The problem is in the prospecting.
When someone says they don’t have enough deals to close, or they can’t close the deals they have, the common belief is the person needs help closing.
I’d argue that’s not the case in 95% of the situations. The problem is in the prospecting. That’s right, the problem at the end of the sale is a result of a failure at the beginning of the process.
For some, that begins with utter dread before getting out of the car, pulling the door handle or picking up the phone.
It’s not a cold call if you don’t believe it’s a cold call.
Cold calls are certainly one of the most difficult activities for salespeople. A cold call is when someone randomly walks in or calls someone else they don’t know. Seriously, do you think that approach is going to work?
If you know you can help someone, does that make your phone call a “cold call?”
I don’t think so. Yes, the two people may not personally know each other, but there’s a reason for the visit or call.
Here’s a way to look at it:
if your car parked outside your home was broken into, and a “stranger” was able to get a description of the culprits and they called to share it with you—would you consider that a cold call? NO! You’d be thankful they called you and cared enough to reach out.
But wait, you didn’t know the person and they didn’t know you, so isn’t that a cold call? I Know your minds are blown…
The sales you close all start with who you prospect.
The sooner you master prospecting, the sooner you’ll be closing more sales. Emotionally this is a tough concept to swallow, I get it. Early on in my sales career I struggled with this same issue big time. (In another blog I’ll share my comic book story) This is why you have to keep coming back to the mindset you have to embrace to succeed.
Your calls are focused on one thing: helping the other person deal with an issue.
Focus on the outcomes.
We’ve talked about selling outcomes in past posts. If you have any hesitancy at all in making calls before you start, take a moment to write down all of the outcomes you’ve helped your customers achieve. It’s critical to focus on the outcome, not on the process or what you sell. Focusing on the outcome will help your mind view the calls you’re going to make in a different light. When you’re focused on the outcome you can help customers achieve, it’s amazing how much better you’ll listen. You’ll find yourself having a conversation rather than reading from a script.
Sales is about a conversation and it starts with how you prospect.
Cold calling isn’t an unforgivable sin.
Prospecting does not have to be the nightmare people make it out to be, and cold calling doesn’t have to feel like you’re committing an unpardonable sin. With the right mindset and by focusing on the types of people or businesses you know you can help, you’ll even weather the icy response from the person who blows up at you for calling them.
Prospecting is not going away. Don’t think for a moment with social media, sales apps and AI you’ll be able to soon forget about prospecting. Sales is still going to be built around a relationship, and it all starts with a conversation.
Happy Selling,
David
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