How do you respond when an absolute stranger calls, at work or at home, and begins to ask questions? “Are you the person who…?” “What is your marketing strategy?” “Do you own or rent?” Even, “How are you today?”
Are you annoyed and put off by these questions? Do you respond, “I already have a vendor,” “I’m not interested,” “Send a brochure” or “What are you selling?” (These days my response is to tell these callers to order Cold Calling College!)
This question-asking strategy does not work. It does not work to qualify your prospect, and it does not work to set your prospect at ease. If anything, this strategy puts you at a disadvantage and makes your prospect not want to speak with you!
Here is a better approach: Allow your prospect to “self-qualify”—allow them to tell you that they are the decision-maker. This is how: Position yourself as the expert. Give your prospect a reason to want to speak with you, and set yourself up as the person with the credentials who has the right to ask questions.
Use your script. Introduce yourself, your company and your product or service. Tell your prospect something about the above in such as way as to “stand out from the crowd.” Talk about your experience in the industry or your company’s credentials. Explain what you do in a way that is different from everyone else in the entire world who is doing something similar.
Talk about your business and the unique benefits you offer. You can use phrases like “we specialize in…” or “our reputation is…” or “we are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this “expert positioning.” Mention clients or customers in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it also makes prospects feel safer if they have not heard of you before. If someone has referred you, mention her name.
Once you set yourself up as the expert, then you are in a position to ask some of your predetermined qualifying questions. Ask them. This way, you are likely to get answers! In the ensuing conversation, the prospect will more than likely tell you that he or she is the decision-maker. If they do not, you can ask, “How is this decision made?” “Who else is involved in this decision?” “How has this decision been made in the past?” “What is your decision-making process?”
If you approach qualifying your prospect in this manner, you are setting up a relationship of equals. You are someone with expert credentials, someone with whom your prospect would want to talk. Your prospect will respond in kind. It is a far easier and far more effective way of qualifying prospects.
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.
Showing posts with label technique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technique. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Doomed Before You Dial?
Several weeks ago, I conducted a “Mastering the Cold Call” seminar for the Printing Industries of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. At the end of the seminar, a participant came up to me and said, “Thank you! I learned so much! I learned ‘Don’t Take No for an Answer.’” Another participant standing to his side exclaimed, “No! What I learned is, ‘Don’t Make No Your Answer!’”
How often do you do that—especially on an introductory call? How often do you project your fears and insecurities onto the prospect you are calling and decide that you are doomed before you dial?
The definition of a cold call or an introductory call is that you are calling a stranger. This stranger could be having a good day—or a bad day. This stranger could be warm and friendly or brusque and dismissive. There is no way of determining this ahead of time. Beware of doing a mind read of your stranger/prospect and basing your subsequent actions on what you think your prospect is thinking.
“I don’t like calls on Monday morning”—therefore, no one likes calls on Monday mornings. This leaves out all the people who actually like calls on Monday mornings because that’s when they plan their calendars for the week.
“I know my prospect is avoiding me.” How do you know this? How could your prospect be avoiding you? Your prospect doesn’t even know you.
We all have choices. You can choose to believe that your prospect does not want to speak with you, is busy and not interested, or you can choose to believe that your prospect will enjoy hearing from you and will be open to what you have to say. The first belief is self-limiting and does not serve you. The second belief leaves you free to pursue new business.
The emotional “baggage” that you bring to introductory calling influences your attitude, which you then project in your conversation. Your prospect can hear if you feel unsure, afraid or uncomfortable, in the same way that you can pick up on those uneasy feelings when speaking with someone. On some level, you help create the attitude of the person to whom you are speaking. If your expectation is that your call will be unwelcome, this will make you anxious and tentative. Your prospect will pick up on that, and it will be likely to make her less receptive to you.
Put another way, there are the facts and there are the stories we tell ourselves about the facts. The facts are: You need to make some introductory calls. You will pick up the telephone and make a call. You will either reach your prospect or not. If you reach your prospect, you’ll say what you have to say. Your prospect will say what she has to say. And that’s it. Those are the facts.
The story: I’m interrupting my prospect. My prospect does not want to hear from me. My prospect already has a vendor. My prospect is avoiding me. My prospect hates me… And on and on…
It is time to change your story. I invite you to use my introductory calling story until you create a better one of your own. My story: I will reach my prospect, who will be delighted to hear from me. We will have a good conversation. I will get what I ask for.
Wishing you all introductory calling success!
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.
How often do you do that—especially on an introductory call? How often do you project your fears and insecurities onto the prospect you are calling and decide that you are doomed before you dial?
The definition of a cold call or an introductory call is that you are calling a stranger. This stranger could be having a good day—or a bad day. This stranger could be warm and friendly or brusque and dismissive. There is no way of determining this ahead of time. Beware of doing a mind read of your stranger/prospect and basing your subsequent actions on what you think your prospect is thinking.
“I don’t like calls on Monday morning”—therefore, no one likes calls on Monday mornings. This leaves out all the people who actually like calls on Monday mornings because that’s when they plan their calendars for the week.
“I know my prospect is avoiding me.” How do you know this? How could your prospect be avoiding you? Your prospect doesn’t even know you.
We all have choices. You can choose to believe that your prospect does not want to speak with you, is busy and not interested, or you can choose to believe that your prospect will enjoy hearing from you and will be open to what you have to say. The first belief is self-limiting and does not serve you. The second belief leaves you free to pursue new business.
The emotional “baggage” that you bring to introductory calling influences your attitude, which you then project in your conversation. Your prospect can hear if you feel unsure, afraid or uncomfortable, in the same way that you can pick up on those uneasy feelings when speaking with someone. On some level, you help create the attitude of the person to whom you are speaking. If your expectation is that your call will be unwelcome, this will make you anxious and tentative. Your prospect will pick up on that, and it will be likely to make her less receptive to you.
Put another way, there are the facts and there are the stories we tell ourselves about the facts. The facts are: You need to make some introductory calls. You will pick up the telephone and make a call. You will either reach your prospect or not. If you reach your prospect, you’ll say what you have to say. Your prospect will say what she has to say. And that’s it. Those are the facts.
The story: I’m interrupting my prospect. My prospect does not want to hear from me. My prospect already has a vendor. My prospect is avoiding me. My prospect hates me… And on and on…
It is time to change your story. I invite you to use my introductory calling story until you create a better one of your own. My story: I will reach my prospect, who will be delighted to hear from me. We will have a good conversation. I will get what I ask for.
Wishing you all introductory calling success!
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
9 Ways to Keep Clients Coming Back For More
A lot of effort is put into getting new clients. We all know our client base will change. Previous clients can move to a new area, sell their business, close down, or change their priorities. So finding new business is always important - but so is keeping your previous clients. Here are nine ways to keep previous clients coming back for more!
1) Provide exceptional service. Sounds obvious, but is very hard to do consistently. If clients believe they can't do better elsewhere, they won't succumb to the temptation of trying another provider.
2) Maintain your database. This can be as simple or complex as you like. Just make sure it meets the needs of your business. You must have suitable contact details, and preferably some measure of sales value. For example, I use email extensively with my clients, so having current email addresses is paramount. But I have clients who must use regular postal mail to communicate with their clients, as their clients do not widely use email. So postal address details are critical in their situation.
3) Use direct mail. This is your pipeline to future sales. Create regular opportunities to communicate directly with your previous clients, especially if your service has a long sales cycle. Keep in touch between purchase decisions.
4) Make special offers. Find ways to encourage previous clients to buy from you. Examples may be: package offers; time sensitive deals; introducing new services; pre-releasing information or products to current clients before the general public.
5) Run special events. Offer a free (or low cost) seminar to your clients on current issues. Invite complementary businesses, local business people, or celebrities to present new ideas. Use breakfast meetings, lunchtime executive briefings, or evening functions. The key here is to add value for your clients, outside of their usual dealings with you.
6) Write a note. Get a pen and write a personal message. This could be triggered by seasonal activities, birthdays, business events, or personal circumstances. Let your clients know you are still thinking of them.
7) Ring them up. Where possible get on the phone to previous clients and have a chat. Make it brief but meaningful. Keep posted on their current projects and priorities. Seek out ways you can help.
8) Promote your business. Demonstrate the value you can provide. If you have recently written a useful report, or presented a topic at a conference, or issued a press release, or conducted some research, or completed an interesting project, tell your clients about it. Don't keep your hard work a secret.
1) Provide exceptional service. Sounds obvious, but is very hard to do consistently. If clients believe they can't do better elsewhere, they won't succumb to the temptation of trying another provider.
2) Maintain your database. This can be as simple or complex as you like. Just make sure it meets the needs of your business. You must have suitable contact details, and preferably some measure of sales value. For example, I use email extensively with my clients, so having current email addresses is paramount. But I have clients who must use regular postal mail to communicate with their clients, as their clients do not widely use email. So postal address details are critical in their situation.
3) Use direct mail. This is your pipeline to future sales. Create regular opportunities to communicate directly with your previous clients, especially if your service has a long sales cycle. Keep in touch between purchase decisions.
4) Make special offers. Find ways to encourage previous clients to buy from you. Examples may be: package offers; time sensitive deals; introducing new services; pre-releasing information or products to current clients before the general public.
5) Run special events. Offer a free (or low cost) seminar to your clients on current issues. Invite complementary businesses, local business people, or celebrities to present new ideas. Use breakfast meetings, lunchtime executive briefings, or evening functions. The key here is to add value for your clients, outside of their usual dealings with you.
6) Write a note. Get a pen and write a personal message. This could be triggered by seasonal activities, birthdays, business events, or personal circumstances. Let your clients know you are still thinking of them.
7) Ring them up. Where possible get on the phone to previous clients and have a chat. Make it brief but meaningful. Keep posted on their current projects and priorities. Seek out ways you can help.
8) Promote your business. Demonstrate the value you can provide. If you have recently written a useful report, or presented a topic at a conference, or issued a press release, or conducted some research, or completed an interesting project, tell your clients about it. Don't keep your hard work a secret.
Five Keys to Make Your Cold Calls Sizzle
Do you clam up on the telephone? An advertising rep called the other day to sell some ad space in a local news magazine. After I said, "Hello," there was nothing but monotone dialog until I interrupted him a minute later. It sounded like he was reading a script... but he wasn't (I asked).
When you make calls trying to sell your products or services to your prospects, don't forget to be yourself. Here are five simple tips that will help.
1. Smile -- it can be heard in your voice.
2. Stand up -- it helps you breathe.
3. Look In The Mirror -- it will help if you can see what your face is doing. You'll convey your message better.
4. Listen -- remember it's about your prospect, not about you.
5. Be Personable -- act like you're talking to the person face-to-face. It makes the process easier.
Denise O'Berry helps small business owners take action to grow their business. To find out more, visit http://www.deniseoberry.com
When you make calls trying to sell your products or services to your prospects, don't forget to be yourself. Here are five simple tips that will help.
1. Smile -- it can be heard in your voice.
2. Stand up -- it helps you breathe.
3. Look In The Mirror -- it will help if you can see what your face is doing. You'll convey your message better.
4. Listen -- remember it's about your prospect, not about you.
5. Be Personable -- act like you're talking to the person face-to-face. It makes the process easier.
Denise O'Berry helps small business owners take action to grow their business. To find out more, visit http://www.deniseoberry.com
Qualifying Your Prospect
How do you respond when an absolute stranger calls, at work or at home, and begins to ask questions? “Are you the person who…?” “What is your marketing strategy?” “Do you own or rent?” Even, “How are you today?”
Are you annoyed and put off by these questions? Do you respond, “I already have a vendor,” “I’m not interested,” “Send a brochure” or “What are you selling?” (These days my response is to tell these callers to order Cold Calling College!)
This question-asking strategy does not work. It does not work to qualify your prospect, and it does not work to set your prospect at ease. If anything, this strategy puts you at a disadvantage and makes your prospect not want to speak with you!
Here is a better approach: Allow your prospect to “self-qualify”—allow them to tell you that they are the decision-maker. This is how: Position yourself as the expert. Give your prospect a reason to want to speak with you, and set yourself up as the person with the credentials who has the right to ask questions.
Use your script. Introduce yourself, your company and your product or service. Tell your prospect something about the above in such as way as to “stand out from the crowd.” Talk about your experience in the industry or your company’s credentials. Explain what you do in a way that is different from everyone else in the entire world who is doing something similar.
Talk about your business and the unique benefits you offer. You can use phrases like “we specialize in…” or “our reputation is…” or “we are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this “expert positioning.” Mention clients or customers in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it also makes prospects feel safer if they have not heard of you before. If someone has referred you, mention her name.
Once you set yourself up as the expert, then you are in a position to ask some of your predetermined qualifying questions. Ask them. This way, you are likely to get answers! In the ensuing conversation, the prospect will more than likely tell you that he or she is the decision-maker. If they do not, you can ask, “How is this decision made?” “Who else is involved in this decision?” “How has this decision been made in the past?” “What is your decision-making process?”
If you approach qualifying your prospect in this manner, you are setting up a relationship of equals. You are someone with expert credentials, someone with whom your prospect would want to talk. Your prospect will respond in kind. It is a far easier and far more effective way of qualifying prospects.
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
Are you annoyed and put off by these questions? Do you respond, “I already have a vendor,” “I’m not interested,” “Send a brochure” or “What are you selling?” (These days my response is to tell these callers to order Cold Calling College!)
This question-asking strategy does not work. It does not work to qualify your prospect, and it does not work to set your prospect at ease. If anything, this strategy puts you at a disadvantage and makes your prospect not want to speak with you!
Here is a better approach: Allow your prospect to “self-qualify”—allow them to tell you that they are the decision-maker. This is how: Position yourself as the expert. Give your prospect a reason to want to speak with you, and set yourself up as the person with the credentials who has the right to ask questions.
Use your script. Introduce yourself, your company and your product or service. Tell your prospect something about the above in such as way as to “stand out from the crowd.” Talk about your experience in the industry or your company’s credentials. Explain what you do in a way that is different from everyone else in the entire world who is doing something similar.
Talk about your business and the unique benefits you offer. You can use phrases like “we specialize in…” or “our reputation is…” or “we are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this “expert positioning.” Mention clients or customers in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it also makes prospects feel safer if they have not heard of you before. If someone has referred you, mention her name.
Once you set yourself up as the expert, then you are in a position to ask some of your predetermined qualifying questions. Ask them. This way, you are likely to get answers! In the ensuing conversation, the prospect will more than likely tell you that he or she is the decision-maker. If they do not, you can ask, “How is this decision made?” “Who else is involved in this decision?” “How has this decision been made in the past?” “What is your decision-making process?”
If you approach qualifying your prospect in this manner, you are setting up a relationship of equals. You are someone with expert credentials, someone with whom your prospect would want to talk. Your prospect will respond in kind. It is a far easier and far more effective way of qualifying prospects.
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The Anatomy of a Sales Letter
When Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed "it's alive... it's alive," he thought he had brought wonderful new life to the world. What he really did was create a monster. He took a bit from here and another piece from there and sewed it altogether. Then he was distressed to see how things turned out. Many marketers create their own monsters in the form of sales letters. They throw everything into them and then are distressed at the response.
Sales letters work best when you have something to sell. You make an offer. Too many sales letters from smaller businesses are of the "Hi my name is..." school. When it comes right down to it, I'm busy; I don't care if you just started this wonderful venture because you love to serve people. What can you do for me right now? Why should I take time reading any of your letter? Make me an offer I can't refuse. Quickly convince me that I need what you have to offer.
When creating a better monster--er sales letter--start off where Frankenstein made his biggest mistake. He used the wrong head.
The right head (or headline) can make or break your sales letter. Focus it tightly on your target market. Address a big problem your target faces (assuming you have the solution for it) or play on their desires. If you can do this with a clever play on words, by all means go for it, but if wordplay isn't your forte, keep it simple and straightforward. There's no perfect length for a headline, but don't waste words. Keep it to one sentence. The point is, make them care.
Once you've grabbed them with your headline. Don't let them escape. It may seem odd, but the last words of your letter--the PS--are often read right after the headline. A PS is the best way to end your letter. It sticks out from the body and grabs attention. Don't waste your PS. Say something that will encourage your reader to go back to the beginning and start to read.
The first paragraph is crucial, so get to the point. Give them the guts of your offer and what makes your offer so good. How much money is it going to save/earn them. How will their lives be dramatically improved. Whatever makes your offer worthwhile must be there.
By this point you either have their interest or you don't. If you do, the remainder of the letter must answer the basic questions and address the common doubts your reader may have. After all, you've worked hard get them this far, it would be a shame to lose them on a technicality.
Fill the body of your letter with benefits, not features. Give it the "so what" test. If a benefit doesn't answer the question "so what?" for your target audience, it's a feature not a benefit. Dig deeper and discover what your offer really delivers to your target.
Speak to your target in their language. Write informally. Ask rhetorical questions. Create as conversational a letter as you can. However, take care when using humour. It can backfire, because we don't all have the same sense of it. Unless you know for sure, keep humour to a minimum.
Busy, busy, busy. I know it, you know it. Everyone is busy. They probably won't read everything in your letter, but guide them to the good bits. Embolden the bits they'll care about. It'll encourage them to keep reading. (But don't embolden your company or product name. Your names may be interesting to you, but they're not what's interesting to your target.)
Now that you've told them how great your offer is, get someone else to tell them too. It sounds so much better coming from someone else. In the body of your letter, sprinkle a testimonial or two. Write them yourself, and then ask one of your best clients if they would be comfortable having it quoted under their name. Focus on the results your clients have achieved. Testimonials are best if they are believable and don't gush.
Once you've covered all the possible doubts and questions in the body, it's time to put your best foot forward again. Repeat your offer. And, if you can, offer a guarantee of satisfaction. Make trying your services a risk-free endeavour. Unfortunately, this is difficult for some service-based companies because often their services aren't directly quantifiable.
Just to make your life more difficult, with business-to-business marketing, keep your letter to one page. If your letter is more than one page, re-write it.
Before you set your letter loose upon the world, try a test on a limited number of prospects. Fine-tune it according to your responses. Then continue to track your responses to further fine-tune both the letter, and your target market.
A sales letter won't do it all. Keep up your other marketing efforts, and don't forget to quickly follow up on all leads generated by your sales letter.
Put together with care and skill, a good sales letter will prepare your audience for your sales approach. A great sales letter will have them out looking for you.
Keith Thirgood, Creative Director
Capstone Communications Group
Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing
http://www.capstonecomm.com/
Sales letters work best when you have something to sell. You make an offer. Too many sales letters from smaller businesses are of the "Hi my name is..." school. When it comes right down to it, I'm busy; I don't care if you just started this wonderful venture because you love to serve people. What can you do for me right now? Why should I take time reading any of your letter? Make me an offer I can't refuse. Quickly convince me that I need what you have to offer.
When creating a better monster--er sales letter--start off where Frankenstein made his biggest mistake. He used the wrong head.
The right head (or headline) can make or break your sales letter. Focus it tightly on your target market. Address a big problem your target faces (assuming you have the solution for it) or play on their desires. If you can do this with a clever play on words, by all means go for it, but if wordplay isn't your forte, keep it simple and straightforward. There's no perfect length for a headline, but don't waste words. Keep it to one sentence. The point is, make them care.
Once you've grabbed them with your headline. Don't let them escape. It may seem odd, but the last words of your letter--the PS--are often read right after the headline. A PS is the best way to end your letter. It sticks out from the body and grabs attention. Don't waste your PS. Say something that will encourage your reader to go back to the beginning and start to read.
The first paragraph is crucial, so get to the point. Give them the guts of your offer and what makes your offer so good. How much money is it going to save/earn them. How will their lives be dramatically improved. Whatever makes your offer worthwhile must be there.
By this point you either have their interest or you don't. If you do, the remainder of the letter must answer the basic questions and address the common doubts your reader may have. After all, you've worked hard get them this far, it would be a shame to lose them on a technicality.
Fill the body of your letter with benefits, not features. Give it the "so what" test. If a benefit doesn't answer the question "so what?" for your target audience, it's a feature not a benefit. Dig deeper and discover what your offer really delivers to your target.
Speak to your target in their language. Write informally. Ask rhetorical questions. Create as conversational a letter as you can. However, take care when using humour. It can backfire, because we don't all have the same sense of it. Unless you know for sure, keep humour to a minimum.
Busy, busy, busy. I know it, you know it. Everyone is busy. They probably won't read everything in your letter, but guide them to the good bits. Embolden the bits they'll care about. It'll encourage them to keep reading. (But don't embolden your company or product name. Your names may be interesting to you, but they're not what's interesting to your target.)
Now that you've told them how great your offer is, get someone else to tell them too. It sounds so much better coming from someone else. In the body of your letter, sprinkle a testimonial or two. Write them yourself, and then ask one of your best clients if they would be comfortable having it quoted under their name. Focus on the results your clients have achieved. Testimonials are best if they are believable and don't gush.
Once you've covered all the possible doubts and questions in the body, it's time to put your best foot forward again. Repeat your offer. And, if you can, offer a guarantee of satisfaction. Make trying your services a risk-free endeavour. Unfortunately, this is difficult for some service-based companies because often their services aren't directly quantifiable.
Just to make your life more difficult, with business-to-business marketing, keep your letter to one page. If your letter is more than one page, re-write it.
Before you set your letter loose upon the world, try a test on a limited number of prospects. Fine-tune it according to your responses. Then continue to track your responses to further fine-tune both the letter, and your target market.
A sales letter won't do it all. Keep up your other marketing efforts, and don't forget to quickly follow up on all leads generated by your sales letter.
Put together with care and skill, a good sales letter will prepare your audience for your sales approach. A great sales letter will have them out looking for you.
Keith Thirgood, Creative Director
Capstone Communications Group
Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing
http://www.capstonecomm.com/
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