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Jill Konrath | Selling to Big Companies: 3 Deadly Words You Need to Avoid …

“You probably have carefully selected words to impress your prospects with the value your company provides or the kind of relationship your firm establishes with its good customers. So … drum roll … here they are:

1. Leading-Edge (state-of-the-art, industry-leading)
The moment you start using words like this, you’ve turned into a self-serving salesperson. You may not think so and it most likely isn’t your intent, but that’s how your prospect sees you.

“Why? Because you’re trying to impress her with how wonderful your offering is. Everyone knows that that’s how salespeople talk. The more you brag about your offering, the less believable you are. Even if your product or service is the most advanced in the entire world, your prospect knows that it’s only a matter of months before some other firm has a competitive offering that probably costs less.

“Don’t talk about your offering. Leave out all the descriptors that supposedly make it so incredible. Focus on your customer’s objectives, challenges and issues instead. You need to get them to move off the status quo and those “bragging” words just don’t do it. But most often I see sellers use it because they’re scared of losing a potential opportunity. They want to make sure their entire laundry list of offerings is on the table in hopes that prospects find something that they need in it.”

Watch Jill Konrath’s video to Learn More About the Other Deadly Mistakes Sales Reps Make

You can see suggestions for exact wording to use on this page.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. Visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com for more info.  Get a free Sales Call Planning Guide ($19.95 value) when you sign up for the Selling to Big Companies e-newsletter. Just send an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to jill@sellingtobigcompanies.com and it will be sent right to you.

Jill Konrath’s best-selling book Selling to Big Companies is available on Amazon.com

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

On the other hand, on rainy Mondays. . . or Tuesdays or any other day,  if I felt tired or not enthusiastic about calling, the prospects I called sounded unreceptive and unfriendly.

Then, an amazing thing happened. I put two and two together and realized it was up to ME how my prospects responded to my voice and my attitude on the telephone!

WOW!  This opened the door for some tremendous sales. And I want to share the magic formula with you.

Stressful Days versus Happy Days
(They can hear it in your voice)

A few years ago Deidra participated in my e-class and her experience was very interesting.  She told me that a week earlier, she had been through the process of buying her first house; the paperwork involved, searching for past bank statements, telephone calls from the mortgage company, and then closing on her new house.  All of this can be very stressful and she felt her disappointing results on the telephone reflected the way she felt.But after that was over and she had finished with the paperwork, the closing, etc., she felt relieved, AND was looking forward to a vacation in Mexico (at company expense :-)  Deidra was feeling happy and even joyful.

Result: Her numbers went up.  She also attributed the increase to a few changes she had made in her opening statement on the telephone.

Three Tips

1.  Cold call when you have a really good monthly special – a great sale!
KEY POINT:  Now, this is crucial: YOU must feel it is really, truly, a GREAT deal for your prospects and customers! This is the key. It needs to be repeated because it is so important:

YOU must believe it is an excellent opportunity for the people you are calling.

Why?

Because your attitude will shine through! Your prospects will HEAR it in your voice! When YOU sound excited and happy, it will be contagious! It will transfer to your prospects (unless you are calling a really grouchy, negative person who wouldn’t sound happy even if s/he won the lottery!)

2.  Cold call when you have a new product to offer.

Same advice as above: You must feel happy to be sharing this news with your prospects. YOU must really believe it’s a good thing that your company now has the ability to offer this new product or new addition to your product line. For the same reasons listed above.

3.  For a really successful day of cold calling, have a “Phone Blitz”! What is a phone blitz?  It’s a prospecting contest you have with co-workers in your sales department.

How a Phone Blitz Works

Set aside two or three hours (no more than three hours, or you may risk burnout) to call prospects and customers. Ask your administrative department or receptionist to answer phones for you and take messages. Or use your voice mail to take messages. For those two or three hours, dial, dial, dial!

Keep track of sales and/or profits on a chart posted on the wall. As soon as someone makes a sale, they go up to the chart and post the sale on the chart. The challenge can be one or more of the following:

1. Who generates the most revenue during the blitz – or

2. Who generates the most profit – or

3. Who gets the most number of sales

Make a game of your blitz by each putting up some money – a quarter or a dollar or whatever you feel you can gamble. Winner gets the pot!

Get management involved by suggesting they offer prizes for the person who makes the most number of sales and the person generating the most revenue or profit. Certificates can be given for the winner in each category: “Good for a one-hour vacation – come in an hour late or leave an hour early,” subject to manager’s approval. Dollar bills can be put into prize envelopes.

Why it Works

Enthusiasm is contagious. The competitive spirit gets you pumped up and motivated. As sales are made and posted on the chart, you will be more motivated to make the next call.   Cold-calling becomes fun and challenging and not dreaded because there is a good reason to make the calls:  You want to win the contest!

A phone blitz – and recognition for the winners – is a great way to MOTIVATE!

Take a look at this very good article about the importance of positive belief and motivation written by Kate Tammemagi.

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

But many small business people would rather spend an entire day in a dentist’s chair than make prospecting calls. Does the thought of cold calling make your stomach drop to your toes?  These cold calling tips won’t eliminate your fear, but they will help you make cold calling a more successful experience.

1) Smooth the way for your cold call by sending prospects a small, unique promotional item.

This helps break the ice and makes your business stand out from the crowd. Pat Cavanaugh, sales guru of Inc.com , says, “It’s amazing. A $2.15 crazy little item we’ve sent out has helped us get Fortune 500 accounts. When we call, they say, “Oh yeah….you were the one that sent me that…”

2) Do your cold calling early in the morning, if possible.

That’s the best time to reach the decision maker directly, and for most people, the time that they’re most energized.

3) Prepare an opening statement for your cold call.

This lets you organize your thoughts before cold calling, and helps you avoid common mistakes in the cold call opening that would give the person you’re calling the chance to terminate the conversation. For instance, you should never ask, “Is this a good time to talk?” or “How are you today?” Don’t read your opening statement into the phone, but use it as a framework to get the cold calling conversation off to a good start.

4) What should be in the opening statement of your cold call?

This organizational plan for cold calling works well: Include a greeting and an introduction, a reference point (something about the prospect), the benefits of your product or service, and a transition to a question or dialogue.

For example,

“Good afternoon, Ms. Marshall. This is Ken Brown with Green Works. I read in the local paper that you recently broke ground for a new office complex. We specialize in commercial landscape services that allow you to reduce in-house maintenance costs and comply with the city’s new environmental regulations. I’d like to ask a few questions to determine whether one of our programs might meet your needs.’”

5) Be persistent when cold calling.

“Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact, yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call”  Source:  AllBusiness.com.

And above all, practice, practice, practice. While cold calling may never be much fun for you, you can get better at it, and the more you practice cold calling, the more effective you will be. So get your script and your call list together and reach for the phone. The people who want to do business with you are out there – but you have to let them know about you first.

6) Prepare a cold calling script for the rest of your cold call.

Lay out the benefits of your product or service and the reasons your prospect should buy. Write out possible objections and your answer to them. Without a cold calling telesales script, it’s too easy to leave something out or meander. Once again, it’s not that you’ll be reading your script word for word when you call, but that you’ve prepared the framework of the cold call in advance.

7) Focus on the goal when cold calling.

Beginners tend to think that cold calling is about making the sale. It’s not. It’s about getting the chance to make the sale. Specifically, the purpose of a cold call is to set an appointment to make the pitch.

8) Research your markets and prospects.

You need to target your cold calling to the right audience. Use market research to focus on your target market. Source:  How to Find and Sell to Your Target Market.

Find out as much as you possibly can about the company or individual you’re going to cold call in advance. This gives you the huge advantage of being able to talk about their business and their needs when you call them.  Before you make a cold call, do an Internet search and visit www.linkedin.com for information about the prospect.
Need to get motivated before cold calling?  Read:  Building Beliefs Essential to Success – an excellent article written by Kate Tammemagi.

Get more tips about cold calling plus 29 different ways to handle objections in my e-book How to Win the Sale and Keep the Customer

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

Preparing for the call and knowing what you are going to say to the prospect BEFORE you make the call is crucial.

Last year a telemarketer called me.  Her opening statement was amazing.  I’ll bet you have never heard an opening statement like this one. This is a true story, word for word.

She said:   “Hello, I’m calling from Bank of America.  Uh . . . I mean, the Chevron Corporation.”

(What???   See what I mean?   Amazing.)

I asked her:  “What company are you calling from?”

She answered:  “The Chevron Corporation.”

She then went on to say:  “I know you are busy, so I won’t take up much of your time.”
(She was right about that.)

She began reading from a script, but I stopped her and ended the call.

Now, usually I listen to the whole pitch, because this is what I write about, and I often get good material from the people who call me.  But this person was obviously working for a telemarketing firm that represented several different companies.  And she did not even take the time (BEFORE she placed the call) to figure out which company she was representing during the call.

What is the worst – or best – telemarketing cold call you have ever received?  Please post your comments below so our readers can benefit from your wisdom and experience.

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

One of the best telesales representatives I met during that time was Jeff, who worked for a well- known wholesaler. At one point, after having purchased a skid of H.P. laser toner cartridges (for resale) from one supplier, I received a phone call from Jeff.  He told me his company was having a sale on the same cartridge I had just purchased from the other supplier.

When I told him we had just ordered a skid of these cartridges (from his competitor), he asked how long they would last. He also asked if we would consider buying the next order from his company. When I said “yes,” he asked, specifically:  “When will you need to order these again?” I answered, “three months from today,” and he said he would call me two weeks before the three-month date.

Five Reasons Why He Got the Order

1.)  Jeff did NOT ask a vague question like,  “Do you sell a lot of these cartridges?”

2.)  He was very SPECIFIC and asked when we would need to order this product again.

3.)  Instead of saying, “I hope you will think of us the next time you need to order,” he asked a great question:  “Will you consider ordering from us the next time you need these cartridges?”  When I answered, “yes,” he had a definite commitment from me.

And Jeff did NOT make a vague statement like: “I’ll give you a call in a few months.”

4.)  He said specifically, “I’ll call you two weeks before you need to order.”

He told me exactly when he would call back, even naming the date. Then he asked, “Okay?” I answered, “Sure, give me a call.” And he did! (Don’t you just love sales people who keep their promises?)

5.)  He called exactly when he said he would. He reminded me of our phone conversation and my agreement to consider purchasing the cartridges from his company. (Jeff was not shy :-)

I was so impressed with Jeff’s perseverance and the fact that he kept good records on our account, that I did place the next order with him.  After that, we ordered on a regular basis.

Jeff became one of the top salespeople in his company and was later promoted to manage a new department.

I was not surprised.

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

The Customer’s Perspective

I asked Ann why she bought from this sales rep and what set Patricia apart from other sales people Ann heard from and this is what she told me:

“Actually, it was her persistence. I kept putting her off. And she picked ONE item – printer cartridges. She simply asked me to get a price quote from her before I ordered from the discount store. And after I placed my first order, she sent me a fancy little thank you note in the mail!”

How She Makes Those Productive Cold Calls

I asked Patricia for her success secrets and this is what she wrote:

“I think it is very important to believe in the product you are selling as well as the company you work for. When I am cold calling a customer I mention that I have been handling office equipment supplies for many years and I am very fortunate to be working at [name of her company].

“Be persistent! I tell customers that I don’t expect to get all their business after one or two calls. Try us out! We will show you the type of service we provide – Let us be an alternative to your current vendor – a ‘Back Up.’

When I cold call and speak with the receptionist, and can’t get through to the decision maker – I ask for the name of the person who is responsible for ordering office equipment supplies – I’m not trying to sell anything – I just want to send information. I then send an introductory letter to the decision-maker and information about our company.

“After I have a good cold call – I send a thank you note along with my business card. A lot of my customers mention that they like the ‘note’ they have received from us.”

Six habits

that set Patricia apart as a sales professional

1. She is persistent. Even though the customer “put her off,” she did not give up after only one or two prospecting calls.

(Research from Sales & Marketing Executives International found that 81% of all sales made are made in the fifth call or later in the sales process.)

2. She picked ONE item to focus on. She didn’t confuse the prospect by talking about a variety of products.

3. She BELIEVES in the products she sells AND the company she works for. That belief is communicated to her prospects.

4. Patricia offers to be a “back-up supplier” in case the customer’s regular vendor doesn’t have what the customer needs. This is a non-threatening “soft-sell” approach that I have seen pay off over and over and over again.

5. She makes the FIRST call just to get the NAME of the decision maker, then she sends an introductory letter with information about her company.

6. After a successful cold call, she sends thank-you notes with her business card. This is the mark of a professional. It sets Patricia apart from her competitors. A personal thank you note is remembered and appreciated by prospects and customers.

Replacing Lost Business

An American Management Association study shows that only 65% of customers buy every year where they bought before. So sales reps have to sell enough new business to replace lost business just to stay even.  How do you get new business? Some companies use direct mail marketing successfully. Others use a combination of fax blasts and direct mail marketing. But when effective telephone marketing is added, sales can skyrocket.

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

How quickly you capture a customer’s attention depends on how carefully you choose your words, according to Maura Schreier-Fleming, author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results.  Schreier-Fleming recommends staying away from one particular word.

Avoid This Word

“If a customer has a concern, our job as salespeople is to listen, to acknowledge and to hear that concern.  Using the word ‘but’ negates everything you’ve said before it,” warns Schreier-Fleming.  “What your customer hears is the disagreement that precedes an argument.”

Instead, first acknowledge the concern and follow with the word “and.”

For example, your customer might comment that the process you recommend sounds complicated.  You would respond:  “Yes, it is complicated and with our technical assistance . . . ”

Think about how much better the word “and” sounds – in the sentence above – instead of the word “but.”

Prospect’s Objection

“We are happy with our current vendor.”

When hearing this objection, some salespeople begin their response with “Yes, but we can offer you a lower price” or better quality products, or faster delivery, etc.

A more effective way to handle this objection is to use a soft-sell approach that is very successful.

EXAMPLE

“I understand.  Please keep us in mind as a second source.  We specialize exclusively in these products and we always keep them in stock.  If your current supplier is ever back-ordered on an item you need, give us a call.  You can get delivery the next day.  Is it okay if I send you our monthly sale notices?”

This is a non-combative and friendly response.  Instead of a hard sell “buy today” effect, you leave the impression with the prospect that you are there to help.  Most sales people are surprised at how often these lost prospects call back later to order.  Getting permission to send “monthly sale notices” keeps the door open for future calls.

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!

Locally, here in Virginia Beach, the cable company began – a few years ago – using negative (negative against their competitor) and extremely effective television commercials.  Actually, in the true sense of the word, the ad campaign used by the local cable company may not accurately be described as negative.  It could be described as just stating the facts about their competition.

Two Ads used by Cable Company

First TV commercial:  One man to a listener:  “Did you know that last year Verizon raised its rates by 20 percent?”

The listener:  “NO.  I did not know that.”

Text appearing on the screen:  “What You Don’t Know May Shock You.”

Second TV commercial:  One man to a couple listening: “Did you know that during the past five years the satellite company has raised its rates every year?”

One of the listeners:  “NO.  I did not know that.”

Text appearing on the screen:  “What You Don’t Know May Shock You.”

How Can You Use Something Like This For Your Business?

How can you present negative facts about your competitor in a way that will not cause the listener to regard YOU in a negative way?  One way is to not criticize your customer’s judgement in his/her choice of vendors and at the same time, communicate facts about your company that will benefit the customer.  As an example, let’s say you are a wholesaler of imaging supplies calling a reseller.

Script:
(Important:  This requires real knowledge of the competitor.)

Sales Person:
“Hello Mr. Smith, this is Mary Jones calling from XYZ Imaging Supplies Warehouse, calling about our competitively priced line of Panasonic supplies.  Do you have customers who use Panasonic supplies?”

Prospect:
“Well, actually, we already buy our Panasonic supplies from the ABC Company.”

Sales Person
“The ABC Company is a good competitor of ours.  Actually their line of Panasonic supplies does not include developers and we carry a complete line of Panasonic supplies, including developers.  That would be an extra service you could be providing for your customers – and an extra source of profit for you.”

Important:  Knowledge of the Competition is Critical.  If you give the prospect incorrect information you will lose their trust.

How do you sell against your competition?  Please share your experiences below.  I would love to hear from you!

About The Author

Ann Barr is a telesales marketing success coach with a passion for teaching. She loves helping people who are starting out in new telesales careers and working with experienced sales reps who are looking for new ideas and tips. In addition to presenting monthly e-classes, she writes and edits direct-mail marketing letters and emails for clients. Sign up today for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips and get marketing tips and ideas to increase your sales!