There sure as fuck is an art to cold-calling in sales. People are prewired to say no.
You’ve spent all this time preparing for the fucking call, been building a shit ton of rapport on the line for several minutes now, and suddenly their ass wants to hang up? I don’t fucking think so! Not until they sign on that dotted fucking line.
Your only goal now is to get them from having a lukewarm response to getting a firm commitment, and that’s going to take some goddamn hustle. You’ve spent time chasing down these prospects, so now it’s time.
Turn up the fucking heat and learn how to be assertive, without being an asshole.
Why do you need that initial commitment on the first sales call?
If you can get to second base, you’re one step closer to closing that sonofabitch and have built a ton of trust with your customer too.
Humans only give a fuck about people they trust.
Trust builds up the buy-in from the start. For someone who flakes out on the first call, you’re likely not going to want to contact them again, since they probably don’t care about your shit.
For the prospect who has agreed at the beginning to a call-back time, they’re more likely to say yes the second time round too. They care more about the shit you’re selling so…
Keep hitting their hot buttons.
Keep them talking until they enroll, and remember less is more. Let them talk for 60-80% of the time, and you for 20-40%. Less is more, and gauge a fair window of time to close the deal and get them signing.
If you have the feeling that they won’t sign now, acknowledge that their time is fucking important too. This is the perfect opportunity to line up a date for a call-back time. You’ve garnered interest from them, so leave them wanting.
You don’t want to annoy them so much that they call your bullshit.
When you get the commitment for a follow-up call, suggest that they review the valuable sales materials prior to your next call. These materials could be a portion of your website, a checklist, or competitor analysis, who fucking knows. Just make sure you send is important, relevant, and adds a shit ton of value.
If they’re still onboard with the follow-up call, give a trial close a try for fuck sakes. The client’s reaction is critical. If they raise objections, this is the time to calm their fears. This will also save them from potentially flaking out on the follow up because of hidden objections. If they’re down with what you’re offering, ask them what it will take to get to the next step.
So, you have your client onboard, and they think your products are fuckin great. It may or may not happen on a first call, but stay prepared to ask for the sale.
One of the most important tips for you is to have an assumptive attitude that you’ll be able to close the deal with them.
Don’t have an asshole attitude, have an assumptive attitude. There’s a difference.
It’ll appear that you’ve personally prepared this kick ass deal for them, and are providing a valuable solution to their problem. This creates internal confidence for you, that your client can’t help but notice. Make sure to reinforce that confidence with solid information that meets your client needs. If you fail to do this, you’ll just look like an asshole as the prospect proceeds to kick your ass out the door.
Let’s sum this shit up.
Here’s exactly what you need to do to get commitment on the first sales call:
-
Get specific and commit to a call-back time.
-
Decide on action items to complete before the next call.
-
Make sure BOTH you and your client are 100% committed to these actions.
-
Decide what the next logical step is if all goes as planned.
-
Ask for the motherfucking deal.
-
Have an assumptive attitude, not a smartass attitude.
Now dammit, get out there and close that deal!