Chapter 3, "Obstacles"

Hello, my name is Tom Kaufmann

This is chapter 3 in my audio seminars on the techniques of cold calling. In this chapter I will refer to scripts to that I use. Examples of these scripts may be found in another chapter.

In this chapter we will cover the fear of coming up against obstacles like an automated telephone attendant, Voicemail, or just plain "NO not interested."

There are instances where we do not get past the gatekeeper. Sometimes we cannot get past the automated telephone attendant. What do we do when we are told NO or not interested?

So how do we handle these hurdles? The success of any salesperson is measured not by what happens to him or her but by how they handle them.

Recognize that obstacles exist. Learn to live with them by going around them.

Here are some facts I have accepted.

I will not get through to everybody. I try.

I will have gatekeepers who will never let me through I will never sell everybody I talk to. Maybe they do not have a need for my service or product at this time… They may not relate to me or they just like dealing with my competition.

People say "no" to the product or service not to me the messenger.

So what do you do if you get an automated telephone attendant. There are several tricks you could try. Try to hit zero to get the operator. If you get Voicemail after hitting zero, go back to the menu and try pressing several of the suggested numbers on the menu in hopes of getting a live voice. If you do get a live voice, apologize for getting the wrong department, and then treat that live voice as if they were the receptionist and go through your script as taught in earlier chapters.

You might be transferred to the right person and get voicemail. Voicemail is very hard to get around. It is not impossible hurdle, though. I have been successful using the following technique. Call every second day with your voicemail script. Leave your voicemail message, using the same script every time. If after the 5th time they do not call back, Move on. Come back to this prospect in 30- 60-90 days and try again.

If Mr. Smith is interested he will call you back within one of those 5 tries. If Mr. Smith does not call back, it means he is not interested at this time for whatever reason. That means you are no longer interested in him. Move on to the next call.

If the gatekeeper says …"we would not be interested in that…or Mr. Smith would not be interested…or he told me that they are happy with who they have"…MOVE ON. Forget it. Invest your valuable time where there is interest. Re-try in 30-60 days.

If you speak to Mr. Smith and he says no or happy with my existing supplier, then say thank you, I appreciate your loyalty to that supplier. May I send you some literature in case things change in the future? Try again in 90 days.

Do not feel down or depressed if you could not get through or get that appointment. That means you are dwelling on a negative situation. Move on quickly to a positive situation, like getting the next appointment.

Sales and cold calling is a numbers game. The quicker you move on to the next company the quicker you will get an appointment, and the more confidence you will create for yourself. The more successful you will be.

Happy selling.

Thank you.

Content Provider

Tom Kaufmann

I’ve been in sales for over 35 years, and for the past 20 years I have run my own successful Sales Consulting business, specializing in helping Small & Medium sized businesses organize their sales staff, and expand their territories. My specialty is sales training, with a focus on cold calling, and business communications. Indulging in my passion for corporate training and teaching, I not only teach business courses at community colleges in Toronto, Canada, but also train large corporations, such as Lenovo Canada (formerly IBM Microcomputer Div), in my Sales & Cold Calling Techniques. In addition to all my training and teaching, I enjoy giving seminars on various business topics to organizations and businesses; while mentoring & counseling Small Business. My discussions are full of my tips and tricks to survival in the world of business. I love to use humour in my lively discussions to get my message across.

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