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    <title>Home: Message List - Cold Call Horrors - How To Avoid Them!!!</title>
    <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/community/forum/salesandmarketing?view=discussions</link>
    <description>Most recent forum messages</description>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:03:26 GMT</pubDate>
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    <dc:date>2008-07-11T18:03:26Z</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: Cold Call Horrors - How To Avoid Them!!!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31244&amp;amp;tstart=0#31244</link>
      <description>Good points blue suits. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If the person you are trying to reach does not pick up the phone, DO NOT LEAVE A VOICEMAIL. They will not get back to you. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For anybody that has a little apprehension to call or has caller hesitation consider this: if somebody says "No" to you, they are not saying that they hate you or don't like you, they are simply declining the offer that you are giving them. You have to separate your personal emotions from whatever it is you are trying to sell. If they had a chance to sit down and chat with you about anything else, they'd probably love you. Remember that the person on the line is a PERSON. They have feelings and emotions, and aren't just targets to sell to.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
More resources here...  www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:03:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>rontowns25</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31244&amp;amp;tstart=0#31244</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-07-11T18:03:26Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jul 11, 2008 2:03 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: Cold Call Horrors - How To Avoid Them!!!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30095&amp;amp;tstart=0#30095</link>
      <description>With caller ID these days, I think it's increasingly becoming difficult to cold call.  These are all great tips, but what do people do if the person simply doesn't pick up or respond?   In those situations, I would recommend trying to reach another person in the company (if possible)...who knows, you may find that the first person wasn't the decision maker to begin with, or the other person may make introductions for you to the original person.   I also agree with Rontowns25 - it's important not to be discouraged and/or not take it personally.  I also like the tip about repeating your contact info slowly - who wants to do a rewind from someone they don't even know?</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:28:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>Bluesuit</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30095&amp;amp;tstart=0#30095</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-06-30T21:28:17Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jun 30, 2008 5:28 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>1</clearspace:replyCount>
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    <item>
      <title>Cold Call Horrors - How To Avoid Them!!!</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30057&amp;amp;tstart=0#30057</link>
      <description>Don't be one of those sales people who absolutely blows a cold call! Cold calls are challenging only if you don't know how to do them. Here are the keys to being successful. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
1. Do your homework:&lt;br /&gt;
When making a cold call you want to be as prepared as possible. With today's&lt;br /&gt;
technological advances it is easy to do research on anyone. It is as simple as&lt;br /&gt;
putting the CEO of a company's name into Google, or looking at their Web site&lt;br /&gt;
and reading their mission statement. For example, you could Google John Assaraf&lt;br /&gt;
and find out that he is a member of the board for the Jenna Druck Foundation.&lt;br /&gt;
Now when you call, you can say "I understand that John Assaraf is on the board&lt;br /&gt;
of the Jenna Druck Foundation and I have an idea/program that I would like to&lt;br /&gt;
talk to him about that is going to help him give more money to that foundation.&lt;br /&gt;
Do you think I could have some time to talk with him?"&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*2. Set small,&lt;br /&gt;
obtainable goals:* If you are reluctant or apprehensive about making phone&lt;br /&gt;
calls to an unfamiliar person, set small goals at first until you get the hang&lt;br /&gt;
of things. For example make a small goal to make one call a day, Monday through&lt;br /&gt;
Friday. This will help you start to achieve success and build your confidence.&lt;br /&gt;
Most importantly reward yourself for overcoming your challenges; it can be as&lt;br /&gt;
simple as yelling "woo hoo!" after a successful phone call. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*3. It's not about&lt;br /&gt;
you, it's about them!* It is crucial to know in advance how your product or service is going to help your&lt;br /&gt;
customer. You need to have your Unique Selling Benefit, Unique Selling Position&lt;br /&gt;
and your elevator speech ready and know how each applies to your specific&lt;br /&gt;
customer. You need to show your prospective clients what their benefit is for&lt;br /&gt;
taking the time to talk to you. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*4. Be persistent and&lt;br /&gt;
enthusiastic*: A smile actually causes a physiological change in the tone of&lt;br /&gt;
your voice because smiling elongates the vocal chords. Your energy and&lt;br /&gt;
enthusiasm is easily recognizable over the phone, so it's OK to be excited&lt;br /&gt;
about your business. Leave an enthusiastic message and don't just leave it&lt;br /&gt;
once, leave it three or four times. "John, I called you last week on Tuesday. I&lt;br /&gt;
understand how busy you are. I am going to leave you that phone number again in&lt;br /&gt;
case it got buried." (Remember to leave the number slowly and repeat it).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*5. Be memorable and&lt;br /&gt;
follow-up:* In order to reach a decision maker or your target audience you&lt;br /&gt;
need to stand out of the crowd. Leaving the same voicemail four times isn't&lt;br /&gt;
going to sell your potential client. For example; if you are operating a doggy&lt;br /&gt;
daycare and are trying to reach more clients, in addition to leaving a&lt;br /&gt;
voicemail, send potential clients a dog biscuit and tie a note around it and&lt;br /&gt;
mail it out. This will allow you to stand out. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Everyone has a busy life; there are so many opportunities&lt;br /&gt;
for a phone message to get lost or an e-mail to end up in the spam folder. Use&lt;br /&gt;
a variation of media when you follow up. You can call and say "Hey, just wanted&lt;br /&gt;
to leave you a quick message. I sent you an email and I want you to be looking&lt;br /&gt;
for an mail from John-at-OneCoach-dot-com. If you don't receive it in the next&lt;br /&gt;
hour, please check your spam. Thank you."&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These five tips can help you become more confident with your&lt;br /&gt;
cold-calling skills and ensure that you are effectively using your time. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Finally, remember to have fun and take risks. When you&lt;br /&gt;
believe in yourself and your company, your enthusiasm and energy will pass on&lt;br /&gt;
to your clients. These keys to success will help you grow your company and&lt;br /&gt;
expand your client base. Click here to see a library of information under the excerpts section... www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:12:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>rontowns25</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=30057&amp;amp;tstart=0#30057</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-06-30T16:12:32Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jun 30, 2008 3:50 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>2</clearspace:replyCount>
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