Cold Calling College A Four-Part Teleclass Part I: Why Your Customer Needs You Presented by Wendy Weiss The Queen of Cold Calling http://www.wendyweiss.com For information (212) 463-8212 wendy@wendyweiss.com
The Master Plan Be at ease speaking with prospects on the telephone Turn the cold call into the introductory call and how your prospects will welcome the difference Discover why your customers and prospects need you Find the prospects who are most likely to buy Identify What Are You Selling? Who Will Buy It? and Where Will You Find Them? Create your ideal customer profile 2004, Wendy Weiss 1
Course Outline Module 1: Getting comfortable with cold calling Module 2: Getting started Module 3: Why your customer needs you 2004, Wendy Weiss 2
Module 1 Getting comfortable with cold calling This session will help you: Conceptualize the cold calling process Reframe how you think about cold calling Definitions Cold call: Telephone call or visit made to someone who is not known or expecting the contact, often in order to sell something Sell: to persuade (another) to recognize the worth or desirability of Introductory calls Three Keys to Comfort: Integrity Equality Preparation 2004, Wendy Weiss 3
The Performance Model Warm Up Develop your marketing plan Write your script Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Pitch friends Pitch colleagues Use a tape recorder Practice out loud! Performance If you are afraid or nervous, it is stage fright Technique gets you through stage fright Technique helps you get on when you re having a bad day Action steps: Think of this process as making introductory calls. You are calling to introduce yourself, Your company and your services Remember: Introductory calling is communication Examine your business and service and how you see yourself and your intentions Recognize that you are a reputable person with integrity, representing a beneficial service Remember that your prospect needs you! 2004, Wendy Weiss 4
Assignment: What is your product or service? Is it meaningful? Does it provide a benefit to your customer? Do you believe in the value and benefit of your product or service? Are you doing the best you know how to ensure that your customers get what they need? Do you see yourself as an expert? What is your intent toward your customer or your prospect? Assignment: Go back through your files and find any and every testimonial letter, thank-you note, or thank you e-mail that you have ever received from a customer. Take a highlighter and highlight all of the good things that your customers have said about you. Put them on a bulletin board or wall near where you make your calls so that you can see them when you re working. If you do not have wall space, put the letters in a notebook and keep it close at hand. Use these letters to remind yourself of how you help your customers. Prospects are customers to be. Soon they will be writing you thank you letters as well. 2004, Wendy Weiss 5
Module 2 Getting started This session will help you get set up for effective introductory calling Check list: Environment Quiet Organized Telephone Cordless Long cord Head set Lead tracking system Contact Tracking Software Other Date Book/PDA I use my lead tracking system all of the time! I make time to call every day! Things to do Marketing plan Script Make telephone calls! 2004, Wendy Weiss 6
Precall Planning Worksheet Company Name: Industry: Prospect Name: Referred by: Prospect Title: Telephone Number: Fax Number: Telephone Number (Alt.): E-mail: Cell Phone Number: Web Site: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Last Results: ID/Status: Customer Prospect Follow up call Post-appointment call Referral Call back Qualifiers: 1. 2. 3. Notes: Today s Goal: 2004, Wendy Weiss 7
Assignment: Take out your date book, PDA or whatever you use to keep track of your appointments. First schedule time to do research. Then schedule a separate time to make your calls. When it is time to make your calls, go into your office, close the door and do not take any incoming calls or unexpected meetings. Just make your calls. When your scheduled calling time is up, stop. Go on with your other work. 2004, Wendy Weiss 8
Module 3 Why your customer needs you What are you selling? This session will answer the questions: What are you selling? Who will buy it? Features are facts. They are innate. They just are Customer Benefits or Why your customer needs you The question your prospect is asking: What s in it for me? People buy things for different reasons (theirs not yours) People buy benefits The Big Benefit Security Recognition Money Less stress It is your job to articulate customer benefits The selling process is about your prospect, not about you 2004, Wendy Weiss 9
Assignment: First list all Features. Next list the Benefits of those Features. Finally list the Big Benefits! Features Benefits Big Benefits 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 2004, Wendy Weiss 10
Articulate Benefits Through a Success Story Success Story #1: Success Story #2: Success Story #3: 2004, Wendy Weiss 11
Who will buy it? My ideal customer profile: Look at: Top 10 Customers What do they have in common? (Be specific) Historical customer What do they have in common? (Be specific) If your Top 10 list differs from your Historical list Why? The Goal You always want to target the highest level person. They are usually the decision-maker or they will know who is Qualifiers Conditions that must be in place in order for a prospect to be qualified to do business with you 2004, Wendy Weiss 12
Qualifying Parameters: Your pre-selected criteria. The conditions that are necessary for you to consider doing business with a prospect List your Qualifying Parameters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 2004, Wendy Weiss 13
Hot Leads: Divide your leads into A, B and C lists according to the priority you give them A being high priority and C the lowest priority. You can move leads from list to list as you gather new information Focus on your A leads If you are a beginner, or just not yet comfortable with your introductory-calling skills, start with your C list. It will be low priority, low anxiety, you will get some practice and you will schedule some new business meetings in the process! Remember: It will take you as much time to close a C lead as it does to close an A. Once your are confident, focus on your A leads 2004, Wendy Weiss 14
Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, is a sales trainer, sales coach and author. Her clients include Avon Products, ADP, Sprint, Newmark Real Estate and thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the country. She is an instructor at Pace University in New York City, where she created the Sales Certificate Program. Wendy has been featured in BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur Magazine, Selling Power, Target Marketing and various other business and sales publications. Wendy s e-mail newsletter, Opening Doors & Closing Sales has an international readership and her columns are syndicated to 134 different print and Internet publications. Wendy s recent book is Cold Calling for Women: Opening Doors and Closing Sales. She is also the author of Cold Calling for Printers and Cold Calling for the Incentive & Promotions Industry. Wendy is available for consulting, workshops, seminars and individual sales coaching. For information: Wendy Weiss Weiss Communications 412 West 25 th St., Suite 1F New York, NY 10001 Telephone: (212) 463-8212 Fax: (212) 807-9875 Email: wendy@wendyweiss.com www.wendyweiss.com To order Cold Calling for Women, Cold Calling for Printers or any other Weiss Communications products, call (toll free): (866) 405-8212 or visit our web site: http://www.wendyweiss.com. To sign up for Wendy s free sales and marketing e-mail newsletter, also visit our web site: http://www.wendyweiss.com. 2004, Wendy Weiss 15