If you’re going to cold call…

I received a cold call today from a sales guy who seemed very new to the business. He started by asking if I would like to set up a meeting with his boss. I asked why I would want to do that, especially since I had no idea what they did or why I needed their services. He replied that’s why he wanted to set up the meeting. So I told him that without knowing anything about the services he provided, I had no way to gauge whether this meeting would just waste both my and his boss’ time. Instead, I asked him to send me information so I could take a look at the company, or at least send me a URL. At this point, I sort of felt bad for the guy because it was pretty obvious he was new and no one trained him on how to set up appointments. Still, there was no reason for me to take a half hour or so out of my day to meet with someone whom I knew nothing about, nor did I know what services he provided.

So where did this guy go wrong and what could he have done to fix it?

Offer a benefit up front – state some type of problem that I can relate to and potentially how you’ve solved that type of problem for previous clients. If you don’t gain my interest in those initial moments, chances are, I’m thinking how can I get this guy off the phone now?

Also, be aware that if you’re not offering me something of value, you’re wasting my time. Cold callers should be respectful of people’s time – if you can’t tell me in 30 seconds who you are and what you do, why in the world would I want to sit through a 30 minute presentation? I’m a busy person, and unless I perceive value in meeting with you, you’re simply wasting my time.

Don’t assume that I have a need for your services and you are doing me a great service by setting up a consultation with me. It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that just by calling, they’re doing me a favor. McGraw Hill used to run this great ad that stated something along the lines of “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you offer. I don’t know anything about your reputation. I don’t know what types of clients you serve. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?” Cold callers should keep that in mind. I don’t know anything about you – why do you think I need your services? If you don’t have a compelling reason that speaks to me, you’re not going to get a meeting with me.

Pre-qualify those you cold call. I got the impression his boss was some type of consultant, so I’m amazed that he didn’t even ask me about my current situation or any problems I might be facing. Since he didn’t ask me any questions about myself, how could he possibly know if I was a good client for his boss? Maybe I don’t have the budget or resources or my organization just hired someone like him.

Have information available in case people ask for it. When I asked for information to read over, this guy tried to shrug it off and talk up the consultation. I even gave him my email address to send me his URL (something I ordinarily wouldn’t do, but this call had turned into more of a market research experiment on my part by this time), and I have yet to receive any information from him.

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