- 5 Reasons Call Center Coaching Fails
Bill walks around the call center with all of the enthusiasm and charm of a meat inspector."How you doing?" he asks in a monotone. "It's your turn, I guess."He has just invited a phone rep to a coaching session. Three calls will be played and Bill will share his evaluation of each one with the rep.Spying his checklist Bill remarks, "You left out your close in this one.""But otherwise, it's fine. You’'e mostly staying on the presentation, and this is good. Any questions?"And with that, another "deep and meaningful" coaching chat concludes. - 5 Reasons Experienced Salespeople Should Cold Call
There are five reasons everyone should cold call, at least occasionally, and this includes sales managers, according to the best-selling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone - 5 Reasons Right Now is the Best Time to Cold Call!
I love those timid trainers that try to convince sales novices that there are good, better, and best times to make sales calls.Baloney!There are 5 reasons this advice is utterly bogus and RIGHT NOW is the best time to cold call according to top speaker and best selling author of such classics as YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE. - 5 Reasons Sales & Service Reps Don't Follow Scripts
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him cold call, or follow a script to the letter, or stay at his desk allowing absolutely no distractions to intrude into his work process until an official break time arrives.How come?Why is it that the front lines in sales and service, the work-horses of business and industry; why is it that they bray and buck and perennially bite the hands that feed them?In other words, even when they're shown a more effective way of handling conversations to produce higher sales volumes or more consistent customer satisfaction, why do they revert to indirect, seat-of-the-pants means?There are five reasons, according to the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. - 5 Ways Cold Calling Lists Are Magical!
After cold calling all day, the best-selling author of "Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone!" reveals the 5 ways great lists can be magical! - A Timely "No" Beats A Mysterious "Maybe" Every Time
Lots of people fear rejection, and of course this afflicts salespeople, too.For this reason, some sellers are afraid to close, which is directly asking for assent, and others fear calling back and following-up because they're concerned they'll seem too impatient and aggressive and this will spoil a deal that may have ripened with time.But I believe it is exceedingly helpful to drive each prospect to a commitment one way or another and the sooner the better! - Are Mortgage Brokers Due for Seven Lean Years?
The other day I was contacted by an ailing mortgage broker who lamented that times are tough in his industry.He feels the pain because he has plummeted from being the top performer on the sales team to the bottom. Reeling from the roller coaster ride, he's desperately looking for a quick and proven way to regain his equilibrium.He suspects the answer is to start cold calling, especially now that the torrent of inbound leads has been squeezed off to a trickle by rising interest rates and a cooling housing market.He'll get no argument from me. I firmly believe outbound prospecting by phone is everyone's salvation, especially if they have been living off the fat of the land year after year. It is the only proven sales and marketing medium that YOU CONTROL 100% - Beware of Cold Calling Quacks: Don't Study Surgery With Those Who Flee At The Sight of Blood
I love to read articles written by people who have never made a dime by cold calling.They seem to shout the loudest that cold calling is a waste of time.For them, it's true. But I've made my career and my fortune doing it.What is their problem?If they aren't afraid to pick up the phone, and their patter is competent, why aren't they getting results, too?"They're quacks" says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, and they don't belong in the sales training business, according to this best-selling author of such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE. - Can We Agree: It Is Better To Be Scripted Than To Be Unscripted?
There is a threshold idea that you simply need to embrace if you are going to consider yourself to be a professional on the phone, whether you prospect, sell, set appointments, perform customer service, or collect past due accounts through this medium.You’ll perform better, get more done in less time, and reap greater rewards when you use a top-notch script than when you try to improvise from call to call, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, popular radio and TV commentator, and best-selling author. - Cold Call With Your Boots On, Pilgrim!
When I moved into management at Time-Life, one of my reps would occasionally climb on top of his desk and sell. He enjoyed the view from 10 feet in the air, and he lorded over his prospects, who felt his voice sounded extra-authoritative.I get the same "high" from selling with my cowboy boots on.At this very moment, in fact, I'm wearing my Lucchese "Mad Dogs." With them on, I'm about 6-5 or 6-6.(With ‘em off, I’m 4-4. Now those are some tall heels, partner!) - Cold Calling Expert Says You Have The Right To Contact ANYBODY!
I'd like to share with you a story from the 1960's that is told around inside sales departments and among co-workers as they gather for off-work refreshments and conversation.Lyndon B. Johnson was President at the time, and being a Texan he was also a Dallas Cowboys fan, and that team was supremely successful in his era, headed to yet another Super Bowl game.The President fell ill, went to Bethesda Naval Hospital for tests and treatment, and one of his fellow Texans put two and two together.Reasoning that all Presidents have Super Bowl tickets and seeing that LBJ couldn't make it to the game because of his health, this "old boy" figured that there would be at least one unused seat at this sold-out venue that he could occupy.So, he called the White House offering regrets about LBJ's health, and then he asked for his tickets, "In light of the fact that he can't use them and I'm a loyal constituent."Sure enough, legend has it not one but two tickets arrived in this gent's mail a couple of days later.There is a crucial moral to this story that should be heard by every salesperson, manager, and cold-caller, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including the classics: REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Cold Calling is a HIGH Percentage Game!
If you go to Vegas, Atlantic City, or even Monte Carlo, it pays to find the high percentage games and to play them.Typically, Blackjack is among them, which means it returns generally more money in winnings than say, the slot machines.One of the main objections of ardent Anti-Cold Callers is that they believe cold calling is a low percentage play, that when you do it you’re phoning people with brick homes and trying to sell aluminum siding to them.If you’re doing that, you’re more than stupid.Do cold calling the right way and you will carefully select your list, having pre-qualified those that appear for vital characteristics, such as income, need, and a positive predisposition to say “Yes,” says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, pRESIDENT OF cUSTOMERSATISFACTION.COM, top speaker and consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Cold Calling is Like Shaving- If You Don't Do it Every Day- You're a Bum!
When I was selling and then managing salespeople at Time-Life, we found inspiration by calling a recorded line that had a daily message from the telephone sales guru, Jack Schwartz. Jack was a successful life insurance salesman before launching his telephone training business, and he used every provocative line he could conjure. One of the most memorable was: "Selling is like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you're a bum!" I used to laugh at this one because my face hosted a full beard at the time.But I got his drift.I'd like to make the same point about cold calling. - Cold Calling Pro Says Don't Ask Questions Too Soon!
The best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! says we can overdo the amount of participation we require on the part of buyers and create more problems than we solve. Specifically, we should avoid asking too many questions up-front, particularly during cold calls, this international cold calling pro explains. - Cold Calling Pro Suggests Asking: "Hello, Bill?"
I used to compare cold calling to ice fishing, but then I learned a little about ice fishing, and it isn't that tough.But there is one similarity: To get a positive result, you need to break the ice.Prospects who come to the line and who don't recognize your voice or your name can be very frosty and forbidding and it is our job to warm them up, and fast.Here's a great tip for getting the job done, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and trainer, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including the popular classics: REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Cold Calls plus Great Graphics = Better Results!
Most folks you're going to communicate with in America, and perhaps in the Western civilizations, are VISUALLY ORIENTED."Seeing is believing," is their motto.They are more open to being approached by email than by phone.To compensate, you need to invest in spiffing up your email follow-up communications, according to this best-sellling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You can Sell Anything by Telephone - Congratulations Cold Caller, You Walked into a Gold Mine!
Yesterday I was having an animated, robust conversation with a potential strategic partner who said, after we exchanged ideas and got to know each other:"Congratulations, you walked into a gold mine!"She went on to say that there are tremendous opportunities to get a lot done together, and by simply having made a cold call to the top person, her boss, and by meeting with her, the strong number two in the organization, I launched one heck of a rewarding venture.It is THIS RESPONSE that makes cold calling so exciting and worthwhile. Literally, you never know what kind of opportunity you’re going to inaugurate with a simple phone contact, according to the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Five Ways Cold Calling Beats Competing Methods
You've probably been a little confused by the ads and articles that say opposing things.Some tout cold calling as a great tool, while others claim it is a waste, passe, and too difficult.As I’ve pointed out in my best-selling books, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, it is a phenomenal way to get business, providing you do it well.There are at least five ways that it beats the pants off of alternative sales techniques. - Gee - I Can't Wait to Cold Call!
The best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! still loves to cold call. In this article he tells you why. - Get Wet, Get Numb, and Get That Sale!
Yesterday, I put my toe into the swimming pool for the first time this season, and as expected, it met with a very chilly reception.I waded deeper, generously sprinkling myself with the icy water.Then I got numb, and it was at that point that I really started to enjoy myself!Call this immersion, "Getting in touch with my inner Swede," if you like. But I see it as the necessary ritual to starting your sales day, whether it is face to face or on the phone. - Have A Good Day Today and A Better One Tomorrow!
There used to be a recorded phone line we could call when I was selling for Time-Life Books that would give us a quick injection of motivation. It was sponsored by Jack Schwartz, a former insurance agent who became one of telephone selling’s first authors and consultants.There's a lot to be learned by looking at the out-of-print books of long-gone phone pro's, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and consultant, radio and TV commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as: REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - How To Make That First Call of The Day a Success
The first call of the day seems to be the toughest, but it can be one of your best, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker, telephone pro, and best-selling author. - I Wrote the Book on Cold Calling!
"Despite the rise of the phone factory, or as it is better known, the call center or contact center, I have never found anyone with my gifts. Specifically, nobody has cracked the code of persuading folks to buy by phone as I have," says the best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - I'm Cold Calling Right Now-Are You?
There's quite a debate raging between article writers that are claiming their cold calling tips work best and others that contend cold calling is a waste of time.Who's right?Neither.How come?They're so busy stroking their keyboards that they don't have time to actually do what they're claiming to do. - Sales Regrets - Gee, Did I Push Too Hard?
Sales Regret is what we feel when we've made a bad move during a presentation, like touching a standoffish prospect on the shoulder, or making a stupid remark, or pushing a prospect into a decision.It's the counterpart of "Buyer's Remorse."Here's what you should do about it. - Telemarketing Gurus Get A Clue - Mark McCormack Is Dead
What I love about telephone sales and the gurus that dwell in this bizarre micro-culture is the fact that they’re almost hermetically sealed off from contemporary life.Talk about frogs that slowly boil to death, the telemarketing industry was in denial about the necessity for self-regulation and improvements in its residential calling campaigns until the very moment the Do Not Call Registry was created.Now, telephone titans are so out of it that they are talking to the dead, says the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and THE NEW TELEMARKETING (TM) AUDIO SEMINAR. - Telemarketing Training Pro Says "The Phone Will Rise Again!"
During the last few decades telephone communication, and especially telemarketing, have gotten a bad rap, resulting in the establishment of The Do Not Call Registry, and the seeking out of alternative marketing media, such as email and the Internet.
But there is no medium as direct and effective as reaching out and selling someone by phone. This hasn’t changed, despite the black eye that telemarketing has earned because of a few bad practitioners. - The 5 Phony Fears of Cold Callers
"Of course you're afraid to cold call", the smug article writer said; it's only "natural". I don't believe that and neither should you. The fear of cold calling isn't innate. We don't instinctively leap away from phones when we hear them ring, as we do when venomous snakes rattle underfoot. Your hand isn't hard wired to recoil with the phone in it when you hear a "no" or an objection, the way it flies off a piping hot stove. People are afraid of cold calling, to be sure, that's what they say; but they've learned this very undesirable and self-debilitating response. Specifically, they're intimidating themselves with these 5 PHONY FEARS, according to the best-selling author of 12 books, including the classics, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Top Speaker & Best Selling Author Says - "Telemarketing is B A C K"
Like that scene from the horror flick, "The Shining", when Jack Nicholson axes his way through Shelley Duvall's bathroom, telemarketing is just as dramatically asserting - "I'm B A C K"! Taken for dead, this incredibly useful yet widely misunderstood and abused medium is assuming its rightful place in the pantheon of promotional tools, according to a top speaker and best-selling author of such telephone sales standards as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Top Speaker Says: Control Your Destiny By Learning To Cold Call
Don't believe the wimps who say cold calling doesn't work. Citing his own dramatic success, Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, Fortune 1000 consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, proves othewise in this article. - Top Telephone Consultant Cites a Big Cold Calling Hang-Up: Fear of Beginning at the Beginning
Zen practitioners make a big deal out of something utterly simple: the need to cultivate a beginner's mind.By this they mean we need to have a state of mind free from preconceptions, judgments, biases, confusing abstractions, and other concerns if we want to do our best.Athletes cal this frictionless mental state, “The Zone” and the feeling of doing only what you’re doing without distractions, as being “Locked-In.”When we have a beginner’s mind, also called no-mind, literally we don’t mind doing what is in front of us to do, whether it is making our beds, enjoying the entrée without thinking about desserts, or listening to that customer who is in pain about the performance of one of our products.If you're in sales or telemarketing or you’re simply looking to hustle up some new business as the head honcho of your own firm, you need to have a beginner’s mind.Cold calling requires it. Fortune 1000 consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including such telephone classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Warm-Up Your Chilliest Cold Calls With The Congratulations Approach
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author of a dozen books, including such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! knows how hard it is to develop new business if you don't have an original sounding hook.That's why he loves what he calls THE CONGRATULATIONS APPROACH. It can instantly heat-up the chilliest cold calls, as he explains in this practical and instantly useful article. - Warrior-Salespeople Always Go For The One-Call-Close!
Fear wears many masks.But if you are a warrior-salesperson, as I think we should all aspire to become, you have to relentlessly unmask this foe.If you don’t you'll not only dwell forever in the gray-toned world of the timid, but you'll let a lot of vivid and vital opportunities slip through your fingers.One of the ways people deal with fear isn't by quitting or avoiding challenges altogether, but by insisting that they be confronted incrementally."Inch by inch, it's a cinch, and yard by yard it's hard," we tell ourselves.But when it comes to selling this advice is utterly wrong.We shouldn't plan, for example, three-call closes as so many investment advisers are taught. We should always go for a one-call-close. - What Makes A Cold Call a COLD Call?
Most writers toss the phrase "cold call" around without ever defining what it means.I think it is worth our time to consider exactly what makes a cold call a COLD call.After all, terms are important; just ask two people if they "like" each other or are "in love" with each other. - Why Cold Calling Detractors Don't Belong In Sales Work
I’ve had it up to here with self-appointed sales experts who pop-off with nothing but disrespect for cold-calling.They don’t know what they’re talking about and they appeal to the worst possible motivation in other salespeople: The desire to get something for nothing.Cold calling takes work, and genuine salespeople don’t mind that one bit. As Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach said, true winners love to not only be on the field of play, but to leave it, exhausted, knowing they did their best.Show me someone who boasts that he “Prefers to work SMART, and not HARD,” and I’ll show you: (1) Either a certified genius who has found or built a perpetual motion machine; or (2) A liar, who not only deceives himself, but others, too.I tell them this: IT IS SMARTER TO WORK HARDER. - “Sing Like Sinatra“ Top Consultant Advises Sales & Customer Service Script Users
The legendary Frank Sinatra didn’t fully come into his own, some say, until he belted out what became his signature song: “My Way.”Sinatra didn’t write that song.Paul Anka, another former teenage heartthrob wrote it for The Chairman of The Board, as Sinatra was known to his Rat-Pack pals.I heard Anka perform it once, but he didn’t come close to capturing the magic of Sinatra’s sage-like interpretation.Sinatra made the song his own, as so many of the greats do.And once this functional “ownership” happens, the real composer doesn’t matter. He moves offstage, far from the glow of appreciation and acclaim that the performing artist brings to the work.Salespeople, telemarketers, and customer service people are increasingly being called upon to “sing songs” other composers have written for them.Whether they’re called scripts, call guides, or call paths, these are compositions that also need to be performed with the right text, tone, and timing. They must be brought to life as artistically as possible, so they’ll ring true to their audiences, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, Fortune 1000 consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, and MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
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