I saw a good movie the other day: ‘Boiler Room’. It’s all about high-pressure stock brokers and how they approach cold-calling. Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel and others starred. Very well done.
One quote I found really valuable was when Jim Young (Ben Affleck’s character) is lecturing new trainees:
“ON EVERY CALL THERE IS A WINNER AND A LOSER. YOU WIN IF YOU GET THE PROSPECT TO AGREE. THEY WIN IF THEY CONVINCE YOU THEY CAN’T DO ANYTHING.”
This should be a required course in every sales training program. Every call is a boxing match, a tennis match, a debate, a chess game.
Intellectually someone is going to overpower the other player. Is it you – the salesrep – who wants to create interest, open-mindedness, an action plan to move the ball forward?
Or is it the prospect? Conservative, skeptical, budget-strapped, busy, overwhelmed by vendors, focused elsewhere?
- Think like the target. How is he/she measured, compensated, bonuses being hit
- How is the company you are calling struggling and does your offer fit their needs?
- What is a cautious but positive way a prospect can see your offering, and learn with minimal risk (of time or $)
They are offered freebies like Complimentary Assessments, Books, and Classes all the time. You don’t want to waste their time or your own. So when you are crafting your 5-10 seconds of conversation you have to build some form of trust, have in your messaging terms and ideas that will help your target get promoted!
Saving cost? Reducing risk? Protecting the business? Expanding revenue? Optimizing people?
Perhaps one or all of these, it might take a moment of their time to help them identify their overarching pain issues. Start building the relationship now as someone who has solutions to problems, not just a transactional sale. Take a step back and listen. They’re getting that experience already from the vendors throwing the pile of freebies on their lap.
Distinguish yourself as different and be a unicorn, not another deer in the herd.
Know that, and you can be the winner on the call.
