Thanks for all of great comments on the first edition of TeleTips Thursday!
In addition to the longer lessons we have gravitated to in the regular email on Tuesdays, it is clear that there is a place for the shorter, bite-sized pieces of wisdom, and random other musings I’m sharing.
More things we’ll incorporate each week as well. Let’s dive in.
Something else I intended on including as a regular feature in the main weekly email newsletter was “From the Archives.” Advice I had written years ago that is timeless, and just as appropriate today. And I have a LOT of it. So I’ll likely include this every week in the TeleTips.
This originally appeared December of 2009.
Avoid This Useless Question. Here's a worthless question: It happens after a prospect says, “I'm buying from ABC Company,” and then the sales rep says, “Oh, is everything going OK with them?”, or, “How are they working out for you?”
What do these reps expect the prospects to say? “Oh, everything is awful. I'm looking for a supplier. Glad you called. How do I sign up?” Instead, be prepared with a question that specifically deals with a problem you know they're likely experiencing. “I see. What are you seeing in the area of ____?” For example, “What has been your experience with returns?” At this point you want them talking about potential problems, not the fact that they like their present supplier.
If, for the sport of it, I want some really bad sales advice to write, talk, or film about, I just go to the LinkedIn SEARCH bar and type in “cold call openers.” I am never disappointed.
Just did it. One SDR, apparently getting in his “content posting quota” for the day said, “Most cold calling openings create resistance because they are about the caller, not the prospect.” Ok, this has potential, I thought. He continued with an example, “Hi, this is Joe Sale, and I’m calling to get 15 minutes on your calendar.” Alright, good, bad example he pointed out so far.
Then he proclaimed, instead, call and say, “Hi, I’m Joe Sale. Being totally upfront, this is a cold call. Wondering how you are now handling email deliverability and marketing messages getting filtered.” He said that you are putting them at ease by saying it’s a cold call, then you are making it about them by talking about something relevant.
Um, no. Just no. Announcing it is a cold call is announcing that what they are now experiencing is one of the things that businesspeople hate most in life. It’s like the dentist saying, “I’m coming in with the drill now.” Oh, I feel better now.
As for that question being about them? In what alternative universe? Tell me if I’m wrong… a stranger comes up out of the blue and without giving a reason to answer, asks a personal or business question. What are you thinking? Probably not, “Oh, what a considerate salesperson to ask a question about what I am doing.” NO! Normal humans think, “Who is this, and why would I answer?”
So, what to say? I covered the Smart Calling opening process in detail here, with examples you can use.
Speaking of your Smart Calling prospecting opening… exciting news… I am just a couple of weeks away, or sooner, from releasing the first component of the new Smart Calling AI Coach. This is just a tiny piece of the entire system, and when you enter your prospect, and background info, and tell it what you sell and to whom, it will use my Smart Calling process to write your interest-creating opening, AND voice mail so that you create instant interest, and avoid the resistance like that previous opening. And it’ll be free to try out. Watch your inbox.
What I’m Reading Right Now. “Return to Real: The Last Human Advantage in an Age of Artificial Everything.” By Ryan Levesque.
In a time where so much of life is becoming digital and impersonal, Ryan discusses how more people want the human touch. Ryan calls it “The Analog Advantage.” And he is living it. He is a seven-time Inc. 5000 CEO, sold two tech companies, and left Austin, TX to live on a 200-year-old farm in Vermont, and raise 80% of the food they eat.
It’s part warm personal transformation story, and part business blueprint for doing it yourself. I was a member of one of Ryan’s high end marketing masterminds for a couple of years, and I can tell you the guy is the real deal, professionally and personally. Highly recommended.
I know my hearing isn’t what it used to be, but I also know that if someone mumbles, or is a low talker, I struggle to hear what they are saying.
That is not conducive to making a positive impression by phone (or in person.) Not to indict an entire generation, but I especially see it with teenagers and early 20-somethings.
You ARE being judged by not only what you say, but HOW you say it. Listen to your recordings. Regularly. It’s one of the best self-improvement activities you can do. If you don’t like what you hear, fine, figure out what it is, then get to work! Just think, if you don’t like it, what are others thinking? Earlier this year I created a brief masterclass on how to Project Authority with your words, tone, and overall delivery.
The wise belief attributed to the late great Jim Rohn is “You become like the five people you associate with most.” That in and of itself is worth pondering as it relates to your business and personal life.
Do you hang with people who make you better every time you are with them, or those who drain the life out of you?
I thought hard about this the other day as I got one of those alerts from Apple about how much screen time I had the past month. A bit embarrassing, as I know a lot of it was mindless scrolling and funny stuff. (I will admit, a guilty pleasure is a channel from a chef called Chef Reactions, where he watches brief cooking videos and he reviews them. Usually hilarious, sometimes brutal… anyhoo…)
Then I asked myself, how is this serving me for the better? So, I regrouped, and changed how I invest my online time (for the most part).
It’s amazing how feeding your mind with inspirational, motivational, instructive, positive material instead of social media sludge can quickly change your attitude, and improve you in so many ways!
One more and I’m outta here…
You don't have to feel confident to get started. In one of my recent coaching calls with my Ultimate Sales Pro group, a member talked about how uncomfortable he initially felt changing the way he approached his prospecting. But he kept making the calls, working on his skills, and doing what he'd committed to doing.
And something interesting happened. He started feeling a little more confident every day.
There's a lesson there for all of us.
Whatever you're facing right now, don't wait until you feel completely ready. You might be waiting a long time.
Take that first step. Then another. Give yourself credit for the progress you're making. That’s a lot better than the self-shame of beating yourself up for avoidance.
You might be surprised how quickly you become the person who can do what you once thought you couldn't.
I managed to avoid physics in high school and college, but I believe there is a rule about things in motion. Let me apply common sense and experience to that:
A person in motion makes things happen, creates opportunities they didn't even know existed, and finds it easier to keep moving.
A person in motion makes things happen, creates opportunities they didn't even know existed, and finds it easier to keep moving.
So, get in motion and make something good happen!.
Continue making it your best week ever!
PS. If you liked what you saw here, or even if you didn’t, do a friend a favor who would. Forward it on to them, or better yet, share it on one–-or all–of- your socials using the magic buttons up top.
