Sean D'Souza: Calls that bring prospects in from the cold

Sean D'Souza.

The biggest problem with cold-calling is the almost 100 per cent rejection rate just waiting for you. But cold-calling works, has always worked and will always work, if you:

* Get yourself ready.
* Get your customer ready.
* Getting yourself ready.

Because cold-calling is rejection-based, you can't count the number of hits, but rather the number of misses. So you need to prepare yourself to be rejected and collect rejection badges, as it were.

So if I were going to do 50 cold calls a day, I'd WANT to score at least 49 rejections. This may sound weird, but if you call to get accepted, you get rejected. And then as you keep calling, your spirits go down.

Nothing is worse that getting more drained as you make the next call.

And you will get drained if your goal is to get a job, assignment or whatever, because the chances of rejection are almost 100 per cent. If you play the game of rejection, however, you can't lose. If you can't lose, you get more cheerful. And suddenly someone says "yes" and you think, that can't be possible. But it's a yes.

And this is true because of a simple definition of sales: sales is transfer of enthusiasm from one person to another.

If you're not 100 per cent enthusiastic and cheerful, I can smell you a mile off, and I don't want to buy anything. But if you're enthusiastic, I'll give you a foot in the door.

So that's the first part: you can't hope to win, because rejection is pre-loaded. So you turn the game on its head: count the rejections as "wins" and you can't lose.

But isn't it counterproductive to go in expecting to lose?

It's not as crazy as you think. No one is telling you to be an idiot and play the fool. You're still going to be super-professional. If you're relaxed (because you're there just to notch up another rejection) you're more likely to be more enthusiastic in your tone and body language.

Getting the client ready

This depends on the methodology you use. If you're using the phone, you need to be extremely clear about who you're going to speak to and what you're going to say.

Most cold-calling falls apart because the call goes to the wrong person, or a person who can't take a decision. The question is: what decision do they need to take? If you want to get hired, for example, they just need to be able to say: "Yes, I will meet you". This is because it's unlikely anyone will hire you based on a phone call.

So what are you going to say?

Most people will call and say: "I want to meet you regarding (insert your profession here)." And that's boring. Why would I be interested in what you do? I'm only interested in what's in it for me.

An example: In 2000, I had just moved to New Zealand. I worked briefly in a web-design company, then was made redundant.

I was a professional cartoonist, so knew the folks I had to speak to were creative directors in advertising agencies. If the creative director wouldn't meet, I'd settle for the art director.

Then I started calling for appointments.

When I called, I'd say: "As an art director, you often have crazy deadlines for certain ads. And sourcing the right photos, getting the shoot ready etc, can be a nightmare. I'm a cartoonist (a good one too) and I can show you how we've used cartoons in crazy deadline situations. And how ad agencies have used it without losing impact. When can we meet for 20 minutes? Is this week good? Or the second half of next week?"

So let's analyse the conversation:

I put forward an isolated problem. I wasn't trying to solve all their problems. Just ONE problem.

* I put forward a solution.

* I killed the objection: "How ad agencies have used it without losing impact."

* I offered a "case-study", I mentioned agencies had used us before.

* I made sure the next step was in place: "This week or the second half of next week."

* I was precise about the time: "Twenty minutes."

This prepares the client. You've been so precise in your conversation that they know some hot-air balloon won't turn up to waste their time. They've given you the foot in the door you need.

So prepare yourself.

Then prepare your customer.

And go in eager to sell.

Or in other words: transfer your enthusiasm from one person to another.

Good luck, though frankly, if you prepare, you won't need it.

Sean D'Souza is chief executive of Psychotactics and an international author and trainer. He is the author of The Brain Audit - Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don't).

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