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Cold Calling Revisited: What if Sales is Not a Numbers Game?

Why revisit your thinking around cold calling?

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For years, we’ve been told that sales is a numbers game. I remember back in the day when I started selling, there was a plan: call 10 people, see 3 and close 1 deal! If you wanted to earn more, you called more people….

Pipeline dreams

All you needed to do was to fill your pipeline with an endless supply of suspects. And then, a certain percentage of them would miraculously turn into prospects, and ultimately customers – if you were persistent enough.

Lots of people still believe that. I’m not convinced. And, I’m dead serious – especially when what you’re selling requires buyers to stop and think before they invest or make a change.

Salespeople who have tons of potential opportunities tend to run through them as fast as they can, hoping to close a quick deal. They rarely engage in the right conversations, challenge customers thinking or offer new insights. They’re too eager to find the hot prospect and make an easy sale. But usually, they’re just brushed off – and they should be, because they’re just in it for themselves.

What Top Sellers Do

On the other hand, top sellers play a different game. They’re not pounding the phones or sending email blasts to poorly qualified lists. Cold calling is not part of their game plan.

Instead, top sellers know who their best prospects are and they focus all their sales efforts there. They also know which trigger events change an organisation’s priorities and loosen the grip of the status quo. These top sellers investigate their customers, learn about their customer’s lives and businesses and then find a clever way to engage.

For top sellers, fewer is better. Now most people think that’s heresy. It’s not. Actually, it’s what’s called “smart selling”.

  1. Less is more is because,  you have time to research prospects and their companies.
  2. Less is better because you can identify areas where your products or services could have an impact.
  3. Less is better because you can craft messaging that piques curiosity and gets responses.
  4. And finally, less is better because you can ensure each interaction is worthwhile – from your prospect’s perspective.

So why don’t you for the next month stop going after the numbers and try something different. Take the “Less is Better” challenge.

Article sourced: http://bit.ly/1LbUcfD