February 10, 2023 – OK “Outside Salesperson,” what the heck are you supposed to do now? You long for the time when your day comprised a few morning pop-by visits to current customers, an hour of drivetime talk-radio on your way to a client lunch at Chilis-Too, followed by a few “checking-in” visits with some old clients to wrap up the day. Remember how great it was to shake a hand, make a friend, and grab a purchase order? Hey, I’m with you.
Regardless of what they tell us, the DNA of an outside salesperson was always engineered to enjoy interacting with clients and industry friends. But over the past couple of years (I won’t bring up that word), many have been slow to get back to the “good old days.” It’s common to hear comments such as:
- “Where I live, there is still a reluctance to let me in and show my product/service.”
- “Prospects and customers are short-staffed, overworked and too busy to see me.”
- “I miss the good old days!”
So, what’s the answer? While nothing is as effective as an old-fashioned in-person visit and a handshake, the phone has now become the most important business tool we own. Yea, I know it sounds so 1980s, but now more than ever it’s our most important weapon. We just have to get better at using it. Make more powerful cold prospecting phone calls than ever, with the objective of creating enough curiosity to have them commit to a Virtual Presentation. More calls done more effectively will lead to more virtual/live presentations. And more virtual/live presentations (done well) will lead to more purchase orders.
The reason many outside salespeople don’t love phone cold calling is that they feel pressure. Former Pittsburg Steelers Football Coach Chuck Noll said it well when he said, “Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.” Well, pressure is what salespeople feel when they don’t quite know what is going to come out of their mouth when somebody picks up that phone. But here’s the good news, it’s fixable! The following are six steps that will help you turn more cold calls into more detailed meetings/product demonstrations.
Read more in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.