This is going to be short and sweet. Of course I am passionate about trade shows, marketing, branding, that is our lives. That is what we eat sleep and breathe every single day.
I have a couple other passions, sales best practices and CRM best practices. I guess after 30+ years of sales experience, you maybe learn a thing or two.
Cold calling is a brutal job and is not for everyone. When you finally meet or find that salesperson that is good at it? Hold on to them with everything you've got. It is a gift and a rare talent. I am one of those really strange people that love to cold call. I am not patting myself on the back to say that I am good at cold calling. But, I am good at cold calling.Like anything, if you do something non stop for too long, you can get tired. Some days are better than others. I have tracked for years my ratios of calls, connects and engagements. These are critical metrics to know how many dials you have to make to back into your number. Of course it is much more complicated than I make it sound, but it is a good starting place.
You know those days, you set a # of calls goal for your day (if you don't do this, we need to chat -- you need to set a call goal). Some days, you just slog through. Here are some common frustrating results of your calls (some are specific to our industry).
- We JUST bought a new "xxxxx" - we have no needs
- We make our own "xxxxx" - we have no needs
- Can I tell him/her who is calling? What is this regarding? Oh we don't need any "xxxxx" (right the receptionist knows that detail.
- We don't allow solicitation calls (I HOPE EVERY ONE OF YOUR PROSPECTS HAS THE SAME ATTITUDE)
- Can I tell him/her who is calling? Let me check. He/She is in a meeting. - OK, do we really believe this?
- Specific in our industry, "we don't do trade shows". Hmmm I'm looking at an exhibitor list and you are sure on there. Interesting.
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Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.
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