We’re on a cold call when the prospect walks out of your kitchen and the sales rep walks up to him with a business card and says, “Hi, I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.”
Now there’s an inspiring reason for the prospect to drop everything he’s doing to spend half an hour listening to a stranger who wants to sell him something, something he thinks he’d already be using if he needed it.
I do not think!
In the “cold calling” situation, the DSR must have a plan for what he or she is going to say and ask, and the plan must be effective.
The initial benefit statement
The first thing out of the DSR’s mouth should be a memorized and rehearsed 15-20 second “elevator pitch” or opening statement of benefits. Imagine getting into an elevator and the person next to you asks, “What do you do for a living?” You are in the place. You have to introduce yourself and make a good impression before the doors open on the next floor. If you babble and babble, you sound like an idiot and no one will want to talk to you. It is the first impression and it is fundamental.
In sales, a poor first impression will be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. That’s why it’s so important to have a professional and well-planned initial benefits statement.
In these first 15 to 20 seconds, the prospect wants you to answer three questions: “Who are you?” “What do you want?” and “How long is this going to take?”
If you can make this “elevator pitch” sound natural, on autopilot in the blink of an eye, then you’ll look and sound like an organized professional, like you know what you’re doing. And you will be more confident. Getting off to a good start is the key to making more and better “cold calls”.
This is how it might sound; “I’m Robin Banks from Sunny’s Food Service. We’re a broad-line distributor specializing in serving independent restaurants like yours. I’d like to take 10 minutes of your time to see if there’s a chance we could work together.” with you. Is now a good time?
Important points:
1.) Robin tells us who he is, what company he represents and what he wants.
2.) She also stimulates the interest of the prospect (specializing in serving independent restaurants like yours)
3.) Robin claims that she only needs 10 minutes. To make the 10 minutes work better:
Get to the point
Ask questions that will win you a second date
Keep your time commitment
4.) She asked the closing question. (Is now a good time?)
5.) One sales mistake that Robin avoided was apologizing. She didn’t say, “Sorry to interrupt your day,” “I know you’re busy, but…” “I don’t want to waste your time.” Don’t waste any more time apologizing. You only have about 15 seconds. Just get to the point.
Once you have practiced the initial benefit statement, use it several times before making any changes.
Remember, there are only two reasons a prospect will take the time to see you:
1) He is alone
2) He is interested in something.
Suppose you are not alone. So when your initial benefits statement is successful, be prepared with good questions to find out what the prospect is interested in.