Bad Sales Call - Don't Do This

I recently received the following sales call....Ring (incoming call)…
Me:  “Hello, this is Michael, how can I help you?”
Sales person:  “Yes, I’d like to speak to the owner”
Me:  “Oh boy… (sigh) How can I help you?”
Sales person:  (If we can call him that) – “Is this the owner of SalesBuzz?”
Me:  “Yes, what can I do for you?”
Sales person:  “How are they treating you there in Florida?” (Really piss-poor attempt to try and falsely build rapport or lower my guard and to get me to talk)
Me:  “Wow…. Really?!?”
Sales person:  “Uh... You sound really busy”
Me:  “No, you’re just having a really bad sales call.”
Sales person:  (nervous laugh / caught off guard) “Ummm never mind, I don’t want to talk to you” Click.
The feeling is mutual.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Somewhere along the line this sales person was taught (incorrectly) that they way you sell by phone is to build rapport and get the prospect to "like" you. Engage the prospect and get them talking - "warm them up".

No wonder so many sales people hate to cold call. With that kind of instruction, the sales rep is bound to fail.

This sales person missed at least four (4) steps that could have turned this call - and every other sales call he will ever make - around.

STEPS TO A BETTER SALES CALL

Here are 4 things this sales person could have done in order to have had a more successful sales call:

Pre-call research: Starting off with "I'd like to speak with the owner" is a dead give away that you are an unprepared sales person. Gatekeepers will eat your lunch. How hard is it to find out the owners name of a small business before you pick up the phone? Last time I checked, my home page has a video that says: "Hi, I'm Michael Pedone..."

Poor Opening Value Statement: You have 15 seconds or less to pique a prospects interest before they decide to continue or end the sales call. And they are only concerned about their needs and only wish to speak to salespeople who can help them get what they want.

Wrong Objective: Trying to falsely build rapport or get me to talk about something that has no bearing on the conversation is so 1970's...

Weak Engagement Question: Most prospects already have sort sort of solution so they probably aren't sitting around asking themselves "how can we solve this problem" when you call. Asking an effective "engagement" or "entrance point" question that places your prospects attention on a pain or problem you know they have and one that you can help them solve has a much higher chance of getting the conversation going in the right direction.

For more information to help your prospecting techniques, click here.