefits - simplification of work and reduction of costs.

After this phrase we no longer need to pause. You need to immediately move on to the final stage of the conversation.

Step #4 - Making an appointment

It is very important to propose a specific meeting time yourself. This way the interlocutor is more likely to agree to meet with us. That is, either he will simply accept our conditions, or he will set his own. Here's what it sounds like all together.

You: You know, Arkady Petrovich, other people working in your field told me the same thing before I came and showed them how our program could simplify their work and reduce costs.

Could we meet you? Will it suit you on Wednesday at two o'clock in the afternoon?

decision maker

And if in this case the person repeats - “No! We don’t need anything,” then you can congratulate yourself. You have already received one justified refusal. It looks like they don't really need to improve anything at the moment. Eighteen more such refusals and the deal is in your pocket.

To reinforce this, let’s once again write down the entire scheme of a telephone conversation with a decision maker.

You: Hello, Arkady Petrovich (we learned the name from the secretary). My name is Dmitry, I’m from the Peresvet company, and I’m calling you about a new anti-virus program for corporate networks ( Stage #1)

You: Please tell me, would you be interested in increasing the level of security for your computer network? ( Stage #2 - Pause…)

decision maker: No, thank you, we are not interested in that now.

You: You know, Arkady Petrovich, other people working in your field told me the same thing before I came and showed them how our program could simplify their work and reduce costs ( Stage #3)

Could we meet you? Will it suit you on Wednesday at two o'clock in the afternoon? ( Stage #4)

decision maker: Let's better on Thursday, at one o'clock in the afternoon. I'll have half an hour.

Conclusion

We have looked at how best to structure a conversation when making cold calls. Let me remind you that you need to push through the gatekeeper, and get a “reasonable refusal” or “reasonable consent” from the decision-maker. The main thing is not to confuse it.

Don't forget to download my book. There I show you the fastest way from zero to the first million on the Internet (a summary from personal experience over 10 years =)

Happy hunting!

Today, with the development of modern technologies, many new sales techniques have appeared that make it possible to attract the client’s attention to products and agree on cooperation without meeting the customer in person. How is this possible? Thanks to so-called “cold calls”. You will learn how to make them most effective from this article.

Definition of the term

First of all, let’s define the main subject of this article, let’s figure out what “cold calling” means. These are telephone conversations initiated by the service seller. In this case, communication is carried out without prior agreement. The main goal of this method of negotiation is to find new clients, as well as potential buyers, in the shortest possible time.

It is worth noting that “cold calling” is not only the prerogative of trading companies. This technique can be used by any enterprise, regardless of whether they sell goods or offer any services.

Some countries prohibit cold calling. This is due to the frequent incorrectness of some proposals, as well as interference in the work of people who are bored with sales managers.

Despite the fact that the information offered by trading companies is not always relevant for those who are called, “cold calling” today is one of the most popular, and most importantly, effective methods.

Company database

The first place to start working on cold calling is to compile an up-to-date and reliable database of potential clients, depending on the services offered by the company initiating the negotiations. To do this, you can use standard programs installed on each computer.

In the header of the table you need to indicate the name of the company, its email, phone number, contact person, manager who made the call, date of negotiations.

Direct “cold calling” is the next stage of work. The results of negotiations must be entered into a database compiled in advance. So, you need to create a separate column called “comment” and enter information about each call there.

Attracting customers with “cold calls” implies constantly updating the database of potential customers. Only in this case will telephone conversations bring orders to the company. To expand your list of clients, you can simply find the websites of various companies, organizations in the city and region and find out their phone numbers and email. The sales manager must necessarily enter the result of the negotiations into the database, and also note that he has sent a commercial offer to interested clients.

Calling experience

“Cold calling” is the daily work of sales managers. In order to carry them out most effectively and subsequently conclude real contracts, you need to constantly practice and develop the skill of telephone negotiations. Employees who are constantly calling potential clients learn how to answer complex customer questions, and also come up with the most successful sales strategy.

If you take long breaks, the skill is lost, and specialists begin to feel some uncertainty and even awkwardness, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of the technique in question.

Correct “cold calls”, that is, those that lead to the conclusion of contracts and further cooperation with customers, are especially good for naturally communicative people with the gift of persuasion. However, most sales workers do not have these natural talents. An alternative to innate negotiation abilities is diligence, efficiency, and most importantly, the desire to find a client and conclude an agreement with him.

Call script

It is especially difficult for novice sales managers to negotiate with potential customers. Due to the lack of experience, young professionals begin to get nervous and think not about how convincing their speech sounds, but about not saying something stupid or making a mistake in the name of their own company. To avoid such incidents, it is necessary to competently approach the organization of telephone conversations.

Working with “cold calling” should begin with drawing up a script, that is, recording your speech on paper. This preparation will allow the manager not to think about what to say in the next second, but to concentrate on his intonation, on the services and goods that he offers. This will make sales much more effective, since the confident voice of a specialist inspires the client’s trust and increases the likelihood of concluding a contract.

It is worth remembering that “cold calling” is an unpredictable method of negotiation, during which customers may have a variety of questions about the goods and services offered by the manager. In addition, companies that are in the database may not need the products that the sales specialist suggests to them. In this regard, their representatives often raise their voices at the caller and show their irritation in every possible way. The manager should not take impolite answers to heart, and should also think through his reaction to customer refusals of the goods and services offered.

Manager's attitude

Any experienced manager knows what “cold calling” means and how negotiations go when potential customers are in high spirits. Such periods occur before holidays, and also when people are looking forward to weekends or vacations. At this time, it is easiest for a specialist to sell goods or services, since the client, even if he does not agree and is not interested in the proposals, will at least listen to the manager without unnecessary nerves and aggression.

If an employee calls subscribers from the database on ordinary weekdays, he must remain calm in any situation and not react to the possible rudeness of the interlocutor. It is important to remember that the manager’s mood plays a very important role in negotiations and helps to influence the client in the right way.

Responses to refusals

The “cold calling” technique on the phone involves refusals, which any specialist fears. It's actually not that scary. Any experienced manager knows that the interlocutor does not have many ways to object to the offer of goods and services. There are only six or seven possible failure options. Each of them needs to be worked out so as not to get confused during the conversation.

For example, if the interlocutor answers that he is busy and cannot talk now, you need to ask when it will be convenient for him to continue the conversation. You should not say goodbye and hang up, as in this case the call is considered absolutely useless.

Also, a representative of the company may say that he is not interested in the manager’s proposal. Then it is necessary to convince the interlocutor that he has not yet heard any specific proposals and has not been able to assess the benefits of cooperation. If a person does not hang up and listens to the explanation to the end, the chance of concluding a contract as a result of negotiations increases many times over.

First impression

The first impression made on your interlocutor can either help you conclude an agreement or ruin everything. This is what cold calling is based on. The telephone sales technique assumes that the manager should become an interesting interlocutor for the client, a friend who wants to help with something, and not just make money on the concluded contract.

It is important not to ask the company representative questions that may cause a negative reaction. For example, you should not ask: “Do you have sufficient authority to decide what interests your company and what does not?” In this case, there can be no question of continuing the conversation, much less signing an agreement and further cooperation.

How to capture your interlocutor's attention

Firstly, there is no need to ask a direct question from the very beginning of the conversation that directly relates to the reason for the call. If the manager immediately asks: “Are you interested in what we offer?”, the client will answer negatively in 90% of cases, and this will end the negotiations.

Of course, the main goal of a specialist is to sell services. “Cold calling” will be a truly effective method of concluding contracts if you engage the client in a conversation and offer him the services of your company in a friendly and unobtrusive manner.

If the customer is not interested in what the operator is talking about, it is necessary to find out why the interlocutor prefers to use the service or products of other companies. This information will help the manager adjust his responses to objections and make cold calls more successfully in the future.

How to sell a meeting

Every sales specialist must remember that talking on the phone does not oblige the interlocutor to anything, even if he is interested in the manager’s offer. That is why you need to convince the client to meet and discuss everything in more detail. If a potential customer agrees to have a business conversation with an employee of a company offering goods and services, this almost certainly guarantees a successful outcome of the negotiations and the conclusion of a contract.

To make cold calling truly effective, you need to follow some rules. First, you need to express yourself in clear and concise phrases. This will make the speech more natural and will not allow the interlocutor to think that the manager is speaking according to a template, using memorized formulations. Secondly, it is necessary to “sell” the meeting so that the negotiations are more successful. Thirdly, you need to be confident when making a call, and then telephone sales will definitely bear fruit.