Odile Faludi, Cold Calling Expert says, "The advice I'm about to share with you has taken me many years to learn. I am totally committed to your success. Take these Cold Calling techniques, use them and reap the benefits! Whilst I have been called many times a Cold Calling Expert, I prefer to call myself a Starting Customer Conversations Specialist. So you can be sure I know what I am talking about here is a recent testimonial from one of my clients."
Hi Odile,
Yesterday you proved to my staff that effort can result in rewards. Just one day of solid cold calling via telephone to new prospects and previous clients has resulted in potential new business of over $1,000,000.
I’m hopeful that the sales team will continue on with what you have taught them and that it will result in increased sales and profits for Network Printing Studios.
To say that I was surprised and impressed by the results is an understatement!
Thank you.
David Kugel, Managing Director & Owner, Network Printing Studios, February 2016
It’s common to say that trees come from seeds. But how could a tiny seed create a huge tree?
Aren’t the seeds just like the starting point of a conversation in business? With the right attention, these conversations have the capacity to grow into big whopping key accounts. This tiny seed which you plant as an idea into your prospect’s mind eventually grows and with more healthy conversation it continues to grow. Therefore, the way you kick start conversations can change the landscape of your career, business and even your life. So why wouldn’t you take the time to really understand how to germinate these seeds and reap the rewards.
Here are Odile’s top 10 Cold Calling Tips to ensure your seeds of conversation always grow in favourable conditions:
Timing is everything
Take an educated guess when would be the right time to start a meaningful conversation with your prospect. Do your research and relevance piece prior to picking up the phone and understand what current challenges your customer could possibly be facing.
Set the tone of the conversation-starting in a positive manner
What’s the difference between a good movie and a brilliant movie … the script. Ensure you have given adequate thought as to what you are going to say. The best test is to see if you can explain why you are calling in less than 10 seconds. Role-playing is imperative prior to speak to a potential customer. Better to look like a fool in front of a colleague rather than burn a lead.
Does your opening sentence have a hook?
Will the listener feel compelled to turn off their inner critic and open their inner coach to give consideration to your introduction? People are not interested in what they already know. Tell them something they don't know and something that is relevant to them. Start with "Are you aware?", "Did you know?" make it so compelling so they really have to listen to you!
Choose to drip feed the information
You wish to share into easily digestible bite-size pieces. Don’t try to shove a whole lot of dialogue down in one scoop just because you wrote it down on your piece of paper. Really poor salespeople keep talking even though they have no captive audience. People like to taste the flavours of your conversation especially if it has piqued their interest. So keep the sentences simple and short. Drop any unnecessary words that say absolutely nothing.
Don’t overload your opening conversation with too many mixed messages
Most relationships are built over many encounters. Any more than three punchy bits of highly targeted information in one phone conversation will be lost. Most people haven’t got the brain capacity to take in more.
Have a list of suitable questions ready to progress the call
This is a very important part of being a great communicator. By exploring your prospect’s needs you have the benefit of understanding their aspirations and then hopefully being in a position to offer something which meets their desires.
Really mindfully listen to your customer’s responses to your questions
Write down exactly what they have said, “in their words.” Then when you respond or send a follow-up email sprinkle their keywords back into your conversation. This highlights to the customer you listened and care. Mirror what you hear!
When your prospect asks you a question … pause …
Repeat the question “out loud” to ensure you heard it correctly … then answer. Now that everybody speaks on mobile phones, in their car and on the go, often it is noisy in the background. Listening has taken on a whole new meaning with many competing factors. Always ensure your response matches the question – it avoids embarrassment and keeps the conversation focused.
Just be yourself, everyone else is taken
Show off who you are and back yourself 100%. Believe in your product or service and the conversation will flow. If you don’t believe in what you are peddling, I suggest you peddle something else. You will never make a good living out of selling something you wouldn’t buy.
Always finish every conversation with a call to action
For example, a scheduled meeting or a follow-up email. Don’t leave a conversation without a next step. Always say thank you for taking my call, I appreciate your time. Being humble and respectful is very attractive.
I am throwing in one more point
To highlight how much I want you all to succeed. Soften your attitude and you will find people will listen harder to you. Use phrases such as, "I'm beginning to wonder if..." or "I've talked to three of our clients who think that"; and "In my opinion" ... do you get my drift? Your soft approach is endearing.
Plant many seeds as some will take longer to flourish than others. Some will not survive the storms or withstand droughts. The more seeds you plant and continually water the higher chance of sales success. As they say, the grass isn’t greener on the other side, it is greener where you water it. Therefore, your rich conversations in the fullness of time should reap many financial and professional benefits.
Kickstarting Client Conversations
88% of buyers want a conversation, not a presentation.
The quickest and most effective way of increasing your business network can be accomplished by doing one thing - picking up your phone!
BUY ONLINE COURSE
By completing this course, you will:
- Have the self-confidence to pick up the phone and start a conversation with a cold or warm prospective client
- Know what to say when you start a conversation with a potential client
- Fill your calendar with face-to-face meetings - an essential part of building a relationship
There are 12 modules, each lasting 15 minutes. Each has a golden gem that you can use immediately to increase your sales and initiate the next step with your potential client.
30 Day Money Back Guarantee!
BUY ONLINE COURSE
Finally, "It takes determination to speak your own voice. The pressures that arise both from within yourself and from your organisation often seemed designed to sap your energy. The antidote is self- trust. Only as you learn to take seriously the possibility that what you think might be in fact valid for others do you find the backbone and confidence to share it." William Isaacs
ABOUT ODILE FALUDI
Odile has worked in the not-for-profit, real estate and the management consultancy space for the last thirteen years. She has a proven track record of opening doors of C-suite level executives in the top 200 companies in Australia. With her fearless approach, she successfully facilitated a small team of management consultancy experts to secure a $1.5 million deal with a large Australian financial organisation. Her initial entry point was a #cold call. She has repeated this success formula for other clients.
She runs workshops in Australia, teaching Business Development Managers, Start-up Entrepreneurs and Sales teams on cold calling techniques and business development strategies that work!
Otherwise, book your own private in-house session or private one on one lesson.
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