Retro Sales Tactics

The new prospecting weapon in a sales rep’s repertoire? An old phone.

By Brian Sullivan

OK “Outside Salesperson,” what the heck are you supposed to do now? You long for the time when your day comprised a few morning pop-by visits to current customers, an hour of drivetime talk-radio on your way to a client lunch at Chilis-Too, followed by a few “checking-in” visits with some old clients to wrap up the day. Remember how great it was to shake a hand, make a friend, and grab a purchase order? Hey, I’m with you.

Regardless of what they tell us, the DNA of an outside salesperson was always engineered to enjoy interacting with clients and industry friends. But over the past couple of years (I won’t bring up that word), many have been slow to get back to the “good old days.” It’s common to hear comments such as: ʯ “Where I live, there is still a reluctance to let me in and show my product/service.” ʯ “Prospects and customers are short-staffed, overworked and too busy to see me.” ʯ “I miss the good old days!”

So, what’s the answer? While nothing is as effective as an oldfashioned in-person visit and a handshake, the phone has now become the most important business tool we own. Yea, I know it sounds so 1980s, but now more than ever it’s our most important weapon. We just have to get better at using it. Make more powerful cold prospecting phone calls than ever, with the objective of creating enough curiosity to have them commit to a Virtual Presentation. More calls done more effectively will lead to more virtual/live presentations. And more virtual/live presentations (done well) will lead to more purchase orders.

The reason many outside salespeople don’t love phone cold calling is that they feel pressure. Former Pittsburg Steelers Football Coach Chuck Noll said it well when he said, “Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” Well, pressure is what salespeople feel when they don’t quite know what is going to come out of their mouth when somebody picks up that phone. But here’s the good news, it’s fixable! The following are six steps that will help you turn more cold calls into more detailed meetings/product demonstrations.

Step No. 1: Ask for Help

Since the beginning of time, salespeople have called the person at the front desk who picks up the phone a “gatekeeper.” But think of the message that sends to your brain when that’s how you perceive them. That person is more than a gatekeeper, he or she is a real person, having a real day, whose opinion and feelings really matter. Treat the front desk team member with the same joy and respect as you would the big wig in the C-Suite.

While gatekeepers aren’t put on this earth to make our lives miserable, they are there to weed out the valuable calls from the garbage. One way to buy yourself some time on your cold call is to be nice and by asking for help. It’s hard for somebody to be mean to somebody in need.

Example: “Hi, I was hoping you could help me. I am trying to reach __________ and was hoping you could point me in the right direction.” Be casual in your delivery and don’t sound like a stiff salesperson.

Step No. 2: Show Respect for the Prospect’s Time

When the prospect (the person you called to get on the line) picks up the phone, don’t start by asking them how their day is, or how’s the weather out there, or what’d you think of that game last night? You called them out of the blue and they aren’t looking for a new bestie. Those questions waste their time and ooze cheesy sales call.

Instead, quickly introduce yourself and your company name and follow with, “Did I catch you in the middle of anything?” Again, your tone should be warm and respectful. The most common response you will hear is, “How can I help you?” Or “What’s this in regard to?”

Step No. 3: Deliver the Hook

Remember, the most important emotion you need to create in a prospecting call is curiosity. Which means you need to craft and use a powerful “hook” early in the call to make them want to learn more.

Value Hook: The Value Hook is a one-sentence statement that describes the value that your product or services offer. This hook isn’t about what your products do, but what they help your customers do or achieve. To develop your own, fill in this: Our (product) helps companies like yours to ________________, ______________________, and _____________. This often leads to ___________, ___________, and ___________ (put in real world results other clients have experienced.

Step No. 4: The Takeaway

We never want the prospect to feel pressure. Immediately after your Value Hook, follow up with: ʯ But I don’t know if you are the right person to speak with. ʯ But I don’t know if you need what our services provide. ʯ But I don’t know if you are a good fit with what we provide or not. ʯ But I don’t know if we can help you in the same way that we have helped others. ʯ But I don’t know if those are improvements you are interested in. ʯ But I don’t know if those are areas you are concerned about.

Then let the prospect talk first. If they give a curious response or ask a question back, congratulations! You now have permission to ask questions.

Step No. 5: Ask Questions

The objective of the cold call isn’t to sell something. The objective is to get them to commit to a Virtual/Live presentation. Don’t begin sounding like a pushy salesperson by firing off a bunch of features about your solution. Instead, ask how they are currently doing things, what’s effective about that, what’s not working, and how decisions are made. Then share a few real-world examples of how you helped others. We are simply trying to create enough curiosity for them to be interested to learn more.

Step No. 6: Close for the Virtual/Live Presentation

It’s time to secure the meeting. Reduce pressure with, “Thanks so much for your time today. But I called out of the blue and I’m not sure if now is a good time to discuss this a little further. With your permission, would you be open to a 30-minute Virtual Presentation where I can show you some examples of how we helped other companies like yours? I can make myself available either this Thursday morning or Friday afternoon.”

Step No. 7: Repeat

Knowing what to say on a cold prospecting call will lead to more meetings, both virtual and live. The only other decision you must make is how often you do it. Do it more, and you will get more meetings, and more sales. Sell more, and your next time at Chilis-Too, you’ll be the one picking up the tab.