I know you’ve been there. You’re sitting in front of your prospect for the first time. They invited you to sit down. You look around the office or room, searching for a glimpse of an idea to start the “small talk.” Thankfully you see the University of Alabama diploma or the portrait of Bear Bryant on the wall. Now you have something. But after five minutes of jibber about the great 2005 season and the hopes of next year, you are searching again. But this time it’s business. You don’t want to sound like an insurance agent. You want to sound professional.

What better way than to bring in just two pieces of paper. (Note: You did not bring in a product guide or your brief case full of applications.) You have an Agenda - one for you and one for them. The agenda looks nice. It is on a different style of paper. You may call it resume paper. The agenda has the name of your company, possibly a logo, your website and your office number. It has the date of the meeting. It has their name on it too. The title at the top in BOLD letters reads “AGENDA AND EXPECTATIONS.” Nice.

You can start the “business” end of the meeting by saying, “I took the liberty of putting together an agenda for today. It may help us stay on track.” They notice the nice paper and the fact that you took the time to personalize the agenda. This sends a message of professionalism and class.

The agenda has bullet points or actual numbers, whichever your style. It communicates the topic for which you have set the meeting and an action list to move forward. It helps to establish the “professional” relationship and how YOU will be able to help them with their investments or insurance plan. The agenda concludes with “What is the Next Step?” This allows you to review what you have discussed, set another appointment, and end the meeting in a positive way.

The use of an agenda will most certainly set you apart from any competition. Not many people use them, so you will be different. You will be more confident in your sale and the prospect will be more comfortable.
The key is to use them consistently and with purpose. For a sample of an agenda, visit my website and click on “Marketing Ideas” under “Private Lessons”. Please use your own style. It will distinguish you from others. A little creativity on this will go a long way.

For an Efficient, Professional Meeting - Use an Agenda.

Jay Stubbs is an experienced Financial Services Sales Director and Qualifying Member of the Milion Dollar Round Table.

For more information, sales ideas, advice and free consumer articles, visit Jay’s website.

http://www.salesjive.com

Many companies do not know how to do cold calling correctly and many people do not like to do cold calling because they feel there are bothering the customer. As a franchisor we often opened new franchise businesses with a marketing program, which included listing all the potential companies our business franchise might do business with them the area.

Once this list was established we try to find contact names and contact each company directly. Generally we try to do cold calling on some types of clientele and others we preferred more direct marketing and actually stopping in the business itself.

It is important to establish goals in cold calling. Each company should determine what those goals are. For instance if you are selling a product or service which is rather complicated and it needs further explanation for the customer you are cold calling and therefore your objectives would be to try to turn 40 percent of the cold calls into sales appointment meetings.

In our case our goal was to get the franchisee 10,000 to 20,000 worth of monthly gross income in services. And we attached our cold calling efforts to our overall marketing program goals. We later found out it was easier to have goals prior to the main goal during cold calling so that our marketing team would make sure they got to a significant number of decision-makers.

If we did not reach our goal we would send our people out to contact them directly by stopping in their office. This was not easy and therefore the team wanted to make sure that they got through to the decision maker during the cold call. No matter how you decide to set up your goals for cold calling you are advised to at least have some goals to help foster efficiency and keep the sales team on track. Please consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem of chasing prospects. In this article I’ll explain exactly why that happens, and how you can avoid it entirely and make prospects chase you instead.

I once heard Donald Trump say, “In selling, you must never appear desperate. As
soon as you look desperate, it’s over.”

A friend and I were talking about the dynamics of a cold call the other day. When
we make that call, we usually hope and expect that the prospect will be receptive to
hearing what we have to say. However, salespeople face increasing resistance to
cold calling, as well as increasing flakiness on the part of prospects who do meet
with them. Instead of thinking, “Ok, this may be interesting,” here’s what most
prospects actually think when they receive a cold call: “Great. You don’t know me
and I don’t know you. You have no idea what my goals are. You don’t even know if
we need what you’re selling, and in spite of all that, you’ve decided to waste my time
anyway with this call.”

What is increasingly becoming the norm is to be rejected by the good, solid
prospects everyone wants, and to get appointments with flakey time-wasters who
will never buy. Flakiness, in particular, is a growing problem thanks to the fact that
prospects are increasingly bombarded with endless advertising as well as endless
salespeople. When you consider the fact that few prospects actually have the
courage to say “no” and instead choose to blow us off and make excuses, it
becomes even more frustrating.

One of the main themes I try to teach salespeople is two-fold: 1) You must be
supremely confident. 2) You must get into the habit of qualifying prospects OUT
instead of merely qualifying them. It is the appropriate response to ever-increasing
flakiness and evasiveness on the part of prospects. It’s our way of communicating to
them, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen” in a non-verbal way. The
idea of taking the lead and qualifying prospects out is scary at first, and as a result
most salespeople aren’t willing to do it, but it will save you lots of otherwise wasted
time with prospects who aren’t really serious, and will free that time up to be spent
with prospects who are going to buy.

It’s important to start all sales relationships from a position of power, and you do
this in two ways: 1) Through your outward presentation. This is easily accomplished
by acting very professional and dressing better than your prospects, rather than
taking the wrong advice of “dressing like your prospects.” It’s easy to say “no” to
someone with whom you’re comfortable, but much more difficult to say “no” to
someone who intimidates you. 2) Through your actions. A great example is
someone who is squirrely about agreeing to an appointment with you. In many
cases, these are the people who finally agree to meet with you but eventually blow
you off without buying. When I found myself in this situation,
I discovered a great way to overcome it. It goes back to the idea of confidence
bordering on mild arrogance, and puts you in the position of power. When you’re
getting the runaround, something like “Well, we’ll let you know when we have time
to pencil you in,” say something like, “Great, let me know. I’m very busy so I need to
know either way - NOW.” This will get rid of time-wasters, and with serious
prospects, will clearly communicate that you’re a serious businessperson, should be
taken seriously, and will not tolerate having your time wasted and otherwise being
disrespected. It will also set you apart from the competition and greatly increase
your chances of getting the sale.

As time goes on and I work with more salespeople, I’m realizing that this idea of
being powerful really overrides everything else, and once you can pull it off, it
overshadows everything. You can do a poor job of presenting and selling and yet
this can carry you all by itself. For anyone who is doubtful about this idea of
presenting yourself as overconfident and even a little bit arrogant, I’ll go back to
Donald Trump since he’s famous for his giant ego. I saw him on Larry King, and as
they were taking live calls, one of the callers openly confronted him about his
massive ego and Larry King jumped on and questioned him about it as well. Donald
Trump simply replied, “Have you EVER met a successful person who didn’t have a
big ego?” After some hemming and hawing from King, Trump repeated the
question to him, and King finally said, “No.”

Moving on from the idea of avoiding an appearance of desperation and creating an
appearance of power, there’s another very good reason as to why prospects who are
uncovered via cold calling are flakey. This one has nothing to do with us and
everything to do with a particular prospect’s mindset and level of sales vulnerability
to begin with.

Most of us have noticed, at some time or another, that prospects who absolutely
refuse to take cold calls and have giant “No Soliciting” signs plastered on their front
doors tend to be the easiest to sell to once you manage to get in front of them.
There are a few popular theories as to why this is so, the most common one being
the idea that since so few salespeople get through to begin with, there is little
competition and therefore a better chance of getting the sale. However, I know the
real reason behind this.

The reason those people are so defensive against sales pitches and have all those
“No Soliciting” signs is quite simple. They are AFRAID of salespeople. They know
very well that they have a very difficult time saying “no,” and as such they are highly
vulnerable to sales presentations and know very well that if a salesperson gets to
them, they’ll probably buy whether they need to or not.

(I never figured this out until I spoke with an expert on social dynamics who has
studied the subject of human social interaction in depth. He explained that the
people who act the coldest and most unapproachable in social settings do so
because they’re overly vulnerable to being seduced and falling in love and therefore
are afraid of what someone’s advances may lead to.)

Now that we’ve explained why those people are the easiest to sell to, let’s look at
the opposite type of prospect: those who willingly take your call and willingly agree
to set an appointment.

If those who are easily sold won’t take your call and won’t agree to meet with you,
why would someone be so agreeable to taking your call and meeting with you?
Exactly. It’s because they have no fear of salespeople. They know right from the
start that there’s little chance of them being sold. Their openness and receptiveness
to your call puts us off-guard. We think we have a great shot at a sale, but in reality
we’re meeting with someone who is 99% certain not to buy.

Since the people who willingly take cold calls usually don’t buy, and the people who
usually buy don’t take cold calls, what’s the solution? Since those who are easily
sold almost always meet with salespeople only when they’ve called the salesperson
first and not the other way around, you must get your message across to these
people in creative and effective ways other than cold calling.

To those highly desirable prospects who are easily sold, all salespeople seem the
same. The only way to win with them is to separate yourself from the rest of the
crowd.

The first way to accomplish this is to be that powerful businessperson who needs
nothing and deserves respect. I think most of us were taught and have gotten into
the habit of treating prospects as superiors and as a result we tend to do whatever
is convenient for prospects and otherwise kiss up to them. We are used to
rearranging our schedules just to meet with that one prospect. Stop this, and start
expecting your prospects to treat YOU with the respect and consideration you
deserve as someone who is not only a business equal, but who has the knowledge
and wisdom to help them and improve their businesses and their lives.

The second way to stand out is to stop cold calling. Nothing will stereotype you as
a typical salesperson faster than a cold call. The way to win with prime prospects is
to get your message across to them in ways that don’t use cold calling. You’ll get in
front of the easy sales, and you won’t have any competition once you get there.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is a Waste of Time: Sales Success in
the Information Age. He is the founder of FJR Advisors LLC, which publishes training
materials on generating business without cold calling. For more information, please
visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

“Get the sale at any cost.” “Make more calls.” “Tell them what
they want to hear.”

Sales professionals in virtually every industry are under
tremendous pressure to close sales. It is not uncommon for them
to hear comments similar to ones above from their sales manager,
supervisor, or boss. But this approach does not create trust
with customers and does not encourage repeat business or a
lasting relationship.

A more effective approach is to develop a partnering
relationship with your clients. This means working with them to
help them achieve their goals and objectives. Simple in theory,
this strategy requires a completely different approach. Here’s
what I mean.

In the majority of sales meetings, the sales person looks for
ways to position his or her product/service so that the prospect
will buy it. However, a partnering approach means putting your
goals and objective aside. It means focusing 100% of your
attention on your customer. It requires a self-less mindset
because there are situations when the best solution is not
yours. In fact, it may mean telling your customer to contact a
competitor. I experienced this just a few days before writing
this article. A subscriber to my e-zine contacted me about
delivering a particular service. Although I may have been able
to help her, I knew someone who could better meet her
requirements. It was mentally difficult, but I made the decision
to refer her to my competition.

Partnering also means that you provide exceptional follow-up to
ensure that your customer is completely satisfied with their
purchase. This does not mean you make just the obligatory
follow-up call. It means you explore their actual use of your
product and/or service and help them maximize its full
potential.

A client of mine was experiencing less than favorable results
after implementing a new program into their business. We
scheduled a follow-up meeting with the management team, because
as the vendor, I knew that the answers lay in the execution of
the program. During the meeting we explored several ways to
improve their results and one of the solutions required me to
provide additional follow-up. Although I could have charged this
client for my time, I knew that it made good business sense to
absorb the cost of this follow-up because my primary objective
was to help my client achieve the best results possible.
Subsequent meetings indicated that this investment was worth it
as my client began discussing how we could take this initiative
to the next level.

The challenge with this concept is that most sales people want
some form of instant gratification. But this approach does not
offer a direct or immediate payoff for the sales person.
However, from a business perspective, it makes good sense.

It is also important to note that you don’t necessarily have to
give away this additional service. A few sales trainers I know
(including myself) incorporate telephone coaching into their
proposals. They charge for this service but they position it as
a way for the company to improve their results. They demonstrate
how this additional investment will drive more dollars to their
clients’ bottom line. Ultimately, your goal should be helping
your customers and clients improve their business results. Here
are a few points to consider.

1.Focus on their goals and objective instead of your personal
agenda (closing the sale). If necessary, recommend another
supplier or vendor who offers the exact product/service your
client needs. 2.Follow-up. Contact your customer and talk to
them after they have made their purchase. Ask them if they are
getting the desired results. If they aren’t, look for ways to
help them maximize their results. Offer additional support. Give
them extra resources. Help them get the best results possible.
3.Incorporate a systemized process into your sales pitch or
proposals. People will pay for extras providing they see that
value that is brought to their organization. 4.Send information
to your customers on a regular basis without being asked. I like
to send articles that are relevant to my clients on a regular
basis. This demonstrates that I am looking out for their
interests, rather than my own. I prefer to send articles written
by other people, not just the ones I write.

Zig Ziglar once stated, “You can get anything you want in life
if you just help enough other people get what they want.” When
you help your customers achieve their goals and objectives you
become more than a supplier or vendor. You become a preferred
partner. And this will prevent your competition from overtaking
you in the marketplace.

Create a checklist of the additional services you can offer to
your clients to help them achieve their goals. Helping your
customers reach their objectives will help you increase your
profits.

One word of caution…this is a process, not a quick fix. This
strategy does take time to generate a return. However, it is
well worth the investment.

© Copyright 2005 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved

Put pencil to paper and list every single sales-stopping objection that spews from the mouths of gatekeepers. Know what you’ll find? Literally, dozens of objections that subtly challenge the appropriateness of you scheduling an appointment in the executive’s office.

Ah, but here’s the good news…

When you’re greeted with “buyer’s resistance” all you need to do is get rid of the “resistance” and you’re left with…a buyer!

You can kiss that hangdog look goodbye and wag your tail with excitement, because contrary to popular belief, objections are buying signals. You gotta know that when your prospect’s gatekeeper throws out an objection to your request for a meeting with her Top Dog, she’s drawing the line with a double-dog-dare.

The gatekeeper wants you to convince her that her executive needs your product/service. That’s right, part of her job is to look for sales pros with products and services that her executive needs.

Objections to scheduling sales calls are predictable. Yep, you can count on the same objections to greet you again and again and again. More good news — there are words to overturn these temporary obstacles to your sales calls. You just need to learn what they are and remember:

Your success hinges on your ability to give those overturns as needed.

What words will grease the hinges and open the gates for your Top Dog sales calls?

I’m glad you asked and am delighted to tell you. But hey, don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the answers. I’m serious. To value the complex simplicity of these effective overturns, you’ll want to be sure to write down the words you say when the gatekeeper gets in your face with these overturns.

Compare those words to the overturns that follow — then do an “effectiveness test.” That’s right, make a couple of calls, use your current overturns. Make a couple of more calls and use the overturns below. I guarantee you’ll be surprised at the simple, yet effective, ways these overturns get you past the gatekeeper and into the executive suites.

Here we go:

When you hear the words, “We have to cancel our appointment with you.”
Don’t wimp out like a lesser pup and say, “Oh, okay.”

Stay in the game, with these words:

“Great! What’s a good date to reschedule?”

When a “bulldog,” gatekeeper says: “I’ll put you through to voice mail.” Don’t even let yourself be banished to voice mail jail with a pathetic response of “Okay.”

Hold your ground and say:

“He isn’t in? Great! What’s the best time for me to contact him by phone?”

When the executive assistant relays, “The executive isn’t here right now. Do you want to leave a message?” Don’t give an answer that’ll keep you chasing your tail and running in circles like, “No, I’ll just call back later”. Level the playing field.

Posture yourself as one big dog talkin’ to the office of another with these words:

“Great! Thanks for your help. My name is . . . my number is . . . I’m calling to schedule a twenty-minute meeting to see whether or not we can save 20% of your (name your executive-level prospect’s significant expense). What’s the best date for me to follow up with you?”

Then, when the Gatekeeper insists, “I’ll need to check this out with my executive first” be thankful she’s following through with your request. But don’t forfeit control by saying: “OK.” Keep the ball in your yard with the words, “Great! I appreciate your help. What’s a good day for me to follow up?”

There’s appointment-scheduling power in these words.

You’ll move to the head of the pack with an outrageous number of executive-level, Top Dog sales calls as you commit to keeping effective overturns to predictable objections on the tip of your tongue.

And know you’ll be able to consistently trot on through open doors when you understand and act on the knowledge that the difference between getting into the executive suites and sitting on the outside panting and howling at the gatekeeper is the words you speak during your prospecting call.

Forward this article to friendsthey’ll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time).

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker, you may have played around with the idea of purchasing mortgage leads.

You, like many loan officers in the mortgage industry, may be a little skeptical when it comes to buying mortgage leads from a mortgage lead company.

You probably have heard all the horror stories from people in the industry that have been burned or have lost their money.

Some of this may be true. However, sometimes it has a lot to do with the lead itself and the company it has been purchased from.

For instance, a lot of lead companies purchase their leads in bulk from third party companies, than turn around and sell them to loan officers at a profit.

This is what is known as recycling leads or selling junk leads. These leads have been sold countless times and have gone through the hands of many loan officers before it reached your desk.

The chances of closing a lead like this are slim to none.

This is a very good reason to consider purchasing “real time” leads.

Real time leads are leads that are delivered to your doorstep literally seconds after the consumer submits it through an on line streamline process.

With real time leads you won’t have people hanging up on you, disconnected numbers, or people saying things such as “I did that months ago.”

One tip I can give you . . .

Call the lead company you are considering doing business with. Speak with someone in customer service and find out where the leads are coming from and how they will be delivered.

If the lead company does not own and operate the sites they obtain their leads from, than keep going until you find one that does.

Remember, if you are not happy with the answers you receive from customer service, than chances are, you will not be happy with the leads they send you.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.