When we are dealing with established business people, successful entrepreneurs, freelancers, young people with an entrepreneurial spirit, the questions we, as coaches, are asked are:
how can I best communicate my professional value to my client, in 1 session?
We imagine that you have asked yourself this question at least once in your life.
- Personalize each call by mentally preparing. Your mindset needs to be aligned with your language, or the conversation won’t ring true. You need to work on developing a warm but not sugarcoated telephone voice that has that “Don’t I know you?” ring to it.
- Perfect your phone style alone before making any call. If you’re self-conscious about calling, you need to feel safe to act uninhibited. Gather a voice recorder, a mirror, a sales journal of incoming and outgoing phone scripts, a pen, and a legal-sized pad. Mastering the art of cold-calling is no different than improving your golf swing or skiing technique. Do you look relaxed, or are your facial expressions rigid? Our exteriors reflect our inner selves. If you look like you’re in knots, your voice will sound strained as well?
- Create familiarity all around you. Use family photos, framed testimonial letters, motivational quotes, or whatever gets you in a positive, enthusiastic mood. If you like, play some music that inspires you.
- Use your imagination. Pretend you’re a prospective customer calling a bookstore to see if they have a book in stock. It’s always easier to imagine you’re a customer in need of information than a salesperson trying to force your way into the customer’s time. Convey that same attitude when you use the phone to contact future customers.
- Watch your tone of voice. You don’t want to sound sheepish and embarrassed, nor do want to be arrogant. The ideal tone is warm, businesslike, curious, and straight to the point. A good option is a question or a cut-to-the-chase statement such as “I’ve got a question. We’re offering a two-for-one special during the next 30 days on all our coffee drinks, just to get people into the store. I need to know if you’ve ever stopped in while shopping at the mall, and, if not, why not? We have got the greatest ice-blended mochas in town.”
- Make your goal a fast “50 in 150”—that is, 50 calls in 150 minutes. Three minutes per call is all you need. With so many voice-mail systems intercepting calls today, this should be easy. Never give people the impression you have time to chat. Chatting isn’t prospecting. You’re on a mission. Get to the point, then move to the next prospect.
- Take five after 15. After 15 calls, take a five-minute break—stretch, eat, sip a soda, turn on some tunes, and pat yourself on the back because you’re making it happen. Then grab the phone for 15 more calls. Selling is educating or teaching someone else about an opportunity they don’t know yet.
How do you prepare for marketing, promotion, networking?
Do you follow a system, or do you improvise?
Let us know commenting below 😉
Elena and the You Have Got The Power Team
