What is the sector of cold sales. How to build "cold" sales in IT and not screw up. Examples of effective cold calls

Hello! Today we will talk about cold calls.

Today you will learn:

What are the characteristics of cold calling?
How to write conversation scripts;
What rules should the caller follow.

What are cold calls

A certain type of call is called “cold” not at all because of the tone of the caller, but because of the attitude of the client who answered the phone. It is not in vain that salespeople are afraid to make such calls, because very often the responses to an unsolicited offer are rude and unpleasant.

The main task of a cold call is to set up a meeting. The second most important task is to expand the customer base.

Cold calls are made by new clients with whom a business relationship has not yet been established. This is their main difference from warm and hot calls, which are addressed respectively to already familiar and existing customers.

In a number of countries, cold calling is restricted and controlled by law, and sometimes even banned.

In Russia, many companies strictly instruct secretaries not to facilitate cold calls. Phone sales are becoming more popular among marketers, and potential customers, in turn, are becoming more and more evasive.

Cold calling has its pros and cons.

The advantages of this type include:

Minimal cost of time and money. The search for clients is done from the office, the manager does not need to make many unnecessary trips.
Quick communication (relative to correspondence), a high chance to convince the interlocutor.
The ability to understand the client's reaction to the offer, ask additional questions.
PR of the company, increase in popularity and the number of customers.
An additional method of sales without prejudice to the main one.
Research of demand, competitors and the market as a whole.

Disadvantages of cold calling (even if the calls are organized correctly and the sellers do not make mistakes):

A deliberately negative reaction of the client to a sudden call.
It’s easier to refuse an offer if you don’t see the seller live.
The client can end the conversation at any time (hang up the phone).
It is impossible to visually demonstrate the product.

In our country, cold calls are most actively used:

Forwarding companies;
Advertising agencies, mass media;
Manufacturers or wholesalers of goods for business;
Real estate agencies.

Cold calls can be made by both specially trained in-house employees of the organization and third-party specialists from the call center.

Cold calling techniques

There are a lot of cold calling techniques. But it’s better to look at an example of how to make cold calls.

In every company, the customer base inevitably changes. Regular customers leave sooner or later, losing interest, necessity, or becoming interested in a new seller. To maintain a balance in the client base, it is necessary to regularly call not only the warm base, but also make about a hundred cold calls to new clients per day.

The main skill of the cold calling technique is to anticipate the client's responses and know the scenarios for continuing the conversation.

Cold calling is only appropriate in the following situations:

The offer is definitely necessary for a potential client (for example, a watch repair shop always needs batteries and spare straps);
Different clients may be interested in the offer from time to time (repair of computer equipment);
The offer is not necessary, but may be of interest to various customers (printing of business cards);
The offer is constantly needed and at the same time they choose the most suitable seller (courier service).

In practice, cold calling is a very complex technique, and sales managers who have mastered it are indispensable employees in any company. In addition to theoretical training, such a specialist needs self-control, self-confidence and the ability to accept refusal.

Components of a successful cold call: self-control, knowledge of the product, customer needs and sales techniques.

Stages of cold calling

Let's figure out what the cold calling technique looks like in a phased scenario.

Stage 1. Collecting information about customers

It is more pleasant to talk with the interlocutor who is well aware of whom and why he is calling. The Internet, directories and other media will help here.

If your client is entity, providing certain services or goods, you can conduct reconnaissance and, pretending to be a buyer, find out details about their offers.

At this stage, it would be nice to have a reason to call.

Example. The beginning of the conversation can be like this: “Good afternoon, Ivan Petrovich. My name is Victor Sidorov, I am a representative of the EcoPlus company. I saw a story yesterday about your new production line. I agree with what you say about modern production should cause minimal damage to the environment. We are engaged in the removal and disposal of waste from industrial facilities. I would like to meet with you to tell you more about our proposals.”

Stage 2. Scripting

This is a kind of cheat sheet for the seller. You can learn it by heart or have it before your eyes (the format of phone calls allows this).

Well-designed cold call scripts are true assistants to the sales manager, helping him to speak confidently and to the point.

Stage 3. Conversation with the secretary

Sometimes this stage can be avoided, but the first call most often goes through the secretary. At the same time, the larger the organization, the stronger the “wall” erected by the secretary in front of his leadership. We will talk in more detail about how to cold call bypass the secretary.

Stage 4. Conversation with the client

The total duration of the conversation should not exceed five minutes. The golden mean is three minutes. the main objective conversation - appointment of a meeting and conclusion of a deal.

In a conversation with a client, a sales manager needs to go through several steps:

Introduction: greet the interlocutor, introduce yourself and clarify the availability of free time for a conversation.
Establishing contact: refer to the source, use the information obtained at the first stage.
Receipt additional information: ask if the client uses a product similar to yours, if he is interested in improvements.
Attracting Interest: explain the benefits to the client from the meeting.
Work with objections(If you want to).
Meeting Arrangement: suggest your own date and time for the meeting.
Completion: repeat the agreed time of the meeting, thank the client for their interest, say goodbye.

Secretary on the path of cold calling

If you call not an individual, but the head of an organization, then it is likely that the call will be received by his secretary (or other third party). How to behave in such a situation?

Introduce yourself politely.
Try not to state directly that the purpose of your call is sales.
Ask to be connected to the decision maker of your concern (for example, "Who can I talk to about advertising?").
If on this moment you have been denied a conversation with the manager, find out as much information about him as possible (name, when and how you can contact).

There are several tricks that will help you get around the attentive secretary:

big boss mask. The secretary will not refuse to communicate with the boss if he hears in the receiver the confident voice of not the seller, but the boss. (For example: “Are you worried about the reception CEO Alekseev. Connect me to the director."
Recall Style. Such a technique is possible only if at least the name of the decision maker is known in advance. To the request “Please connect with Arkady Ivanovich”, the secretary most likely will not ask additional questions, but simply direct the call to the right person.
Request for advice. Friendly tone and the phrase "Please advise who is best to contact ...". The secretary will be flattered if the interlocutor raises his status (“only you can help me”).
Difficult question. Sometimes, in order to answer a caller's question, the secretary has to redirect the call. But to ask it, you need to know the structure and specifics of the company well.
false error. In this case, the caller goes to the trick and asks the secretary to connect him to another department. For example, if he is interested in the purchasing department, he goes through the secretary to the accounting department, and there he pretends that he made a mistake. “Hi, is this the purchasing department? No, it's bookkeeping. “Can you put me in touch with the purchasing department?”

tricks

For effective telephone sales, first of all, practice is needed, and only then theory.

It is impossible to develop an ideal cold call scenario that is universally suitable for each seller and buyer - both have their own characteristics.

Here are a few basic rules that should be followed by all sales managers working in the technique of cold calling:

Find out the needs and interests of the client in advance.
Use scripts prepared in advance.
At the beginning of the conversation, explain the purpose of the call and ask for some time for you.
Do not put pressure on the client, communicate without aggression. Don't use expressions like "I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse." The phrase "Let me tell you about ..." sounds much softer.
Emphasize the importance of the client. Less "I" and "we", more "you".
Take your time, pause between speech blocks, speak clearly.
Be confident, friendly and be sure to smile - you can hear it even on the phone.
Don't try to sell your product. Your goal is to interest and make an appointment. In this regard, replace the common “we offer” with “we are engaged”.
Do not argue and do not prove that you are right. Respect the choice of the client if he is satisfied with his current counterparties.
To interest in a meeting, talk about the main benefits.
Know how to switch the attention of the interlocutor, to interest in additional offers.
For questions about the details, offer a personal meeting.
More specifics. When asking about a meeting, call a specific time right away. Instead of "Maybe we'll meet?".
Monitor the mood of the client and adapt to it.
Remove “not”, closed questions and complex terms from your speech.
Use attractive words: “promotion”, “free”. If there is an opportunity to offer a free trial product, do not miss it.
Do not drag out the conversation, keep track of the time. Three minutes is usually enough.
Listen to the recordings of your conversations, analyze and draw conclusions that could have been said differently.

Work with objections

In any sales it is important to distinguish objections from outright rejection. Cold calls usually become an unpleasant surprise for the client, and therefore objections arise in this format much more often.

There is no point in working with decisive refusals, it is better to end the conversation on a positive note and not waste your own and other people's time. But with objections, subtle work is needed.

Let's look at the most common examples:

"I'm Busy (Hurry)"	Explain that you will not take much time, but only want to arrange a meeting. As a last resort, ask when you can call back.	“I understand, let me drive up to you to tell you everything. Will it suit you on Wednesday at eleven in the morning?
"Call back later"	Ask for an exact time convenient for the client.	When will it be convenient for you to talk? What if I call back tomorrow around ten in the morning?
"Send information to email"	Don't end the conversation here. Such a request is almost tantamount to a refusal. Propose a meeting or agree and ask when and how you will get a response.	"Okay, I'll send you the information. But I'm calling to set up an appointment so I can showcase our products and give you a free sample. Would it suit you on Wednesday at eleven?”
"I do not need anything"	Name famous customers who changed their minds after seeing your product. Make sure the meeting is non-binding and set a specific date.	“Representatives of other organizations also thought so, but only before they realized how much our proposal could help them in ... We should meet. How about Wednesday at eleven?”
"My contractors suit me"	Use all the information prepared earlier. Explain that you are not trying to replace a competitor, but offer an alternative, because two suppliers are more reliable than one. Tell us what are the benefits of working with you and offer to meet. If a refusal is inevitable, turn the situation in your favor and find out from the client what attracts your competitors in order to use this information in the future.	“If you work with …, then you probably use their program …? - Positive or negative answer - Great, then we must meet, because our proposal is ... (list the benefits). How about Wednesday at eleven o'clock?"
"We don't have enough money"	Do not stop the dialogue on this, but ask a leading question that will tell the client that he still needs your offer.	"Of course I understand. May I ask, are you currently collaborating with someone in this area? - Client response - Then we must meet, because our product ... (its advantages). How about Wednesday at eleven?”

Cold calling scripts

Sales call scripts can be of two types:

Rigid. They are used in sales of a simple product, where the variety of interlocutor's answers is minimal.
Flexible. For sales of complex goods and ambiguous offers. They require creativity and more experience.

Everyone who makes sales by phone should have their own scripts, and those who work in the technique of cold calls are no exception.

There should be as many scripts as possible. An experienced seller regularly replenishes its database.
Each script must first pass a practical test on colleagues and acquaintances. Obviously unsuccessful and inconvenient should be eliminated immediately.
The main task of a cold call script is to illustrate the essence of the conversation, and not become a verbatim scenario.

Download cold calling scripts

outgoing call script

incoming call script

Cold calling examples

Example 1

— Good afternoon, Ivan. This is Anastasia from international company"ABV", engaged in ... . I am calling to set up a meeting where I can tell you about our new program which is… (what the client is interested in). I am sure that you, like our other clients ... (examples of companies), are interested in ... (certain benefit).

Yes, I'm interested in it.

- Great, let's meet. How about Wednesday at four o'clock in the evening?

Example 2

— Good afternoon, Ivan Ivanovich. This is Anastasia Petrova from ABV. We are doing…. Do you use ... in your work?

“I don’t have time to talk to you right now, send all the information by mail.

— I'll send you a presentation for you to review in your spare time, but I'm calling to set up an appointment and demonstrate all the benefits of our offer. Would it suit you on Thursday at two o'clock?

I'm afraid I've already got the whole month booked.

- Well, is this the same number next month you have busy?

- I'll take a look now. Not yet.

- So, maybe we will meet on the seventeenth of April?

Example 3

- Good evening. My name is Anastasia, I represent the ABV holding in your region, which is engaged in ... . Your company is … (type of activity), which means you will be interested in our new offer for … (what the client needs).

“Sorry, but we are already working with another company.

- Let me ask you, is it by any chance the EYu company? Probably, you have chosen their tariff "First"?

- No, this is the "Second" tariff.

- Great, I think it will be useful for us to meet, because our programs perfectly complement this tariff. How about this Friday?

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Quality is when the customer returns, not the product
Trading Rules

Cold sales: essence, types, methodology

Cold selling is a method of selling goods or services through telephone conversations, more precisely, when there is no visual contact between the buyer and the seller.

To date, the role of cold sales has increased significantly, many companies are recruiting specialists - sales managers.

In order for cold phone sales to be effective for the company, sales managers clearly articulate the purpose of the call.

Relationships of the "seller-buyer" type between the company and the client can be built if you follow clearly formulated tasks, including:

Informing potential customers about the company's products and services.
Conducting a primary diagnosis of a potential client in terms of his readiness for the next steps, that is, the emergence of interest.
Getting what you need later contact information client.
Confirmation of the request for the formation of a commercial offer.
Meeting appointment.

These are the goals set by companies that use technology such as telephone sales.

Basic Principles of the Cold Selling Technique

The founder of such a technique as the art of selling by phone is Stephen Schiffman. It was he who developed the basic principles that underlie effective telephone sales.

These include:

creating a script for an effective dialogue - telephone contact;
using the technique of concessions during a conversation to neutralize the objections of the client;
overcoming at least three customer objections.

A cold call script consists of the following steps:

Welcome and personal introduction.
Company presentation.
Designation of the purpose of the call (offering a product / service, making an appointment).
Conclusion of an agreement.

As for the concession technique, it is used to turn any response from the client (whether it be an objection, a sharp refusal, a question) into an occasion for a meeting.

The third principle - overcoming at least three objections - is as follows:

The first objection of the client does not mean a real unwillingness to make a deal or arrange a meeting. Most likely, the manager's call turned out to be unexpected for the client.
The following objection makes the client think about why he does not want to buy a product / service or make an appointment.
The third objection contains the most truthful explanation for this. The one who, in response to the subsequent expression, reiterates the purpose of the call, has a significantly greater chance of success.

Seller speech technique in telemarketing: theory and practice

The success of telephone conversations and sales depends on the ability of the manager not only to listen, but also to speak correctly. Everything is important: timbre, tone, pitch of voice, even speed of speech. To comprehend the technique of speech is a special art, but professionals will overcome it.

Cold sales using virtual numbers and Freezvon service. For the development and effective functioning of any company providing certain services or goods, it is necessary to constantly expand client base, because the competition in the field of sales is incredibly high. This article will discuss cold sales and phone calls aimed at attracting potential customers who have not previously collaborated with your company and may even be unfamiliar with its activities. It also provides useful tips for mastering the technique of cold calling and its active application in practice.

Freezvon has been working in the field of IP telephony for more than 5 years. We provide various VoIP telephony services. Here you can purchase a virtual number for calls, sms and faxes, as well as Toll Free. You can also connect to a virtual number additional functions. For example, a welcome message, conditional redirect, black/white list, etc.

What are cold phone sales?

Cold selling is one of the most efficient technician, used in the field of trade to attract potential customers who do not belong to target audience Your company and previously not in contact with it. This type of sales, as a rule, involves communication over the phone using the technique of cold calling. Cold calls are unscheduled calls to customers who are unfamiliar with the activities of the company, in order to encourage them to use the proposed service or purchase a product. This type of call is made without prior agreement, so there is a high probability that the client will not want to keep the conversation going and will try to end it as soon as possible.

The main task of the cold sales manager is to establish contact in the shortest possible time, getting the client interested and convincing him to at least listen to the information. The successful application of this technique leads to a significant increase in the level of sales of the company.

Cold sales and phone calls

Why cold calling clients?

First of all, cold sales and phone calls are necessary to attract new customers, as well as to inform a large number of people about the existence of your company and the nature of its activities.

The above list clearly demonstrates the benefits of cold sales for expanding the customer base and increasing the company's profits. Today, many managers tend to think that this type of sales has somewhat lost its effectiveness - this is not so, this technique brings positive results if the conversation is built correctly and contact is established between the manager and the prospective client of the company.

Effective cold sales technique

The proposed technique can be used both for phone calls and for direct "live" contact with a potential client. Here are some tips to help you avoid getting annoyed by an unscheduled call and have a successful negotiation. These include the following:

Preparatory stage - if you are calling with an offer of services or goods not to an individual, but to a representative of another company, you need to collect information about it, get acquainted with its latest achievements and activities. If you manage to find some recent publication about the company, it will serve as a good conversation starter;
Create exemplary scenario phone call, consisting of introducing the calling manager, identifying the potential customer and obtaining permission to speak, formulating the purpose of the call, handling objections, and calling for a purchase or further meeting. Use only open questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. It is not necessary to act strictly according to the scenario, but with it you will feel more confident and will be able to use hints if necessary;
Use the yielding technique to neutralize the client's hostility;
Do not try to immediately impose a purchase on the client, you must first interest him, explain why your offer will be useful to him. If he already uses the services of another company, try to find out what disadvantages and advantages the client sees in this cooperation;
If the specifics of the work allows, it is better to make an appointment - it is much harder to refuse in live communication than over the phone;
Consider the duration of the call - it should not exceed 5 minutes.

Remember the method of three objections: the first objection of the client is, as a rule, a consequence of the unexpectedness of your call - it does not mean a categorical unwillingness to purchase a product or take advantage of your offer; in the second objection, the client considers why he is not interested in your offer; at the third objection, he formulates the reason for the refusal. If you manage to convince him, the purchase will take place, no, you don’t need to impose your services anymore.

Mastering the technique of cold selling is not an easy process, but managers who master it are highly valued in professional circles. Successful cold calls lead to a significant increase in sales. In order to reduce the costs required for calling the client base, you can use the services of IP telephony by connecting a virtual number that best suits the needs of your company. Among the offered numbers from Freezvon there is also a multichannel Toll Free number, calls to which are free of charge for all your subscribers.

Do you have any questions? Then feel free to ask our experts. To do this, you can call our technical support by phone or write to us via Skype, online chat or email. Technical department Freezvon operates around the clock and is always ready to answer your questions.

02/08/15 12K

Selling something is a real art, especially if the client is not too interested in receiving the goods. That is why every detail is important during a conversation with a potential buyer: what, when and with what intonation to speak. This article will consider such a specific type of product sales as cold sales.

The purpose of cold sales is to sell a product or service through telephone conversation, that is, the buyer does not have the opportunity to see the seller and the product itself, which makes the task even more difficult.

To facilitate the work of the manager, there are so-called telephone sales scripts. This is an algorithm that describes the stages of a telephone conversation with a client, as well as provides for various objections, and mechanisms by which the buyer's doubts are overcome. It is telephone sales scripts that give the seller that self-confidence against which the client cannot oppose anything - this is the key to success in sales:

phone call script

When the seller picks up the phone and dials a number that he has never called before - this is called cold call: the seller has never communicated with the owner of this number, which means the possibility of attracting a new client.

Undoubtedly, the main weapon of a telephone sales manager is the ability to conduct a conversation: this is exactly what a phone call script is for, which is based on the following principles:

Application of a prepared conversation algorithm - a scenario according to which it is supposed to conduct a conversation with a buyer;
Overcoming objections - the seller must neutralize the objections;
The third objection - the seller needs to work out at least three objections in order to know the exact reason for the refusal.

Cold call script

A conversation with a future buyer should be informative and fairly quick. More precisely, the seller must quickly go through the points of the algorithm for which a cold call is made, in which he introduces himself and talks about the company:

The next step is to deal with objections. A typical cold call scenario has the following structure:

Acquaintance - the seller introduces himself to the client, stating his name;
Information about the company - a brief explanation regarding the field of activity;
Purpose of the call - the subject of further conversation is announced to the interlocutor;
Completion of the conversation or transaction - if the client is interested, then the seller sets out a plan for further action.

objections

Why exactly three objections must be overcome? The thing is that the first refusal of the client is not informative: most likely, the seller interrupted him from any activity with his call, and he wants to end the conversation as soon as possible in order to continue doing his own business.

Objecting a second time, the interlocutor is already trying to find or invent a reason why he does not want to purchase your product or use your service. The third time the client will give the real reason for his refusal. It is this information that will help a trained sales manager do his job and successfully end the conversation, convincing the intractable buyer.

Obviously, three arguments is far from the limit. It's not uncommon to have to overcome five or more objections to close a deal. A novice in sales often folds after the first rejection, which reduces the chance of achieving the goal, namely the sale of the product, to zero.

Naturally, training is needed to develop communication skills and persuade the client. Consider the main methods of dealing with objections:

The first method is to make the client imagine that the reason for his refusal has been eliminated. After that, you need to ask what other aspects do not suit the client;
The second method is to find out the true reason for the refusal, using the question: " In addition to the reasons stated, are there any other obstacles?»;
The third method is to invite the client to postpone the conversation for a few minutes. This will make it clear to the interlocutor that the seller has weighty arguments that may be of interest to him, and he will wish to familiarize himself with them as soon as possible.

Maintaining statistics

Phone sales scripts designed for various areas activities, whether it is the sale of goods or the provision of services, give the maximum possible result if these algorithms are strictly followed. To track their results, the seller needs to keep a diary in which he will record the results of his work.

Based on these records, it is necessary to draw conclusions about the productivity of their actions. Keeping such a diary disciplines well and hones the skills of analysis, which is so necessary when conducting a dialogue with the buyer.

The telephone is a tool, and whether the manager builds an effective dialogue with a potential client or not depends on the ability to use it. No one likes when they call him and impose something that he does not need at all.

However, cold calling is not a waste of time. They can and should be made effective by hiring the right managers who will not turn the whole process into a banal phone call. In this article, we will look at what cold calls are and the rules for their implementation.

What is cold calling in sales

All calls can be divided into two broad categories: cold and warm. Warm calls are contact with a client who already has an idea about your company. For example, he previously purchased a product, or was simply interested in services. The purpose of warm calls is to remind you of yourself in order to restore cooperation. Warm calls imply that the operator already knows who his buyer is, as well as how he can be interested. What then are cold calls?

Another thing is cold calling. Here the operator knows almost nothing about the client. Communication goes according to a script written in advance. The operator calls the database of potential customers and offers the company's product. As a rule, cold sales have low efficiency, however, sometimes they are the only way to get through to the head of the enterprise.

According to statistics, only 1 client out of 100 "falls" on the operator's hook and performs the action he needs, for example, purchases a product.

In what cases are used

The B2B industry is not complete without cold calls. So, this sales technique has just begun to gain momentum. What is it for?

for a constant influx of new customers into the company;
to announce that it has entered the market new company or service;
in order to update the client base;
to select the most promising potential customers.

Video - how to write sales scripts for B2B:

In Russian practice, cold calls are most often used in such areas as advertising, production, wholesale and anything related to real estate.

Advantages and disadvantages

Although seemingly ineffective, this method of telemarketing has several advantages. Let's consider the main ones.

Such telemarketing much more efficient than distributing flyers and other printed materials. Moreover, it is through a telephone conversation that you can ask for a personal meeting with a responsible person.
Client automatically set up for business when communicating on the phone, and this also helps to sell a product or service.
Telemarketing is effective method conduct research. So, even if the operator failed to persuade the client to buy a product or service, then his interlocutor probably answered some questions, on the basis of which a more accurate map of the target audience can be made.
The effectiveness of cold calls directly depends on the manager who implements them. So, you can increase it by hiring the right competent specialists.

Video - examples of cold calls for a manager:

Options for organizing sales in the form of calling customers in the database

In order to organize cold calls, you can either involve the managers of your organization, or outsource this process, for example, to the Call Center. Both options have both pros and cons.

Own managers

How good are your managers? They know everything about their product. So, you will not need to give them information about what you are going to sell over the phone. Also, the organization of calling the base by your own staff is a cost minimization, because you do not need to pay a third-party organization. In addition, there are the following nuances when organizing telemarketing by your employees:

Human factor. When making about a third of cold calls, the operator is faced with negativity: people on the other end of the phone are rude and just hang up at the most inopportune moment. If you don't want your employees to experience the next few weeks Negative influence nervous secretaries and negligent directors, then it is better to outsource cold calls.
You'll have to on your own write a conversation script, according to which the call will be made.
Ordinary managers most likely unfamiliar with technology active sales and therefore the effectiveness of cold calling performed by ordinary employees will be somewhat less than if you entrust it to professionals.

Cold calling through regular employees is effective when the customer base is small and you are in the mood for a good return on telemarketing.

Agreement with a third-party CALL center

Outsourcing a task has several obvious advantages, chief among which is efficiency in making calls. Call center operators have developed a sales technique for themselves and it is easier for them than for company managers to reach out to the decision maker. The services of a third-party company should be used if the client base for calling is very large and the process will take a long period of time.

You should not assume that since Call-center employees do not have an idea about the promoted product, they will not be able to complete the sale. In fact, in cold calls, it is enough to know the technique of conducting them, and not information about the product being promoted.

The disadvantage of this method of conducting cold calling can be called monetary costs, since the services of outsourcing companies are quite expensive.

Cold calling as a telephone sales technique

Cold calling in marketing is a whole science that has several sections. So, one of them is the conversation pattern. If you call the company, you will most often get to the secretary or operator. But how do you get to the contact person you need?

Universal Conversation Scheme

Almost every cold conversation consists of several stages. So, when you call the company, you get to the secretary. As a rule, more than half of cold calls end here, because a competent secretary will never let a "salesperson" to the manager. If the manager successfully bypasses this stage, then he faces the following tasks:

Get to know the decision maker and try to establish contact.
Understand what the potential customer needs. Talk about the company's product or service. Respond to all objections.
Set up a meeting with the goal of closing it with a sale.

LPR - what is it in sales

The decision maker (decision maker) is the person in the company who can approve or, on the contrary, make adjustments to the project. Do not assume that this person must necessarily be a director. So, sometimes such a person is a deputy director, commercial director, head of the sales department, or simply general manager. It all depends on how the hierarchy is built in the company.

It is not easy to find an approach to such persons, however, with a competent conversation, the operator has the opportunity to bring the decision maker to a cooperation agreement, or at least to the fact that he agrees to accept the manager in the office.

Video - how to arouse customer curiosity in the first seconds of a cold call:

In order to calculate the decision maker in the company, you must be a "scout". From your questions to the secretary, go trustee depends on whether you understand who to contact in order for the purchase of your product to be approved.

The operator must be resourceful and bold in order to clarify who makes the decisions. This can be done, for example, through the accounting department or the purchasing department. Do not be afraid to ask the last name and first name of the responsible person, this will only increase loyalty to you.

An operator who is trying to convey the importance of purchasing a product must also be a marketer in order for his unique selling proposition to be truly “unique”, and not copied from competitors.

You should be prepared to explain the benefits to a potential buyer, and, knowing his pains, convey the benefits of acquiring the company's product.

If these conditions are met, the decision maker will make contact on his own, without waiting for the final part of the manager's speech.

In order to reach the decision maker, you need skills such as ingenuity, creativity, a fresh look at things, a high level of communication.

How to bypass the secretary when cold calling

There are many scenarios for bypassing the secretarial barrier. Thus, the task of the sales manager is to determine which approach will be more effective in communicating with a particular secretary. What can be done so that the secretary connects with the decision maker?

Enchant

In order to bypass the secretary, you can use flattery. A couple of compliments should be thrown in his direction regarding his professionalism in his work. In most cases, this immediately increases the secretary's loyalty to the operator, and he will be ready to connect him with the decision maker.

Recruit

You can pretend that the director/sales manager/deputy boss himself asked you to call him back. In a dry and persistent tone, you need to introduce yourself to the secretary and say that the decision maker is waiting for a call from him. This trick often works.

Video - 11 tricks for passing a secretary with a cold call:

However, it will not work to “recruit” a secretary who is no longer young and experienced. As a rule, on large enterprises the director is "protected" by a woman of Balzac's age, who immediately sees through the recruitment attempt. If the operator feels that this method will not help here, then the only option left is to be polite and courteous and ask the secretary for help.

cheat

Not everyone can cheat, however, this technique also works. For example, you can call the secretary and say that such and such a company is preparing for a purchasing manager business letter, but cannot find his last name, first name and patronymic, as well as contact details in order to transfer a business letter. The secretary can not only suggest a name right person, but also give an e-mail or even a phone number.

Show resistance

Not everyone can apply pressure, but power techniques work great. The main component of such a technique is the "staging" of the secretary in his place. So, after he refuses to connect you with the decision maker, you should ask who exactly is involved in the decisions, and also clarify that this information will be reported to the company's management. The secretary will return to his post and it will be possible to continue the usual live communication.

You can find out contacts not only from the secretary, but also from other employees of the company. As a rule, they have less contact with "salesmen" and it is for this reason that it is much easier to find an approach to them.

Using scripts

A script is a pre-planned sequence of actions that is executed as the call progresses. A scenario can be called a script, where the choice of this or that action depends on the action of the “opponent” (DM or secretary).

Scripts help to conduct a conversation as fruitfully as possible: for example, practice has shown that working with scripts increases the likelihood of a sale up to 30%.

Scripts come in two types: rigid and flexible. Hard scripts suggest that there are not so many options for the development of events. Rigid scripts are used when the promoted product has many advantages and it will be difficult for a potential client to refuse the operator. For example, you simply offer a huge discount, or some other benefit that your competitors do not have.

Flexible scripts will be used when the promoted product is “complex”. In order to sell it, creative and creative managers are required. There are many options for the development of events, and that is why flexible scripts are multivariate.

Work with objections

The decision maker will resist in every possible way to make a positive decision. So, scripts help answer all his objections. For example, a decision maker may say that the company is having a difficult time and in cash she doesn’t have it right now, or simply and clearly answer “I’ll think about it,” which is equivalent to “I refuse you.”

Consider the most popular scripts to convince the client that his objection is worthless compared to the merits of the product.

Yes, but along with that …

Convince the client that along with the disadvantage that he identified, the product has many advantages. For example, if a potential customer says that he has heard a lot of bad reviews, convince him that there are ten times more positive reviews about the product.

That's why….

A potential client wants to think and offers to contact you a little later? It is worth answering such a decision maker that this is why you want to meet with him. The decision maker says that the product is expensive? That's why you offer him a trial version or a huge discount.

Make the client remember past bad experiences.

For example, he also claims that your services will cost him a decent amount of money. Ask him if he ever bought a cheap product and then went for an expensive one anyway. Surely he will confirm your guess and it will be even easier to close the decision maker for sale.

conclusions

So, cold calls are a time-consuming, but quite effective way not only to attract new customers, but also to clear the customer base of unnecessary counterparties, and also just to make a small reminder that your company will always be happy to provide them with services or sell goods.

Cold calls can be made both independently in the organization, and this process can be outsourced. Both methods have both advantages and disadvantages. Cold calls are only gaining momentum and their popularity as a sales method is growing every day.

Video - cold calling tips:

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