If you’re looking for a guide to “how not to do it” when it comes to cold calling, a real-life call can help.
I’ve maintained for a long time that cold calling can be a good, predictable way to bring on new business -and that there’s very little downside to it other than the fact that most salespeople don’t like to do it.
I may have to revise that – at least the part concerning the downside. I am now very much anti-Sage. You know, Sage, the accounting people? They have been blowing up my phone with cold calls. Each one is worse than the last. In fact, if you’re dedicated to making the worst possible cold calls, here’s a step by step guide.
1. Use an auto-dialer. I HATE auto dialers. And you always know when they’re in use because of that little hesitation betwee answering the phone and hearing someone – perhaps surprised at getting an actual vlice – picks up and begins the call. Nothing says “I don’t care about this call enough to dial the phone myself” like an auto-dialer.
2. The “person who” call. I’ve said many times that the “person who” call is a sales killer. This one was. “May I speak to the person who handles your accounts payable?” As the President, CEO, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, and Accounts Payable Dude of Troy Harrison and Associates, that tells me that they didn’t even take a second to figure out who they were calling.
3. English as a fourth language. I’m going to offend some people here. Sorry, folks, but it’s true. I have nothing against those who are from other places and learn our language. But – If I can’t understand you, I’m not going to buy from you. I could barely understand the person who called.
4. Hang up when the script isn’t followed. I attempted to say, “Stop for a second. I’m not a prospect for you. Please take me off your call list.” By the time I got to “for a,” the line went dead. That’s just plain rude. This is where I go from being an inappropriate customer call to being, frankly, pissed off at having my time wasted and then being treated rudely.
5. Repeat – again and again. Now you can send your customer into orbit. Having denied them the opportunity to politely request that they be taken off your list, simply call them back – again and again and again and again. I only wish I were kidding; I’ve received at least two calls a day for the last week and a half. And never once have I been able to finish the request to be taken off their list. Worse, they constantly change up the number they’re calling from, so they call faster than I can block the numbers in my phone.
Really, this is absolutely the worst teleprospecting effort that I’ve ever seen or been the victim of. And my overriding impression is that if this is how awful Sage is when they’re trying to get your business, how bad will they be when they have it?
Moral of the story: If the above five points are part of your teleprospecting program, STOP. CHANGE. DO SOMETHING ELSE.
