Tidbit from Wake-Up Calls

Wake-Up Call #10 Leadership Skills and Qualities
Richard M. Goldberg, President, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, sat relaxed on the tall stool
at Borders Books, Music and Café in Livingston September 29 and explained how he brought his magazine and association from a little-known entity to a dynamic organization.

His secrets: Set aside one hour each day to absorb new information. Recognize the power of questions; don’t be afraid to ask. Send powerful nonverbal messages, i.e. use body language to your advantage. Learn to laugh at yourself. Learn to speak with conviction, i.e. believe in what you’re saying. Light fires inside your employees, i.e. match the talent to the task. Don’t use performance measures that sacrifice the long term. Offer a sincere simple “thank you.”

Solicit employee advice for solving a problem. Take a member of the support staff on a sales call. Inspire ethical behavior. Link exit interviews to employee development.

Communicate with staff up, down, laterally, within and outside the organization — verbal, written and listening skills are all critical. Accept that progress cannot be monitored from the office.

It’s obvious the strategy works. The CIANJ functions, wherever they
are, continue to draw larger and larger crowds. The ad pages of the magazine have increased substantially and the editorial quality is improving.

Wake-Up Call #11 How to Be Effective on the Telephone
Jo Ann Kirby, President of KRG Communications Group, held her audience spellbound with the following hints.

When you are selling by telephone, it’s essential to have a plan or script in mind. Not just one, but a secondary approach and even a tertiary message. All should be in your head. Once you’ve figured out your message, there’s the universal problem of gaining access.

Fifty percent of the time, you’ll get a voice-mail response. When you get a live voice, it’s “gold.”

If it’s a cold call, remember you have a short time to get the attention of the recipient and deliver your 30-second commercial to a highly desirable demographic.

How to leave a message that doesn’t sound garbled

a. repeat the telephone number and name twice — slowly.
b. insert a sense of urgency in your voice.
c. express a need for action.

How to gain access
It’s best if you know the person. Some people think it’s OK to leave a name and telephone number only, but Jo Ann doesn’t subscribe to this approach. Know how to pronounce the name of the person you are calling. If you don’t know how, give it a stab. She says the right name is the sweetest sound. Ask a live voice if you’re pronouncing it right, admitting that you’ve always had this problem with his name and then the “screener” will or might think you have already made contact.
Find out the right person to contact. There is no magic bullet, just technique and perseverance.

How many times should you call before you stop calling?
“Three strikes, you’re out” seems to be the conventional wisdom. Spread the calling over several weeks. Don’t leave a voice message the first time. Two days or a week later, leave a message. Don’t leave one each time; just hang up. There’s caller ID, but not everyone has it.

If you leave just your name and number and the person does call back and then finds out it’s a sales call, he or she might be annoyed. You can just leave name and title, but that really gets you nowhere. You must leave a phone number.

How does speakinghelp my listening?
One needs to listen. Start by listening to your own voice.

Open-ended questions generate information as opposed to closed questions, which go nowhere and get a “yes” or “no” response. So don’t start a conversation with “is,” “could,” “are,” “do” or any form of the verb “to be.” Open questions start with the journalists’ questions: “who,” “what,” “why,” “where,” “when,” “which” and “how much.”

Should you make small talk when finally getting someone on the phone?
NO. The recipient will know you’re selling something. Cut straight to the chase.

How do you address the person you’ve just called? By the way he/she answers the phone. If he says Jack, then you can call him Jack. On the other hand, sometimes it’s better to use a formal address — Dr., Mr., Ms., Madam.

The fortune is in the follow-up
Always take advantage of that live voice. Find out when the person you are trying to reach will be available. “What is the best time? OK, I’ll call back then.” And then make sure you do it. Otherwise, say you’ll call at another time. Follow-up is crucial.

Four-part model for creating a presentation

1. Introduce yourself. Make an interest-gathering statement. (“Do you have a minute?”) Give your first and last names and your company. Tell the person that lots of people like to do business with you because . . . .
2. Body of the call. Phrase your offer positively. Don’t use any negative words.
There are three ways of presenting — positive, negative and neutral. Be positive.
3. Closing on the telephone. Make your voice the same as it was at the outset. Sometimes people get nervous and their voice gets high pitched. No “umms” or “ahhhs.” Just steady, calm and confident.
Assume the person will say yes. And then you can say, “I have next Tuesday free. Can we meet then?” Or, “How does this sound to you?” Often during the close, the client poses objections. How to deal with them: Stop the conversation, redirect the subject matter. “That’s a good point, but give me some time to address it.”

Four steps to combat objections

1. Listen.
2. Acknowledge. “I see. I understand. Thank you for telling me. Thanks for bring that up.”
3. Ask questions. Explore further.
4. Respond with the appropriate benefit of the product or service you’re selling. Provide a recommendation or solution.

Secret to Success
It’s OK not to like making cold calls, but we do it anyway.

Keep records — called, hung up, talked, left message.
Always have something in the coffer, which is why you must keep on doing this cold calling — to get new clients. Or they’ll just slip right through the hole in the bucket.

Follow up with literature. Use it as a springboard for a further conversation.

January 26, 2005— Mark Your Calendars
Next in this popular series is January 26, 2005 with Beth Riley on “Chaos Management,” 8:00 am at Borders Books,
Music & Café, Livingston, Route 10.
Be there.

return to December 2004 Ad Talk