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“Desperation” is Not a (Good) Strategy

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I  had a call yesterday from a client who was struggling to get first appointments. I asked him to role play what the phone conversation sounded like…and it was obvious what was happening.

Even though he was saying the right words (“Not sure I can help”, “I’d like to inqure to see if we can be of any value”) there was an *undertone* of desperation. The prospect has a sixth sense that picks up on that. So my coaching advice was simple: rather than work on the words you say–work on the thoughts you think.

He was relieved when we finished the call. His new attitude was one of “discernment and skepticism.” He said he was going to enter each phone call with a discerning attitude–being a little stodgy with his time, not chasing people to see him, and acting from a place of curiosity–rather than certainty.

Attitude changes your words and the tone with which you say the words. And that’s what leads to more appointments.

Rule #23 – Know Upfront…

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Have an upfront understanding prior to a sales call.

I’ve been called on by a lot of sales people over the years. And few–very few–ever tell me what the call is going to look like. They never send an agenda upfront–they never tell me the process they’ll use–they never tell me what the outcome could be.

Shame…shame…shame….

If you are in professional sales–and make face to face calls on prospects, Rule #23 says, always have an upfront agreement prior to the call. What that means is have a conversation with your prospect on the phone talking about the topics of conversation for the meeting–maybe some of the questions you’ll ask–and maybe what the potential outcomes are (we meet again, we abort the process). Have a “process” agenda.

We always speak the line, “I respect your time,” yet when it comes down to it, very few of us respect our prospect’s time by sharing an agenda for the call, upfront. Do it and watch the level of truthfulness soar.