A quick tip; Go with an experienced rep for a few days. Just ride along. Don’t talk when they are in front of a prospect. This benefits you both. You will see that cold calling is easy, and that nothing bad happens when you do it. Or you will see that you simply hate it, and would rather go to the dentist than talk to a new prospect. Either way, you’ll be ahead. It benefits the person you are going with, in that they are now forced to work. It’s amazing how much you will accomplish when someone is watching....even when that someone is a new rep.
Good News & Bad News.
First the bad news. Your prospect is getting phone calls from telemarketers several times a day. When I’m in the store, I get between 15 and 30 calls a day from reps of every sort. Most are either selling internet Yellow Pages advertising or wanting to change my long distance, credit card processing, or utilities. Two or three times a day, a rep comes through the door selling something. This happens every day to everyone you want to talk to.
These callers and visitors all have something in common. I don’t want to talk to them.
None of them give me an immediate reason to stop doing what I’m doing and listen to them.
None of them make me glad to see them.
I haven’t scared you away from cold calling? Good. Just don’t do it the way they do it.
There’s a better way.
How can you make the prospect glad to see you?
Give them something they want, or tell them something they want to hear.
Here’s a cold calling phone script that will get you in the door more times than not.
“I saw your ad in the (Yellow Pages/newspaper/direct mail piece/etc.). It’s a pretty good ad, and I work with local businesses to improve their advertising and reduce their costs. I think I can improve your ad results. I can show you what I mean in just a few minutes. Are you going to be in tomorrow at 3:00?” I used to use that script when I first started helping people write ads (I don’t do it anymore). It really got phenomenal results.
Look at that again. You gave two benefits (improve ad & reduce costs), appealed to his vanity (It’s a good ad). You need to say “Show you what I mean” ...not “tell you”. If you say “tell you” the prospect will simply say “Tell me now”.
What helps is that you are talking about a display ad. You really have to show him, not tell him.
The power of gifting.
Reciprocity is a powerful force. If you do someone a favor, or give them a gift, it’s very hard for most people not to return the favor. For example, in my retail store I give free service on minor repairs. I will install a belt on a customer’s vacuum cleaner..and not charge for it. Why? Because I’ve tested the results, and found that for every dollar I spend in “free belts”, I get back $60 in new vacuum cleaner sales. Some people just can’t stand it when they don’t return a favor. It eats at them. So they come back and buy from you...or buy before they leave.
When I was selling in people’s homes I made it a policy that, if they sold a small item...or their kids were selling something for school, I would buy it...maybe multiples. My selling average skyrocketed in those cases. In fact, I don’t remember a single case where they didn’t buy from me after I bought from them.
So what’s a good free gift when you are selling advertising? A fruit basket, a box of donuts, a book on advertising (Hint Hint), articles about what other businesses are doing to increase business, free tickets to a seminar, anything that would be considered a gift. Don’t give gifts for buying advertising. That’s a mistake, and could even be illegal. But delivering a small gift when you meet someone? Smart. And you’ll be the only rep who did.
The Grapefruit Story;
When we first opened our store, we had a nice lady bring in a giant grapefruit. It was huge. She said that she was an attorney, and had extra grapefruit. She handed us one (with her card) and left. A year later she did the same thing...and the next year. On the third year, we called her to rewrite our will. We wouldn’t have considered anyone else. By now, she was a friend. We have given her thousands of dollars and she has given us seven grapefruit. And we couldn’t be happier.
Does this mean I’m suggesting you have to wait years to ask someone to buy? Of course not. She could have started the conversation of what she could do for us on the first visit...with the first grapefruit. But we didn’t need a lawyer then. But everyone needs a lawyer eventually.....and we wouldn’t have dared use anyone else. I really like grapefruit.
You have a huge advantage over the lawyer. Everyone you talk to needs what you have...now.
To get more, read my book Selling Local Advertising. Here...
