The "Cold Call" is the traditional way to prospect for new business.
Salespeople cold calling should use a prospecting script to be more effective when making telephone prospecting calls.
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Scripts for Cold Calling concentrate building a good relationship primarily. Salespeople prospecting to build their business in a geographical area (called Farming) must establish an image of trust and ethical dealings.
The Smooth-talker Business Script page order will change slightly because they emphasize the type of script you purchase. For instance: Notice of Default headings will concentrate on the TIME element and emphasizing the limited amount of time the owner/prospect has to get the property sold, ... generally 3 to 6 months.
A list of the page headings follows:
GREEN pages means you are Talking about Need, Want, Money, Time, Requesting an Appointment Making a decision, Getting an agreement etc.
1. Need To List - Appointment - Dialogue is about the prospect having a Need for the product or service.
2. Do You Want The Services Of an Agent Dialogue talks about whether the prospect WANTS what you have to sell.
3. Best Time To Meet Appointment -
4. Time - When Will Prospect List What is the timeframe for purchasing the products and service you sell.
5. Talk About Money Appointment -
6. Get More Money For Selling
7. Decision - To List & Choose an agent
8. Potential to do business - Motivation
9. Overcome Reluctance Take the next step
10. Closes - Ask for the order
11. Get An Agreement To List With Me
12. Build Relationships
RED pages contain Questions that must be answered & Objections that must be responded to.
1. I’m Not Interested
2. I Don’t Want Whatever You’re Selling
3. Too Busy - No Time to see you
4. Non-Committal - I Can’t Decide
5. I’ll Think about It - Stalling
6. Send Information - Tell me by phone
7. Why are you calling?
8. Why Should I Choose You?
9. Why Should I Change Agents?
10. You’re Asking A Lot Of Questions
11. Do You Have a Buyer?
12. Bad Experience - I’m Mad At You Agents
13. Sell It Myself, Save The Commission
14. If you’re so good then get me my price.
15. How Much Is Your Commission?
16. Others charge less commission.
17. Will You Negotiate Your Commission?
18. Will You Cut Your Commission?
19. I’ll List with a neighbor
20. Friend in the Business
21. Not Now - Maybe in the Future
22. Wait until the Economy Gets Better
23. I Want to Wait - Now Is Not a Good Time
24. Call Me Some Other Time
YELLOW pages are the traditional Selling Language: the reasons to do business with you.
The facts about you & your product or service and the company you’re with.
1. 30 Second Commercial
2. Agent Profile - Agent Services
3. Agent Services - What I Can Do
4. Affiliations - Guarantees - References
5. Benefits of Company & Agent Services
6. Why Meet With Me? Things to discuss
7. Reasons to Choose Me
8. Reasons to Choose My Company
9. Resources, Internet, Research, Size, History
10. What a Broker and Agent Can Do
11. The Marketing Plan I Intend to Use to get your home sold.
12. Listing presentation or sales presentation (phone version)
"Countless surveys show that the “number-one” reason that business sales people and real estate
sales agents don't like making prospecting calls is the fear of rejection."
• Fear of rejection is stated to be at the core of why salespeople hate their jobs and dislike prospecting.
• Business sales trainers and real estate trainers agree that the worst part of their
job is convincing a new salesperson that making a prospecting call to a potential customer is necessary.
• The most difficult part of business sales training courses is teaching a salesperson to make
prospecting telephone calls.
• Business salespeople and real estate agentsw consistently say that they like everything about their
sales career but hate to prospect.
"Salespeople say they love to sell but hate sales prospecting."
They dislike sales prospecting activities because of the perceived disapproval they get when making a phone contact to a potential prospect. Human nature tells them they are being personally rejected during the course of making a prospecting call to someone they don’t know.
1. The fact is that they don't have prospecting scripts to use to answer questions and objections
that prospecting requires.
2. Business sales scripts and sales prospecting scripts thus present a complicated problem for
business trainers and sales trainers.
3. Making a prospecting call is the most disliked activity for the business salesperson and real estate agent.
4. Business training courses and sales training courses teaches us that handling rejection instead of avoiding it is the key to success. Business-to-business salespeople and real estate agents should understand
that it is better to take rejection in stride instead of finding ways of avoiding it.
5. The greatest frustration of Business-to-Business sales training people and real estate trainers is getting
people involved in prospecting for new business.
They're faced with problems at every step of the prospecting process but they can't pin down the real problem. They don't even know what the real problem is in business-to-business prospecting and real estate prospecting that prevents a salesperson from prospecting for new business.
"Business salespeople and Real Estate agents may excel at what they do but get tongue-tied
... when it comes to approaching a new prospect."
• There is very little that is more intimidating then making telephone prospecting calls without using
a prospecting script when calling on potential customers that they are unfamiliar with and don't know.
• The starting point of all business is prospecting and making the initial contact.
• Someone must make the call. If you don't make the call your competition will.
• Salespeople may not have the skill and ability to counteract the things that other people are capable
of saying to them.
The avoidance is so strong that business-to-business salespeople would rather sacrifice their potential success then take the risk of getting their feelings bruised.
"Some real estate agents and business salespeople would rather abandon their sales career then deal with fear and rejection. No matter how much a saleperson likes their work, getting a new prospect can be intimidating."
In order talk about how to succeed in selling ... we must talk about why a salesperson fails. It’s a problem looking for a solution.
• In business-to-business prospecting, the fear of rejection, failure, and humiliation are not caused
by what others do, but by what they say and how they say it.
• It’s never a physical attack but a verbal attack.
• The only way to avoid any type rejection is to avoid making phone calls in the first place.
• To avoid hostile prospects is to not make any calls at all and is not a good alternative.
Business salespeople find it even more difficult because they’ve had more chances to experience the dreaded effects of making those sales calls. That old feeling never goes away.
"Who hasn't put off a sales call and prospecting call they didn't want to make?"
1. Some cannot master the skills required for telephone prospecting of business-to-business sales
forcing them to rely on other less effective methods of getting new business.
2. Others spend enormous amounts of money on advertising, direct mail, and passive marketing in hopes
of reaching the same person by making a prospecting call for free.
3. The only way to avoid any type rejection is to avoid making telephone prospecting calls in the first place.
To avoid hostile people is to not make any prospecting phone calls at all, .... and that is not a good alternative.
4. They avoid making any prospecting calls to all but people they know. They should understand that
the only thing keeping them from succeeding is the "fear" they harbor deep down.
If you have a steady source of potential business-to-business sales prospects or real estate prospects you need only to engage in the job at hand; that of exchanging products and services for money.
"It all depends on “if" the salesperson has an unending "source of business."
"Practicing your profession is only possible after you’ve done the prospecting for new business."
• The key word is “if” you have a steady source of business sales.
• If you had a product that you could call a monopoly you would only need to fill out order forms & count your money.
• In a business world without competition that steady flow of customers would always be there.
Business-to-business salespeople and real estate agents take rejection personally. Perception is reality in their mind. The real problem is not other people are not so friendly; it’s the inability to handle other people so they are not a problem in the mind of a salesperson.
Rejection and fear are so personal that taking a logical approach to dealing with the problem is easier said then done.
"Business salespeople and real estate agents calling new prospects may involve being subjected to humiliation and derogatory criticism. It is perceived as a personal attack that is hurtful and difficult to cope with."
Real estate agents training programs and business sales training programs claim salespeople say they rarely rise above the emotional level because they are taught to sell the prospect logically whenever possible. Business sales training courses will teach you to communicate emotionally ... but disagree logically.
Instead of reacting coolly, salespeople tend to get involved in the conversation at hand and are reacting on the prospects terms.
GREEN pages means you are Talking & requesting an appointment.
Discuss Needs - Set an appointment to discuss whether they need the services of a real estate agent.
Services Of an Agent. Buy or Sell your home
Get More Money - Best Price
Talk about Money - Appointment,
When Will Prospects Sell
Best Time for an - Appointment
Decision To Move, - Choose An Agent
Potential Motivation
Close for an Agreement
Commitment To Sell - Buy a Home
Get Agreement, Overcome Reluctance
Polite Endings & Positive Affirmations
RED pages. Questions that must be answered & Objections that must be responded to.
Why Are You Calling?
You’re Asking A Lot Of Questions
I Don’t Have Any Plans To Move
I Don’t Need to Sell
I Don’t Need a Real Estate Agent
Send Information - Tell Me over the Phone
Not a Good Time - I Want to Wait
I’m Too Busy - No Time to See You
Do You Have a Buyer?
I Don’t Know If I Want an Agent
Wait for Something to Change
I Can’t Decide - Stalling - Non-Committal
Others Charge Less Commission
Others Charge 1% Commission, $500 Fee
Will You Cut Your Commission?
If You’re so Good at, Get Me My Price
I Want My Price
How Much Is My House Worth?
I’ll Sell It Myself - Save the Commission
I Have a Friend in Real Estate
I’ll List with a Neighbor
Why Should I Choose You?
I’m Mad at You Real Estate Agents
I Had a Bad Experience
YELLOW pages are the traditional Selling dialogue and reasons to do business.
My 30-Second Commercial
Agent Profile
Agent Services - What I Can Do
Affiliations - Guarantees - References
Why He Meet with Me? Things We’ll Discuss
Buyer Services - Home Finder Services
Reasons to Choose My Company
Reasons to Choose Me
Company Resources, Services, History
What a Broker and Agent Can Do
The Marketing Plan I Intend to Use
Listing Presentation (phone version)