European lessons

Recently I was dispatched to a beautiful countryside hotel in the UK by my company for a weeklong global sales meeting. Hence the lack of new posts. Following that I spent a week in my home country of Bulgaria, which is a recent addition to the European Union. Boy did I learn some lessons from these two vastly different worlds (not only different from the US but different from each other as well).

First things first. I must say that I have never received better service than when I stayed at the Welcombe Menzies Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK. So refreshing. Everything from the hotel staff to the restaurant waiters were superb. One thing that caught my attention was particularly the older staff. These guys, many of whom could easily be my father, frequently went out of their way to make my stay easier. One of them was able to arrange a bike delivered to one of my colleagues who enjoyed riding a bike anywhere he went. He didn’t have to do that, but he did it anyway and was promptly and generously tipped. On another note, in the service business in UK most people are not expected to receive tips. I spend about 50 pounds in tips, although all my expenses were covered by the company.

My point here is that as someone who works in any kind of service industry, you are basically a sales person. I think, especially in the US, lots of workers deem it below them to go out of their way and do something for their clients which will eventually pay them dividends in the long run. It is easily done. Something as simple as a follow up call after a successful sales call can be enough to sway your customer to come back again. Another tactic I use is to make my prospects feel special by telling them I am doing something special just for them. It can be a benefit that comes with the product or service you are selling but if you make it seem special, you will make your prospect feel special too. This appeals to the basic human need to feel important and will take you a long way to a successful sales career.

Go and incorporate this in your sales pitch today. Go above and beyond what you are paid for and you will get paid plenty in the long run.

On the second leg of my trip to Europe, I visited my home country of Bulgaria for a week too. Boy what a difference. I’m not even going to go into the lousy service I received while I was there. Suffice to say I didn’t even receive ketchup with my fries even after explicitly asking for it. But I will talk about someone, who is very close to me and who happened to be a heavy construction machinery salesman. If you don’t know, Bulgaria is a developing country in Eastern Europe. While it is still one of the poorest in Europe, it also has one of the highest rates of new construction in the region. The market is basically begging for solid and reliable equipment and while some of the business practices can be dodgy, it is certainly a good market for what my friend is selling.

The problem is that he has been there for over 8 months and hasn’t sold a single machine. The answer to this problem was not too difficult for me to figure out. First of all he looked more like a construction worker on his break than someone who peddles equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. He sported an extremely short haircut that while not bad in itself, made him look too threatening. He had a huge earring on his left year and generally dressed in street clothes. You get the image. This is not someone who you would like to buy anything from. Fair enough. But it didn’t stop there. This so called salesman sported the worse attitude that I have seen in years. He was so cynical and negative that talking to him for more than 10 minutes was completely, excruciatingly painful. You couldn’t hold a normal conversation with him without feeling put down, desperate and negative about just about everything around you. Not the best sales person attitude if you ask me.

This leads me to my point that attitude and physical presentation are so essential. As sales people we need to gain trust from our prospects and that means dressing well and being presentable if meeting in person, and having a pleasant and positive voice when on the phone. There are other things that go into it as well. Like honesty, enthusiasm and going beyond your duty to help the prospect. Be giving. Don’t hoard your sales talents. Prospects want to be sold. They want really hard to be convinced that what they are considering buying is actually worth buying.

Well, that is it for me this time. Happy calling and don’t forget to check my eBook “Cold Call Warrior” for an extensive and effective sales training regimen. Until next time.

Anton B.

My new eBook “Cold Call Warrior – Mastery program” is coming soon, check out the sales page

“Cold Call Warrior – Mastery Program”

Feel free to leave your comments and tell me what you think.

Happy calling.

What is the best Time to make Phone Sales

As with anything in sales, the well calculated timing of your sales call is absolutely crucial. It can often make or break your pitch and a successful sale. Lets look at the different factors here:

1. If you get someone while they are in the middle of a project or a chore, or an enjoyable TV show, they are less likely to focus and want to pay attention. I know, I know, you are such a good salesperson that you can get anyone’s attention even in the middle of the Sopranos finale (or whatever show is hot right now). The reality however, is that there is something I call Reflex Response and if you don’t know how to overcome it, you are TOAST. More on this later in the post.

2. Wrong timing = lot’s of wasted time. If you try and contact prospects when they are generally not available, you can spend your whole day reaching just a few people and having a real bad contact ratio. In phone sales reaching people is hard. It is what you do when you reach them that matters. Of course, the more prospects you reach on a given day, the better your odds for a sale are. Pay attention, and I will show you how to improve your contact ratio by 5x at least.

So what is the best time to make phone sales? Well, it depends. If you are selling B2B you have to look at the all the possibilities. Most businesses operate from the standard 9-5. So you pick up the phone and call from 9-5? Sure you can do that, but there is an easier way. See, when people get in the office, they generally start they will generally waste the first 30 min in getting ready, getting coffee and doing a few meaningless tasks before getting to their work. Most will get in 15-30 min early. What you want to do is call at 8:30-9:30. This is when your prospects are the least busy and distracted with their work. Getting a call so early also means that it is usually not a work related call.  People will be more prone to pick up. Expect to make your presentation in 15 min tops depending on when you get the person. If you get them more towards the 9:30 mark, expect that they will be pressured to start working and being productive. The earlier you get them the better.

Another caveat of contacting prospects early is the that you avoid the gate keepers. Secretaries and receptionists are usually low paid and they will religiously stick to getting to work right on the mark or even late. No one wants to be at work early, when they are paid $9/hr and have a whole day of playing Solitaire and answering pestering calls. However, the execs that you want to get in touch are usually hard working and successful people, who pride themselves in getting in early and leaving late. Make your calls early on. If you are engaging enough, sales will pour from the sky for you. Remember, you need to have high energy when it is so early. Most people feel sluggish in the mornings and if you contribute to putting them to sleep, you can bet that they will lose interest.

The other best time for B2B sales is after lunch time (1-2PM) and then right before and after 5PM. Since 5PM is the end of most business days, mostly everyone will be winding down, they will be more receptive to taking a phone call that can make the last 30 min of their day go faster. With your hard working exec, contacting them after 5 will also avoid the gatekeepers, as they would be heading home at that time.

If you decide to call right before 5, expect that some prospects will rush you off the phone as they eagerly await to get out of the office. You have to play it by ear. Take notes if that happens and contact them an hour before you know they are getting out of the office. The 30 min after lunch are also a good time, since most people will be in a more relaxed mood and talkative and anything that keeps them away from work for another 15 to 30 min is more than welcome.

Now, if you sell primarily to private citizen, the best times to call are undoubtedly between 5-9. Most people will be heading home at around 5 and the rest of the evening is usually spend winding down, having dinner and watching something boring on TV. As a matter of fact one of the most productive times to make sales is actually from 8-9 and later if your state allows such late sales calls. In this time frame you can expect mostly everyone to have finished dinner and a glass of wine, to be in a better mood after fuming at their spouse about their lousy day at work earlier in the evening and receptive to phone calls about things that interest them. I usually recommend that you start calling around 5 so you can warm up and catch the few prospects that might have earlier hours, housewives or people who are retired and generally feel bored most of the time. Good note taking is crucial here in order to optimize your phone making time.

Now on to the really interesting stuff. The REFLEX RESPONSE. I mentioned this earlier. The reflex response is nothing more than the first thing that comes to mind to a prospect when they get a sales call. Usually it is to say they are busy and hang up, or start finding excuses as to why they can’t be on the phone with you. We have all been there. Now here are some suggestions as to how to over come this. Mind you, this is an extensive topic and I will cover more of it in a later post, especially if you write me COMMENT and are INTERESTED to hear more.

1. Put a time limit on your call right off the bat. That’s right. Most people will say that they are busy, they have to get started on something, etc, etc. Put a specific time limit on your call such as “Mr Jones, I’m glad I got you on the phone. Let me tell you in 30 seconds or less about the offer I am calling with, blah blah blah”. Wow, do you think that you can make a solid presentation in 30 seconds or less? Usually not. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have put your prospect’s mind at ease. “Ok, that pestering salesman is not going to keep me on the phone for half an hour with meaningless blabber” is what goes on in the prospect’s mind. Now, what you do is absolutely crucial. In the 30 seconds that you have given yourself (don’t ask for permission by the way, give permission to yourself), make a sales pitch that will intrigue your prospect and most importantly it will pique their interest and curiosity. That’s right. All you need to do is pique their interest and curiosity with a straight to the point pitch. Don’t expect to sell within 30 seconds. However, do expect the 30 seconds to become 30 minutes if you pull this off. Again, the whole point of giving a verbalized a time limit on the phone call is to put your prospect’s mind at ease that this won’t be a long winded boring telemarketing presentation.

2. Acknowledge your prospect’s concerns. These can be various, such as I have to start working soon, or I have been looking at the clock for past half an hour and can;t wait to get out of here, I am about to start cooking or eating dinner, I am about to crash on the couch and watch my favorite show, etc, etc. This can be as simple as saying “Mr Jones, I know you are eager to start your day at work, but I want to to make you an offer you can’t refuse in 30 seconds or less. Are you ready!”. That is it. Acknowledging your prospect’s concerns plays the same role as giving a time limit. It makes them feel easier about taking the phone call, they know they won’t have their time wasted and they see that you are actually sensitive about what their concerns are. After all, the prospect is doing you a favor by picking up the phone and giving you their precious time. Appreciate that and acknowledge it and most importantly RESPECT it.

Until next time, Happy calling.

Best cold call opener of all time!

Do you know what WMD stands for? That’s right. Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is those almost mythical weapons that are supposed to be used only in cases of extreme peril. Only when absolutely needed. Like the A-Bomb, like Biological weapons, like Laser beams from satellites. Their power is so immense that everyday use in military operations would ensure the total destruction of the enemy, but also of a lot of innocent life and property. We use them sparingly if at all.

But what if there was a way to use one every single time we need something done? Without any collateral damage? Is that even possible? If so, what, how and when do we use it? Ok, enough military references here, let me get to the point.

You might be interested to know that I own one of the most powerful WMD in the cold call sales world and not only is there no collateral to using it, but it sky-rocketed my close rate by 500%. No, I don’t threaten my prospects with total annihilation over the phone unless they buy from me, although I have to admit that I’ve had such disturbing emotions every once in a while, but then who doesn’t. It is nothing more than a simple phrase, said in a very specific way that opens the doors of curiosity. You might not be surprised to find out that the legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman wrote in his book “The Adweek Copywriting Handbook” that curiosity is one of the strongest psychological triggers that send people into an emotional state called “impulse buying”. I know you have heard of that. Curiosity gets people on the ’slippery slide’ of your sales pitch. They want to hear more, they want to find out how the story ends so to speak. It is unpredictable and interesting and often a mental challenge to them. Everyone loves a challenge. When we, as humans, get things too easily or things are just thrown at us, we lose interest. That’s what happens with almost all forms of advertising that is bombarding us everyday and it surely happens a lot with cold (or warm) sales calls. So many “sales” people give away the store and expect that the person on the other line to be interested. You can’t do that. I will say something that will sound absolutely counter-intuitive, but trust me for a second. I will explain why it is not counter-intuitive at all. Ok, are you ready?

YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR PROSPECT BREAK A MENTAL SWEAT OVER IT!!!

What the heck you might say. Aren’t you the sales person? Aren’t you the one who is supposed to sweat over the phone or in person to earn the trust of your prospect and get them to separate themselves from their hard earned cash in exchange for whatever you are selling? Sure. You still have to work. Just don’t offer to do all of the work. I promised that I will explain. When we get on the phone or into that meeting with our important prospect our first reaction is to usually state our case, so to speak, and let the prospect make their decision. This is weak. We are forcing someone to weight in their options, make decisions and the answer is usually ‘NO’. Why? When presented with an offer and then left to decide for themselves, a prospect usually feels that something was just thrown at their feet and someone begged them to take it. It is desperate, try-hard and totally unproductive. You have not engaged your prospect. The best way to engage your prospect is, you guessed it, curiosity. Making them curious about something is a challenge and human beings, whether they admit it or not, love challenges. They are engaging to them. They trigger an important psychological phenomenon where work=value. I.e. the more work we put into something the more value we assign to it.

I can go into depth about how to create that trigger on all of the levels of a sales pitch. But this is not the aim of this post.

And I get it. You are (I hope) dying of curiosity to find out just what my magic opener is after all. Well, are you ready! Here it is:

I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU AN OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE, MR. JONES. ARE YOU READY!

Then go on and list all the benefits of your product or service, carefully covering all of the major objections before they even arise in the mind of the customer. That is it. This is the greatest opener of all time. It creates curiosity right off the bat. ‘What is that offer, that I can’t refuse’, the prospect is thinking. They will usually laugh too since the line is a straight rip off from The Godfather, but that’s another story. Another important thing that will happen, is that they will play up the offer in their minds before you have even started (that’s why I like to create a little suspense right after I say this opener, usually by telling the prospect they might want to sit down, because the offer is so good they might jump from joy). The value of what you haven’t even said increases few fold. The prospect is breaking mental sweat. And you have them exactly where you want to have them in the beginning of your pitch – so curious about what you are going to say that they are literally salivating just to hear your offer.

And just as a side note – my new eBook phone sales training program is coming soon.

“Cold Call Warrior – Mastery Program”

Feel free to leave your comments and tell me what you think.

Happy calling.

Now, go and try that today. Until next time, it is your coach and mentor Anton Borissov.

Good luck.