It's aways been one of the great mysteries of the business world that salesmen make absolutely the worst buyers of any product on the planet. This is of course entirely absurd because they have been taught all of the tricks, know exactly how the salesman opposite them is gulling them, avoiding the difficult questions and skating over the flaws in his product.
Yet it always seems to work out the same: they're vastly more impressed by the presentation than they are by the product itself. What seems to happen is that they go through their own mental check list: yes, shiny hair, shiny shoes, hey, that deflected that question really well, hhm, yes, this guy's a really good salesman.
What this then means is that if you want to sell sales as a profession that someone should move into then you really need to be a salesman yourself and selling to someone who is amenable to being influenced by such tricks and methods: that's if you can't get him in as chief buyer at your greatest competitor (or customer of course).
Being slightly more serious it is necessary to realize that salesmen are something of a breed apart. They need a certain set of skills and a mindset that will help then convince people that today's widget is indeed just the widget that they have always wanted, is in fact what they have been waiting decades for.
The first and most obvious attribute is an intense desire to convince people: if you listen to sale people talking to each other even when not selling products they are selling themselves. There is then a set of technical skills that need to be learned but this is less important than the desire.
Perhaps the most difficult thing about sales people though is keeping them motivated. This is where close co-operation with your recruitment consultant at Talisman will be most useful. Each industry, each portion of one and then the firms within it have their own method of compensation: that mixture of bonuses, basic salary and so on that push the good sales people on to ever greater exertions. What you need to do as a company to sell the idea of selling for you to the good sales people in that industry is to make sure that your all over package is better than that of your competitors for their services.
Perhaps the most important point is that there should be no cap on commissions: those tend to, when prospective employees hear about them, result in a no sale.
You need prospective clients and customers: If you don't have a customer list from which to solicit referrals, and you also lack an advertising/marketing budget, cold-calling to a highly targeted list is the fastest route to finding high probability prospects.
A High Probability Prospect is one who wants, needs, can afford, and is ready to buy your product or service- now. Those who only want, need, and can afford- but are not ready to buy now- are prospects that you will not meet with now. But, you will continue to contact in the future, until they are ready to buy.
How does Cold Calling fit into High Probability Prospecting?
Before picking up the phone, you need to define your target market. Your target markets are consumers and/or companies who are likely to want your product or service. If you haven't gone through the exercise of defining your target market, start by making a list of your best customers: What characteristics do they share? Are they in similar industries? Are they companies of about the same size, or in the same vertical markets? In B2C sales, look for similar socio-economic factors.
Your prospect list, whether you've created it yourself or purchased it, is the basis of your prospecting campaign. Contact each person on the list repeatedly, each time with a different offer. In High Probability Prospecting, an offer is a succinct distillation of two features of your product or service. Every time you re-contact a prospect, present a different offer.
When call your list, only first-time calls are cold calls in High Probability Prospecting. A truly effective prospecting campaign requires that you call the same list every 3 to 4 weeks, so after a short period of time, most of your calls will be 'warm' calls. A higher percentage of the people on your list will say "Yes" to your prospecting offer with each successive call.
5 Simple rules for maximum effectiveness and maximum efficiency:
Don't repeat the same prospecting offer more frequently than every third call.
Your offer must be no longer than 45 words, describing your product/service and mentioning two if its features.
Your prospecting offer must clearly request a "Yes" or "No" answer.
When prospects say "No," you say, "Okay, good-bye."
When prospects say "Yes," you say, "Why?"
With practice, you should be able to make at least 50 dials per hour. You'll find an increasing number of High Probability Prospects- people who respond with 'Yes' to your offer- with each pass through your list. You'll be on your way to making appointments with people who are ready to buy what you're selling- right now.
High Probability Prospecting doesn't eliminate cold-calling entirely. You will, however, make successively fewer Cold Calls and far more "Warm Calls". That will eliminate most of the Rejection associated with cold-calling. Thus, you will turn telephone prospecting into an efficient and enjoyable activity.
Both Richard Taylor Edwards & Jacques Werth 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.
Richard Taylor Edwards has sinced written about articles on various topics from LASIK Surgery, Careers and Job Hunting and Careers and Job Hunting. Richard Taylor Edwards, Managing Director of Talisman Executive Resourcing, the leading employment agency that offers industry.. Richard Taylor Edwards's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Jacques Werth has sinced written about articles on various topics from Telemarketing. Jacques Werth, author of "High Probability Selling" is an internationally respected Sales Trainer and Sales Consultant. HPS graduates are excelling as top sales performers in over 70 industries. Visit. Jacques Werth's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.