Ask the Sales Doctor - Total Selling Systems

Warren Wechsler's
Ask the Sales Doctor

Talking to Strangers

Warren Wechsler, bestselling author and national sales and motivational speaker, provides many valuable resources free of charge to sales trainers and sales managers. Some restrictions apply to the use and distribution of this information. For more valuable materials, visit Warren's web site www.totalselling.com. All materials and content © Warren Wechsler, 2001 – All rights reserved.

Simone writes:

What is the best way to open a dialogue with a total stranger? I spend a lot of time cold calling phone to phone and face to face. What are your ideas to make these calls easier for me and the person I'm approaching?

Warren answers:

Thank you, Simone. I think in light of the fact that many businesses are going to have to be out in the marketplace developing new leads and going after new customers, your question was very appropriate for this week. Some of the things I'm going to say sound so hoaky and so fundamental, you're going to say, "Is that really important?" And the answer is yes. I wouldn't tell you if it weren't important.

The first thing you have to do when you're approaching a new person whether it's phone to phone or face to face is relax. Let your shoulders relax. Let your face relax. Don't be tight. Don't be uptight. Just relax and put a big smile on your face. What I'm getting at here is we have to mentally prepare ourselves for this conversation we're about to have with a perfect stranger.

Here's your goal, Simone. The goal is that the person will be happier when you've left them than when you first arrived. Now don't read into that the wrong thing. They're not going to be happy because you're leaving. That's a little salesperson humor there. What it means is that if someone is in a neutral point or a neutral frame of mind when you get there, they're going to be smiling when you leave because you've created a situation, you've created a scenario where they're basically happier having had a chance to meet you. The way you do that is by being very warm and engaging and empathetic. Be sensitive to your environment. If there are a lot of phones ringing off the hook and it's a face to face call, let that person get into their routine. Let them answer their calls. Even notice by saying, "Wow! You're like command central here. You really handle that volume of calls in an incredibly efficient way." Now if there are no calls and they take in one call, don't use flattery that's not based in truth.

All right, so now what do you do? Make sure you introduce yourself. You're going to be a stranger in their environment whether it's face to face or phone to phone. Let them know who you are. Let them know whom you represent. Give them a glimpse of what you do. Give them a five or eight or ten word opening so they know what your company and what you particularly are all about.

In a face to face situation, Simone, ask their name. Say, "And what's your name? Oh, Dolores? Hi, Dolores. It's really nice to meet you." So ask their name and repeat their name. Now obviously if you're making a phone to phone call you're going to end up talking to a person. You're going to get their name either from the receptionist or they're going to say it themselves. But in a face to face situation it works really, really well.

OK, how about an icebreaker statement? Especially in the face to face call, don't do something really hoaky where you see a fish on the wall and say, "Oh, wow. People in your company really like fishing, don't they?" I'm not saying to be disingenuous. But especially in that face to face call find something that you can say or remark about or allude to that creates that common ground. If there's been a heat wave in your marketplace, say "Gee whiz, is it as hot today as it was yesterday?" Or if you've just had some rain say, "Wow, did you get a lot of rain where you live? We sure got a lot where I live." The weather is a really interesting and fun thing to talk about. If there's a really popular sports team in town, you can use that as some type of icebreaker. Just do something to warm up, to develop some type of common ground.

If they have a beautiful flower arrangement on their desk, it's OK to say, "Oh, what a beautiful arrangement of flowers. I've never seen anything quite like that pink flower there." Again it has to be based in truth. If they have one wilted flower in the vase there, you don't want to say, "Oh what a lovely flower." OK, so that's the icebreaker.

Now another thing that's a great thing to do on these opening calls is to either offer a favor or ask them to do you a favor. Say, "Hey, I'm really trying to contact somebody I've not talked to before. Can you help me out here?"

Another thing you want to do is keep it absolutely short. You're not looking to create an hour-long presentation. All you're trying to do is get quick bits of information.

And then finally, don't forget to say thank you. It's the most important thing that you can do on that call. Simone, thanks a lot.

This was a partial transcript from Warren Wechsler's weekly radio show. Warren Wechsler, bestselling author and national sales and motivational speaker, provides many valuable resources free of charge to sales trainers and sales managers. Visit Warren's web site www.totalselling.com Also, listen to Warren's weekly radio broadcast Wednesday's at 4:05 - 5:00 pm Central time, on KMCD-AM 1570AM. Shows are broadcast live on the internet at http://www.warpradio.com/asx/KMCD-AM.asx