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[I99]Im Not An Addict

by Kim Klaver, Kim

In her article, Wendy suggests getting an "I'm not interested" is because your script or its delivery isn't good enough. While that may be partly true, it's not the biggest reason for that reaction.

She writes:

"If you have a compelling script with stellar delivery, you will hardly ever hear the words, 'I'm not interested.' That's because you will actually be saying something interesting!"

She concludes, "Before you ever pick up the phone, have the answer to the question: 'Why should this prospect be interested?' If you have that answer, you will never again hear: 'I'm not interested.'"

Hilton Johnson teaches the same thing...

"If the prospect is not sold on your offer and is just using this as
an excuse to get rid of you, you probably have a weak
presentation..."

And of course they offer programs to help you develop your presentations.

Yes, what you say DOES matter. I myself teach people how to talk to others about their business or their products. I have a whole book on it.

But here's my take on the role of your presentation: It can help you get interest from the few who are of like mind, but it does nothing like guarantee an "I'm interested" from most people.

Even with a good presentation, most people will still say no.

E.g. On the recruiting side, only 1/100 or so say they want to do any kind of 100% commission sales. So no matter what you say, 99/100 will say no. If you sweet talk them into it, they soon drop out, like 95% already do.

On the customer side, perhaps one in 10 or 20 will have an interest in your product or service, regardless of what you say (provided it's true and not full of empty promises).

For example, I eat organic. Nothing a regular store like Safeway or Price Chopper advertises there will ever get me to go into one of those stores. I just prefer organic because I believe it is easier on my body. Right or wrong, that's me. All their advertising and presentations are wasted on me, regardless of how stellar they are.

If Nordstrom is having a shoe sale on size 6 shoes, I won't go. I'm a size 8.

There is nothing for everyone. Mass marketing is very much on the wane. Niche marketing is in vogue and some of the big companies are learning that.

If a person doesn't care about alternatives to drugs and surgery, they won't have an interest in your natural product. If someone doesn't play tennis, they can't be your tennis partner. No matter how wonderful you tell them tennis is.

Moral: Your words are only part of the answer. Bigger is recognizing that even with the best story and script, some people will be a match, most not. Learn to let go of those who are not part of your niche. Learn to do niche prospecting - YOUR niche - the one you know and love. That's where your words will more likely fall on open ears.

Do you really want to do therapy on the rest of the world?

Are they asking you to?

My response invariably is: "It's probably too late."

Certainly you can try to recover from that "I'm not interested" response. You can ask, "Why do you say that?" (Say this gently, as though you are confused and really, really want the answer.) You can repeat back: "Not interested?" (Again, say this gently, as though you are confused.) This sometimes gets people to start talking and explain themselves. Bottom line, however, if everyone that you speak with says, "I'm not interested," you're not saying anything interesting.

If you have a compelling script with stellar delivery, you will hardly ever hear the words, "I'm not interested." That's because you will actually be saying something interesting!

On the telephone, you have approximately 10-20 seconds to grab your prospect's attention - and if you do not do that, your call is probably over. 10-20 seconds is not a lot of time. You are not going to convey a lot of information in 10-20 seconds. Instead, what you'll convey is your energy, your confidence and your excitement. Your words must reach out and immediately grab and hook your prospect's attention.

From the moment your prospect says, "Hello," your goal is to gain your prospect's attention so that she is hungry to hear more. If you don't hook your prospects in the beginning of your conversation, they will not want to speak with you. They will say, "I'm not interested," and worse case, they may hang up on you.

In order to hook your prospect, ask yourself: Whom are you calling? Why should they be interested? You're looking for hot buttons, those issues that are so important to your prospect that when they come up, your prospect stops in her tracks to listen. The big point here is that when you are trying to hook someone, you have to have some sense of what's important to them.

Ask yourself: What is the value that I (the company/product/service) bring to customers. How do they benefit? How do I (the company/product/service) make customer's lives easy, stress-free, happy, profitable etc? You may have to do some market research and/or brainstorming here. Once you've determined that value, however, lead with it.

Here's an example:

Last year when I conducted the "Cold Calling College" teleclass, I received an e-mail from a participant. He said he was calling owners of mid-size companies and not having much success. His e-mail read:

"...I say my name and company and then say 'we specialize in business performance management solutions for budgeting, reporting and analysis.... I hear 'not interested' then they hang up before I can say anything else.

Another thing I have tried is, '...the reason I am calling is to introduce [company name]'s budgeting reporting analysis solutions and to invite you to an Excel seminar...' But after this I hear, 'not interested,' then they hang up before I can say anything else."

It's hardly surprising that these introductions didn't work. They weren't interesting. There was nothing in those first sentences to grab and hook a business owner's attention.

Later on, after going through the "Cold Calling College" system, the person who wrote this e-mail was able to pare his introduction down. His introduction ended up being something like: "We help companies keep the money they make." Short, sweet, to the point and focused on the value to business owners. Prospects stopped hanging up on him. Instead, he was able to start scheduling meetings with those business owners.

Lesson learned: Do your homework. Do what ever is necessary to truly understand your prospects. Before you ever pick up the phone, have the answer to the question: "Why should this prospect be interested?" If you have that answer, you will never again hear: "I'm not interested."

Copyright (c) 2007 Weiss Communications

Article Source : marketing mix models

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Both Kim Klaver & Wendy Weiss are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Kim Klaver has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Water Filters and First Date. . Kim Klaver's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.

Wendy Weiss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sales and Negotiation, Marketing and How to Sell on Ebay. Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach who helps you to gain confidence, reach more prospects, close more sales and make more money! For free prospecting sales tips go to. Wendy Weiss's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.