Small Business Today Magazine AUG 2014 SIVER STONE EVENTS | Page 22

EDITORIALFEATURE Your Next Step How to Take the CHILL Out of Cold Calls (Part 2) By Jack Warkenthien, CEO of NextStep Solutions You Never Get a Second Chance at a First Impression W hether it’s the first thirty seconds of your telephone sales call or the first five seconds of your faceto-face sales meeting, you have already sent a compelling “message” to the other party. That’s either good news or bad news for you. Just know that for the remainder of your engagement your customer will be constantly justifying their initial opinion of you. Does this scare you or does this excite you? Sun Tzu, in his book, “The Art of War”, states, “Every battle is won before it’s ever fought”. Said another way, by virtue of you making cold calls at all--learning from my last month’s article that 80% of B2B decision-makers will never buy as a result of one--you’re sending a power signal. Cold calls communicate the following: • You have nothing else to do. • No qualified candidates want to do business with you. • You’re desperate. Alas, there’s an antidote to this perception and it totally “melts” a cold call. Have a Purpose for Every “Touch” Put yourself in the shoes of your target. How do you feel when the other party calls you at your residence or your place of business and invites you to a “Launch Party” where you’ll meet dozens of stimulating, successful business professionals? Makes you feel good to get invited, yes? What are your thoughts about a person who walks into your office with a plate of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and invites you to an “Office Lunch” in the first floor Confe