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I was riding with a ROOKIE a few months ago. She was BRAND NEW to the job. I’d watched her for a few weeks do the “ritual” of cold-calling.
She was very talented to start: friendly, hard-working, motivated, etc.
But she still performed the “ritual” with cold-calling (like they all do.)
I saw the procrastination, the agony, the pain.
But while I was riding with her, I wanted to help her learn the benefits of working referrals. I had picked up a couple GREAT referrals a few days earlier from a current customer. While we were driving, I handed her the notes and told her to give them a try.
SHE INSTANTLY picked up her cell phone, got immediately through to the first referral, used name-based rapport successfully, and within three minutes, had set an AWESOME qualified appointment.
By the end of that week, she had gotten a sale from this referral.
I also noticed that she HAD NO PROBLEM calling the referral. In fact, she didn’t perform ANY of the cold-calling ‘ritual.’ She was EXCITED to call the referral, had confidence, had a sense of urgency, and actually had a BLAST doing it this way.
WHAT IF YOU could run your week this way versus the OLD COLD way?
YOU CAN!!
The Typical Referral Week
Now let’s look at how your NEW “Referral” week will look compared to the normal “Cold-Call” week.
It still starts with the sales meeting. But this sales meeting is different. Sure, you still go over last weeks good news and successes, but this meeting is different, because you are SLAMMED with business. In fact, you can’t wait until the meeting is over because you are LOADED with business, appointments, and orders to submit. In fact, you’re trying to figure out how you’re going to “slip-in” a few more appointments because your week is already booked!
ANOTHER WEEK FULL OF APPOINTMENTS.
Right after the meeting, you go back to your desk, spend 15 minutes looking over your day-timer, making sure you have all your directions together. You grab your territory book and head out to your first warm appointment. You make sure you have all your names organized, as well as making sure you have your top ten names and numbers (referrals) you’re going to call while your in route to your first appointment.
In the car, you manage to pull over for a few minutes to try several of your referral numbers. You call your first number and:
You: “Hi! Is Mike Downing in?”
Secretary: “Can I tell him who’s calling?”
You: “Joe Smith.”
Secretary: “Can I tell him what this is regarding?”
You: “Sure! Is this Betty?”
Betty: “Yes. Who’s this?”
You: “It’s Joe with ZYA Company. I work with Sherry over at TRA Company. Sherry made me promise to give Mike a call!”
Secretary: “Oh! O.k. Let me put you through!”
DING DING DING
The Ding’s you just heard were the sound of the slot machine lighting up because you hit yet ANOTHER jackpot!
See the difference?
The “Gate-keeper” objection quickly melted away because YOU ARE NO LONGER A STRANGER!! You’re no longer a dreaded sales person. NOPE, you’re a FRIEND. You’re “in the know.” You’re “connected.” You’re supposed to be
there.
You immediately got through to Mike, set an appointment, and managed to have a couple more minutes to repeat your NEW ritual. You then call your next referral and repeat the process again.
Let me ask you this: How many sales people set two QUALIFIED appointments on Monday morning before 10:00 am WHILE DRIVING TO AN APPOINTMENT?
Answer: NONE. They’re all still getting ready to make their FIRST cold-call to perform the “old ritual.” The OLD “rights of passage.”
You don’t have time for that. SURE, some of the veterans in your office are going to be disgruntled, scratching their head as to HOW you’re outperforming them! “It’s just not fair!!!” Oh well. You never wanted to waste three years of your life beating yourself up with cold-calling anyway!
IMAGINE spending MOST of your week doing FACE TO FACE demos with warm leads verses MOST of your week calling total strangers getting WAY TOO MUCH rejection!
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