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