Black Sales Journal

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.

If you are like many sales professionals you may be looking for a new ‘home’ as a result of a number of reasons.  You may also be considering finding a job after the turn of the year, as it may be time.  If so, you undoubtedly recognize that the resume’ is the window to your qualifications, and even though it has it’s good and bad points as a tool, it is necessary.

That brings us to the notion that the resume is the ‘crow bar’ that opens a crack in the door to give you consideration and an interview. Without the resume’ a hiring manager or human resource representative will have no idea of your talents, or your ability to display them.  Which prompts the question ‘du jour’, should your resume’ be ‘race neutral’.

‘Race neutral’ is a term used frequently in education to describe the basis for educational policy that supposedly ignores race as a determining factor.  In this case, I am going to use ‘race neutral’ to indicate that your race is not disclosed.  Sometimes this might mean the ‘scrubbing’ the resume’ or other correspondence of determinants of race.

I know you are not going to ask why ‘race neutral’, but for those who might wonder I point again to the objective: Getting in front of the manager for an interview.  Once there you will at least be able to begin to showcase your values, your abilities, and the fact that you can work in that, and any other environment.

The Applicant Selection Process

As a process, a hiring manager or HR representative potentially sees hundreds of resume’s to fill one position.  Remember the first goal, which is to get in for a personal interview.  Your charm, skills, and ability to respond to questions and situations will be your tools, but you have to be able to showcase them.

If you follow some simple logic, many of these resumes are going into the ‘D’ stack, as they lack the basic qualifications that were advertised.  Some are going into the ‘B’ and ‘C’ stack as they have many of the qualifications, but are unlikely to be contacted, as there appears to be better candidates available.

Then there is the ‘A’ stack.  This stack has candidates who meet the basic qualifications, and have some points that create attraction to the reviewer.  As a reviewer you start at the top of the ‘A’ Stack and work downward.

Remember, the process of separating into stacks (A, B, C, and D) includes personal input on the part of the manager or HR representative.  This area of discretion is a “wild card” for the manager or HR rep.  You must end up in A, and hopefully at the top of it to get a strong opportunity to be interviewed.  I hope you see that almost anything can put you in the wrong stack, so don’t give anyone the excuse to put you there.

Here is where the perceptions, preference, and prejudice come in.

The Everpresent 3Ps (Perceptions, Preference, and Prejudice)

As I have described in previous posts of this journal (Black Sales Journal 12/30/2010, The 3Ps and Your Employer)  the 3Ps can have an effect, and sometimes an insidious effect on the hiring process.  It can happen without the perpetrator even really thinking about it.

Brief Definitions:

Perceptions are hard to change, and deep rooted.  They can come from many sources.  A person’s life experiences, the media, parents, friends, and the knowledge and ignorance of interaction or lack of interaction all form perceptions.  Perceptions are prevalent in all racial and ethnic groups.  We all have them; it is what we do with them that make all of the difference.  Managers have perceptions too!

Preferences are powerful.  They are not always meant to be deleterious to a particular racial group, yet have that effect when they are applied as the opportunity for fairness and equity is missed as the customer’s (in this case) preference is carried out.  The hiring manager’s desire of whom they want to work with is directly related to their relationship comfort.  Some preference may come from perceptions, and some from prejudice, but the net result is the same:  The sales professional who is capable is not interviewed because they don’t quickly meet the preference of the hiring manager.  Often it is because of a reluctance to do business with someone who is decidedly different than themselves.

Prejudice renders any situation difficult, if not impossible.  It should never be endorsed, whether it involves sales or any other endeavor.  Prejudice does change the landscape.  You probably won’t change it as you can do perceptions and preference, and you may be able to spend your time better elsewhere.  If a buyer is prejudice, the narrow-mindedness and patent unfairness will reduce, or destroy your chances of having a successful business relationship, or keep it very short lived.
Now, the simple fact is that any one of these Ps can change which stack you are in.  So at the risk of sounding over simplistic when it is to your advantage you should willingly disclose your race.  When you are in doubt, you should give consideration to ‘scrubbing’ your resume of racial indicators.

Of course there are times when you have no choice, and times such as job fairs when it will be obvious when you hand someone your resume, but in the overall, unless you suspect that it is an advantage, you should exercise discretion.

I am not saying don’t be proud of your race or the events and groups you were or are involved in.  I am saying that to give yourself the highest probability of an interview based on the logic that you have no idea of the background, preferences, or perceptions of the reviewer.

Your resume replete with work accomplishments should give a clear picture of everything necessary to compare to the other candidates.  It is a portrait of your qualifications, accomplishments, and job history and the reviewer should be enticed to move to the next step.

Sometimes it Takes Two

I am an advocate of having two resumes, or even more.  Each stressing what you need to stress, depending on the nuances of the job.  If that is the case, you can have a resume that is all-inclusive, which shows everything, as well as a resume that is ‘scrubbed’ and used when you want to show race neutrality in your solicitation effort.  There are some cases where you might be from a historically Black college or university where you would not want to consider any changes or scrubbing.  That is understood.

More than anything else you should take the time to frame yourself in the light you want to be seen.  It will increase your effectiveness in the long run.

Always be effective.

Your comments are welcome.