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Why Trying to "Get the Appointment"
Can be a Recipe for Dis-Appoinment
By Ari Galper, Founder of Unlock The Game™
Last week, this e-mail from Jack arrived in my inbox:
To: Ari Galper
From: Jack
Subj.: Help! I need to get more appointments
Dear Ari,
I've just coined a new disease for the medical books,
and I'm hoping you can help me cure it.
Have you ever heard of "freezing-up-on-the-first-call paralysis"?
It's brought on by the stress of selling!
I'm new to sales, and, as I've been starting out, I've studied all
the programs from all the "sales masters."
They all insist that, when I call new prospects,
I should be laser-focused on getting appointments.
The problem is, when I make that first call and lead the conversation
toward the goal of getting an appointment, I hit a "wall."
I know that if I can just get face-to-face with prospects, they'll see the
value of my solution -- but I can't even get there because they shut me down.
When they tell me "I'm not interested" or "I'm busy now" or
"We already have a vendor," I'm left with nowhere to go.
What's worse, I can't even come up with what to say next.
Can you recommend some "medicine" that will help?
Always open-minded,
Jack
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"Whew!" I thought when I read this. "That's an intense e-mail!"
Jack's e-mail started me thinking about the hundreds of conversations
I've had with many of you who are out there selling your solutions day in and day out.
I realized that his "disease" is so pervasive that those of you
who are suffering from it could probably use a "prescription"
from the Unlock The Game™ pharmacy.
This was my response to Jack:
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To: Jack
From: Ari Galper
Subj.: RE: Help? I need to make more appointments
Dear Jack,
First of all, thank you so much for being open to sharing your painful selling challenge.
You articulated so beautifully what so many other people are experiencing,
and I hope you won't mind if I share your e-mail and this response
with my newsletter subscribers.
Here's why you've been afflicted with this "disease"-- and what you can do to cure it.
The "wall" you hit when you try to get the appointment is the prospect's
reaction to you putting your own objectives ahead of the crucial
trust-building process that would actually allow an appointment to emerge.
By laser-focusing on getting the appointment, you're sabotaging three factors
that are vital if you're going to build trust.
To build trust, you need to:
1. Focus the conversation on your prospect's problems,
while holding off on offering your solution.
2. Create a two-way dialogue instead of a one-way monologue.
3. Determine whether you and your prospect are a "fit" in terms of being
in sync about putting resources toward solving the problems.
All three of these elements must happen in the most natural way possible...
and you can help them to come about. Here's how:
*Invite your prospect into the conversation naturally and comfortably --
not by making a mini-introduction about yourself (that only triggers the "wall"),
but by asking, "Can you help me out for a second?"
*Toss out your selling scripts and create a dialogue path around the
specific problems that you know your product or service can solve.
For example, rather than saying, "Our solution lowers costs," try,
"Our solution solves three specific problems that you may be experiencing."
Then, state exactly what those problems are.
Identifying and agreeing on the prospect's problems is crucial but
not enough to build the trust and commitment you're seeking.
You can continue the conversation with something along these lines:
"Sounds as if these issues are important for you, but, if we can just take a second,
are they considered a priority, given what else might be on your plate right now?
I mean, are these problems immediate enough that your company can put
resources into a solution at this point?"
You see, Jack, the basic cause of your "disease" is that you're not focusing
your calls on your prospect's perspective. But if you simply expand your mindset
and begin implementing new problem-solving language, you might be surprised
when your prospect suggests making an appointment.
Warmest regards,
Ari
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The next day, Jack replied:
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To: Ari Galper
From: Jack
Subj. Re: Help! I need to make more appointments
Dear "Dr." Ari,
Thank you so much! Your reply gave me a huge sense of relief.
All of a sudden, I'm feeling "healthy" and motivated again.
Your relieved patient,
Jack
P.S. Sure, please do share our conversation with your subscribers so
they don't have to suffer the way I have.
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Try this medicine and see if it works for you.
To Your Success,
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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?
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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.
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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.
Welcome to Unlock The Game™
Unlock The Game is a radically honest sales and cold calling approach based on integrity and common sense. It challenges traditional sales thinking and helps you achieve better sales results.
It's the missing link -- a new mindset and language that converts selling into a natural conversation between you and your prospect.
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.
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"Unlock The Game is a breakthrough that takes the rejection out of selling"
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"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 |
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