Episode 007 How to Win a Sale in the first 10 seconds of a cold call
04/27/16 • 18 min
How to close a sale in first 10 seconds of a Cold Call - Winning Sales Message
For this podcast, we are going to look at the most important part of your opening statement...the interest statement.
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When you are prospecting to a client there are no second takes. If you stammer the initial call, you cannot hang up and call right back to try again.
Regardless of the business or organization, everyone has the same problems all over the world. In order for you to achieve differentiation with your prospecting efforts, you need to mention one or more of these six needs in your WIIFM Statement. Take a look at an example for each:
Operations WIIFM – You operate better with me
Operations represent the biggest challenge for any business. This area has a dual focus on cost control and inventory management. Even for service companies, inventory is present in the form of human labor. Your WIIFM should focus on how you can have a direct impact on overseeing key areas of their inventory, or the way in which they conduct their business.
For your clients, differentiation of companies in your industry becomes tougher every day. Look for operational superiority in your offer if you cannot easily show product superiority. In the absence of product differentiation, focus your WIIFM on process differentiation. Most businesses interact with companies based on what works for the company and not their customer. Highlight this difference and you will stand out.
Operations: These ideas will gain you more control over your expenses.
Marketing WIIFM – You have more customers with me
Marketing focuses on generating revenue. Every company is in the business of making money. A strong WIIFM focuses on how your company can help them make more money. In some cases, you may be positioned to use Power Prospecting to contact organizations and not businesses. This includes non-profit organizations, like a city council or other government agencies. Not for Profit organizations have a reason for existing and that reason is the source for developing a strong WIIFM. Show how you can help them find new customers or reach their objectives quicker.
Marketing: I specialize in helping my customers find customers.
Financial WIIFM – You make money with me.
Financial needs involve a business’ ability to collect billed revenue. Getting business is good, but collecting money on business is great! All decision makers have a concern around ensuring that billing and collecting is a smooth process. It may require a creative WIIFM to connect your offering to this regard. However, that connection will immediately resonate with the decision maker during your prospecting call.
Productivity – You gain more resources with me
Productivity is the area where businesses look to accomplish more by using fewer resources. Using fewer resources could refer to things like money or time. Every business leader seeks ways to prevent over spending. Nothing frustrates a vested business professional more than spending too much time on administrative activities and not enough time on revenue generation.
Productivity: I will show you ways to spend more time on revenue-generating activities and less time on administrative activities.
Information – You stay ahead with me
Information empowers any business to make the right decisions to keep themselves in business. Company owners and leaders want to ensure that they are up to speed on the latest trends within their industry or market. No one wants to be behind the times. In addition, no one wants to be too far ahead which could result in not having any customers. For business leaders, having complete and correct information about the business environment makes for a compelling WIIFM.
Information: My company prides itself on supplying you with the most valuable resource in the market right now...information on the industry’s best practices.
Planning – You make the right decisions with me
Planning for the future, based on the past, is the cornerstone of business longevity. The fast pace of business finds management’s role changing each day. As business situations become more complex, most managers lack time to manage. Instead, they spend the majority of their time putting out fires. So much time is spent putting out fires that they lack time to build a better fire department. It is importation to mention your ability to help with strategic thinking and planning. This will showcase you as a Trusted Advisor.
Planning: You will be able to become more proactive than reactive through our strategic planning process.
Let me give you an example to explain my point of planning. There are beautiful Japanese fish named Koi. They can be found in little ponds and water gardens at the nicest hotels based on their decorative appearanc...
How to close a sale in first 10 seconds of a Cold Call - Winning Sales Message
For this podcast, we are going to look at the most important part of your opening statement...the interest statement.
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When you are prospecting to a client there are no second takes. If you stammer the initial call, you cannot hang up and call right back to try again.
Regardless of the business or organization, everyone has the same problems all over the world. In order for you to achieve differentiation with your prospecting efforts, you need to mention one or more of these six needs in your WIIFM Statement. Take a look at an example for each:
Operations WIIFM – You operate better with me
Operations represent the biggest challenge for any business. This area has a dual focus on cost control and inventory management. Even for service companies, inventory is present in the form of human labor. Your WIIFM should focus on how you can have a direct impact on overseeing key areas of their inventory, or the way in which they conduct their business.
For your clients, differentiation of companies in your industry becomes tougher every day. Look for operational superiority in your offer if you cannot easily show product superiority. In the absence of product differentiation, focus your WIIFM on process differentiation. Most businesses interact with companies based on what works for the company and not their customer. Highlight this difference and you will stand out.
Operations: These ideas will gain you more control over your expenses.
Marketing WIIFM – You have more customers with me
Marketing focuses on generating revenue. Every company is in the business of making money. A strong WIIFM focuses on how your company can help them make more money. In some cases, you may be positioned to use Power Prospecting to contact organizations and not businesses. This includes non-profit organizations, like a city council or other government agencies. Not for Profit organizations have a reason for existing and that reason is the source for developing a strong WIIFM. Show how you can help them find new customers or reach their objectives quicker.
Marketing: I specialize in helping my customers find customers.
Financial WIIFM – You make money with me.
Financial needs involve a business’ ability to collect billed revenue. Getting business is good, but collecting money on business is great! All decision makers have a concern around ensuring that billing and collecting is a smooth process. It may require a creative WIIFM to connect your offering to this regard. However, that connection will immediately resonate with the decision maker during your prospecting call.
Productivity – You gain more resources with me
Productivity is the area where businesses look to accomplish more by using fewer resources. Using fewer resources could refer to things like money or time. Every business leader seeks ways to prevent over spending. Nothing frustrates a vested business professional more than spending too much time on administrative activities and not enough time on revenue generation.
Productivity: I will show you ways to spend more time on revenue-generating activities and less time on administrative activities.
Information – You stay ahead with me
Information empowers any business to make the right decisions to keep themselves in business. Company owners and leaders want to ensure that they are up to speed on the latest trends within their industry or market. No one wants to be behind the times. In addition, no one wants to be too far ahead which could result in not having any customers. For business leaders, having complete and correct information about the business environment makes for a compelling WIIFM.
Information: My company prides itself on supplying you with the most valuable resource in the market right now...information on the industry’s best practices.
Planning – You make the right decisions with me
Planning for the future, based on the past, is the cornerstone of business longevity. The fast pace of business finds management’s role changing each day. As business situations become more complex, most managers lack time to manage. Instead, they spend the majority of their time putting out fires. So much time is spent putting out fires that they lack time to build a better fire department. It is importation to mention your ability to help with strategic thinking and planning. This will showcase you as a Trusted Advisor.
Planning: You will be able to become more proactive than reactive through our strategic planning process.
Let me give you an example to explain my point of planning. There are beautiful Japanese fish named Koi. They can be found in little ponds and water gardens at the nicest hotels based on their decorative appearanc...
Previous Episode
EPISODE 6 - Increase your charisma to win more sales
Power Sales Guru, Will Harris discusses concepts from his best selling book "Power Prospecting". In this episode he states: "What you do does not define who you are. But what you think does define who you are. And, many times it defines your amount of charisma."
What is charisma? You may not be able to define it. But you know it when you see it. At the heart of charisma are two things that make or break you.
This podcast will tell you both things and help you increase your charisma to win more sales!
Next Episode
Episode 008 What to Say in Your Opening Statement
Episode 008 What to say in your Opening Statement
Hello, I’m Will Harris. Welcome to the Power Sales Guru podcast. The title of this episode is What to Say in Your Opening Statement.
I love the story of the high school basketball coach who was attempting to motivate his players to persevere through a difficult season. Halfway through the season he stood before his team and said, “Did Michael Jordan ever quit?” The team responded, “No!” “What about the Wright brothers? Did they ever give up?” “No!” the team responded. “Did Steve Jobs ever quit?” “Again the team yelled, “No!” “Did Elmer McAllister ever quit?”
There was a long silence. Finally one player was bold enough to ask, “Coach...who’s Elmer McAllister? We never heard of him.” The coach snapped back , “Of course you never heard of him....he quit!”
I love that story. In this podcast we are going to discuss the four parts of a great opening statement. And ensuring you never quit before you connect with a new customer.
Allow me to paint a picture for you. You made a call to speak with a potential client. You have built rapport with the gatekeeper, who was happy to supply helpful information.
When you are transferred to the Decision Maker,
He answers the call and says: “Hello. This is Tom.”
The clock begins....
You have ten seconds to generate interest before you lose them forever. The moment is here and the pressure is on. What you say next makes or breaks the call.
What do you do when the pressure is on?
What do you say to gain progress?
The desires of our heart often require unquenchable spirit, sweat, energy beyond what we think is possible, and an undying commitment. These prerequisites to success culminate in one overriding quality – Perseverance.
I’m a big fan of the great psychologist William James. Dr. James said “Fatigue gets worse up to a certain point, when gradually or suddenly, it passes away and we are fresher than before!”
At that point we have tapped a new level of energy...There may be layer after layer of this experience, a third even fourth ‘wind.’ We find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength habitually not taxed, because habitually we never push through the obstruction right in front of us.
Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected by 23 publishers. The twenty-fourth publisher sold six million copies and Dr. Seuss realized his perseverance resulted in challenging and educating millions of children.
After having been rejected by both Hewlett-Packard and Atari, Apple microcomputers had first-year sales of $2.5 million.
And Formula 409...got its name because 4 hundred and 8 times they submitted their compound and were rejected. But the 4 hundred and 9th time ................was accepted.
So how do you know when enough is enough?
When we achieve what we set out to do, that is when it is enough?
Are you willing to do enough?
To cold call, or to prospect within an account you need 4 parts in your opening statement. For a great opening statement 4 things are enough.
The four major parts to a powerful opening statement are:
- Greeting
- Attention Statement
- Interest Statement
- Opening Question
The opening statement creates a bridge from “I don’t know you” to “I need to know you.”
Different is the new great. The goal is to stand out amongst the sea of sales people fighting for your prospect’s interest.
Now let’s take a look at the first thing to say in your opening statement:
- The Greeting
Some sales people whisper the name of their company as if they were passing notes to another student in class. Or they say it so quickly that it lacks the luster and power the name deserves. The greeting is where you acknowledge who you are and which company employs you. This should be said slowly and with pride.
“Hello. My name is Will Harris. I’m with Willpower Consultation.”
The Greeting quickly says: Hi, Me, & Us. A great opening statement quickly shifts focus from the salesperson onto the prospect. Avoid the trap of focusing on you during the call. Introduce yourself and your company, and then quickly move the conversation onto the prospect.
I have been asked whether to use first name only in your greeting....or should we use first and last name for ultimate professionalism. Whatever makes you feel comfortable...that’s what you should do.
If you have some super cool name like Alexander Fraiser III. Then you may use it in order to stand out and be different. But if your style is more laid back then you may say, “I’m Alex.”
You can phrase the greeting whichever way fits your style. Just remember, the greeting is simply “Hi, Me, & Us.” Done!
That was the first part to say in your opening statement.
The second...
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