Last week I had breakfast with a very good friend of mine, Mark; a graduate from the University of Michigan. Hmm. You're probably saying "didn't I just read or hear something else about Michigan in your newsletter, blog or sales java?" Yes you did. It was about Bo Schembechler. As I read the book, I thought about my friend and said to myself ‘we just have to get together.' You see, he grew up in Barberton, Ohio just like Bo did. In addition, he and his brother played on the state champion basketball team and played basketball at Michigan while Bo was still coaching; he knows Bo.
We're having breakfast and he is telling me all these great stories about Michigan, and Bo and going to Michigan, Ohio State Games. One of the stories is about his brother, who happens to be an associate athletic director at the University, and has been for 10 years.
As the story goes his brother is with Bo and their talking about his new job etc. and he tells Bo: "A year ago I was a practicing attorney. When I called on a CEO, doctor or president to schedule appointment to meet and discuss our firm and my services, I could never get in to see them. Now that I'm in charge of tickets for football and I call about their season tickets, I get surgeons to leave surgery to talk to me." What a great story about selling!
Most of us won't have the clout of the person in charge of season tickets for anything, much less tickets for a Division I football program. But the point of the story here is that unless you have a compelling reason for someone to come to the phone, stay on the phone and ultimately schedule an appointment with you, then you are dialing for dollars and you end up with the same miserable appointment results as other sales people. Keep in mind that I don't care if all or your calls to prospects are referrals, unless you have a compelling reason for someone to meet with you, you may have an appointment, but you still won't convert that appointment to business.
Does your ‘pitch' sound like everyone else's? "Hi, my name is Tony Cole, I'm with Anthony Cole Training and I'd like to come by and tell you how our training and development program can increase your sales and improve the productivity of your sales force. Would Tuesday at 2:00 or Wednesday at 10:00 be better?" Makes me want to puke.
Just substitute my name, the company name and what it is you sell and you sound like everyone else out there trying to sell this ceo or president on the idea of inviting you in and taking some of their time.
Let's start easy:
- Tell them your name and shut up.
- Tell them that you're not sure (say it exactly this way) that it makes sense for you to be talking can you tell them why you called.
- Then tell them the benefits you clients have derived from doing business with you. (My clients are companies that have realized more significant consistent predictable sales growth since hiring our firm. As I said I'm not sure it makes sense for us to be talking but if you don't mind tell me how would you in one word describe your sales growth over the last 3 years)
Now if you've done your homework and you are calling on companies and individuals in a market segment that you KNOW is having trouble with consistent and predictable sales growth, what answers do you think you might get? Slow, down, flat, miserable, awful, we're struggling etc. When you hear that kind of response do you think you have a prospect? Damn right you do! Now you can get an appointment with someone that is interested in solving a problem and not just kicking tires or meeting with you because you were introduced.
Get it? Good, now re-think your calling and appointment approach and give people a compelling reason to meet with you and buy from you.
Oh, by the way Mark, thanks for the story.
Oops, almost forgot, I also asked Mark to help us grow our business and Mark agreed to bring seven people to our next standing room only executive briefing on hiring "A" players. Thanks Mark for that too.