1. Prospects will take calls.

Stop worrying that your prospects do not want to speak with you. If your
offer has value and you have done your homework, targeted your market
and are able to speak about your product/service intelligently and
articulately, most prospects will be more than happy to listen to what
you have to say.

2. A lot of times, they say “yes.”

This is true.

3. They are not too busy.

While your prospects will certainly be busy, (everyone is) if your offer
has value and you have done your homework, targeted your market and are
able to speak about your product/service intelligently and articulately
(see #1 above), it is simply a matter of negotiating when that prospect
has time to speak with you.

4. They are not avoiding you.

The level of paranoia exhibited by some sales professionals is truly
interesting. Why should your prospects be avoiding you? They don’t even
know you.

5. If they have a vendor or supplier, bingo! They are qualified
prospects.

Yes. If you speak with a prospect who says they are already working with
someone, that means that this prospect buys what you are selling. You
know, if you did not before, that you are now speaking with a qualified
prospect.

6. You will know what to say if you do your homework ahead of time.

The question you want to ask yourself, before you get on the telephone,
is: “Why should this prospect be interested in my offering?” Don’t call
your prospect until you have the answer. Then, when you get your
prospect on the telephone, make sure to lead with that answer. That
“why” is the reason that a prospect will want to speak with you.

7. High-level decision-makers are usually very nice and quite willing to
speak with you if you have something of value to say.

The rule is to always call the highest-level person that you believe
would be the decision-maker. That person either will be the
decision-maker or they will know who is. Many sales professionals,
however, call lower level managers and/or coordinators, rather than
Directors and Vice Presidents, believing that the call will be easier.
The reverse is actually true. People with power are generally much nicer
than people without power.

8. Cold calling is a communication skill and, like any communication
skill, it can be learned and improved upon.

It is up to you to educate yourself. Read books, listen to audio
programs, attend teleseminars or live seminars, talk to colleagues, hire
a coach… Do whatever it takes to gain the skills that you need to be
successful.

Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling,” is a sales trainer, author and
sales coach. Her recently released program, The Miracle
Appointment-Setting Script, can be ordered by visiting
queenofcoldcalling.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get
Wendy’s free Special Report, “How to Write an Effective Cold Calling
Script,” at www.queenofcoldcalling.com

(c) 2007 Wendy Weiss
Weiss Communications

265 West 81st St., Ste. 2B
New York, NY
10024
US

Last 5 posts by Wendy Weiss

• I Just Called to See How Things are Going - April 17th, 2008
• Would you like to have customers return again and again to buy? - February 11th, 2008
• Repeating the same action over and over and expecting different results - December 5th, 2007
• What to Say to a Bad Telemarketer - July 17th, 2007
• A Confused Prospect Does Not Buy - June 13th, 2007