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Calling executives means you are dealing with some of the smartest people in business. Being dishonest will not get you very far. The single biggest mistake you can make is to lie to your prospects. It is the one mistake a client will never forgive. Starting with a lie, no matter how small, isn't going to lead anywhere good. Even when you encounter an issue that seems small - such as a client asking a question you can't answer - it's better to let them know you don't have the answer offhand than to give them information you'll have to retract later. You can say something like, "Rather than give you bad information, let me find out and get back to you" or "I am not the right person to have that conversation with, I'll have Joe get that for you." This approach puts you in the role of a valuable consultant, someone to be trusted to give accurate feedback, and provides an opening for a second contact with the client. When you find the answer in response to the query, you can use it as a point of reference when you speak with the client again. Above all, maintain your integrity. One sales rep interested in selling prospect lists was trying hard to reach me recently. When he finally succeeded, he stated that he had obtained my direct line from my personal assistant, which I knew was a lie. His dishonest approach ensured that I would never do business with him. A better approach would have been to say he had hoped to speak with me about some of my list requirements. Instead, he chose to manufacture a story about how he was able to reach me, which was totally unnecessary and caused him to lose any access to me in the future. Another example happened to me recently. "Hi Mari Anne, this is so-and-so," said the caller on my voice-mail. "I wanted to ask you a quick question about something." She implied that she was working on something with which I was involved. However, when I called her back it turned out that she was trying to pitch me on something else entirely and she really didn't know me. I felt it was a dishonest way to get me to call her back, and it made me think about whether I want someone like that working with my clients. The tactic worked, but the strategy failed. A better way to handle it is to be confident, say who you are, and briefly state your purpose. You'll get much better results by being confident and to the point, rather than trying to dig yourself out of the ditch of lost credibility. Using methods that are honest and forthright is what separates professionals from amateurs. Executives are not going to expose their company to somebody who uses an underhanded tactic to gain an objective. Your clients have to know you have their best interests in mind at all times. On the other hand, you don't have to give a dissertation when trying to contact a prospect. Say what you need to say and be honest about it. If the receptionist asks why you are calling, you can say, "I'm with ABC Company and I'm calling to ask Bill about some planning around his financial systems." Mention specifically the things you want to talk about but don't go into great detail. As you go through these steps, be aware of where you may be having problems with your process. You will want to always improve your process, fixing any areas where results break down and do not get you where you want to go. What are your methods for gaining access? © 2013 Laura Lowell This excerpt by Mari Anne Vanella is Rule 2 from "42 Rules of Cold Calling Executives". Mari Anne Vanella is the founder and CEO of The Vanella Group, Inc., a Telesales firm serving the high-tech industry based in the Silicon Valley. For over 20 years, Mari Anne has designed and executed outbound calling practices that outperform traditional methods. She has worked with companies such as HP, Borland Software, Cisco, Guidewire Software, Savvion, and many others helping them identify opportunities for their sales organizations. You can learn more about his book and others at http://42rules.com.
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