What a Jerk

I just was less than polite to a telephone solicitor. Sometimes I listen for quite a while and engage the caller. Sometimes, I'm busy, and I don't want to be charming to a complete stranger. Sometimes it is the third call in an hour and I'm not very pleasant. That is an admission from a guy who has made his living at sales for over 30 years, and who made a pretty good amount of change at selling from age 5 to 20 before the professional career started. I have called door-to-door and done cold calls by phone. I have had folks be very, very rude to me.

Why this revelation. Two things. First, if you are making any kind of cold call, you need to shake off the rejection. I had a salesman working for me once who would call me at 10:00 in the morning from Dunkin Doughnuts. He'd had two "no's" that day already, and he needed to have his ego rebuilt. On the other hand, another salesperson told me this after a really big "no." She said: "He was an idiot." We may not want to view our potential customers as idiots, but better to put the burden on them than on ourselves when they don't go for the program.

Second, we do need to have a compelling story. I am far more likely to stay on the line with someone who is amusing and has an opening I have heard before. If I'm going door-to-door, there's going to be some kind of tchotchke in my hand to get me in the door. If I'm making phone calls I want to refer to something I actually sent them in the mail or email (and it better be memorable.) Or I want to get right to the point: "I sell promotional products, premium, and gift items. Are you working on any events, trade shows, or promotions that I could help you with?" Before I let the customer off the line: "Is there anyone else in your organization I should be talking to?"

Conclusion: 1. Get over yourself. 2. Be compelling.