We all know of the general
public's oft-quoted distaste of "snake-oil" salesmen, and we don't
want ourselves associated with "the pushy geek on the phone who won't
leave me alone when I just want to watch ER"

There are several things
you can do to take the "chill" out of prospect calls. Here are some
common sense "do's and don'ts" to help you set more quality
appointments on such calls:

1. Get "clued-up" first

The more you know about your prospect before placing a prospect call
and speaking with him, the better your chances of an appointment. It
will help you prepare a more customised opening and better questions,
plus it impresses the prospect. Conversely, if you have to ask, "Uh,
what do you do there?" you're labelled as a time-wasting,
self-interested peddler. So do your research thoroughly first before
making any calls at all.

If you're calling up a business, work with anyone who answers the
phone and ask questions. It can help to target someone other than your
primary target at first - I've often had success by going through a
PA, or a company librarian, i.e, people who are used to answering
questions.

Ask them things like: "I hope you can help me. First, I'm looking for
the name of the person there who ........." then, when they give you the
name, back it up with:

"Thank you. So I'm better prepared when I speak with him, there's
probably some information you can help me with, first......."

This way you should be able to get a lot of your "knowledge-gathering"

questions answered by people other than the person you are ultimately
going to target. This also has the effect of making you more confident
on the call to the "decision-maker" - after all, you already know
something about the person you're calling. Psychologically, this makes
it seem less of a "cold" call.

2. Don't send information before the prospect call

Starting out a prospect call with, "I sent you a letter, did you get
it?" rarely elicits a response like, "Oh, yeah. I want to meet with
you!" People treat EVERYBODY'S sales material the same....it is
considered junk mail and is binned, often before even getting opened.
It is best to offer to back up your call with information, not the
other way round.

3. Don't expect a result.

Prospect calling for appointments is a quality game. Approach each
with a professional attitude, and hope for a result but don't push if
there's too much resistance. And don't burn through the list of
prospects as fast as you can with the expectancy that your number will
be drawn eventually.

4. Don't ask for a decision early in the call.

People are resistant when faced with decisions before they see any
what they'll get in return.. Also avoid the equally inane question,
"If I could show you a way to ......, you would, wouldn't you?" No one
likes to be "techniqued." Always remember, the the only way they'll
consider investing time with you is if you can show that you're going
to help them in some way.

5. Do have an interest-creating opening in your call.

Here's one you might be able to adapt:
"Ms. M. Oney, I'm with . We specialise
in.........(sell your speciality, highlighting how it will improve your
customer's business/life/prospects).and end the build up with "I'd
like to ask a few questions to see if you'd like more information."

6. Do ask questions on the call.

You can make your customer curious and pre-sell him on what you'll
speak about when you arrive. For example: "Based on what you told me,
it looks like you could show quite a significant saving with our
product. The best thing to do would be for us to get together so I can
ask a few more questions and show you some of our options to see if we
have a fit. How about next week?" Then narrow down a convenient time
for both of you.

7. Do make a confirmation call after the call.

Some prospects might cancel, but it's a risk you have to take... you
need to know you won't be wasting your time in turning up, and it
reinforces their memory of the original call

8. Don't give up

And don't let a "no" get you down. The last call has nothing to do
with the next unless you let negative feelings affect your attitude.
Talking to people generates income, but avoiding the phone, stuffing
envelopes and walking around do not. Set a secondary objective, one
you can accomplish on every call, such as simply qualifying someone as
a prospect or not, so you can have a success of sorts on every call.

All of the items above will help you once you're actually on the
phone, but getting to the phone and actually picking it up can be just
as difficult. You have to develop the mindset that what you are
selling is of benefit to the people you're selling too....so much of
benefit that they really have to know about it,... and you're just the
person to tell them.

When I was starting I wrote up a script, and tried it out, first on
myself in the mirror, then on my family, then on friends, always
asking for feedback, and refining it as I went along. You get used to
saying the words, and it becomes a lot more fluent and less
embarrassing.

Most of the advice I've given here is equally applicable to direct mailing. The trouble with
direct mailing from a salesman's point of view is that it is
impersonal, and you know that 99.9% of it is going straight in the
bin. But it is easier than prospect calling, and that's why it is used
in a lot of cases.

Personally I always had much more success on the phone, and the
techniques listed above actually work. I should know - I was too shy
to speak to anybody when I started, but these notes helped a lot.

If you develop the right mindset, and remember that your prospects are
real people with real lives and treat them professionally and
courteously, you are already more than halfway there.

William Meikle is a Scottish writer, currently travelling in Canada, with seven novels published in the States and three more coming in 2007/8, all in the independent fantasy and horror press. His short work and articles have appeared in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Greece, Saudi Arabia and India. He also has three shorts produced from his scripts, and several supernatural scripts currently on option, including four shorts, and a supernatural thriller feature.

William Meikle
http://www.williammeikle.com