The Science Behind Cold Calls: Nash's Three Steps To Selling
For People Who Want To Sell Their Services/Products To Strangers
The Cold Call
Jobs can be very hard to find in 2015. The demand is much lower than the supply, thousands of college/ university graduates finish their post secondary educations and simply cannot find work. In the past I have found alternatives to make money when I cannot find an employer, I've (for terms sake) employed myself. It was summer 2014 and I just got back home to Kingston, Ontario from Humber College, and I couldn't find any summer work. I applied to approximately 50 different stores, and nothing ever came from it.
After about a month of looking for work, I came up with an idea. My plan was to go from door to door, offering a lawn cutting service that would last until late August (when I went back to Humber). I learned a lot about selling throughout this summer, and it actually worked out very well for me.
If you ever in your lifetime (whether your 14 or 40) decide to enter into self employment, or end up in a job which entails you to make face to face cold calls: Follow Nash's Three Steps To Selling, and I can guarantee you, you WILL put money in your pocket.
Step 1
WHO ARE YOU SELLING TO?
In past experiences, when you deal with people you can usually categorize them into different groups (my next blog with tell you these personality types, make sure you read it). Based on assumptions, and instant judgments you WILL have to make about these certain individuals, you will need to adjust your communication style to match theirs. For example, you wouldn't talk to a middle aged male who owns a Harley Davidson and rocks a huge manly beard, the same as you would talk to an elderly lady. It plain just wouldn't work. Ever.
If your thinking "I don't want to make judgments or stereotypes, that's immoral, and it's not politically correct". Then I have one thing to say to you, stop reading because you will never be a sales person, straight up.
Step 2
WHO ARE YOU?
Based on your best assumptions, and judgments made about this individual, you will need the ability to adjust your communication style to fit theirs. You will need to explain who YOU are first. When you are making a cold call (for the most part), the individual you are trying to persuade is going to want to know who you are before anything. After you have introduced yourself, introduce your product/ service.
Lastly, you will introduce the benefits the individual will receive by choosing what you are offering. For example, if your selling a lawn cutting service that lasts the whole summer, your not just selling cut grass, your selling the idea that this person won't have to stress about their lawn being cut, your selling that they're yards will look clean and that they will be more relaxed with you working for them.
Step 3
THE CLOSE
Obviously.
The close is the most important part of selling (hands down). Just like FOLLOWING THROUGH with an idea (which I will discuss in another blog). When your trying to close a sale (whatever you are offering), depending on the personality type, you don't want to directly ask them for a sale. Ideally the best way to get a close is by looking for cues, or asking them in a way that doesn't seem like your pushing whatever your offering on them. For example (referring back to the lawn cutting service), you may want to ask the individual "would you like me to start today?", or anything along the lines of you proceeding with what you would like to sell them without saying "so is this a done deal?".
Follow Nash's Three Steps To Selling before you start trying to sell.
Although, reading this is only the 1% of what you will learn, going out and actually doing it is the most important part, which will fill in the rest of your 99%.
Hi Josh,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these. As a fellow marketing student I can appreciate your take on the marketing world and how to succeed in the industry. I look forward to reading all your blogs.
--- AE.