From nobody to somebody.

[dropsy16]

I'm planning on making my first call tomorrow but for some reason I get scared shitless whenever I think of it. I know that once I seal the hundred dollar sale I'll gain confidence. Any tips for cold calling? I'm not going to be calling a business owner, just the average joe looking for property. Will update!

 

[EmpireQuality]

cold calling? are you serious? this is not 1930 anymore bro! there are much better ways to market your products. why don't you build a list of targeted leads first and then call all of them? it will definitely be much more effective

 

[dannyduberstein]

drink some coffee before you make your first calls, this will help you feel a little more confident.

Also make a random phone call and talk on the phone for a few minutes before making your first business call, this will get you adjusted and ready to talk on the phone with your prospective clients.

 

[mark27]

Watch Youtube Karate Kid Montage - You're the Best right before you make the call and you'll be fine.

 

[nesterdwarf]

OP,

What's the worst that they can do? Say no...not the end of the world, and it means you're that much closer to a yes. Cold calling is a numbers game...set a number of no's that you want to hear as opposed to a number of yes's. Then the no is an accomplishment instead of a failure...set the number of no's higher each day and you'll be drowning in yes's in no time.

Check this book - Go For No - out...little campy but it might help -

http://www.mediafire.com/?59n003rhc9th91c

Virus Check -

http://virusscan.jotti.org/en/scanresult/0fc1fc4e0b5328c9162bca9b9b1815756416e5b9

ND

cold calling? are you serious? this is not 1930 anymore bro! there are much better ways to market your products. why don't you build a list of targeted leads first and then call all of them? it will definitely be much more effective

Ummm...if he's never made contact with them before, wouldn't that still be cold-calling? And since he mentioned that these are people looking for property, sounds like he's already got a targeted list that he wants to call...

And if cold-calling was so outdated and ineffectual - why would people still be doing it and making money?

ND

 

[BENNY8877]

I find swearing helps. It gets their attention, and lets them know who's boss.

 

[Nick1]

Nervous reactions are normal, don't sweat it.

 

[NeoPat]

Make prompts or a list of what you want to talk about and rehearse it thid will make sure you dont have any awkward moments where your struggling to speak. Preplanning is key to this being successful trust me i have done enough design pitches to know this. know what your talking about and be reasy to answer any questions

 

[Mountaineer]

The more you think, the more you get confused. Its similar to giving a presentation in high school or college. You are nervous at first but after some time, it becomes a routine work. Good Luck.

 

[blackfairy]

First of all, stop calling yourself a nobody. I know it's just a saying, but it's not the right attitude. Especially if you're going for cold calls, you need some kind of self esteem.
If you're nervous, try to think about it like that: What the worst that could happen? They could decline your offer, but that's pretty much the worst that could happen. And although nobody likes to be declined, it's not the end of the world.
But if you don't give it a try at all, you will for sure never sell something. So trying is always the better option, right?

 

[mrtwister_65]

NeoPat is right.

Rehearse your pitch and stick to it. Know your pitch as your prayer.
Test variations of it. Keep what works and ditch what not.
Throw some jokes. Keep cool, relaxed attitude.

 

[mrtwister_65]

Great book, nesterdwarf, thank you!

Highly recommend to everyone to download and read it!

 

[TeenAngel]

cold calling? are you serious? this is not 1930 anymore bro! there are much better ways to market your products. why don't you build a list of targeted leads first and then call all of them? it will definitely be much more effective

That's still a cold call if you've never talked to them before.

As for selling? 100 bucks? That's ash tray money to the average business.

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lofNPLZvTOs

Then this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqDtf1aw818
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFU9c9MrkE

A lot sales is right there.

 

[ppcmaster]

Make more of those calls! There is no other way I suppose

 

[Getwhatchuwant]

What's the worst that they can do? Say no...not the end of the world, and it means you're that much closer to a yes. Cold calling is a numbers game...set a number of no's that you want to hear as opposed to a number of yes's. Then the no is an accomplishment instead of a failure...set the number of no's higher each day and you'll be drowning in yes's in no time.

This is fantastic advice and I have used this technique for my sales teams to take the pressure off. In fact I go a bit further, I ask my team to try to get 3 no's from every customer before they are "allowed" to give up.

Upsells increased around 33% just by this alone.
A) you get use to no so it does not bother you
B) you begin to learn the 3 or 4 main reasons for no and begin building rebuttals
C) Sometimes the customer doesn't understand what you are selling and the value, so by framing the product differently (or offering a different product) you create a new need for the customer.

On the phone it is a little different because they can simply hang up but try to set a minimum # of no's for the day and set a minimum number of no's per customer.

So lets say you will fold after 2 no's per customer you can set your "no" count to 50 which would be a MINIMUM of 25 calls.

At the end of the day if your product really holds value then it is possible you will be closing some deals in a few days. The more no's you hear, the better you get at avoiding them.

 

[dropsy16]

I find swearing helps. It gets their attention, and lets them know who's boss.

LOL! XD Will begin on Monday!

 

[MagicMike]

Cold calling sucks... no doubt about it. But... I think its one of the most effective ways of marketing and getting results quickly.

My quick advice is to develop a VERY short script... you should be able to say why you're calling in a MAXIMUM of 15 seconds, preferably shorter, but that's max.

Try to be as conversational as possible, and try not to read your script (of course, that takes practice).

I think something called "The Great Telemarketing Report" was shared here in the download section and it was excellent. If you search you may still find it around.

 

[dropsy16]

First of all, stop calling yourself a nobody. I know it's just a saying, but it's not the right attitude. Especially if you're going for cold calls, you need some kind of self esteem.
If you're nervous, try to think about it like that: What the worst that could happen? They could decline your offer, but that's pretty much the worst that could happen. And although nobody likes to be declined, it's not the end of the world.
But if you don't give it a try at all, you will for sure never sell something. So trying is always the better option, right?

You're right, thanks.

Edit: I tried replying to everyone using multiquote but was left with an error when I tried posting it. >.<

 

[highrider778]

drinking a beer or 10 usually helps

 

[highrider778]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2q_ZLUd0Q8&feature=related