This text is from our consulting firm's latest 321 Biz Development podcast found on fifteen podcast platforms.
I had a recent discussion with a colleague about outbound B2B calls and the industry classification of these calls being labeled as "cold calls".
The adjective "cold" attached to any noun does not sound appealing other than the adjective/noun combinations like cold sandwiches or cold beer.
Here are some other uses of the word "cold" that are not too uplifting:
Cold-blooded
Cold-hearted
Cold and calculating
Cold winter
Also, the word "call" is definitely not a passive verb. Call is an action verb.
Call is also a noun where people are forced into dialogue. You cannot call someone and expect the other person not to say anything.
Combining the words "cold" and "call", you have a recipe for total call reluctance, at least on the side of the salesperson. It will be very difficult for salespeople to make outbound calls if the above is on salespeople's minds.
On the other side of the coin, there is the business owner who is receiving several calls per day from companies pitching their products and services.
Now, this next sentence is going to blow your mind.
The business owner wants most incoming calls to be people requesting information or placing product or service orders, not salespeople trying to unload their companies' products or services.
Do you see the unpleasant nature of the "cold call?" Said another way, the business owner wants more sales calls about his or her company's products or services than calls from salespeople pitching other companies' products or services.
Now that you know what you know, are you ready to quit your sales job?
Don't quit. There is an educated way to understand your role as a salesperson.
I just described the half-empty, B2B call version. The information that follows is the half-full version. But first, I have some questions for you.
Do you believe in your product or service?
Does your product or service have unquestionable value?
Will your product or service do what you claim?
Will your product or service put your potential client in a better position?
Are your promoting your product or service using a proven sales system?
You must answer all five questions in the affirmative to feel good about working in the sales industry. If a salesperson cannot answer these five questions with yes responses, then the salesperson's tone on "cold calls" will feel very cold to business owners.
If the salesperson does not feel confident about questions 1-5, the business owner prospect will sense this uneasiness as well.
Let's dive into these questions a little deeper.
If you are an attorney, CPA, dentist, home health provider, plastic surgeon, insurance broker or real estate broker, here are some follow up questions to the five questions above.
Why is your belief in your product or service higher than your competitors?
Why does your product or service have more value than your competitors?
Why does your product or service have better outcomes than your competitors?
Why will your product or service put clients in better positions than competitors?
Why does a sales system elevate the likelihood your company will get the business instead of competitors who do not use sales systems?
Let's go even deeper to get to identify some compelling situations.
For attorneys, why will your legal efforts deliver better legal remedies than attorneys with the same legal education and experience?
For dentists, why will your dental treatment provide better dental outcomes than other dentists in the same city?
For CPAs, why would your accounting talent, skill and expertise deliver better results than CPAs with identical certifications?
For plastic surgeons, why would your medical procedure achieve better results than other plastic surgeons in the same city?
For insurance brokers, if you sell the same insurance plan as the broker down the street, how can your brokerage put insurance clients in a better position?
For real estate brokers, how do your agents provide more value than agents with other brokers?
As readers can see, there is literally no way to quickly differentiate one service provider from another. There is not enough time. The B2B contact may not even be looking for a product or service.
If salespeople are good with questions 1-4, the only unknown question is number 5.
Is the salesperson using a proven sales system? A proven sales system helps salespeople continually put contacts at the beginning of the sales pipeline. The sales pipeline needs new contacts on a weekly basis.
An active sales pipeline keeps salespeople's confidence high until contacts can be moved to the prospect, appointment and close stages.
Managing an active sales pipeline is the key to staying in the game if the salesperson has strong questions 1-4 convictions. And, the salesperson must use a proven sales system.
A salesperson has 15-20 seconds to turn a "cold call" into a "warm call" if the contact is looking for the salesperson's product or service.
The other good news is some service providers have UNIQUE products and services which may get business owners' attention during outbound calls. 321 Biz Dev can help business owners selling the same products as competitors elevate their uniqueness during B2B outbound calls.
To summarize, the salesperson is the only person responsible for continually making B2B outbound calls. If every outbound call resulted in a sale, every person would work in the selling industry..
If this episode provokes some deep thought about improving your sales performance, please do not hesitate to contact me, Demi Giro, VP, at 323-457-5900. Or, if you are Spanish language business owner, please contact Yeilyn Rodriguez, VP, Business Development specialist at 786-697-3400. Ms. Rodriguez is fluent in both Spanish and English.
Interested parties can click HERE to complete a 5-minute questionnaire so 321 Biz Dev can learn more about your current sales situation or learn about your current or past experiences with trying to improve sales performance. Please complete the questionnaire and a 321 Biz Dev specialist will contact you within two business days.
We hope your enjoyed today’s post and linked podcast episode.
Demi, VP
Rick, CEO
Yeilyn, VP