Business Development

Don’t Be Late!

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

London, UK

Earlier this week I hinted that being late to an appointment is one of the worst things you can do as a salesman. The same applies if you’re a budding presenter or actor late for a gig or audition. Look, from time to time you will be late to a sales meeting or an important sales appointment will run over time you allotted, then there’s an unexpected traffic problem on the North Circular, or the blasted RMT are on strike again and your wife will call you about her car that’s just broken down. Things like these can and do happen. Some businessman, freelancers and sales executives though are routinely late for appointments, briefings and auditions and they underestimate what it says about them and their company. I think it means two things:

You Lack Respect

When you arrive late, you are sending the message that even though you promised to be respectful of other people’s time, you’re not. Pitching up late means that you will inevitably lose control, fatal if you’re trying to sell a product, service or even yourself! Unless you’ve got a damn good excuse, people will remember your tardiness and may not be inclined to give you other opportunities in future.

Your Time Management Needs Improving

Time Management is really just a euphemism for self-management. Top salesmen know this and plan their appointments meticulously including carefully planning “drive time” to their appointments. You also need time each week to research, plan and rehearse what you’re going to say. You know the old adage – practice makes perfect. So rather than leading a chaotic existence, say “no” to things that get in the way and ensure you leave enough time to do the things you need to do. If you have difficulty in doing this, then ask for help.

Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Cold Calling Tip No. 11 – If In Doubt Ask

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

London, UK

Another annoying habit of telemarketers when cold-calling in the mispronounciation of people’s names.
If your record file or CRM system says you need to speak to a Mr Death, you’ll probably find it’s pronounced Deeath and spelt De’ath. So whenever you are faced with an unfamiliar name and you don’t know how to pronounce it ask the gatekeeper, a work colleague or if you are put straight through ask the person directly before you launch into your spiel. Believe me, there’s nothing worse than getting a customers name wrong.

Never Underestimate Your Capabilities

Monday, August 16th, 2010

London, UK

It’s hardly any wonder few people have time for some telemarketers. Just this afternoon, I took a call on behalf of a client. The voice at the other end said “Hi, I’m Norm from Storm copiers”, or something equally cheesy; he continued “is Mr Phillips (not his real name) there”? (That was his first mistake, he asked a closed question) I said he wasn’t then asked what “Norm” was trying to achieve. He rambled for a bit before saying “oh it doesn’t matter, I’m just the appointment-getter”. Gawd Blimey, what a loser! The young man clearly has no idea just how important cold-calling is to the economy as I explained a few months ago when having a bit of a dig at Max Hastings.
With a bit more application and conviction, the cold caller could have achieved something. It may not have been an appointment but he may have been successful in getting information which may have led to an appointment the next time he called. But for Norm, there will be no next time. Unless he changes tack, he’ll end up a……………….

Sweeping Assumptions

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

London, UK

This week’s guest blogger is none other than the brilliant Marc Lawn who is also known in the blogosphere as the Business GP.

“Sweeping Assumptions”

For those of you who know me you will already know I get around a bit….in a business sense. Having worked & lived in over 20 countries and worked within 9 different industries I have come to realise one key thing. That being, when it comes to people, there are two basic principles that everyone in all walks of life should follow.
Firstly we should remember that to assume really is to make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. The second is that every decent human being deserves to be treated with dignity & respect.
I have been talking about perception v. reality on twitter recently, and the real message behind this is very serious. In order to progress, not only in business, but as human beings we need to grasp the notion that as humans we are fallible. The fact that what we may hold to be true may not be. An ‘open minded’ approach.
This, for me is highlighted so well by one of my previous employees. One was in his 50’s, had been made redundant recently and was suffering from a lack of confidence. The perception for many in the business was that he had had his day. Through working with him, getting to really understand the issues and help him overcome them, whilst opening up his network of contacts further I have now helped him achieve a role as a Global Communications Director with a £4bn t/o business.
That said, I am also humble enough to realise that whilst I may have helped him restore his confidence, he did the work. I helped him realise his potential by supporting him. I didn’t make him the man he is. He was already that. Too many people feel they have to model & shape talent in their image, and this is not the case. It is critical to remember that your employees may do things differently to you but that makes them individuals, not wrong!
The moral of the story is simple. Being grounded & supportive will aid the performance of talent around you, critically you will spot talent in the strangest of places if you open your mind to the possibilities. People follow people, & genuine people at that. 80% of people leave businesses because of their line manager, if nothing else that should be a sobering thought.

Marc is @businessgp on Twitter

Do You Have The Authority?

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

London, UK

Reading Sean McPheat’s blog post about “getting permission” to proceed a sale reminded me about getting permission “in reverse”. This is known to sales execs. as the Higher Authority Close and I’ve used it to great effect in the past. On one occasion it worked like this:
When selling a telephone system to a medium-sized company some years ago, I had reached the stage in price negotiation where the customer wanted more discount than I was able to give. A degree of horse-trading had been going on for several minutes when I suggested to the customer that I call my office. I explained to him (and this is where you have to hold your nerve) that it would be unlikely we could acquiese to his demands. I called my director, explained where I was and after the pleasantaries, I said something like “and Mr Jones has something to ask you David”. I passed the telephone receiver to my customer and the ensuing conversation took about 3-4 minutes (it seemed like a lifetime!). True to form, the customer blurted out his financial demands and mentioned that he would immediately sign the paperwork. He had assumed that I had no authority and that I had to speak to a line manager – once he expressed his concerns to my colleague he had greatly weakened his position and had no alternative but to sign up!

Before you consider using the Higher Authority Close:

1. Plan the appointment with your sales director/manager before you set of on your appointment.
2. Make absolutely sure your director is going to be in when you call!

I’ve Got Friday On My Mind

Friday, August 6th, 2010

London, UK

All in all this week has been a bit frustrating – being laid low with a touch of “man ‘flu” can really knock you for six. A couple of meetings have had to be re-scheduled, work assignments started late, you know the usual. So I was delighted with how things ended up. Friday afternoons are notoriously bad for cold-calling and appointment getting aren’t they – look I’m taking you up the garden path. Ask any professional sales exec. and they’ll tell you that Friday afternoons (and the later the better) are a great time for getting appointments. And the number one reason, is that your propsect is about to enjoy his or her forthcoming weekend, so they are likely to be in a fairly good mood – Monday mornings may not be quite the same!

Today I stuck to my tried and tested method – TCBN and TCAF. That’s three calls before 9am and three after 5pm. There’s two reasons for doing this. Firstly you’re more likely to get the decision-maker or even company CEO and secondly, most gatekeepers I know don’t tend to be around at 8.35 in the morning and leave sharp on 5pm – and in summer time it’s better still because they’re on holiday and taking a well-earned two week holiday on the Costas from saying “no”, unless of course they’re with the children, in which case it’s “business as usual”. Where was I, oh yes, of the three calls made after 5pm today one drew a blank, the second needs some more work being done but the third resulted with a firm appointment being made.

How did your week go?

Take a look at my cold-calling tips. You can download them at my “Training” page

Cold Calling Tip No.8 – Fact Find

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

London, UK

In many cases, cold calling is about establishing rapport, creating interest then closing for the appointment. Occasionally, there maybe some information which is pertinent to your call you don’t possess, or your contact may offer you some information you need to clarify. In these instances you need to ask “open” rather than “closed” questions. For example, your contact may say:

“My colleague Sarah Reading will be in the meeting too”, you could respond by saying something like:

“What aspect of the purchasing process does she handle”? or

“Will she be the main operator of the XYZ”? if the answer is a “yes” you may ask a supplementary question like:

“What would be her main concerns about replacing the WXT with the XYZ”

Don’t ask too many questions of your prospect otherwise you may antagonise him/her. Remember, your job is simply to arrange an appointment or product demonstration.

What’s In It For Me?

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

London, UK

During a meeting earlier this week, a colleague of mine said “I’m all about giving people successful outcomes”. He went on to say that success is all about working on what you do best. I would describe it as focusing on your innate talents. To some it’s being a great persuader – they tend to be top-flight salespeople. Others have great man-management skills and can get the best out of the people for whom they are responsible.
Last year at Successful Selling, one of the speakers was Andy Bounds, author of The Jelly Effect. His 45-minute keynote was about successful pitches. He almost demanded of the audience that they put their egos in their pockets when pitching an idea or a product. Too many business-people start their pitches of by explaining “about us”. This is an unwise tactic. Prospective clients want to hear about that American radio station. It’s called WIIFM or WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME. Andy also used the term “afters”, or if you like, the short and long-term benefits of buying a product or service. You see selling, like so much in life, is not about you.

Cold Calling Tip No.9 – Overcoming Objections

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

London, Uk

Are you a tiger or a pussycat when it comes to handling customer objections whilst cold calling?
Another in the list of customer favourites is “we used to have a Firrips 5600″ or whatever. The customer’s intonation may suggest that it wasn’t a happy experience. Your job as salespeople is to convince “Mr Prospect” that your new Firrips 5900 product is better and significantly more reliable than the “5600″. So when you hear those dreaded words try this as a response:
“I realise that Mr Jones, that is why I want you to hear about our latest developments which are proving very successful in other firms of solicitors”.

For more cold calling tips download my free guide at the Training page.

Cold Calling Tip No.24 – Mind Your Language

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

London, UK


At one of my “D-I-Y Cold Calling “events last year, I pointed out to the delegates that it’s crucial to use the right words when having a telephone conversation. This is of paramount importance when making cold calls. As we all know, it’s very hard trying to persuade someone to see you, let alone buy anything. What can help you on that difficult journey is to select and use appropriate language, or words that have an emotional impact on your prospect. Before you embark on your next cold-calling campaign, think of the words you can use to help describe the product or service you are selling. These are some you may like to consider:

Efficient
Modern
Safe
Digital
Low-Cost
Genuine
Economical
Rugged
Proven (always a good one)
Recommended
Durable
Successful
Growth

No doubt you’ll think of several more and how they relate to your particular telephone manner.

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