I was perusing a sales website called Eyes on Sales. It is a product of Landslide which is the owner of a CRM product. I found some pretty good information on the site. I decided to listen to a few podcasts to get some ideas. The first one I clicked on was called The Wrong Person Can Sometimes Be Right. I couldn’t believe my ears, I had to
rewind. Did she just say, “If you are having a hard time getting to the decision maker make up a name and call and ask for that name and when they tell you that person doesn’t work there, act confused . . . “ so basically lie. She also said to call the CEO’s office and talk to the assistant and try to get the name and then when you call that person you can say the CEO’s office said I should be speaking or meeting with you.
I never recommend lying. This is a terrible way to start a relationship. There are many other ways to get to the buyers other than lying.
I don’t agree with making up a name or stating that the CEO directed you to them when it is not true. I believe salespeople should be honest and have a great message. There are lots of ways to get the people you want on the phone. Cold calling is tough business and there are many other ways to prospect. I prefer salespeople try other methods besides cold calling like finding prospects through networking on and off line, getting repeat business from satisfied customers and getting referrals.
If you still need to cold call then I recommend using highly targeted lists, doing research and having a message about how you can help the prospect meet their goals. When cold calling, I recommend calling to set an appointment and then sending a brief bit of info by email to prep the person for the appointment. The information needs to be a short case study or testimonial to build your credibility. A video would be even better. Have a set of great questions ready for the appointment so you can learn about the prospects situation and determine if there is a fit between what you offer and that need. It’s the salespersons job to qualify the prospect as quickly as possible so as not to waste anyone’s time. If there is a fit, the sale proceeds. If not, that needs to be determined quickly. A salesperson can’t determine the fit if they are doing all the talking. They need to ask questions and listen.
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