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How to get a competitive advantage

How to get a competitive advantage

Let your Ability catch up with your Ambition and see how your competitive advantage goes through the roof!

Oliver Wendell Homes said, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

competitive advantage

Let your Ability catch up with your Ambition and see how your competitive advantage goes through the roof!

 

If you want to achieve great results in widening your business net and have a competitive advantage you need dedication, practice, and hard work.

 

Whilst many people will say Cold Calling is dead Starting Customer Conversations is alive and well. With the internet and so many automated phone systems people are generally craving to speak to a human being. Now more than ever people are crying out for good service and for someone who will listen to their needs. Therefore, initiating a conversation with a qualified sales lead for the sole purpose of doing business is way easier than you think. But, like everything it requires perfect practice to ensure you start your conversation with a clear purpose and a strategy to engage the listener.


Odile Faludi, Cold Calling expert and a pro in Starting Customer Conversations has these ten red hot tips:

1. Be trustworthy, sincere and approachable at all times and people will naturally warm up to you. Quickly the phone call no longer feels icy cold.

2. Getting sales appointments out of starting customer conversations with prospects requires fanatical discipline and focus. Like an elite athlete who trains in the rain – no more excuses! As with most athletes, constant improvement is their goal. The medal is simply the reward for achieving that goal. In this case, practice will result in more and more sales appointments. This desire to improve comes from within. As Teresa Amabile, Professor, Harvard University says, “The desire to do something because you find it deeply satisfying and personally challenging inspires the highest levels of creativity, whether it’s in the arts, sciences, or business.”

3. Once you get in the flow, which means never taking your eye off the object, (in this case getting a sales meeting), you will be setting very clear goals and achieving results. Most importantly, in flow you are totally engaged, disconnect from all interruptions, avoid multi-tasking and focus on what you are saying. Therefore, when speaking to people either in person or over the phone connecting with them just happens naturally through good conversation.

4. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition matters – making calls every day is an essential part of filling your sales pipeline full of opportunities. If you decide to email first using the email as an icebreaker you must always seek feedback a few days later by calling your prospect and asking them what were their thoughts about the email. In many cases, you will need to resend the email but better still, why not explain over the phone what the email was about. This is where your communication skills are really tested.

5. Prepare for the process mentally and physically. Having the right mindset is essential.

6. Trust your intuition – it’s part of who you are and a great indicator of what is right. The Greek Philosopher, Plato calls it the “Sixth Sense” and those who use it… operate at a much higher level than other people. Most highly respected entrepreneurs really tap into this. Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group of more than 400 companies, says “He doesn’t rely on statistics to make decisions he relies heavily upon his gut feeling.”

7. Analyse what tools, information, or support might you need to kick-start better client conversations. Better research into your prospect’s world leads to greater relevance when starting the conversation.

8. Ask yourself – Was I better today than yesterday? Once a month undertake a self-appraisal. Be brutally honest when assessing your performance.

9. Figure out what dialogue works, understand why it works, when to change your approach and when not to change.

10. As Stephen Covey said, "The little kindnesses and courtesies are so important. Small discourtesies, little unkindnesses, little forms of disrespect make large withdrawals. In relationships, the big things are the little things!”

 

PushButtonLogoThere are many more tips … but hey … you will have to do my course! Upcoming Workshop  – check out the details HERE and book your priority reservation without delay!

Business Development doesn’t have to be hard. It just requires you to use your dynamic personality and start conversations wherever you are. So why not start a customer conversation today and start making more money now and in the future!

 

About Odile Faludi

cold calling expert

Odile Faludi, Starting Customer Conversations Specialist - Turns Walls into Open Doors

Cold calling expert, Odile Faludi is a passionate freelance writer and a Starting Customer Conversations Specialist. She is trained in “Crucial Conversations” through VitalSmarts. They have helped 300 of the Fortune 500 realise significant results using a proven method for driving rapid, sustainable, and measurable change in behaviours.

Odile runs workshops in Australia, teaching Business Development Managers, Start-up Entrepreneurs, and Sales teams’ how to initiate client conversations. The one day course is available via SKYPE.

The aim of this course is to teach you how to get a competitive advantage and widen your business net. Grab my free eBook,  register NOW in the red box on the right-hand side of this website!

 

Odile Faludi's Humble $55,000 Cold Calling Tip - Click on Watch to view Video and get a competitive advantage!

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