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Heating Up Cold Calls: 21 Tools for Tremendous Telephone Techniques Business Articles | March 18 cheap adidas superstar sale , 2003
OK, let's heat up the ... debate. Is everyone a ... Yes! Do most people have to make cold calls at some point? Yes! Do most people hate to make cold calls? Yes! So, you have two choices


OK, let's heat up the cold-calling debate. Is everyone a salesman? Yes! Do most people have to make cold calls at some point? Yes! Do most people hate to make cold calls? Yes! So, you have two choices; either hire someone (a professional telemarketer) or do it yourself. If you have the budget the hire someone, great! If not, read on.

To be a successful cold-caller you need the following in your toolbox; an understanding of what constitutes a cold-call, a list of qualified people to call cheap adidas superstar pink , an understanding of the "numbers", a notepad, pens, scripts (at least 3), a calendar, a tracking system, a personal performance tracker, a mirror cheap adidas superstar white , relevant reference materials, the right attitude, hands free headset, a commitment, a smile, a schedule, the right questions, a bullet-proof rejection shield cheap adidas superstar black , an automatic objection response generator, a clearly defined goal, and the knowledge of your purpose. Let's review each one in detail.

Tool 1 - an understanding of what constitutes a "cold-call"
A cold-call is simply an outbound call made to someone you have never spoken with before. It is not a referral. That's a warm call. It is not any inbound call, even if that's your first contact. An inbound call is a blessing because someone wants to speak with you. Cold calls are often impersonal and must be made "personal" as soon as possible.

Tool 2 - a list of qualified people to call
If you are not calling qualified leads then you might as well get out the yellow pages and start dialing. Hitting qualified people boost your close rate dramatically and eliminates wasted time. Invest your time in qualifying before calling. You will still have to further qualify the prospect once on the phone. It would be ridiculous if you offer enterprise-sized solutions and called a small business. Even if the person wants to buy, you would have nothing to sell.

Tool 3 - an understanding of the "numbers"
OK, we all know it's a numbers game. So, determine what the "superstar" ratio is and work towards beating that figure. Establish where you are now in terms of success and you know how far you need to go. What, you don't have a clue how many calls to make? Ok cheap adidas superstar gold , try 40 - 60 a day. For example; you place 60 calls resulting in 20 responses, resulting in 5 decision makers reached, resulting in 1 presentation. Assuming you close 1 sale for every 3 presentations, you will have made 180 calls over three days. Your numbers may vary but it's all numbers.

Tools 4 & 5 - a notepad, pens
This is an easy one right? Wrong! The notepad and pens are obviously to take notes. But its the type of notes you take that make the difference. Listen for words describing how they process information. People have a dominant "channel"; visual, auditory or kinetic. They tell us their channel by saying things like "I see what you mean", "I hear what you're saying", "this feels right to me". Also cheap adidas superstar rose gold , listen for buzzword terminology and play them back. Say someone says "I'd like to take this step-by-step" you could respond later in the conversation with something like "let me walk (if kinetic) you through this step-by-step". This is powerful stuff! Better yet, it works!

Tool 6 - scripts
Call them notes if you don't like the term scripts. But, have at least three of them; the First Contact, Follow Up, and Close. Scriptwriting is an art but there are some definite guidelines you can follow. Make sure you are using scripts that are proven to work. For example, the First Contact script must include; an introduction, purpose of call, caring for the individual cheap adidas superstar shoes , a number of close-ended questions to ensure you have a decision-maker, probing questions, value statements, action, and close. You can see a lot is involved so make sure you get it right. Need help with your scripts? Get it! It's that important. Don't know where? Contact me!

Tool 7 - a calendar
Finally, an easy one. You need an electronic or paper calendar for reverence. Ties in with Tool 8.

Tool 8 - a tracking system
ACT, Goldmine, Daytimer cheap adidas superstar , make one up, etc, whatever works for you but you must have a way to track every activity.

Tool 9 - a personal performance tracker
This is part of Tool 8 if using automated systems like ACT or Goldmine. Whether you are or not, a personal performance tracker keeps tabs on the statistics, the "numbers". This way you will know how many calls, how many people you reached, etc. It also records your comments such as; how far you got, problems you encountered cheap superstar shoes , notes for improvement, etc. This is an indispensable tool for success.

Tool 10 - a mirror
You simply need to watch your facial expressions making sure you are positive, energetic, and upbeat. It also give you a way to make sure you are using Tool 15.

Tool 11 - relevant reference materials
You will probably need dire