As a sales professional, you know that finding prospects and developing your leads is crucial.  You are probably doing in-person cold calls and continuously honing your skills to increase your effectiveness.  You also know survival would be difficult without the tool we call the telephone, as much of your prospecting is done on the phone.

It cannot hurt to discuss some basic cold calling etiquette for in person as well as phone solicitation.  Many of you veteran’s know this and practice it, yet a review for others can’t hurt.

In-Person Solicitation/Cold Call

As a sales professional I cold-called and that probably lead to me being a manager who also accepted cold call solicitations.  I will admit to giving almost all sales professionals a chance to make their pitch.  As I moved higher in the organization the sales pros were not always as lucky when they got my executive assistant as her patience with sales “nubees” as well as long-termers was short.  When they did get past her and to me, it was because she gave them her consent.

We had reps approach us who were unkempt, unprepared, and unprofessional.  Did I waste time by talking to them?  The answer is yes, and sometimes it was painful.  I also had a chance to witness some good sales practices from true professionals who knew the importance of their appearance as well as how to deliver their message quickly and effectively.

The short list that follows is more from a person who was solicited than one who was responsible for the employment of sales professionals.  It is a different view, and I think valuable for those with just the sales perspective.

I will throw out a few simple etiquette points for the in-person cold call that you should always consider:

• Be prepared – Always know what you want to say.  Respect the prospect’s time.
• Know your prospect’s name – Know the correct pronunciation and by the end of the call, the correct spelling.  When someone cannot get your name right it makes you wonder.
• Check your appearance – You only get one chance for a first impression.  Have a mirror in the car or your brief case, and use it.
• Be fresh – It goes without saying that gum or mints always help.  Remember, as the day goes on, you need to make sure that you are on top of your game.  Of course chew the gum before the call, not during the call.
• Remember the end game – You want some information as well as an appointment.  A short informative call is what a buyer wants, while you want information.

It is also important to remember these important tips as they can get on the nerves of any potential customer:

• Your prospect’s washroom is not for you.  When cold calling/prospecting, get your relief the same place that you get your coffee.
• Do not smoke on your customer’s premises, not even in the parking lot in your car.  This is not the place to satisfy your habits.
• Turn off your cell phone while you are there.  This is personal interface etiquette which you must practice.

The Phone – The ultimate sales tool

The phone is an enabler, and even more important is the fact that it is totally acceptable to use it as a prospecting tool.  When I began selling many years ago, the phone was just barely acceptable for cold calling.  Most prospecting was done in-person, and it was very time consuming.  In the early ‘80s, it became acceptable to solicit and that was a renaissance as it not only saved time but allowed some “racial anonymity” to start the process.

There is established etiquette for using the phone as a prospecting tool.  The best sales professionals observe the etiquette and maintain their professional standing.

Here are a few of the more important items:

Phone solicitation:

• Be conscious of the prospect’s time – short and to the point.
• Have your phone voice ready – be warmed up.  Know one wants to hear you clearing your throat at 9:00 in the morning.
• Have a brief but inclusive statement (sales pitch) to start your call
• Avoid the ‘tricks’ such as telling assistants that you are an acquaintance if you are not.  You will lose in the end.
• Avoid the speakerphone for cold calling – use a headset if you need both hands for notes and otherwise.
• Don’t shuffle papers, tap pencils, or create unnecessary background noise.

Voice mail Etiquette:

• Short messages only – keep it to 35-45 seconds max.
• Talk slowly and clearly and spell words such as names or product names if necessary.
• Leave your number at the beginning of the message and at the end of your message – no exec will go back to the beginning to get the number if they are interested.
• Again, no background noise – no Judge Judy or soap operas in the background!
• Clear concise message – plan it well and deliver.

The phone is an equalizer if used correctly as it reduces the opportunity for fair and equitable treatment for this first ‘touch’.  There is more to it than picking it up and dialing; there is planning and practice to do.  You can work magic with a solid script and practice.

If you have read Black Sales Journal before, you probably know how I feel about practice/role playing.  You should work at it until your comfort level is obvious.

Try it and you will realize that you will learn from each call.

Your comments are welcome.

It is well known that your ability to communicate will help to give you a solid base to be an exceptional sales professional.  It won’t make you the consummate professional, but it will enhance your ability to perform.  I feel that the professional, in sales or otherwise, who communicates well and also has a “fire in the belly”, has the potential to outperform other professionals.

We will spend a couple of posts over the next few weeks talking about communication.  It is an art that will never abandon you as you go forward, and it will also transform your confidence levels. In this post, we are going to make a suggestion that you find comfort in your ability to “stand and deliver” by rehearsing and practicing frequently.  Know well your strengths and weaknesses and improve to a level that puts you on another level.

Practice, Practice, Practice

I bet that you feel the most boring activity that you feel that you can do is to repeatedly practice your verbal delivery, but I am compelled to advise you to do it.  What I am saying is that you cannot perfect something without the requisite practice.  As a sales professional, everything from your introduction, through your ‘elevator pitch’ (Black Sales Journal 8/11/2011, Know Your Elevator Pitch), to your proposal and your close should be smooth.  There should be no fillers and little chop to your delivery.

So what am I saying?  Do everything necessary to improve your delivery.   Videotape yourself using digital cameras, web cams or otherwise giving speeches and presentations until you have solved you’re your need for ‘fillers’ and until you have reduced any ‘choppiness’.  We have all heard the suggestion that we should be able to sell any object using feature-benefit selling, now is your chance to practice.  Not knowing your material lends to more pauses and fragmentation.  Here is your chance to, while in private, present and evaluate your delivery, and improve.

You can bet that if you videotape, you will find things that you will want to change.

These may include:

• Frequent use of  “Umm” as well as “and uh”
• The annoying use of the phrase “You Know”
• Frequent starting of sentences with “Well…”
• Improper usage of the word “like”
• Talking at “break speed”
• Exhibiting an “I” problem (talking about yourself too much)
• Inclusion of slang and even obscene language

In a very short time I have seen professionals remove “you know” from their delivery even without the videotape.  Consciousness is important, and you will become even more aware if you use your phone, your computer webcam, or a video camera as your observation tool.

With the help of your recording session, you will become quite conscious and truly internalize it, reducing annoying habits, and improving delivery.  It is worth the experiment.

Who Do You Like to Hear?

There are many great speakers out there, and you may find one that you want to model after.  If you are just the best YOU that you can be, that should work for you.

The basic objective of this exercise is to improve your delivery during the sales process, and you will find that it will carry over into your personal conversations as well.

It is sound to model after someone, but you must be realistic.  Almost all great speakers have some weakness or flaw, no matter how accomplished they are.  You are looking to improve the quality of your delivery.  You don’t want to preach, but you need to be able to deliver the ‘word’.  You don’t want to sound like a professor, but you want to sound intelligent.  Lastly, you don’t want to sound like a funeral director, so you must use some personality, humor, and personality.

Almost as good as the videotape for the sake of monitoring is a “partner” or even a listening coach could do the trick if the right person is available.

The Result

I had a professional who worked with me several years ago.  He had a nervous, high-pitched laugh that became pronounced when he got …nervous.  He could not hide it, or at least it appeared that he had no chance of controlling it.  We had a call together, and as the account was a big one, and he felt pressed.  I can remember the call as if it were yesterday, the laugh echoing in my ears.  I was only hoping that the buyer was not as negatively affected by it as I was.

When it was over I though about it over and over, and decided that I needed to talk to the individual as we, undoubtedly would be on a call together at some point in the future.  He did know that it was happening, and did not know how often he was doing it.  I could not put into words for him how much it was happening.  There were few video cameras, and cell phones did not possess the abilities that they do now.  I limited the calls with my clients when possible for this individual, as there were no remedies out there.  This laugh was not going to stop.  Yes…I am saying that some things are deeper than just an ‘I know’, but most can be remedied.

If you do the videotaping or the partnering, you will have an avenue to begin working on the necessary improvements.  Nothing is like continuous improvement.  Try it, and you will see what I mean.

Your comments are welcome.