"An unprepared cold call is not only a waste of time and resources, it's the most
unprofessional thing a salesperson can do," says Bruce Klassen, sales manager for
Do All Industrial Supply in Indianapolis, IN. Prospects would most likely agree.
According to a Small Business Administration snapshot survey, decision makers are
annoyed by salespeople’s inability to clearly communicate the benefits of meeting
with them. What’s the solution? Klassen says that thorough research is the first
step to opening closed doors. "Our salespeople begin the sales process by researching
the prospect and the company. We need to be sure that our product line is going
to benefit that prospect before we make even an initial sales approach."
Once salespeople have done enough research, they must establish both their company
and themselves as professionals in the field. "Salespeople must establish credibility
from the very first contact,” Klassen emphasizes. “That process of establishing
credibility begins with the preapproach letter. In our company, this sometimes becomes
a three-step process. The first step is to send a product line card to prospects.
This lets them know that we have products and services that we know they can use.
The second step is to send the preapproach letter. After that, we telephone prospects
and ask for the appointment."
John Pintar, a sales rep for Midwest Insurance Services in Appleton, WI, agrees.
"You absolutely have to know your prospects before you approach them," he says.
"I send out a preapproach letter that mentions prospects’ products or the stature
of their company in the industry. I tell them how my services will enhance their
product or stature, and that I won’t waste their time."
Gatekeepers are often formidable barriers standing between you and your prospects.
Therefore, getting to know gatekeepers often is the key to getting the appointment.
"While in our industry we rarely see overly protective gatekeepers, they do pop
up from time to time," Klassen admits. "It helps if you can get gatekeepers on your
side. Sometimes you can do that by assuring them that you recognize how valuable
their bosses's time is and that you won't waste any of it.
"Sometimes just common courtesy opens doors. I have one salesman who carries a small
bag of candy to the ladies out front. They remember him, and he usually gets access
to the prospect – at least on the telephone."
Pintar points out that gatekeepers can work for you just as easily as they can work
against you. "The gatekeeper can be your best friend or your biggest nightmare,"
he says. "Gatekeepers serve as the buffer between prospects and people who would
waste their time. You have to recognize that these people take their job very seriously,
so you need to take them seriously as well. I want to have them on my side, and
the only way I can do that is to assure them that I appreciate their position and
that I won't make them look bad by wasting a prospect’s time."
According to Klassen, one of the best ways to get gatekeepers to open the door for
you is through referrals. "We use a direct referral as often as possible when approaching
a prospect," he says. "The key to using a referral is never to in any way betray
the referrer’s trust by disclosing proprietary information. Share how your product
solved a problem for the referrer and how you believe you can do the same for the
prospect. That's powerful information. It is essential that you maintain your credibility
not only with the prospect, but also with the person who has made the referral."
Pintar says he uses a referral any time he can get one. "The best referral I can
get is a direct one – one that comes from a source my prospect respects and trusts,"
he says. "But the most important thing is not to violate the conditions of the referral.
For example, if I tell the referrers that all I want is to use their names to meet
the prospects, then I need to do just that – introduce myself using the referrers'
names, without implying that they approve of the product for the prospects."
If you've taken the proper steps to reach a prospect, don't blow it by launching
into a full-blown sales spiel too soon. Once you're able to talk to the prospect
by telephone, Pintar suggests, sell the appointment – not the product. "The process
can get frustrating, and salespeople want to get to the interview," he explains.
"But the worst thing salespeople can do is to try to sell the product or service
when we should be setting the appointment. If you mentioned in your preapproach
letter that you were going to call for an appointment, then you need to do just
that. It would really blow your credibility to try to sell a service or product
when you originally said you only wanted to get an appointment."