If you can still remain full of passion, motivation and a zest for life when you know you are in for a period of cold calling – you are a truly rare and very lucky person. As much as it is rewarding to get that elusive top contact or sale, the whole process can be deeply depressing, frustrating, humiliating and… well, you know the rest…we have all been there. But the fact is, if you sound like how you may be feeling inside, you are beaten from the start.
At Peak Recruitment we try to pass on as many, marketing, job searching and interview skills to our loyal followers as possible. Being at the sharp end of the deal and knowing exactly what our employers in Thailand want from prospective employees, we can pride ourselves on being able to pass on those golden nuggets – which could mean the difference between hitting a career and hitting the streets.
The Starting Gun…
In an interview situation that first 90 seconds is so important – it is exactly the same when selling yourself on the telephone. If you sound like you want to be somewhere else, the chances are you very soon you will be.
Those first few seconds are essential in determining whether you sink or swim. But what could you possibly put over a telephone in a few seconds?
The point is no-one wants to receive cold calls. The number of people who do sit around all day just hoping they will be called up by the acme company with a new offer on how to clean their oven, are very rare and probably not born on this planet. But that is because the whole sales process comes with such baggage: the person on the end of the line is selling you something you do not need; it is an invasion of your privacy; your precious time is being wasted; you are just a random faceless factory-line call.
Let’s remedy that straight away.
Sell the Solution to The Problem
If you go into the call expecting to be rejected – expecting that you are just wasting someone else’s time you are not going to sell anything. You not only have to believe in the product or service you are selling, you also have to have some idea as to how the customer can benefit from the product. In other words, you are not selling a branded product – you are selling the customer a solution to their problems. That’s a pretty powerful place to be and doubly rewarding if you get the sale. A win-win situation.
So if you find yourself tired and worn and just randomly dialling telephone numbers in your little black book – stop. Don’t waste your time or your contacts time. That method really is why cold calling has gained a bad name. Slow down – do a bit of research on the person who will answer the phone. Get an idea of the company, how the product will benefit them uniquely. Use these little golden nuggets of information to engage conversation and build up a relationship that is more than just sales work.
This is about quality rather than quantity. And you can take this to the next level. But first you have to engage.
Making It Personal…
In business we are all to a certain extent steeling ourselves against the next cold caller. As a cold caller these first 7 seconds in which you put yourself over are imperative. How do you get the listener on your side? They have to warm to you. Fast. The important word here is “warm”. If you can get below those battled defences from the start with a personal touch rather than a cold pitch you are making headway. Take this as a script for instance:
“ Hi John, it’s Bill Reynolds calling from X company, did I catch you at a bad time?”
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/magic-cold-calling-script-change-your-life-mitsu-fisher
Instantly you are turning the conversation to your advantage as it allows you to engage on a more personal level. This straight away takes the “salesy” tone out of the call. True, there will be a chance that they will say it is not a good time to call but it also gives you a chance to make a bone-fide appointment to make a call in the future. If they do not want to talk to you at all, they will quickly use this as a way out – but this is no loss. It is highly likely you could have wasted a long time on this contact anyway.
Cold calling is a numbers game and there is no doubt that you are going to have to go through a fair amount of rejections before you get that conversion. So if the above intro helps you move through your contacts faster and in a more systematic way, with a more effectual approach you have got to be on to a good thing…and closer to the next sale.
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Peak Recruitment is the leading recruitment agency in Thailand. A human resource specialist, our pioneering methodology and commitment to deliver exemplary services has placed us first for executive recruitment in Bangkok. As a team, we offer a distinctive approach that you just won’t find anywhere else in Thailand. For contact information click here