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When people feel understood, they don’t put up The Wall. They remain open to talking with you.
Here’s an example based on my own experience. I offer Unlock The Game™ as a new approach in selling. When I call a vice president of sales, I would never start out with, "Hi, my name is Ari, I'm with Unlock The Game, and I offer the newest technique in selling, and I wonder if you have a few minutes to talk now."
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Instead, I wouldn’t even pick up the phone without first identifying one or more problems that I know VPs often have with their sales teams. Problems that Unlock The Game™ can solve.
For example, one common problem is when sales teams and salespeople spend time chasing prospects who have no intention of buying.
So I would start by asking, "Are you grappling with issues around your sales team chasing prospects who lead them on without any intention of buying?"
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So, come up with two or three specific core problems that your product or service solves. (Avoid generic problem phrases like "cut costs" or "increase revenue." They’re too vague.)
4. Start With a Dialogue, Not a Presentation
Let’s return to the goal of a cold call, which is to create a two-way dialogue engaging prospects in a conversation.
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We’re not trying to set the person up for a yes or no. That’s the old way of cold calling.