-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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A positive response here is an invitation to continue your cold call.
A negative response needs to be turned into a positive one:
"Well, maybe I can brighten your day and help drive some sales for you this season!" (the offer of money, always catches their attention! What are they gonna do, say "No, I don't want to make any more money."?)
"My name is __________, here's a card and these are photos of my past seasonal advertising projects!"
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
A well known sales trainer, J. Douglas Edwards, stressed that "Questions are the answer."
Use questions to 1) create interest, 2) trial close and 3) close.
1. Mr. Jones, my business is providing ideas, products and services that will increase sales for your business. Do you have a few minutes to allow me to share some ideas with you?
2. Mr. Jones, if I can show you a cost effective, cheerful and tasteful way to increase sales, would that be something about which you'd be ready to consider?
2. Mr. Jones, if you decide on my services, would you want a single window or the full front treatment?
2. Mr. Jones, among the work I've shown you, is there any one job that appeals to you more than the others?
3. Mr. Jones, if you're ready to place an order, I can schedule your windows to be done for this weekend or we can do them first thing next week. Which would you prefer?
-------------------- Fred Weiss Allied Computer Graphics, Inc. 4620 Lake Worth Road Lake Worth, FL 33463 561 649-6300 allcompu@allcompu.com Posts: 427 | From: Lake Worth, Florida | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Adrienne Morgan: I try to ask them if they've ever painted their windows for the holidays...and....can I show them what I've done for others...
I like Adrienne's approach the best so far. "Have you ever painted your windows for the holidays?" is a direct, non-threatening question to someone with my personality. It is a conversation starter that isn't filled with a lot of sales jargon. It also prepares the customer for looking at samples. I'm a sucker for low pressure sales.
On the other hand, I bristle when people start using sales language on me. Fred's approaches wouldn't work on me personally because they beat around the bush and put my defenses up before I even know what the product is. My mind would close, and my goal would be to get the salesman out of my face ASAP.
I would rather someone just said, "I paint holiday messages on windows. Would you like to see some samples of work I've done for other businesses in the area?"
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
The trick in cold calling is to always asked open ended questions. These are questions that require an explanation, in other words, you want to avoid questions that can be answered with a yes or no.
Example, What do you usually do to increase sales during the holidays? vs. Have you ever used window splashes to increase sales?
If they haven't used window splashes, the standard "no" answer sets a negative tone right off the bat. When you ask them what they've done before, it gets your customer talking. Be a good listener, then tell them the features AND benefits of your window splashes.
If you need to ask a question that would normally be answered with a yes or no, add this to the question. "How important is it to you....."
Example: Would you like to increase sales this holiday season? (duh...who wouldn't)
Better questions: How important is it to you to increase holiday profits this year, or What are you planning on doing to increase holiday profits this year?
This always gets the customer talking. You need this to qualify him as a real potential customer. This keeps you from wasting too much time on someone who is not a good prospect.
You stand a better chance of a positive conversation if your prospect does most of the talking.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5403 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
As a business owner who gets several calls a week trying to get me to buy something.... I HATE, absolutely detest anything that smacks of a hard sell...
I appreciate a casual, honest approach, that's why I try to sell my work in a non-salesman type of manner.
This fun stuff!!
It will make your storefront look festive!!
You will enjoy watching a real 'artiste' painting something customized just for you!!
People get a kick out of watching someone paint artwork in public...after they've tried you they will see how much attention it draws to their store, and then they will be hooked!!
I get things like, "can you do a SALE sign for me after Christmas"?
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...I'm not used to this!!)
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