Cold Calls - A New Way to Open
Cold Calling Tips to Create Openings for Real Conversation!
by Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game ®

Most of us design our cold calling around scripts and strategies.  Isn’t that how we’ve been taught by the sales gurus?  Scripts are linear and systematic so you can move calls in the direction you want them to go.  Sales strategies do the exact same thing. 

That’s why as soon as we make a cold call, the other person knows right away that our agenda is not to have a conversation, but to make a sale.  There’s something about scripts and sales strategies -- it always shows.  We’re not being natural, and other people can sense within the first few seconds that we’re out to make a sale.  Once that happens, potential clients are immediately put on the defensive.  They don’t want to be maneuvered into a sale. As soon as they recognize that you’re a salesperson with a sales agenda, most of the time they just want you to go away. 

I call this “The Wall.” It goes something like this: "Uh-oh, another salesperson. I'm about to be sold something.  How fast can I get this person off the phone?"  In other words, it’s over at "Hello.”  Hence, the moment you use the old cold calling approach, which is using sales scripts and strategies, you’ve triggered the negative “salesperson” stereotype in the mind of the person you’ve called. That almost always means immediate rejection. 

The problem is with how you're selling, not what you're selling. The traditional cold calling approach, which has been taught by the sales gurus for years, involves immediately giving a pitch about who you are and what you have to offer.  However, this is a one-sided conversation.   In our normal lives, it would seem self-absorbed to start any conversation by talking only about ourselves. Yet, in cold calling we expect ourselves to do exactly that.  We begin with a monologue rather than inviting a dialogue. 

On top of that, we’ve all been trained to try to push prospects into a "yes" response somewhere within the first call.  This creates sales pressure.  Pressure from a stranger is never welcome.  It feels intrusive to the other person. 

The first step to overcoming this is to let go of your script or sales strategy as a crutch. This idea may sound scary at first because you’ve been programmed to think you have to have a script or strategy to make a successful cold call.  I assure you that quite the opposite is true.  These old approaches create a “box” that doesn’t allow a conversation to flow. You’re thinking only about your agenda and following “the plan.” The person on the other end of the phone senses this, and immediately begins to retreat. 

Instead, start thinking about language that will engage people rather than language that will trigger rejection.  If you can start a conversation that triggers a “What do you mean?” from the other person, you’ll find you can explain yourself in a natural way. This also creates a two-way dialogue, which lets you flow with the conversation without feeling you’re getting off-track.

Developing a problem statement makes this whole process much easier.  Find out what issue or problem your potential client is likely to be experiencing, and build an open-ended conversation around that. 

Here are three basic steps to opening up a dialogue and having a real conversation with your cold calls:

1. Begin with the question, “Maybe you can help me out for a moment?”  The reply is almost always something like, “Sure, how can I help you?”

2. Continue with something like, “I’m just calling to see if your company is still having issues with unpaid invoices.”  The response probably will be, “Well, yeah, we are.  Who’s this?”

3. You can then respond in a very relaxed tone, “This is John. I’m with XYZ Collection Agency.  I’m just calling to see if you’d be open to some new ideas on how to better solve that problem.”  This makes it easy for the other person to reply, “What do you mean?” or “Tell me more.” After that, the possibilities of your conversation are endless. Try these new cold calling ideas.  You will be amazed at how much value you receive, both personally and professionally. 

Is Selling Painful For You? 

It's not your fault -- and there is a better way 

Is this how selling is starting to feel like for you?

Old "tried and true" cold calling and sales techniques that were once successful have completely lost their effectiveness over the years. That's why I developed a new sales mindset and cold calling approach that will quickly and automatically put you ahead of the game and instantly in a league above your competition.

OLD SALES GURU MYTH # 1  - "Cold calling is a numbers game."  But, sales is only a numbers game when all you know is traditional selling. Yes, you can call people over and over, chase them until they listen to you so that you just go away. However there is a better - easier method of building trust and getting your product or service message across - all on one call. Simply by changing your sales approach you'll make FEWER CALLS and MORE SALES.

OLD SALES GURU MYTH # 2 - "Use a sales script to cold call." People can tell when you're reading from a script, even if you think you're pretty good at it and getting away with it. There's nothing personal about it and people can pick that up. Being artificial just puts you into the typical "Salesperson" category. If you can learn to get your message across in a different way, you'll eliminate the negative triggers that can lose your sale within seconds.

OLD SALES GURU MYTH # 3 - "Focus on closing the sale." Are you "going in for the kill" with your closing sale technique? - If you are, you could end up killing your deal instead. Old sales techniques do nothing more than pressure the client or prospect, and as a result they naturally want to retreat away from that pressure - and that pressure is you. By learning to avoid the "push and pull" dynamic between you and your prospect, you'll be able to move the sales process forward to get the result you want.

It offers you a new way of thinking about selling, from cold calling -- the most dreaded selling experience of all -- to the end of the sales process.

You don't have to abandon the selling skills you already know -- Unlock The Game gives you a new approach and new tools to help you let go of old behaviors that bring you negative results.

It's incredibly effective.

Best of all, it's easy to learn.

"Unlock The Game is a breakthrough that takes the rejection out of cold calling"   "In a new age of frustrating and difficult selling challenges, more specifically the fear of cold calling, and starting new conversations without feeling rejected, Unlock The Game gives us all the answers to a natural way of engaging new prospects over the phone. Keep up the good work Ari!" Brian Tracy is a leading authority on personal and business success. As Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, he is the best-selling author of 17 books and over 300 audio and video learning programs.        Brian Tracy

Want to learn more?
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Learn how to:

	Make less cold calls - and get better results
	Rip up your sales script and easily get your message across
	Change from the "Dreaded Salesperson" to a trusted advisor in a matter of minutes
	Get rid of your "Fear of Phone" once and for all
	Stop chasing prospects and gain the respect you deserve

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