I do most of my sales prospecting by phone. Allow me to rephrase that. I NEVER try to make a sale over the phone. What am I talking about? When I call on a prospect over the phone, I never try to sell them anything. All I'm trying to do is make an appointment to meet face-to-face.
I have a database (software: PipelineDeals) that I use to track every touch throughout the sales pipeline. So, every time I make contact with a company, the call is recorded and I enter notes in the database. Everyone with me?
So, there's a big law firm in town and the screening is top level. It's almost impossible to get through to one of the attorneys. Almost that is. There's always a way, though.
But there's one rule I always adhere to: I NEVER LIE to get a sales prospect on the phone.
I've called and left voicemails. I've tried to get around the person that answers the phone. No dice. This isn't unusual, by the way. This one was a little more tricky than some but not unusual.
Anyway, I would always wait about 30 days between calls. That way they would kind of forget about me.
When I would call, I would never tell them I was with a company. The call would go like this:
"Bill Carpenter calling for (insert attorney name), is he in, please?
Her: "No, can I take a message".
This is where it gets tricky.
If I tell her that I'm with a copier company, I'm never gonna get thru from this point moving forward. But I can't lie, either. What to do?
I should mention that on one of the previous calls that I got an email address from the girl that answers the phone.
Here's what I said next:
"Just tell him that I was following up on some correspondence...he'll know what I'm talking about."
That's not a lie. I sent an email a few weeks back.
She said: "Can I ask what this is pertaining to"?
I was prepared for this response because....well...I've been doing this for many years. I knew that question was coming next.
My response?
This is the most uncomfortable and tricky part of the phone call. What do I say without letting on that I'm a salesman?
Well, at this point, she's been in charge of the conversation because she's the one asking questions and I'm the one answering. This is about to change and I'm gonna take charge. (Note: I didn't say I was gonna be rude. I'm still very nice but I have to take charge now.)
Me: "Who is this?"
Her: "This is Samantha."
Me: "Samantha, what is your position in the company?
Her: "I'm the receptionist"
Me: "Hmmmm."....Just let Mr. Smith know that Bill Carpenter called and that I was following up on some correspondence. That should be enough. Thank you."
Here's the thing about a phone screener: Their job is to keep sales calls from getting thru to her boss or whomever. However, she needs to make sure that she's putting the important calls thru. These are usually low paid employees that are just trying to do their job so it's important to always be nice. It's nothing personal.
Anyway, this is getting long so I'm gonna wrap it up.
The next day the attorney called me back and after a brief discussion, he gave me the name of the person that I need to talk to about the copier and I have an appointment next week.
You know what's so funny about this? A little over a year ago, I keep calling and they put me on their no call list. I just waited them out. The person answering the phone left and a new person was hired that wasn't aware of the no call list or she forgot or something.
Never be afraid. Never lie. And never give up. There's always a way.
I have a database (software: PipelineDeals) that I use to track every touch throughout the sales pipeline. So, every time I make contact with a company, the call is recorded and I enter notes in the database. Everyone with me?
So, there's a big law firm in town and the screening is top level. It's almost impossible to get through to one of the attorneys. Almost that is. There's always a way, though.
But there's one rule I always adhere to: I NEVER LIE to get a sales prospect on the phone.
I've called and left voicemails. I've tried to get around the person that answers the phone. No dice. This isn't unusual, by the way. This one was a little more tricky than some but not unusual.
Anyway, I would always wait about 30 days between calls. That way they would kind of forget about me.
When I would call, I would never tell them I was with a company. The call would go like this:
"Bill Carpenter calling for (insert attorney name), is he in, please?
Her: "No, can I take a message".
This is where it gets tricky.
If I tell her that I'm with a copier company, I'm never gonna get thru from this point moving forward. But I can't lie, either. What to do?
I should mention that on one of the previous calls that I got an email address from the girl that answers the phone.
Here's what I said next:
"Just tell him that I was following up on some correspondence...he'll know what I'm talking about."
That's not a lie. I sent an email a few weeks back.
She said: "Can I ask what this is pertaining to"?
I was prepared for this response because....well...I've been doing this for many years. I knew that question was coming next.
My response?
This is the most uncomfortable and tricky part of the phone call. What do I say without letting on that I'm a salesman?
Well, at this point, she's been in charge of the conversation because she's the one asking questions and I'm the one answering. This is about to change and I'm gonna take charge. (Note: I didn't say I was gonna be rude. I'm still very nice but I have to take charge now.)
Me: "Who is this?"
Her: "This is Samantha."
Me: "Samantha, what is your position in the company?
Her: "I'm the receptionist"
Me: "Hmmmm."....Just let Mr. Smith know that Bill Carpenter called and that I was following up on some correspondence. That should be enough. Thank you."
Here's the thing about a phone screener: Their job is to keep sales calls from getting thru to her boss or whomever. However, she needs to make sure that she's putting the important calls thru. These are usually low paid employees that are just trying to do their job so it's important to always be nice. It's nothing personal.
Anyway, this is getting long so I'm gonna wrap it up.
The next day the attorney called me back and after a brief discussion, he gave me the name of the person that I need to talk to about the copier and I have an appointment next week.
You know what's so funny about this? A little over a year ago, I keep calling and they put me on their no call list. I just waited them out. The person answering the phone left and a new person was hired that wasn't aware of the no call list or she forgot or something.
Never be afraid. Never lie. And never give up. There's always a way.
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