Ekstrom_ Peter- Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls - Jigsaw-080220

080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 1 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com -Intro: 25 years in sales; founder of DealBuilders; - 5 yr process as prof sales /cold call prospector for hire; most avoid like “kryptonite” - Jigsaw relation profitable, use of dbase with background helpful; lot easier to get to CxO suite 1 -software, legal, advertising; real estate clients; - make intro calls; act as moderator to transit/bridge from prospect to client; participate in meeting also 2 I: the elevator pitch II. prosecting system in form of dialog to get past screen and get to suspect III. sales club, wkly meetings; learn and overcome cold call fears IV. Q&A 3 3 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 2 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com 4 - harder to get people‟s attn; - value of getting attn very strong - overwhelmed with information, i.e.: cable, - attn deficit order, not enuff time to listen - attn highly perishable, like fresh food - people treating their attn like the precious commodity it is; treating like currency/money, watching out for people that will steal their time and abuse their attn - need to become a master/expert at getting people‟s attn - attn deficit disorder negative effect on Elevator Pitch (corporate overview) = products, 3rd party references - prospect getting stuck in the lobby - prospect‟s have heard the elevator pitch time and time again; - prospects pounded with calls all the time 5 - noticed tone of voice, disinterest in prospect‟s voice using an intro elevator pitch so instead of leading with a features and benefits pitch - start the conversation instead with questions 6 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 3 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com - turn sales pitch into a sales interview, asking questions 1. get attn right away 2. - allowing to get more info - are they the right person? - are they even qualified? 3. all in pursuit of getting an appt of the prospect‟s calendar/schedule - Gold Call enlists prospect‟s help in setting appt on the prospect‟s calendar - getting the prospect to do some work 7 - Opening: get attn/ice breaker 8 - instead of personal intro and elevator pitch standard that they‟ve heard a 1,000 times already - sound different from what they‟ve already heard; - help fend off the prospect‟s developed tool kit of typical rejections and turn downs - “send lit; what‟s ur Website” - 10 seconds to “explain” or “ask a question” - 98% permission to talk rate 9 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 4 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com - prospect;s immediately confused by typical elevator sales pitch - how make it easy to let prospect understand easily what you are all about - “We cut the cost and headaches of managed your computers and IT network 10 - “How much focus do you have …” - more direct and fluid you talk, the more serious the prospect will treat you 11 - do not want to be an obvious salesperson pushing to close an appointment - lack of interest in elevator pitch - “Suppose what we do ….., would I get any of you attention?” - “If I can solve this problem, would I get any of your attention?” 12 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 5 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com - “When can I have more of you attention?” - “When can we meet?” - “Are you looking at you calendar?” 13 - usual high level education of CxO‟s - grasp, understanding of proper use of English language - bored with elevator pitch, all sound alike - close for attention, can‟t get sale on 1st call anyways 14 - in-depth analysis of actual calls 15 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 6 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com - less quantity of calls needed to make your appts quota - getting through the screen/gate keeper - 16 - money back guarantee - emphasis on “Lemonade Statement” 17 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 7 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com C. The Anatomy of a Gold Call       The Opening - (The Ice-Breaker - Get 10-Seconds from the prospect to speak) Making Lemonade Statements - (Short 10-word explanations that help prospects understand your business purpose) Focus Questions - (Questions that identify the prospect as the right person to be calling) Attention Questions - (Asking for more of the prospect's attention at a later date & time) Closing Questions - (Closing the sales appointment on the calendar) Confirming the Sales Appointment - (Eliminating 'no-show' appointments in advance) -----------------------Gold Call: Meet the Gold Caller: Chief Controller of a Chicago bank http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/meetthegoldcaller o No, no, no, we don‟t know each other, I apologize, I‟m having a rough time getting started here; o I work for a company and we …. And, I‟ve got a quick question and then I‟ll get out of you way o If I had a miracle cure for …., who‟s attn would I need to get? o Do you personally have a focus on …. o Just need 10 seconds to explain why I‟m calling o I‟m in the mistake prevention business … o I don‟t know if I have a miracle cure, but is there a chance you‟d take a call from me if I called you back? o Would you put me on you calendar? I just need 10 minutes, we might not be able to even help. o In any event, if you need to reach me, if xxxx o‟clock doesn‟t work, please just give me a call at xxx-xxx-xxxx No elevator pitch, which prospect‟s are bored with Gold Caller: Cheaper, faster, better http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/cheaperbetterfaster If I could cut the cost of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, how much of you attention would I get? Between you and I, if there was something cheaper, better, faster, you‟d be interested? I appreciate you taking my call and putting up with me today. 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 8 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Gold Call – Appt I: Title Searches http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/closingtheappointment1 Hi, this is xxxxx with xxxx in Chicago. We don‟t know each other, I was just calling to see if I could get 10 seconds of your time? _______ Assuming I solve xxxxxx for xxxx and can do it cheaper, better and faster than anyone else does it now, would I get any of you attention? We‟re in the xxxx side of the business, working with companies such as xxxxxxx And I thought, just maybe, I‟d get a couple minutes, get a phone conversation going, not today, but maybe we can get something on the calendar where we can connect the dots a little bit better then doing right now. ______________________________, That would be great …. If we could set a time, through the Web, and go through a few flavors and see if it makes sense? Taking a look at it all more objectively. When did you have in mind? If, in the event, Gold Call II – Appointment II http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/closingtheappointment2 - Say, we don‟t know each other, and I was wondering if I could have 10 seconds to ask you a question? o My name is __________________ and I work with your peers to help xxxxxxxxxxxxxx o So, the purpose of my call is that assuming that is what I/we do for a living, my question is I was wondering if you might be interested in speaking with us, get to know each other a little bit  I like to take small bits  I‟d like to send you an email with my contact info and some talking points to keep our agenda short and to the point and if you could give me some idea as to what will work on your calendar for us to talk by phone I‟d be more than happy to set up a bridge and maybe we can take it from there  I‟ll put my name in the Subject line …. 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 9 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Gold Call: Send me some sales lit? http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/somethingtosend Do you have an intro package, sales brochure, some kind of info you can send to me? o We‟ve got a whole bunch of that stuff? I was trying to get to what type of info to send and I‟m not sure were the need would be in ____________. So, if we had something „cheaper, better faster, that would catch some of your attention. I still need my day in court to prove I am better. o Maybe what we could do as a follow up, with your permission of course, if we could set up another phone call where we can have another conversation and go over some of your points and see if it makes sense to go from there. Could we do that. o Probably only need about 15 minutes. What looks good on your calendar? I don‟t want to be difficult but I will be out xxxxxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. o What I‟d like to do is have the technical guru with me to keep it right. o I‟ll send my contact info and separately the bridge info …. Gold Call: Finding Prospect Pain http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/findingpain The reason I‟m calling is that I was wondering if I could have 15 seconds of your time. _______ Great. For xxxxxxxxxxxxxx I address the way to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx “What does that mean to me?” Depending on what difficulties there that might be, and I don‟t even know if you know of any, but sometimes getting _______________ solved/delivered/working right and other things like that are sometimes a problem for some companies I just wanted to know, because usually when I call its not the right time to talk, I think I might have, I need a little more info about your situation to really lay claim to whether or not I can solve a problem, Alright? “What type of sales training?” If we could set a little time to get to know each other I‟ll get a prepared agenda to send you … what works for you? 15 minutes. Use MS Outlook to set a meeting into their Outlook. - - Gold Call: A Sense of Humor Helps http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/senseofhumor I‟m calling to apply for the „high-low‟ position, high compensation, low pressure Just got my pay check and I found my take home pay isn‟t enough to take me home I‟m not sure I have something that will help you. Would it be possible to get on your calendar so we can get to know each other to see if we have something to go forward with? o Finally something is going right … Let‟s set up a Web conference and I promise not to bring the vacation pictures o I‟ll send an intro email and a separate Web bridge link o 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 10 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Gold Call: Setting the Agenda – Confirming the Appointment http://www.goldcalltraining.com/goldcalls/closingtheappointment This is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, how much trouble am in I for calling you at your desk. I just have a quick question …………. I need about 15 minutes …. I‟m with and help xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I just thought we‟d find out if we have something in common to go forward with. Should I write the appointment down in pencil or pen. Gold Call Blog: - I have started to say the name of my prospect throughout our conversation. In his book, Dale Carnegie mentions how there is no sound sweeter to any human being than the sound of their own name. People like to be recognized, and it makes them feel important when they hear their name. - An executive's phone answering voice tells me I'd better stick to business and get to the point without any 'small talk.' On the other hand, those prospects that answer their phone with an upbeat tone of voice are easier to talk to, and I get a better chance to build rapport. I prefer speaking with upbeat prospects, but in the real world of business I need to be prepared either way. Having a good 'Gold Call' agenda takes care of all that. - As I waited for him to pick up the phone I prepared myself by asking, "Why am I calling"? "What am I going to say"? "Did I drink enough coffee"? Being different sells concert tickets, and just about anything else! A Lemonade Statement is a short descriptive sentence containing 10 words or less that explains your business to someone in simple terms, much like how you would describe a glass of lemonade. Before anyone will engage you in conversation they must first understand something about you and why you are calling - Secretary Talk: Getting on Their Good Side Hi … how are you, is xxxxxxxxxxxx there? No, she is not. Good, I want to talk to you. I want to talk to you. You‟re not the president, are you? I used to do what you do, in college. Answer the phone for my boss. People would call in all the time and I was told not to let anyone through, or I‟d be fired. It seems to be happening more and more all the time, why do you think that is? Somebody sent my company an inquiry … about a sales presentation software product for presentations in the field. I could put you into voice mail, but I don‟t think she would be interested. Why do you think he/she wouldn‟t be interested? Off the record, if I wanted to catch him/her, what would be the best time to catch him/her in the office? 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 11 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Secretary Talk: Clever Tactics So you find every call has to be screened, why is that you think>? What they‟re calling about, if they need to speak to someone else Right, but wouldn’t it be more likely to say, its to ‘keep salespeople out’? Definitely, so they don‟t get in. How many calls do you get a day? A couple dozen How many are salespeople? 6-10 How do you know they’re salespeople? Easy, they ask for the office manager, they don‟t want to leave a message, Really, that’s what they do right away? Do they sound a certain way? Do I sound like one? So, what do you say to those asking about the office manager? Who should I say is calling? With what company? And, what is this regarding, what are you calling about? And, if I don’t want to tell you? Then I know it‟s a sales call. Suppose I do tell you, then what? Then I have to decide if the call is important enuff to pass on to the next person. Well, how many sales calls do you think are important? Very few. If it doesn‟t have anything to do with our office, then none of them. So, if someone said they were in the business of giving everybody a raise, that’d be a call you would pass thru? Aghhh, not because, that would be something from another office. 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 12 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Nah, I’m just teasing. So you ask them who they are, where they’re from and what’s this about … you have a set questions, right? Yes You’ve got this down to a system. Yes You’re smart, that’s a good way to go about it. Now, has anyone gotten past you? Is there anything about the way a salesperson sounds, that gives them away right away? No, just the questions they ask. Secretary Talk: It‟s against our company policy Hi, how are you doing? Fine, thank you … how can I help you? I’m coming back for a second helping. Who would you like to speak to? Well, I want to speak to you. You asked me a question before. You asked me if I was a salesperson for my company. I was just curious why you asked me that. Because that‟s according to my answer, however you reply. Okay, then I’m a salesperson. Then the company policy is that you mail in a brochure. Hold on, I’m writing this down. With you company services, you busn card, then they‟d read it and contact you if they‟re interested. So, its like my acting career. I’d send in a photo and if they liked it, I’d get a call. But, since I never got a call, that’s probably why I’m not in the movies. So, I mail in brochure, about services and a busn card.And, I send that to who? IT dept. And, just the general address. 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 13 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com What do you think my chances are. I‟d say they‟re pretty good. Really? I’ve done this before and I’d say for every 10, nobody calls me back. So, you get a lot of calls from salesperson. Well, let me say how helpful you’ve been. I really like the way you handle the phone. You’re the pro IT needs to screen their calls So, off the record, just between you and me, I won’t tell anybody, who’s the person in charge of IT? I‟m sorry, it is against company policy. Secretary Talk: Building Rapport Hello, this is Lisa. Hey Lisa, go home early today. Okay You have my permission. Thank you. I’m just trying to make a cold call and I know how good you administrators are at keeping us salespeople out, so I need you to go home early today. You’re just too tuff for me. I give up. So, anyway, I was just calling for the boss. Is he in? Who is this. This is Pete and I’ll hold. I‟m sorry, he is in, but is on the way out. Now, that’s the way it is. This isn’t a screen? Do you think if I call tomorrow, I’d have a shot?Well, I didn’t want to think I was overbearing. 080220 Jigsaw Webinar Page 14 of 14 Turn Cold Calls into Gold Calls by Peter Ekstrom – www.dealbuilders.com Secretary Talk: Getting the Direct Number to Dial Hey, how you doing? Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I‟m looking for the one and only xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx He‟s not in, would you like his voice mail? Darn, when would you say he‟s coming in? About xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Would you like his voice mail? Great, yes … in case I get lost, what‟s his extension? B. Conducting the Gold Call Sales Interview - Building Prospect Conversations     Start the Meeting - (Recap first call with prospect and set the agenda) The Pain Funnel - (Finding the prospect's problem) Reversing Strategies - (Answering prospect's questions with questions to gather information) Selling Behavior & Personalities - (How to win friends and influence people)