Many of us are under the misconception that our hidden agendas and traditional sales tactics are well hidden when making our cold calls and nothing could be farther from the truth. Now cold calling is a feared sales tool simply because of the stress and negative energy it brings to the cold caller and well as those prospects that are being called.

So if this is a very discerning sales tool why

is it still being used…quite simply because we all need new prospects and so this is quite a necessary evil. We all can have better responses…positive responses simply by changing a few things in our regular call process. However with any change you must understand why you should first change…if you do not understand why you can not affectively make any changes.

One common reason is that Traditional Sales techniques have been labeled and they give most prospects very troubled feelings…this causes stress or sales pressure right away and can make things very difficult for you before you even open you mouth to say hello.

So what are these mistakes and how can you solve them?

1. Mistake:

Making a scripted call: The first and probably the most recognizable mistake is calling with a script. The script makes the call impersonal and very cold. Though you are "cold" calling…the call should be friendly and a lot less "Salesy"

Solution:

Throw out the Script: Instead of using a script you should simply have a conversation. Talk to the prospect as you talk to any one of your acquaintances or friends. Don’t start the conversation talking about you and your company….Let them know you are interested in them and are there to help them out!

2. Mistake:

Cheery or enthusiastic tone: Many sales people use the "fake" I’m so happy voice….this is not fooling anyone and is a big indicator that the caller is looking for something…usually a sale…bad decision.

Solution:

Be your self: you do not have to be that "Overly Cheery…delighted to talk to you" person…just be yourself…talk to them as you would anyone else. They will respect and trust you more.

3. Mistake:

The cold caller pushes the sale: This is the way most of you were trained and then it was ok…it was what worked but now it is played out…the prospects will not listen to this kind of pitch…and pushing the sale only creates lots of pressure which will cause them to put up the "Wall"….or worse hang up.

Solution:

Let the prospect decide how the call goes: talk about them and leave the conversation open for two-way dialog giving the prospect time and make it there decision how the call will end and where things will go…even if they decide to tell you "they are not interested". This will gain trust and build relationships with the prospects and give you more positive responses.

Learning that you do not have to pitch your self or your product to build relationships and gain prospects is an important step. You can simply go from there.