Cold Calling

Cold Calling Tips that Yield Chuckles and Cash!
By Leslie Buterin
www.ColdCallingExecutives.com

Well grasshopper, take note of this hard-earned lesson: We cannot control our external world; at best, on a good day we are able to control ourselves.

The prospect on the other end of your cold call very well may be a certifiable jerk. You are not going to turn him into a good guy with your 90-seconds of phone time with him. However, you most definitely do not have to become a jerk like him or feel bad because he said jerky things to you.

You can diffuse the tension on the phone and change the tide of the conversation to fun for you and, hopefully, a smile and a “Yes” from your prospect.

Somewhere, at sometime or another, something is going to interrupt the smooth ebb and flow of your cold calling rhythm. What can you do about it? Expect the unexpected and plan for it.

If you blow a call or are hung up on, make a mental picture of the situation that makes you laugh. This helps diffuse internal tension and to get your successful self back on track. You can also come up with a one-liner to make your prospect smile.

Hearing an unusual number of “No thanks” tells yourself the truth; it is their loss. You know in your gut that you have a moral and ethical obligation to let as many prospects as possible know about what you have to offer. The solutions offered by your product/service are a very big deal. Look at it this way: Your prospects don’t know the answers to their own business problems, but you do.

The instant you start to see yourself differently your prospects will see you differently.

1. Change your mindset. Knowing you accept that you really belong at the executive level will add a lot of fun to it; it changes the positioning entirely. Remember, “Yo, dawg, you’re the bomb!” No doubt about it!
2. Share stories with your prospects. Take the worst experiences of your clients and how you turned them into successful, satisfied clients. Be sure to talk about the laughs you had along the way and state the obvious: Business is fraught with problems Assure them you are their personal transporter, committed to guiding them through any trials right on through to success.
3. You have enough experience under your belt now to know the pitfalls that will clutter the road to success. Each of these things is predictable. It’s not like it just happens once. You’re not helpless. You don’t have to go with the negative flow. Take the time now to plan for how you will deal with them.

Come up with a plan in advance. Soon you will laugh at yourself and the aching desire you have for just one of those lousy moments to pop up. Why? So you can pull out your one-liners. You know, the one-liners that make the prospect laugh. Because laughter builds trust and trust is the basis for a strong relationship.

To be able to build trust, all within a 90-second phone call, is a very powerful, powerful skill. My personal favorite truth-telling, trust-building line for when I really flub up is this: “At any point in time it is arguable I AM an idiot. This is one of those times!”

*****

Forward this article to friends. They will thank you for it!

For your mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit www.ColdCallingExecutives.com or call New Business Development Coach, Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time)

(c) 2008 Leslie Buterin. All Rights Reserved.

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Leslie Buterin, founder Top Dog Consulting
511 NW Ashurst Court Suite 103A Lee's Summit, MO 64081
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