Never Make Another Cold Call

Ted Janusz
June 1, 2010 | COMMENTS

I was going through my database, making cold calls. For the most part, I was leaving voicemail messages that ended with “call me back to set up a 30-minute appointment so that I can show you how we can help you improve your business.”

As you might expect, nobody called me back.

Concurrently, we set up a new program, not to get into new companies and give a sales pitch, but instead to provide lunch for their employees. While the employees were enjoying their food, we would present a session on “Time Refuses to be Managed: How to Manage Yourself Instead.”

Something marvelous began to happen!

For our first presentation, the CEO of a $54 million defense contractor attended the session. When do you get the audience of the CEO for an hour on the first sales call? Then, because she felt she was in a safe, relaxed environment (rather than a high-pressure sales call), she actually came up to us as the end of the session with suggestions on how we could help them! We just had a follow up one-on-one meeting with her that could result in a contract of nearly $50,000 all for the price of a few pizzas.

Last week we conducted a session at which the vice presidents for whom I had left those same cold call voicemail messages (that were of course, not returned) attended. Likewise, at the end of that session, they were coming up with ideas on how we could establish a partnership. They have already asked us to submit two proposals. We have a third follow-up call with them this week.

On Friday, we had a follow-up call after another presentation. It was the lowest pressure and most productive initial sales call I had have been on in my 25 years of sales! It's human nature – if somebody feels you have done something for them, they want to reciprocate. Jim was falling all over himself, writing a testimonial, giving us the regional manager and national manager contact names.

“But let me call them first for you,” he said. I use this testimonial on the subsequent postcards I will be mailing to secure additional “lunch and learn” presentations.

I got this idea from the original Macintosh evangelist Guy Kawasaki, who said, “In this current economy, to be effective, you need to provide 99 percent information and 1 percent promotion.” Once customers feel you have provided content, they will listen to a small sales pitch - but certainly not the other way around.

Salespeople would feel less stress and be more effective if they were to use a method like this: initially provide value to the prospect. Get them to trust you.

It's amazing how many sales seminars and conferences still teach the same old manipulative tricks. Once you've built trust and a relationship, they'll want to buy from you. You won't need to sell them. Sales can actually be fun again!

Ted Janusz is a professional speaker, author and marketing consultant. Reprinted with permission from the Texas Credit Union League.