Tonya Reiman

If you're in sales, you know the disenchantment that comes with bringing home the Spam, after having developed a palate for bacon. Or, you know the disappointment that comes when you're hoping to make the best of that Spam, with a sandwich, but find that you haven't made enough dough to bake the bread for it.

Food analogies aside, it's no secret that more yeses from your prospects would equal a better bottom line, a more fulfilling career, greater status among your peers, and more job security. More yeses would make the end of the month an opportunity to tally your new, record-breaking numbers, rather than counting sparse sales with bated breath, hoping for one more slide-by.

So hang up that phone. Don't make or take another call until you've read through my tips for converting cold calls to warm clients…and hot cash.

Stop! Don't Touch That Receiver!

Know your Unique Selling Point (USP) before you answer or dial the phone. Your USP is your branding; it's the thing that makes you unlike every other salesperson out there. By cataloging and displaying your most positive and unique points, you will boost your confidence, which will, in turn, make you appealing enough to your prospects to prompt them to buy what you're selling.

In order to define your own USP, ask and answer these questions:

• What qualities do you like the most about yourself?

• Which of your qualities do your friends, family, and business associates compliment the most?

• Why should your dream client feel fortunate to be served by you?

• What are your greatest sales accomplishments, and which of your qualities made them possible?

Make the establishment of your positive USP the first step in your telephone sales success. It's true that in order for others to like you, you must first like yourself. After all, if you can barely stand to be with yourself, and that's evident to outsiders, why would they invest in buying a service or product that would result in more time spent dealing with you?

Be prepared to field objections and demands, too. If you know the client with whom you're preparing to speak, consider his or her historical objections. If he always hounds you on price, be prepared to increase your initial margin or to raise immediate perceived value. If she expects a free gift, work the cost of one into the deal that you're offering, and keep it in your bargaining holster.

If you've never spoken to the prospect, use your past experience (or that of a mentor, business associate, or statistical literature) to anticipate the objections and demands that you'll face, and rehearse your responses so that you can communicate in the most seamless, and in-control, way possible.

You can be in control during a telephone conversation without being perceived as a controlling person. You must simply learn the skills necessary to put the ball in your prospect's court, knowing that the lob back to you will be utterly irresistible for them. So before you pick up that receiver, or before you depress the send button, ensure that you're prepared to make that first serve…the one that will practically bounce itself off the other team's racquet.

Defrosting the Cold Call

Is the suggestion of cold calling enough to send chills up your spine? Does it remind you of being frozen out by prospects? Or of being given the cold shoulder?

The days of wading through lists of faceless companies, without contact names, without clear needs for your product, are over. There was once a decade in which a boss would distribute a virtual telephone book to his or her employees, give quotas, and then settle in to digest the disconcerting cold call numbers at the end of the month. And in truth, those numbers were indicative of the method from which they had been spawned. You know the one…similar to the scripted, monotone calls that interrupt your dinner hour or your favorite television show. The ones that bring you, a normally mild-mannered citizen, to a place where you entertain thoughts of phone-acide?

Start your cold calling glacial melt by changing your view of the cold call. Instead of starting with a list of mysteriously cloaked names, know who you're calling, and why what you're selling could be the answer to their most nagging, persistent problems.

Making Your First Cold Call a Warm One

Don't call any company or individual without a reason. Turn the phone-book-derived list over and use it as scrap paper -- to jot down notes about companies that you find referenced in newspapers, in magazines, in industry journals, and on radio and television programs. Or, search out individuals and companies on the internet that match searches for keywords that relate to your industry (and then get to know those companies…well). This information will give you the connectivity you need to launch rapport.

For instance, if you own a pest control company, and you notice that a restaurant has closed due to a roach infestation, call the restaurant's neighbors. Their own antennae have likely been raised in response to the creepy disclosure. Or, if a grand opening ceremony for a new community center graces the front page of the newspaper, and you operate a webhosting service, make a call inquiring about their online promotion efforts.

Use key names and problems referenced in the article, and incorporate that into your greeting. For example:

Salesperson: "Hello. Mr. Benjamin Holden?" Prospect: "Yes."

Salesperson: "This is Chet from ABC Company. I read the piece on the community center's grand opening in yesterday's paper. Kudos to you. What an impressive new facility."

Prospect: "Yes, thank you. It's everything I envisioned."

Salesperson: "I read that your biggest start-up concern is drumming up enough patronage to offset operating costs. That caught my eye, not only because it's a common concern for nonprofits, but because I think I have your answer."

Notice that this introduction has little to do with the salesperson, or his business, and everything to do with the needs of the community center's manager. The newspaper article, which included an interview with Mr. Holden, made a problem public, which equates to a plea for help.

Targeting a prospect's problems, bringing his or his attention to the fact that you understand that problem (and have an answer to it), will increase your chances of gaining permission to continue. That kind of knowledge is the fuel you'll need to warm up that cold call, before you even dial the phone.

Devise a Script, but Don't Read it

Some of the best, and most believable, actors are the ones who know the script, but regularly depart from it (Bill Murray, Robin Williams). In doing so, they are accomplishing their ultimate goal (entertainment within a pre-determined story line), but they're doing it in a way that makes their deliveries seem effortless and truthful, because the lines are coming directly from their internal guidance systems.

The same principle applies to your sales call delivery. No recipient of a cold call wants to be met with robomarketer or teletron. Your best bet for connecting will be with a fluid, respectful, and friendly conversational tone.

Have you ever watched a television commercial in which an inexperienced actor is obviously reading from cue cards? How convinced are you of that person's passion for the product? The same standard applies to your sales call, if you read a pitch from a script. When you do this, you instantly convert yourself to an orator, and you depart from your role as your product's passionate promoter.

Feel free to start with a script template for practice into a recorder, but after you've mastered your material, abandon that script for a set of general bullet points to keep your mind focused. Speak like a friend, and you will make friends -- with [monetary] benefits.

Getting Past the Bouncer

If you're standing outside of a New York nightclub, within a roped-off line of patrons vying for a chance at admittance, your thoughts might turn to how you can gain access quickly and successfully. Knowing the D.J.'s name will do little for your cause. He doesn't know you're out there. His name is high-profile, and anyone can spout it off in hopes of gaining access.

But if you know, and are liked by, the muscle-bound doberMAN at the front door, you've got a pretty good chance at being invited to the front of the line.

This same concept applies to your cold and warm sales calls. Establish rapport with the administrative assistant or receptionist that holds the key to the money-spender's phone line, and you've got yourself a backstage pass.

Know the gatekeeper's name. Increase his or her sense of worth with an invitation to participate in your plan. For instance, after introductions and some friendly banter about the Monday blues or the weather, say, "Kate, I'm wondering if you could help me out with something." Then ask for help with accessing the head of a department, or a busy executive. If the conversation allows for it, let the gatekeeper in on your "secret" -- the way that you think you can improve his or her boss's life (which will undoubtedly improve everyone else's work life).

This "help me" statement and the peek into what you can offer are akin to secrets. They're exclusive invitations to be part of something that sounds special. They invite the gatekeeper to be more than a bouncer outside a club…they invite him or her to be part of the party -- an invitation that can be difficult to resist.

Setting Aside Two Types of Hang-Ups

There are all kinds of business calls: boss-to-employee, customer-to-customer-service, employee-to-employee, end-user-to-supplier, personal…and sales-to-prospect. And what element do they all have in common? They are all interruptions.

Whether a phone call is welcome or not, it interrupts the current flow of work. This understanding is essential in getting over what is a big hang-up for some salespeople: that they are interrupting (and inconveniencing) their prospects. Apologies abound. Reasons for escape swirl. Opportunities are lost.

Never open a cold call by asking, "Am I interrupting you?" or, "Is this a good time for you to talk?" In the first 20-30 seconds of a sales call, before you have a chance to connect and establish rapport, your prospect will be looking for a way out. So why hand one to them?

Instead, to put aside the second type of hang-up (the audible one that ends conversation):

• Call early in the morning, when most people are energized and less tied-up with engrossing tasks.

• Never apologize for interrupting -- every phone call is an interruption. Take a lesson from insurance adjusters: Saying, "I'm sorry," makes it sound like you've done something wrong. Go into the call knowing that you're doing your prospect a favor. Have you ever apologized for bringing a sick person a meal or pulling someone from a burning car? Favors are good things.

• Don't open with, "How are you?" This also an invitation for objection. Suddenly, your prospect can be, "Too busy to talk," or "Not available right now." Additionally, this opening sounds trite. It's no secret that you really don't care how they are…at least not yet.

• Pre-quality the target by knowing their business, their problems, and their needs, so that you'll be confident that they're going to want to hear what you have to say.

• Fit words into the greeting that are familiar to them, and specific to their problems. Something like, "The new IRS regulations are getting tougher to navigate, even for veteran CPAs" will strike a chord with accountants phoned by a tax-processing software salesperson.

Again, don't apologize for bringing valuable information to targets. Instead, take those first 20 seconds without express permission, and you'll increase your chances of being offered 20 more, freely.

A Sample Cold Call Opening

Salesperson: "Hello, is this Principal Henry Williams?" [Sound of his own name grabs attention]

Prospect: "Yes, it is." [Positive affirmation…first step in a Yes Set (outlined later)]

Salesperson: "Good morning, my name is Debra Messersmith, and I'm calling from Educational Publications. I specialize in finding state subsidies that can help your school to house the books that will keep teachers and students current for next year's standardized testing. I know that your school recently applied for state accreditation, and that means tricky changes to curriculum." [A built-in advertisement that agitates an already-existent problem, and tells the prospect that she's credible. It uses words that the prospect has undoubtedly been hearing lately, playing on familiarity and hinting at answers to yet-unanswered questions. The reference to current events tells the prospect that the salesperson is interested, and that she has done her homework.]

On-Your-Toes Telephoning

It can be difficult enough to get a callback from a prospect, but when that happens, commit to being on your toes. You know how frustrating it can be when you phone an organization, only to be met with automated messages, disinterested gatekeepers, and endlessly ringing lines.

Avoid irritating your prospects before you even have a chance to speak with them. Pick up the phone after the first or second ring to make a good first impression. Use your own voice to greet them, and avoid extended hold times.

If you've irritated your prospect, you're not exactly appealing to his or her most productive emotions. Try to sell anything to an irritated prospect, and your keyword will be try, not sell.

On-Your-Toes Telephoning is a close cousin to the Golden Rule. Treat others to the prompt telephone service that you wish for yourself. Fire Automated Annie. Hire Voicemail Vince strictly as a back-up freelancer. In short, if you want to score telephone sales, you've got to answer the telephone…well.

Speak Clearly; Send Clear Messages

Enunciation and pronunciation. Do these terms bring back memories from grammar school? Or speech class?

Like many orchestrated lessons that we learn, speaking clearly is an important element in achieving phone sales success.

If English is not your first language, and you find that prospects are often asking you to repeat yourself, you could be losing sales at the hands of your accent. Start by practicing some key phrases that you often use in your telephone conversations. Move on to more after you've mastered those initial hurdles. You'll find that your mastery of the language will compound, and your overall fluency will improve.

Your accent, or even geographical nuances, can distract a prospect with thoughts like, "Is she from Georgia, or Tennessee, or Virginia?" "Is he English or Scottish?" In the meantime, you might be speaking about yourself and your product, but that information will slip under your prospect's radar, while he or she is answering internal questions about your voice.

Jackie Chan learned English by listening to American country music and television commercials. He would choose specific phrases that he thought he would use frequently and played them over and over again until he mastered them. A Chinese accent with a side of country twang…maybe not good for telephone sales, but great for Americanized Martial Arts movies. Practice your own enunciation by listening to and mimicking newscasters, radio show hosts, and other public figures who don't employ noted accents.

Write a short script and read it. Record your own voice. If you sound like you have a mouthful of marshmallows, if your local dialect is overpowering your message, or if every word isn't clear, put a pen in your mouth.

Yes, you've read correctly: try placing a pen, pencil, marker, etc, between your teeth and reading from the same script that you read from for your first recording. You'll notice that this forces your lips and your tongue to work harder.

Now, remove the pen and record your voice. Do you notice more clarity and sharper consonants? Has your accent decreased?

This exercise is known as the Tooth Prop. Use it to sharpen the clarity of your voice.

When your prospect doesn't have to strain to understand you, you can more effectively appeal to emotions, convey your message, and persuade in the direction of the yes that you deserve.

Become Fluent in Your Prospect's Language

Maybe you've followed me for long enough to know that my expertise lies in non-verbal communication. But people are often surprised to learn that non-verbal language isn't reserved for body language. In fact, non-verbal language occupies the largest portion of persuasive telephone language.

Paralanguage includes a speaker's word emphasis, pauses, volume, tempo, tone, accents, and rate; and when you're selling via the telephone, it's important to note your prospect's paralanguage.

As with body language, mirroring builds rapport. But how to mirror when there's no visible object? You can do it with your voice, by matching subtle nuances.

Speech Velocity -- Tortoise or Hare?

When "speaking" about telephone sales, slow or fast only wins the race if you dispose of the idea that you're in a race at all.

If your prospect speaks slowly, slow down your own roll. If you speak too quickly for your prospect, he or she could come to feel left behind, and give up their efforts to try to keep up with you. They could also adopt a belief that you are too busy, stressed, or preoccupied to give them the attention they deserve, and could effectively glaze over, and fail to absorb your message. When you match his or her tempo, you will build rapport, and instigate the thinking, "Wow, this person understands my needs."

Conversely, if your prospect is a fast talker, engage your throttle to match that tempo. This is your opportunity to play into the persuasion, credibility, intelligence, and knowledge that is conveyed by an elevated speech tempo. If your speech is notably slower than your target's, you could be perceived as being slow, boring, or unintelligent by that person.

When in doubt, a medium speaking speed, of 120-140 words per minute, is most desirable (To get a grasp on your natural rate, set a timer for a minute and speak into a recorder; then play it back and count. Adjust accordingly.). But, if your prospect emulates either the tortoise or the hare, opt for mirroring their natural choice.

Unlike the classic fable, telephone sales are not races between the slow-and-steady and the lickity-split. Instead, view each call as either a leisurely stroll or a heart-pounding run, as determined by your target. This will pave the path for an enjoyable exchange, which will build rapport and open your prospect's mind to what you're offering.

Perfect Pitch, Music to Their Ears

Pitch has a lot to do with voice recognition. Our natural pitches account for choir divisions (i.e. Soprano, alto, tenor, bass), determinations of gender and age, our chances of being cast in an animated feature film, and our sex appeal (think Barry White).

But your voice pitch can also hold other implications, such as perceptions of anxiety and confidence. For instance, when you're nervous, your vocal cords lengthen, thin, and stretch, making your voice higher. American Idol judge Randy Jackson has, on past episodes, criticized contestants' voices as "going sharp." This is a manifestation of a performer's nervousness, which causes his or her pitch to raise a mere half note, changing the judges' (and the audience's) perceptions of the performance.

You can calm an elevated, nervous pitch by taking a few deep, diaphragmatic breaths before dialing, and continue them while holding in wait for your target. Don't fill your upper chest with air (this compounds anxiety by constricting blood vessels, hence restricting oxygen delivery), but rather, push out your stomach and fill your lower lungs with air (which triggers dilation of blood vessels, increased oxygen delivery, and relaxation of the nervous system).

A very low-pitched voice (especially if it is forced to that point) can be misinterpreted as sounding too sexy. This can offend certain targets, and establish a less-than-professional relationship with others, which, in the long haul, is not productive or enduring. Seducing prospects with your voice may work sporadically, but a solid, professional reputation will survive the ups and downs of a sales career.

Ideally, do your best to vary the pitch of your voice. An exciting voice belongs to someone who is keyed up about the product or service that he or she is selling. A voice with a varied pitch will portray you as a dynamic and extroverted person; someone with whom prospects would like to spend time (and money). A monotone voice sends a message that says you're bored with your job. If your product doesn't excite you, how can your prospect be expected to adopt a spend-worthy sense excitement?

Know your own vocal melody. Record yourself and be critical. Emulate those voices that you admire. And practice, practice, practice…for perfect pitch.

Background Noise: No Awards for Sound Effects Your sales performance over the telephone requires no dramatic support…from outside influences, that is. A quick way to send a message to your prospect that they are secondary to other people, pets, or digital devices, is to allow them to hear their competition in the background.

Televisions and noisy children from the depths of home offices, a clicking keyboard or chattering co-workers from a corporate office, or even honking horns and radio announcers overheard from your mobile phone, give people the impressions that they aren't important enough to warrant your silencing of the madness.

If you have to blare Sinatra or The Sex Pistols, correct your little monsters, or listen in on an interoffice joke, do it before or after the phone call that could pay for your next CD, a silence-inducing toy for your kid, or your next ticket to the comedy club…and vow to never admit competition into your conversation.

Your Audible Smile

Smile while on the telephone with your target -- they'll hear it. A first auditory impression is made in approximately 1/40 of a second. That's why it's important to begin your sales call with a smile.

When you smile, your vocal tract shortens, raises resonance, and equates to a more pleasant voice. People naturally want to feel safe; it's in our nature (as a result of our evolutionary stint as prey). In order to facilitate this safety, we have named those things that hint to that safety, and one of those things is a warm and sincere voice. A friendly voice hints toward "friend."

Smile Sharing

It's true that a smile is contagious. Next time you're out and about, smile at someone. I'll bet they can't help but smile back. A smile triggers mirror neurons within others' brains and causes an equal-and-not-so-opposite reaction.

This is also true of the phone smile. When you smile while speaking, your prospective customer will have a hard time not reciprocating (and this will contribute to the likelihood of your getting a yes). Try it: It's much more difficult to say, "No," while smiling.

A smile will help you to maintain natural language, and to avoid that robotic "sales pitch" language that sets off the sales alarms that trigger hang-ups. So don't forget to employ your audible smile -- to set up the safe zones that will promote the risks you're hoping for.

Hold off on Facts…Invest in a Greeting

Science tells us that it takes a person 10 to 30 seconds to "settle in" to the sound of your voice. This means that, for the first half-minute of your telephone sales calls, your actual words take a back seat to your prospect's scrutiny of your tone, inflection, volume, dialect, pitch, and accent. That person is making assumptions about you, in response to your voice. That's why it's important to fill up those first seconds with a greeting, and not with pertinent information.

Consider this telephone scenario:

Salesperson: Hello, Mrs. Smith. My name is Ron Miller with ABC Enterprises, just around the corner from you, on 5th Avenue. Are you familiar with us?

Prospect: Yes, I've heard of it.

Salesperson: Great. I know it's close to lunch hour, so I won't take much of your time, but I'd like to ask you a few questions about your office's needs.

This conversation uses filler to occupy the prospect's warm-up period. Conversely, imagine how much information would be lost in this opening (not to mention how the pounce could put off the prospect):

Salesperson: Hi. I'm Ron, and I'd like to introduce my innovative new paperclip cleaner and polisher. How many would you like?

Prospect: Click.

Don't negate the importance of your greeting. Stretch it out to fill the first 10 to 30 seconds; to give your target ample time to warm up to your voice and to open his or her mind to the facts that will inevitably come.

Butt Out, Cut the Ums, and Know When to Jump In

Despite the telephone's obvious shortcomings in the body language area, there are many body language cues that can be replaced with a non-verbal speech cues. For instance, being silent while your target is speaking, and not interrupting, can be compared to in-person eye contact.

A prospect wants to first know that you like him or her (we naturally like people who obviously like us). A good way to sabotage the accomplishment of this is to interrupt your prospect's speech. When you do so, it's blatantly obvious that you couldn't give a mouse's rear what your target has to say. Think they'll donate dough to your cause?

Often, salespeople tend to interrupt, or interject a plethora of ums and ahs, because they are fearful of silence. Assuming that every silence has to be an uncomfortable one is a misconception. In fact, a pregnant pause, or a silence that is intentionally interjected to indicate a transfer of speaking right, or for dramatic effect, can be indispensable when establishing a fluid back-and-forth conversational flow.

Strike ums and ahs from your vocabulary. To replace them, and to add intensity to your speech, practice reading literature and pausing at every comma (and twice as long at every period). Integrate this into your spoken, conversational, language, and you'll find that your reliance on those ugly ums and ahs will dissipate.

There's nothing wrong with a few seconds' worth of silence, particularly when it's impregnated with drama or deep thought. In fact, comfort with silence is a characteristic of a confident speaker. But if that silence goes on for more than 3 seconds, jump in. Keep the conversation rolling…without interrupting.

Respect the English Language

Don't subject your sales target to industry jargon (particularly if you're working in a technological, medical, or legal industry, for instance). Doctors with impeccable bedside manners avoid doing this because they know that bombarding already-distressed patients with words that they don't understand increases discomfort.

Additionally, when you do use words that you're sure your prospect will be familiar with, please pronounce those words correctly. If you're unsure of the correct pronunciation of a word, look it up on a website that has an audio pronunciation tool. Or, don't use the word. It's better to opt for another word, with a meaning that might be slightly off center from your original target, than to mispronounce the word that you're dying to use.

President George W. Bush is famous for Bushisms, which are largely made up of verbal fumbles and mispronunciations. Sadly, these now take internet precedence over his intended presidential messages. Oral blunders are difficult for people to ignore, and the message of a delivery can be lost amid chuckles and criticisms. Your mental capacity can counter that of Einstein's, but if your mouth doesn't represent that intellect, you're credibility will suffer.

Use the words that you want to use -- the words that will best convey your USP and your purpose, but make sure that you're not making a heel of yourself in the process. Study some commonly mispronounced words, like mischievous, often, nuclear, and etcetera. You'll boost your vocabulary, your confidence, and your sales numbers.

Language Emphasis to Emphasize Your Intentions

Maybe you've heard about someone putting the wrong emphasis on the wrong syllable. If you say the words emphasis and syllable aloud, you'll hear that their standard syllabic emphasis occurs like this: emphasis, syllable. When the accents are changed, the words become practically unrecognizable. Non-native English speakers might have problems with this syllabic emphasis, but that can be corrected with practice.

Another emphasis element that can be honed with practice is emphasis on particular words within sentences. You can uncover hidden meanings in your target's speech, as well as convey non-verbal messages with your own speech.

Here's an example of how the meaning of a prospect's sentence can change with shifting emphasis:

My office's operation is fine. (However, I know of a disaster zone in Suite 3.)

My office's operation is fine. (Now, the coffee machine, that's another story.)

My office's operation is fine. (But its design…geesh, I could use a decorator.)

My office's operation is fine. (Really, I know you don't believe me, but it is.)

My office's operation is fine. (You're getting on my nerves; quit, please.)

Here's an example of how changing your own emphasis can alter your message, even though the words remain the same:

Is there anything you would change? (Not including the things you changed last week.)

Is there anything you would change? (Now, think; try to come up with something.)

Is there anything you would change? (Forget what your boss thinks; this is all about you right now.)

Is there anything you would change? (You might not have the power to make this decision, but what would you do if you could?)

Is there anything you would change? (You don't have to add anything, maybe just rework something.)

When you emphasize a word in the context of a sentence, you give that word a platform for expression. Choose the words that will speak the loudest to your prospects (as determined by your reading of their own word emphasis), and you'll tap into a powerful communication, and sales, tool.

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