Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, 2nd Edition

Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, 2nd Edition

by Art Sobczak
Released April 2013
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118588710

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Book description

Proven techniques to master the art of the cold call

Cold calling is not only one of the fastest and most profitable ways to initiate a new sales contact and build business; it's also one of the most dreaded—for the salesperson and the recipient. Smart Calling has the solution: Art Sobczak's proven, never-experience-rejection-again system. Now in an updated 2nd Edition, it offers even smarter tips and techniques for prospecting new business while minimizing fear and rejection.

While other books on cold calling dispense long-perpetuated myths such "prospecting is a numbers game," and salespeople need to "love rejection," this book will empower readers to take action, call prospects, and get a yes every time.

  • Updated information reflects changes and advances in the information gathering that comprises the "smart" part of the calling

  • Further enhances the value and credibility of the book by including more actual examples and success stories from readers and users of the first version

  • Author Art Sobczak's monthly Prospecting and Selling Report newsletter (the longest-running publication of its type) reaches 15,000 readers, and Smart Calling continues to rank in the Top 20 in the Sales books category on amazon.com and has sold over 20,000 copies

Conquer your fears and master the art of the cold calling through the genius of Smart Calling, 2nd Edition.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Introduction
  6. Section One: The Smart Calling Concept
    1. Chapter 1: Cold Calling Is Dumb, but Prospecting Is Necessary
      1. Why Telephone Prospecting Is Both Essential and Profitable
      2. Cold Calling Myths, Smart Calling Truths
      3. Still Think Prospecting Doesn’t Work? That’s News to Someone Doing It
      4. The Answer: Smart Calling
      5. Smart Calling versus Cold Calling
  7. Section Two: Pre-Call Planning
    1. Chapter 2: Creating Your Possible Value Proposition
      1. Understanding Your Prospects and Why They Might Buy from You
      2. Pain and Gain
      3. The Easy Way to Provide Possible Value
      4. Are You Able to Help Cut Costs?
      5. How Are You Different?
      6. The Value You Have Already Provided for Others
      7. Do You Help Inadequacy?
      8. Value Is Not the Same for Everyone
      9. Smart Calling Action Steps
    2. Chapter 3: Intelligence Gathering
      1. What Information Do You Want about Your Prospects?
      2. Identify and Look for Trigger Events
      3. Getting Personal
      4. He Won This Sale
      5. Where to Find Your Smart Information
      6. Your Database
      7. Exploring the Wealth of Online Information
      8. Other Online Resources
      9. Google News Alerts
      10. How to Steal Business When Your Competitor Undergoes Changes
      11. Social Networking—or Social Not-Working?
      12. Smart Calling Action Steps
    3. Chapter 4: Using Social Engineering to Gather Intelligence
      1. With Whom Should You Engage?
      2. Assume What You Can’t Get and You’ll Always Be Right
      3. More Social Engineering Tips
      4. An Example of Social Engineering in Action
      5. Social Engineering Feedback, and an Answer to an Objection
      6. Smart Calling Action Steps
    4. Chapter 5: Setting Smart Call Objectives and Never Being Rejected Again
      1. Thinking Big Gets Big Results
      2. How to Never Be Rejected Again: Accomplishing Your Secondary Objective
      3. Secondary Objectives Can also Pay Off in the Future
      4. Smart Calling Action Steps
    5. Chapter 6: More Smart Ideas for Prior to Your Call
      1. Is There a Best Time to Call?
      2. Ritualize Your Phone Time
      3. When You Are on a Roll, Stay in the Zone
      4. End with a Positive
      5. Great Days to Call: When Others Aren’t or Won’t
      6. Other Unconventional Times to Call
      7. Best Times for Follow-up Calls
      8. Warming Up a Smart Call
      9. E-Mailing before a Call
      10. Multimedia Messages
      11. How about Sending Unusual Items Prior to the Call?
      12. Get Direct Numbers
      13. Smart Calling Action Steps
  8. Section Three: Creating and Placing the Smart Call
    1. Chapter 7: How to Be Smart with Voice Mail
      1. Be Prepared
      2. Say You’ll Call Back
      3. How Many Messages to Leave?
      4. Should You Vary Your Message On Repeat Calls?
      5. Listen to Their Entire Voice Mail Message
      6. Listen for Their Tone on Voice Mail
      7. Put the Directions in Your Notes to Save Time
      8. Opting Out to a Live Voice
      9. Use Your Prospect’s Electronic System to Gather Intelligence
      10. Call Back Immediately
      11. Call at Different Times of the Day
      12. Give Your Number Twice; Give Your Number Twice
      13. “Here’s My Number . . .”
      14. Review Your Message, but Don’t Assume You’ll Always Have the Option
      15. Make Your Voice Mail Message Stand Out from the Clutter
      16. Use a Last Resort Message
      17. Handling Unreturned Voice Mail Messages
      18. Shady Voice Mail Tactics to Avoid
      19. Smart Calling Action Steps
    2. Chapter 8: Working with Screeners, Gatekeepers, and Assistants?
      1. What to Do
      2. Be Prepared to Sell the Screener If You Need to
      3. Tips for Working with Screeners, Gatekeepers, and Assistants
      4. Getting Your Messages to the Buyer
      5. Will You Help Me?
      6. Go to the Highest Level
      7. For Buyers on Vacation
      8. Smart Calling Action Steps
    3. Chapter 9: Opening Statements
      1. What to Avoid Saying in the First 10 Seconds of Your Opening to Decision Makers
      2. “Thanks for Taking My Call”
      3. Asking for a Decision, or Even Hinting at One
      4. Being Assumptive in the Opening and Using Declarative Statements
      5. Reacting to Unusual Names
      6. How Are You Today? Use It or Not?
      7. Smart Calling Action Step
    4. Chapter 10: Creating Interest with Your Smart Call Opening Statement
      1. The Jim Furyk Theory
      2. Two Objectives for Your Openings
      3. Scripting
      4. The Smart Call Interest-Creating Opening Statement Process
      5. More Possible Ending Phrases
      6. Does Length Matter?
      7. The Time Issue
      8. An Unconventional Technique That I Have Heard Work
      9. Weasel Words
      10. You Have Also Created Your Smart Voice Mail Message
      11. Smart Calling Action Step
    5. Chapter 11: Handling Early Resistance on Your Smart Calls
      1. Use a Pattern Interrupt
      2. The Softening Statement
      3. It’s So Simple Even a Fourth-Grader Can Do It
      4. Here’s the One Place Where Sounding Dumb Works
      5. Responding When They Are Happy with Their Present Supplier
      6. How to Answer “Send Me Some Literature on That”
      7. “Why Should I Consider You?”
      8. Responding When They Try to Rush You
      9. Simple Response to a Quick “Not Interested”
      10. Handling the Early Price Question
      11. Early Resistance Case Study
      12. Smart Calling Action Step
    6. Chapter 12: Using Smart Questions
      1. Use Your Possible Benefits to Create Questions
      2. Not All Questions Are Good Ones: How to Use Assumptive Problem Questions
      3. How to Create Assumptive Problem Questions
      4. The Loaded Benefit Question
      5. Practice the Iceberg Theory of Questioning with the Next Questions to Get Better Information
      6. More on Quantifying Needs, Pains, Problems, and Desires
      7. Avoid Questions That Scream “I Just Picked Up an Old Sales Book”
      8. Questions to Learn about the Decision-Making Hierarchy and Process
      9. Determine What Annoys Them
      10. A Questioning Mistake
      11. Clarify the Fuzzy Phrases
      12. The Quality of Your Question Determines the Quality of Your Answer
      13. Don’t Ask What They Like Best about Their Present Supplier
      14. Ask About Them
      15. Use Benefit Questions Instead of Inane Leading Ones
      16. Economize Your Questions
      17. Smart Calling Action Steps
    7. Chapter 13: The More Important Side of the Question
      1. Get More and Better Information by Simply Letting Them Talk
      2. Your Most Powerful Listening Tool: The Pause
      3. Listen for Their Key Terminology
      4. How to Make Eye Contact by Phone
      5. Listen When They Lower Their Voice
      6. What Is Your Listening to Talking Ratio?
      7. It Would Be Tougher to Listen Your Way out of a Sale
      8. Smart Calling Action Step
    8. Chapter 14: Recommending the Next Step
      1. Pitching Is for Sports Only: Recommend Instead
      2. The Smart Call Recommendation Process
      3. Use the Words of Others to Be More Persuasive
      4. Using the Principle of Consistency
      5. In the Sales Recommendation
      6. You Are Absolutely Going to Love This
      7. Smart Calling Action Steps
    9. Chapter 15: Getting Commitment for the Next Action
      1. The Commitment Phase Validates What Has Happened So Far
      2. Your Attitude Is More Important Than Your Technique
      3. Get Commitments on Every Call
      4. Get Commitment with Nonthreatening Words
      5. Why Not Try This Question?
      6. Help Them Realize They Have Nothing to Fear
      7. Asking for More Gets More
      8. Ask for Action, Not Permission
      9. Smart Calling Action Step
    10. Chapter 16: Wrapping Up Calls and Setting Up the Next Action
      1. The Success of Your Follow-Up Call Is Determined on the Previous Call
      2. Summarizing the Call
      3. How to Set a Specific Time for the Follow-Up Call
      4. What to Put in Your Notes to Ensure a Great Follow-Up Call
      5. Use a Last-Resort Question before Giving Up
      6. Smart Calling Action Step
  9. Section Four: Putting It All Together
    1. Chapter 17: How to Sound Smart
      1. Don’t Sound Like a Salesperson
      2. Record Your Calls and Review Them Regularly
      3. Legalities of Recording Calls
      4. Stand for Sales
      5. Voice Improvement Self-Study
      6. Smart Calling Action Step
    2. Chapter 18: Getting and Staying Motivated
      1. Never Get Rejected Again
      2. Overcoming the Fear of Calling
      3. Say “So What?” to Your Fears
      4. Size Does Matter as It Relates to Your Thinking
      5. Your Assumptions Usually Come True
      6. Will You Go for the Big Jump?
      7. Sell More by Being a Kid
      8. Smart Calling Action Step
    3. Chapter 19: More Smart Calling Success Tips
      1. Send an E-Mail to Find the Buyer
      2. Find More Buyers Easily
      3. Use a Calling Card
      4. Draw a Decision-Making Organizational Chart
      5. How to Locate Other Decision Makers
      6. Write Down Every Name You Hear
      7. Follow Your Buyers
      8. Be Ready When You Are on Hold
      9. Get Referrals from within Their Company
      10. Should Cell Phones Be Sell Phones?
      11. Give Information on Your Voice Mail Greeting
      12. Don’t Create Interruptions
      13. Take Notes on What They Say and Mean
      14. Smart Calling Action Step
    4. Chapter 20: A Smart Call Case Study and Makeovers
      1. A “Healthy” Smart Calling Case Study
      2. Chad’s Process
      3. Smart Calling Opening Statement
      4. Smart Calling Makeovers
      5. Freight Industry Opening Statement
      6. A Mistake-Filled Call
      7. Beware of the Bad Information Floating Around
  10. About the Author
  11. Index

Product information

  • Title: Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Art Sobczak
  • Release date: April 2013
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118588710