http://www.salescoachinglive.com/blog/category/business-development/ Blog categories... http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/why-i-can-8217t-seem-to-make-that-first-cold-call-each-day/ The challenge of who shall I call today.

When reviewing the results of one of our recent Prospector’s Academies the other day, we experienced a vivid...]]> The challenge of who shall I call today.

When reviewing the results of one of our recent Prospector’s Academies the other day, we experienced a vivid reminder of one of the key lessons we provide to our customers.

Our latest Prospector’s Academy had spectacular results (pardon the self-congratulations…). At the end of 12 weeks, 24 sales professionals had increased the number of Initial Appointments they had set by the cold call by 600 percent! When you have that kind of success with a customer, you really have the luxury of looking at the details. When we did, we took a look at those that did not share in the success, at least early on when most of the others started to have success. After weeding out the few that just didn’t want to participate, we hit on what we thought was a common theme; lists.

Now we’ve addressed this issue before in this blog, and we address it all the time with the management teams of those we train. However, this time the way it surfaced actually made us see so obviously why so many people fail at the selling process of getting enough Initial Appointments.

There was this particular sales professional who was unfortunately forgotten when the lists were loaded and had no one to call in his first Call Block. When we talked to this person (after addressing his problem) we asked him why he didn’t just start calling those that he had been calling before the Academy began, after all, he wasn’t a brand new rep. He admitted he faced this situation every day. He had names on business cards, paper tablets, spreadsheets, scraps of paper and in his head. He said he was at a loss at where to begin because he had no way to keep track of where is was in the pursuit of any given target, let alone having a pre-determined set of ‘rules’ to follow in the pursuit. Now that he had learned a process to follow in the Academy, he didn’t know how to apply it to all of those that he had been approaching previously. In other words, he was suffering from paralysis of analysis. And, therein lies the lesson.

Many times, we are unable to get started because we’ve not made the time to create our list of who we wish to call today, because we no process to follow and no tool to keep us organized. Even if we know who we want to call today, we have to study each name on the list and think of where we are in the pursuit of that target, what have we’ve said to them before, and what should we say this time. We become overwhelmed and wind up doing nothing.

I can actually remember that feeling myself. I’d put the Call Block on my calendar, but when I got there, I’d open up my ACT!, or folders and floundered around looking for the first target to call instead of just picking up the phone and dialing the first number. I would wind up making follow-up calls and doing everything but what I had set out to do, all because I wasn’t prepared to start. Ever known anyone who is always, “Fixing to get started?” They never do quite get started, do they?

My good friend Sean Piket, founder of Sales Integrity, a company that provides sales consulting, outsourcing and training to small to mid-sized firms, likes to say that sales professionals fail for three reasons: 1) They are not prepared, 2) They are not organized, and 3) They are overwhelmed.

So, here’s the lesson. Ask yourself this question. What would be the impact on your business in 2012 if your sales team simply doubled the number of Initial Appointments they set in 2011? If the answer to that question is, “Significant”, then prepare them for battle in 2012 by addressing the three items Sean’s list. Don’t continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that it takes the same skills, tools and processes to get targets into the pipeline that it takes to get prospects through the pipeline. They are different. Provide them with the skills, tools and processes that will make them successful in 2012.

Otherwise, the best intentions of making the dials will never happen.
]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/why-i-can-8217t-seem-to-make-that-first-cold-call-each-day/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:16:58 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/when-prospecting-here-8217s-how-to-rid-yourself-of-dry-spells/ Two metrics to manage your pipeline by to avoid experiencing another dry spell.

Almost all of us from time to time have a great month or quarter with...]]> Two metrics to manage your pipeline by to avoid experiencing another dry spell.

Almost all of us from time to time have a great month or quarter with great closing numbers followed by a miserable month or quarter with nothing to show for our efforts.

There is a way to reduce the risk of that occurrence.

First, answer the following questions and complete the tasks (estimate if you have to—but you should know these numbers):

1. How many Initial Appointments do you need to hit your required sales for the year?
2. How many discussions with decision makers do you need in order to generate those Initial Appointments?
3. How many times do you need to dial the phone in order to get the required number of discussions with the targets you’d like to meet with?
4. Divide that number by 220 (the typical number of selling days in the year) and you’ll have the number of dials you need to make each day.
5. How much time does it take to accomplish a step in the appointment making process? That includes figuring out who to call, what the status of the pursuit of that target is, determining what you’re going to say, dialing the phone number, saying what you want to (when successful getting through), sending email follow ups, leaving messages and recording the results.

If you don’t know, use six minutes as an average per dial. With Klpz (a tool I recommend), you can cut that in half.
6. Do the math—multiply the number of calls needed per day times the average time per call and you’ve got the number of minutes you’ll need each day to hit your number.

You will now have two key metrics to apply to keep a dry spell from occurring again. Here’s what they are and how to use them:

1. The first is the number of Initial Appointments you’ll need to hit your number this year. Divide that by 44 (the number of full selling weeks in a year) and you’ll know how many Initial Appointments that precede a buying cycle you should have on your calendar each week. If you don’t have that number at any point—you’ll know to make the time to get back on the phone and set some more appointments or you WILL have a dry spell again
2. The second metric is the time you’ll need to set aside each week/day to set those appointments. The best way to use this metric to avoid dry spells is to set appointments with yourself first each week to make the dials that are necessary to set the Initial Appointments needed.


(BTW, I’ve got a free tool to help you with this process of figuring out how to determine both of these metrics. If you’d a copy, click here to be taken to a page to send me a note to request one. I’ll send it to you.)]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/when-prospecting-here-8217s-how-to-rid-yourself-of-dry-spells/ Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:56:17 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/the-foolproof-lack-of-sales-early-warning-system/ What is the best way to predict (and fix) a coming shortfall in sales revenue?

Ever had a great quarter or month followed by a dry one? We all have a...]]> What is the best way to predict (and fix) a coming shortfall in sales revenue?

Ever had a great quarter or month followed by a dry one? We all have at one point or another. Those of us who didn’t want that to happen again have adopted systems and processes to reduce the risk of it happening again. But, what is the quickest and easiest way to predict a coming shortfall in sales?

Every sale is preceded by an Initial Appointment. Regardless of what we sell or how many calls it takes to close that sale, they all begin with an Initial Appointment. That appointment could be a face-to-face call, a web-based call or a good old-fashioned phone call. It really makes no difference.

So what does this have to do with an early warning system? Simple. We must know how many Initial Appointments it takes to generate a sale and then figure out how many Initial Appointments must be on the calendar at any given moment to provide the number of needed sales. For instance, in our case, we need five Initial Appointments spread out over any given two-week period at any time.

Now for the final step in the process: What precedes an Initial Appointment? The conversations and dials that are necessary to set up those appointments is the answer. So, the final question to ask ourselves is how many dials are necessary to generate those five appointments. Because the dial is truly the earliest step in the selling process, I can now monitor my dials to see what my sales will be.

Given our ratios of dials to conversations of 13% and our conversations to appointments ratio of 26%, we need to dial the phone 15 times a day between those of us who sell. Not a monumental task, but a task that must be done, nonetheless.

I look at my Klpz dashboard each week and can see both the number of dials and the number of appointments we’ve got on the calendar at any given moment. If either of those numbers is low, it is an easy fix to keep our sales two months in the future from cratering. Get on the phone….]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/the-foolproof-lack-of-sales-early-warning-system/ Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:29:55 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/the-biggest-mistake-cold-callers-can-make/ Decision makers do communicate with their gatekeepers, you know.

I was at an event with other CEOs and business owners this past week. Most of the at...]]> Decision makers do communicate with their gatekeepers, you know.

I was at an event with other CEOs and business owners this past week. Most of the attendees know what my company does so they love to regale me with stories of sales professionals who attempt to get an appointment with them. It is a great way for me to hear the target’s side of what works and what doesn’t.

This past week the subject came up of a ‘technique’ a sales professional (and in this case, I use the term lightly) had used to try to set an appointment with him. He said his regular administrative assistant was on vacation so it worked—for a moment anyway.

This particular seller told the ‘gatekeeper’ that he had recently met the CEO at a conference and that her boss had asked him to call to set up an appointment. Now there was potentially a grain of truth in this story as the CEO told me that he was at the same event. However, he said he had never even met the person, let alone told him to call for an appointment.

The good news for our intrepid seller—he got through. He proceeded to attempt to set an appointment never mentioning the ruse he had employed to get through. The even better news was that the CEO had some interest in what he was selling. The best news of all was that he got the appointment.

Now for the bad news: About an hour later, the CEO calls his temporary administrative assistant and asked her to set up a conference room for him for this appointment as well as to ask one of his direct reports to attend as well. It is at this time that the administrative assistant innocently asked if this was for the guy who called saying they had met at the conference.

Want to know how the seller found out his appointment was cancelled? From his sales manager, who got the cancellation call directly from the CEO.

Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on the wall when this seller got the news from his sales manager?

If you’d like to read more about the impact of lying to gatekeepers to get through to the boss, read my blog entitled, “The impact of lying to get through on a cold call.”

http://coldcalling101.com/the-impact-of-lying-to-get-through-on-a-cold-call/]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/the-biggest-mistake-cold-callers-can-make/ Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:09:57 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/new-books-are-now-available/
Here's the detail. The books, Contrary to Popular Belief, Cold Calling DOES Work! come in two volumes.

Volume I - Effectiveness, the ART of Appoinemtn Making
Volume II - Efficiency, the SCIENCE of Appointment Making

Both are now available for order through the following link. This link will also give you a good view into what is in each and if either one, or both, might benefit you and your challenges.

http://caponipg.com/books.php]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/new-books-are-now-available/ Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:03:57 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/davekahle/blog/the-right-time-for-sales-training/ By Dave Kahle


Q. I wanted to do some sales training last year, but it just wasn’t the right time for it. We had...]]> By Dave Kahle


Q. I wanted to do some sales training last year, but it just wasn’t the right time for it. We had too many things on our plate. Looking at our calendar this year, I am coming to the same conclusion. Am I ever going to have time to do sales training? Will it ever be the right time?

A. Great question. Probably the number one reason sales managers don’t provide sales training for their teams is “the timing just isn’t right.”
Why is it that some companies, regardless of the press of the urgent and the demands of the customers, find time to provide regular training and development opportunities for their sales force, and others, in the same industry, just can’t make the time?

The answer really does not lie in the ebb and flow of “things to do.” Nor does it lie in the open spaces of the calendar – if only you could find some empty days, you could slot in a sales training event. The answer does not lie in the world of stuff outside of ourselves that so occupies our time and attention. Rather, the answer lies inside ourselves and our organizations – in our attitudes, our values and our corporate culture.
Let me lay some ground work with a bit of thinking about effective sales, in general and then circle around to address the question head on.

1. I think everyone would agree with this statement: Better sales people sell more than average sales people.

Better sales performance is not a matter of inheriting the best customer, or falling into a lucky deal. Those things happen occasionally, but year in and year out, the best performing sales people are those who ‘sell better’ than the rest. They do something, and usually a lot of things, better than their colleagues. As a result, their customers respond more positively to them, and the sales people post better numbers. They sell more because they act differently. Not just differently – but better.

There is a direct relationship between what the sales person does and how much he sells. Here’s a simple example. One study found that 74 percent of purchasing agents said they would be “much more likely to buy from a sales person, if that person would just listen.” Doesn’t it follow, then, that those sales people who listen better sell more than those who don’t? So, if you could help all of your sales people listen better, wouldn’t that result in more sales? Of course it would. And listening is just one of a number of sales practices that are essential to better sales performance.

That’s my point. What a sales person does directly and measurably impacts how much a sales person sells. And better sales people, because they do things better, sell more than average sales people.

2. Most of my readers would also agree with this statement: Almost every sales person can become better.

One of the things that I have most enjoyed about my career as a sales person has been the fact that I have never yet reached my potential. I can always do better. And, frankly, I’m a pretty good sales person.

I’m not perfect yet, even though I have tried to get there my whole life. Rarely does a day go by that I don’t find myself saying, “I should have done this or that better.” Unfortunately, it is in the nature of sales that one is never as good as he can be. Vince Lombardi aptly summed up the challenge of continuous improvement in a different area:

We will relentlessly pursue perfection, knowing full well that we will never attain it, because no one is perfect. But, we will chase perfection, because in the process we will catch excellence.

Put these two paradigms together (#1 & #2 above) and you have a pretty good rationalization for continuous and immediate sales training. If better sales practices bring in more money, and every sales person can become better, then investing in making them better will bring in more money.

How can you afford the luxury of not improving the practices of your sales team?

3. But wait, some of you are saying, sales training doesn’t automatically mean better sales practices.

You’re right. It doesn’t. But it sure outperforms the alternative of not doing anything and expecting everyone will just automatically improve by trial and error. I’m going to make a radical statement here: I believe that there is not an exceptional performer in any endeavor who is entirely self-taught (with the once in a generation exception for the occasional savant). Tiger Woods, for example, has a swing coach.

The more sophisticated and challenging is the endeavor, the more likely that the exceptional performer has had multitude of coaches, mentors and trainers along the way. Sales is an incredibly sophisticated endeavor, where learning on your own can only take you so far.

Everyone who wants to improve, in every endeavor known to mankind, sooner or later puts himself in a situation where he/she learns from a coach, trainer or mentor – someone who has gone before and has a gift of being able to discern and communicate the intricacies and insights of the field. It takes someone outside of ourselves to help us see and realize our real potential.

The dedicated sales person, for example, buys all the books, gets the Ezines, listens to the podcasts, etc. The sales manager who wants his team to perform well, constantly injects them into learning experiences. He brings in the videos, distributes good articles, sends them to the seminars, etc.

And, like everything else, there are qualities of sales training. You can bring in old Tom, for example, who is getting ready to retire and is looking for something less demanding than sales to do. Or, you can employ the local unemployed sales person who always wanted to be a trainer. The world is full of both types.

But, if you are going to invest your sales force’s valuable time and your hard-earned money, I’d recommend you invest it into a safe choice – professionals who have an understanding of how people learn and change, real life successful experience in sales, and years of proven experience in the profession of training.

4. One more point. Have you ever stopped to calculate the cost of maintaining the status quo?

Today -- just this one day -- how many opportunities did your sales people not uncover because they haven’t been trained in how to better uncover opportunities? How many opportunities did they miss because they have not been trained to listen well? How many new customers should have been developed this month, but weren’t because your sales people have never been instructed in how to develop a new customer? How many high-potential customers languish in business-as-usual because your sales people have never been taught how to penetrate large accounts?

Just play around with those numbers and the conclusion will stagger you. The greatest cost in most companies is one which never makes it on the P&L statement – the cost of opportunities lost, customers not created, and sales not made due to a sales force performing at far less than its potential.
Now that I’ve laid some ground work, let me go back and answer the question.

Is there ever a good time to do sales training? It depends on your values, your attitude and your culture.

If you believe that your sales people can not become any better, then NO, do not make the time for sales training.

If you are perfectly content with the numbers your sales force is producing, then, NO, do not make the time for sales training.

If you think everyone will improve forever on their own, then NO, there will never be a good time for sales training.
If, on the other hand, you believe that just a small change in the behavior of a sales person can leverage into huge increases in sales and profits, then by all means make the time, as soon as possible.

Is there a good time to do sales training? That really is the wrong question. The question you should be asking instead is: How can you justify continuing to bear the costs of a sales team performing at less than optimum? How can you justify the maintenance of the status quo?

Parenthetically, our Sales Resource Center provides a virtually unlimited number of sales development lessons, delivered to every sales person’s computer, 24/7, for one low monthly fee.

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations. Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog. For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/davekahle/blog/the-right-time-for-sales-training/ Mon, 16 May 2011 17:21:25 +0000 Dave Kahle http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/when-do-we-cross-the-line-when-asking-for-an-appointment/ Where do we draw the line between persistency and pest?

This past week, I answered a question on the LinkedIn Group, Best Practices for Telephone Pro...]]> Where do we draw the line between persistency and pest?

This past week, I answered a question on the LinkedIn Group, Best Practices for Telephone Prospecting/Cold Calling. (By the way, this is a very good group. Lots of good discussions.) The question I answered was, “When do you give up on a call?” What the questioner meant was, when is asking for the appointment one more time, too many? Here’s how I answered that.

I make up my mind of how aggressive to be with an individual target based on a few criteria:

1. How aggressive am I as a sales professional? How comfortable am I asking three, four or more times? (Two is the minimum because the first one is almost always a conditioned knee jerk reaction designed to get us off the phone with little thought given to whether the value proposition is of potential interest or not.)

2. How many targets do I have in my universe? The more I have, the less aggressive I have to be. Consequently, the fewer potential targets I have, the more aggressive I must be. As a matter of fact, if I have a relatively few targets to choose from, I will also research them more before calling to make sure I understand how to approach a particular company, or even, person. I can’t afford to miss these opportunities, so I’ll be more aggressive in my belief that I can be of service.

3. I also have a long term view of my prospecting, so I will always end (if I don’t get the appointment) by asking for permission to call back in the future. This will impact when I quit asking for the appointment this time, because I don’t want to burn the bridge to future attempts on this call.

4. As I’ve discussed in other blogs, we use a technique we call Bridge Questions™, to help us get into an open minded conversation after hearing a no. By doing so, we come across as very professional, non-confrontational, and knowledgeable. This actually allows us to ask for the appointment, at least, another couple of times without sounding pushy or too aggressive. It comes across as conversational.

Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called Coldcalling101™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations—the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 817 224-9900 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/when-do-we-cross-the-line-when-asking-for-an-appointment/ Sat, 14 May 2011 17:30:48 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-to-cure-the-fear-of-cold-calling/ Why are we afraid to pick up the phone and cold call someone—and what can we do about it?

Remember the old TV show, Family Feud? And the audience sai...]]> Why are we afraid to pick up the phone and cold call someone—and what can we do about it?

Remember the old TV show, Family Feud? And the audience said, fear of public speaking! It’s probably one of the most commonly known facts in America: the number one fear of Americans is the fear of public speaking. The number two fear is death. But, here’s one that you might not know. The number three fear is death from public speaking. Just kidding, but thanks to my good friend, Sean Sturrock, for that bit of humor!

As a member of the National Speakers Association, I’ve heard many people talk about how one gets over the fear of public speaking. It all boils down to three simple things: preparation, process and practice.

Let’s take those one at a time and dissect them as they apply to cold calling. These same factors are at play here when we consider picking up the phone and ‘public speaking’ to just one stranger at a time.

1. Preparation. Toastmasters has an exercise that requires its members to get up in front of the group and speak extemporaneously for just one minute. That’s harder than one might imagine, as anyone who has been a member can attest. However, we all do it many times each day. Someone asks us a question, or we talk about the news of the day with our friends, family, and colleagues.

So, what’s the difference? In my opinion, it’s the stakes and the setting: the audience, the goal and topic. When we pick up the phone to call someone for an appointment, there is a very specific objective on the table—an appointment is at stake—not to mention our livelihood. We also know that this will most likely not be a friendly setting—at least at the beginning. So not only do we need to know what we’re going to say to start the conversation, but we’ll also need to be prepared to handle the common types of responses we receive. If we don’t, most of us feel foolish and embarrassed, even though the person can’t see us.


2. Process. When we deliver a speech, we know we have to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You might be familiar with the old adage of tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. An appointment making call also has a process.

There are actually twelve steps in the process of making an appointment setting call, and only one of them is actually placing the call. Many of us get lost in the process because we don’t even understand the entire process, let alone have the right tools to keep us efficiently organized and on pace. For instance, as we get ready to call a target that we’ve called before, and we can’t remember what we said to them last time, how many times we’ve called before, or just as importantly, what they said back to us, we will get a bit apprehensive. Why? Because we don’t want to sound foolish and unprofessional if the person we’re calling happens to remember those things.

Therefore, having a process to follow, and tools to keep track of the process will make us fear making calls.

3. Practice. How we deliver our message is far more important than what we actually say according to a UCLA study on effective communications. See blog called What are the key elements in effective communication - link is below. That’s not to say that what we say is not important at all. The key here, though, is for what we say to become so second nature that we can concentrate on how we deliver it, and on what our target says back to us.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, but there is only one way to accomplish this: practice, practice, and then practice some more. Practice until it sounds more natural and conversational than the ‘wing it’ manner you’re using now. And here’s one more hint for you. Even the best public speakers will rehearse their opening lines to their speech right before walking on stage, so practice your opening out loud (or with a calling buddy—see blog called Five tips to help make that first call of the day) - see link below.

To be successful cold calling, one must be prepared, have a process and practice, practice, practice.

Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called Coldcalling101™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations—the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 817 224-9900 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.

Link to first blog: http://coldcalling101.com/what-are-the-key-elements-in-effective-communication-as-they-apply-to-cold-calling/

Link to second blog: http://coldcalling101.com/five-tips-to-help-make-that-first-cold-call-of-the-day/]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-to-cure-the-fear-of-cold-calling/ Wed, 11 May 2011 14:03:06 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/why-don-t-ales-professionals-set-enough-initial-appointments/ Who should be making the appointment setting calls in your organization?

Is the sales force one that cannot, will not, or should not be setting appoi...]]> Who should be making the appointment setting calls in your organization?

Is the sales force one that cannot, will not, or should not be setting appointments their own appointments?

We are many times asked, “When should I outsource our appointment setting requirement for the outside sales team?” This question comes up when managers aren’t consistently seeing enough Initial Appointments being set by their sales team.

If we can answer the following question, we’ve got our answer. Is the reason enough appointments are not being set because the sales team cannot, will not, or should not be setting appointments? Now that I’ve settled that topic…just kidding. Let’s explore that a little more deeply.

Let’s look at the last qualifier first, because if the answer is no for that one, then the first two qualifiers are moot. “Should our outside sales team be setting their own appointments?” In a sales environment where the buying cycles are long and complex, the average sized sale is big, and the competitive landscape is tough, our sales professionals are usually very highly paid. In those situations, suggest we, at least, look at having someone else set appointments for them.

The reason for that is that setting our own appointments takes time, and a lower cost resource can set appointments. If I’ve got a team of highly qualified subject matter experts, for instance, who have heavy time commitments in the buying cycles to qualify, present, and close, it does beg the question. Perhaps we are better off letting those sales people concentrate on what only they can do, and hire someone else to set appointments for them.

The trade-offs here are how much subject matter training is required to make the appointment setters competent to set qualified appointments, can we deliver that training, and can we supply reasonably targeted lists. Those are questions you’ll have to answer yourself.

However, let’s assume for a moment that we’ve decided that our team should be setting their own appointments. The next question we need to ask ourselves is, “Are they failing because they cannot, or will not set their own appointments?” If they will not, perhaps it is because the task is arduous, too time consuming, and painful. If we have addressed those issues and they just won’t do it, we need to find those sales professionals something else to do.

If it is because they cannot (or we’re not sure if it still might be will not), we do have remedies for that. Four areas may be addressed to help them become more effective and efficient at this task. They are; better lists of targets to call, a better set of best practices (pre-set business rules for the process), a better set of tools to take the pain out of the process and make them more efficient, and better skills to handle the objections they encounter when attempting to set the appointment.

Do not fall into the trap of; if a sales professional knows how to close, they know how to set appointments. It is a totally different process, requiring a different set of skills, tools and processes. Too many, this is a surprise. So much so, that I dedicated an entire section to this topic in both of my books, Contrary to Popular Opinion, Cold Calling Does Work! Volume I: Effectiveness, the Art of Appointment Making, and Volume II: Efficiency, the Science of Appointment Making. You can also find some of that explanation in the blog entitled, The skills that are necessary in the pipeline phase of selling are not the same as those required in appointment setting Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

If you believe that your team needs to be setting some, if not all, of their own Initial Appointments, then make sure they’ve got the proper set of skills, tools and processes to make them both effective and efficient—or you’ll continue to struggle with an anemic pipeline.

Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called Coldcalling101™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations—the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 817 224-9900 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/why-don-t-ales-professionals-set-enough-initial-appointments/ Wed, 04 May 2011 16:00:19 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/a-tip-to-be-i-b-on-b-i-when-you-make-that-first-dial-of-the-day/ Even the best of us can verbally stumble on that first call of the day. Here’s a tip to reduce the risk of that happening.

We encourage everyone to p...]]> Even the best of us can verbally stumble on that first call of the day. Here’s a tip to reduce the risk of that happening.

We encourage everyone to practice aloud before making the first call of a call block. Specifically, and especially when first beginning to use a new set of scripts, counters, Bridge Questions™, etc., we suggest going through the opening script and each of the counters to the expected negative responses aloud before making that first call. In the beginning, it may even take a few attempts before the words roll off the tongue fluently and conversationally—without having to look at the words. After a while, it may take one or two passes before that happens. Don’t worry, it becomes second nature fairly quickly when we’re making calls consistently.

Here’s the specific tip, though. Years ago, when I first started our sales training and consulting business, all of our business came through cold calling. We made calls virtually every day. At the time, my brother, Todd Caponi, was also in the sales training business. Here’s the tip that we used before we made that first call; and one we encourage all that go through our Prospector’s Academies to use. Pair up with someone, even if they’re not even at your company. When you’re ready to make that first call, place a call to your buddy and just pretend it’s a cold call. Your buddy should immediately understand what you’re doing when you just launch into your opening script. (No need to tell your buddy, what you’re doing.) They should respond with a typical negative response, just like a target would. You should then handle it, just like you would on a call. You might then want to have them give you another negative response or two before you’re ready, but it shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.

If you’d like four other tips (I cover this one there as well), check out my blog entitled, Five tips to help make that first cold call of the day.
/http://coldcalling101.com/five-tips-to-help-make-that-first-cold-call-of-the-day/]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/a-tip-to-be-i-b-on-b-i-when-you-make-that-first-dial-of-the-day/ Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:14:56 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-another-chance-to-follow-your-new-year-s-resolutions-2/ http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-another-chance-to-follow-your-new-year-s-resolutions-2/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:10:28 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-another-chance-to-follow-your-new-year-s-resolutions/ http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/want-another-chance-to-follow-your-new-year-s-resolutions/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:09:51 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/soneil/blog/the-10-types-of-closers-which-one-are-you-let-s-talk-b2b-sales/ We wrote a blog a few weeks back (blog.venderepartners.com around which type of closer are you. I wanted to share it with the group. A bit comical but...
1. Jack Rabbit Closer

* Talks a mile a minute
* Neverending enthusiasm and excitement, which rubs off on sales prospects
* Knows what makes himself tick
* Always on the go

2. Turtle Closer

* "Good old boy" attitude
* Air of honesty, integrity, and good intention
* Acts like an old friend of the prospect
* Credible
* Moves in slow, deliberate motions that lull the prospect to sleep - and into a sale

3. Positive Closer

* Acts like everything is great
* Crisp and sharp
* Sees the "good" in a person or situation
* Builds the prospect up so they have an "I can't lose with this guy" attitude
* Can make others feel happy by radiating good thoughts and positive attitude

4. Negative Closer

* He's a sleeper type
* Maintains an "I don't care" manner
* Master of the "takeaway" with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude
* Often gets the sale because the prospect perceives that he is holding back on some secret deal
* Allows prospect to play mind games with themselves
* Classic "country fox" type

5. Jolly-Golly Closer

* The clown of the bunch
* Happy-go-lucky and quick with a joke
* Gets customers placid and off-guard so they never know when he's going to close
* Prospects love him
* Prospects never realize he is selling them at all

6. Magic Man Closer

* Consummate showman
* Keeps prospects off-balance and not knowing what to expect
* Always says engaging and amazing things, with antics and an occasional play-on-words
* Keeps prospects fascinated, almost spellbound with his personality
* Uses lots of impactful sayings and buzzwords

7. Razzle-Dazzle Closer

* Always has the "special deal," the backroom deal no one knows about
* Can put together a "package deal" in no time at all
* Outwits other salesmen
* Switching, maneuvering, and confusing until no one can really pin down where he stands on a subject
* Master of words, double-talk
* Intellectual

8. Psychological/Methodical Closer

* Thinker/problem-solver type
* Logic is his tool of choice
* Knows his prospect inside and out and can dissect their mind in a matter of minutes
* Can play mind games on prospect objections
* Deftly overrules prospect's thinking
* Analyzes the situation before making his move
* Versatile, intelligent, often serious
* Works well closing professionals

9. High-Roller Closer

* Quick to show how he got to the top and the fruits of his labor
* Flashy
* Master of intimidation
* Uses props and knows his business well
* Prospects buy from him because the psychology is such that they feel equal to him when they buy
* May end up burning someone if they don't see things his way

10. College Joe Closer

* "Lost son" type
* Consciously, he looks the part
* Uses honesty, sincerity, and innocence to close
* Looks like he wouldn't try to sell anything to anyone unless it was indeed a fantastic deal
* Seems too "clean" to be a mean old sales-y type
* Well-mannered and polite, which keeps prospects at ease]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/soneil/blog/the-10-types-of-closers-which-one-are-you-let-s-talk-b2b-sales/ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:12:44 +0000 http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/are-we-easy-to-do-business-with/ http://bit.ly/i66Mjw]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/barrycaponi/blog/are-we-easy-to-do-business-with/ Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:57:27 +0000 Barry D. Caponi http://www.salescoachinglive.com/bfarmer/blog/opinions-everyone-has-one-at-least-one/ I have often heard that opinions are like anal orifices, everyone has one! The fact is that just like parts of our own body, we not only have opinions...
Our ownership of opinions is absolute regardless of the facts!! Two plus two always equals four. New York City is the largest city in the United States. San Francisco is on the west coast. These are objective facts.
Red is better than blue. Chicago is a more dynamic city than LA. The Packers should win over Minnesota (said before the season begins). These are ALL opinions and their truth lies solely in the eye of the beholder.

Before we enter in a discussion about what is “Better” for someone we care about, we need to take a minute and review what their opinions and beliefs are. That review can take many forms. Here is one possible way to begin the evaluation.

1. What is their underlining belief system?
2. What in their background could influence the critical viewpoint or decision?
3. Who else will influence this discussion / decision?
4. Why am I involved in this discussion / decision?
5. What impact will this have on their resources - mental, physical, financial
6. What do I KNOW about their opinions that will come into play?
7. What are the facts? Are these truly facts or MY opinions of the facts?

These are first steps. Remember that a person’s opinions are critically important to them and they will defend them to the death! If you think this is a bit of an exaggeration then look to the Middle East, the Middle Ages, witch hunts, the Hatfield verses McCoy feud, Democrats verses Republicans, USC verses UCLA and High School Football in Texas!!

Treat people’s opinions as if they are as precious as their children. They might have had them longer!]]> http://www.salescoachinglive.com/bfarmer/blog/opinions-everyone-has-one-at-least-one/ Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:13:59 +0000 Ben Farmer