Book Description
Follow the advice of Stephan Schiffman-America's #1 Corporate Sales Trainer-and take your career to the next level. This special anniversary edition of his perennial bestseller, Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!), provides you with all of the right tools for turning prospects into meetings, and meetings into big sales.
This easy-to-follow guide will help you beat today's cold calling obstacles such as voicemail, caller ID, cell phones, and e-mail. Schiffman's professional experience and corporate wisdom guarantee your future success. Providing online resources, the anniversary edition of Cold Calling Techniques packs in plenty of potential leads to help you hunt down more business.
Give yourself the edge. Cold Calling Techniques is the one book you need to make your sales opportunities better, pitches stronger, and commissions greater.
Customer Reviews:
Old Style - Used Car Sales Approach.......2007-07-07
If you want to fit the mold of the old time sales person who can sell ice to eskimos this is your book.
If you want a higher level modern approach that works in complex B2B sales don't buy this book. If your work involves selling to senior level people in corporations or government this book will be of little use to you. It is based on principles which which don't work with the kind of people on which you call.
Try: "Value Forward Selling," "Selling is Dead," and "Same Game, New Rules." Also try the "Advanced Selling" podcast. It's free and state of the art.
Cold Calling Techniques a must read.......2007-06-27
My staff and I are going through this book chapter by chapter every week during the later part of our sales meetings. It is a great way to discuss the age old dilema......"I hate cold calling. This gives the professional salesperson the tools needed to get over the fear, and distaste of making the inital contact whether door to door, or on the phone. I would recomend this book to all salespeople, sales leaders, and or managers. You may not agree with everything written....we don't, but it provides a forum for your team to discuss what they feel will work, might work, or will not work. It's a great read.
This Book Gets A Gold Star.......2007-05-14
Each year I read approx. 25 books. I keep a list on my computer, and those that stand out and provide above average advice get a gold star. This book got such a star.
Schiffman does a great job of working with the reader on the cold calling efforts that are so important to sales professionals. Many people try to discredit cold-calling and looking for ways around it (networking is a very important tool, but only when a compliement to other calling methods!), and this book shines the light on the best practices of picking up the phone and being heard.
Cold Calling Techniques Indeed.......2007-05-07
Stephan Schiffman is a great author. This book is so easy to read and Schiffman gets right down to the point. His techniques really do work and it take the negative connotation out of "cold calling" and gives the caller more confidence. I highly recommend this book.
First Cold Calling Book..........2007-02-06
I haven't read any other cold calling books. As a result, I don't know how this compares with others that you might be looking to buy. I can say, though, that I have just started my first sales job, and I found this book extremely helpful. It started off a little weak with the typical formulas about how many calls lead to how many proposals and sales, but when it got into the mechanics of a cold call, and tips on leaving voicemail, I found a lot of helpful information.
Book Description
Struggling to Get Your
Foot in the Door of Big Companies?
Setting up meetings with corporate decision makers has never been harder. It's almost impossible to get them to pick up the phone. They never return your calls. And if you do happen to catch them, they blow you off right away.
It's time to stop making endless cold calls or waiting for the phone to ring. In today's crazy marketplace, new sales strategies are needed to penetrate these big accounts.
Discover how to:
• Target accounts where you have the highest likelihood of success.
• Find the names of prospects who can use your offering.
• Create breakthough value propositions that capture their attention.
• Develop an effective, multi-faceted account-entry campaign.
• Overcome obstacles and objections that derail your sale efforts.
• Position yourself as an invaluable resource, not a product pusher.
• Have powerful initial sales meetings that build unstoppable momentum.
• Differentiate yourself from other sellers.
Use these sure-fire strategies to crack into big accounts, shrink your sales cycle and close more business. Check out the Account Entry Toolkit for ideas on how to apply this process to your own unique business.
Customer Reviews:
Sales Consultant.......2007-10-04
I now know how Paul must have felt on the way to Damsacus after reading this book. This is the only book you need to get in front of Business Leaders when they are ready to buy. Jill teaches you to let companies tell you what they need, why they need it, and when they will buy it.
Sales success -- how to do it right........2007-10-02
I'd be delighted to share 2 of many successes I've had using this book. My first success was actually in the sales job interview with my current employer. Preparing for it I thought, "I know Jill has the answer to how this should be done." So I outlined my presentation according to her suggestions. Then I practiced it. And practiced it. I knew I was connecting with the Executives while presenting. When I finished they said, "Of course you can think about this before making a decision, but
we'd like to start the process right away to bring you on board."
The second one happened only 7 months later -- My employer awarded me as Most Innovative out of 150+ reps over the same product line across the U.S. Canada and India. How did they present me? I was described as an "innovative sleuth, always looking for clues to crack the code." One case was cited explaining "the CFO called back because Travis' message was about them, not us."
And I don't hesitate telling others this book explains the right way to do it.
As always, Jill, keep up the great work!
Travis
Take Your Career to the Next Level!.......2007-09-20
If you are a Sales Professional, marketer or business owner you have certainly, at some point, realized that selling to the big companies in your territory or market would take your career or business to the next level. Of course the next thought you had was, most likely, "how in the world do I get in the door?"
I find that the best advice and coaching comes from those who have been in the trenches, who have fought the battles, and who, despite obstacles and setbacks, have won. Jill Konrath is that person and Selling To Big Companies is hands down the best advice I have read on cracking the code to big company sales.
In this book Konrath delivers practical advice in an easy-to-understand format. Her ideas are easily implemented and will have immediate impact on your sales. Most importantly she will help you stand in the shoes of the Big Company buyer. And once you understand how the world works from the buyer's point of view she teaches powerful strategies to open doors, connect and deliver value that will result in big sales today and long-term relationships that continue to grow over time.
Jeb Blount,PowerPrinciples: Do You Have The Winning Edge?
WHERE IS THE BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE?.......2007-08-31
I AM YET TO RECEIVE THIS BOOK ORDERED LONG TIME AGO
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ITS DELIVERY
HARISANKAR IYER
This book is essential reading!.......2007-08-30
I teach copywriters and other freelancers how to build successful businesses by targeting the high-quality clients.
Until Jill's book came along, I really struggled with teaching the mindset and day-to-day realities of the target market we work so hard to get in front of.
This book is now part of my required reading list, and I refer to it throughout my coaching program. Jill, thank you for recognizing the void in the marketplace for this information!
Chris Marlow, Veteran copywriter and marketing coach, Palm Desert, CA
Book Description
The ultimate sales skill.
Without the right techniques, it's tough to get a warm reception when you're cold calling clients. This perfect source for business people offers advice on how to approach prospective customers with confidence, without fear of rejection, and with enough savvy to keep them on the phone long enough to initiate business deals and increase profits for their companies-and themselves.
Customer Reviews:
The Real Deal Book on Cold Calling.......2007-08-12
I am one of those rare folks who enjoys cold calling but I picked up this book as a companion to Closing the Sale. This is an excellent read that can better you best results or turn around your cold calling (lack of) success. In short, this is the real deal.
With Keith by Your Side, Cold Calling Works!.......2007-08-09
Despite what some talking heads may say, cold calling works. I've read both the "anti-cold calling" books as well as Mr. Rosen's books, and I can say that the arguments clearly lean in Mr. Rosen's favor. The "never cold call again" groups really address similar stuff that Mr. Rosen does, which leads me to believe that their position is more a matter of savvy marketing, driven to sell books, rather than anything revolutionary.
With that said, cold calling doesn't work...that is, unless you have a method that provides you with measurable results. And that's precisely what Mr. Rosen's book gives you. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling, is one of those essential books that never has a chance to rest on a shelf and collect dust.
In my experience, I was stuck. I had been cold calling for a couple of years and found myself in a telemarketing quandary. Mr. Rosen's book couldn't have come at a better time. He combines a precise, no-nonsense message with words that are easy on the eyes. His book is equal parts practical guide and motivational tool. I particularly appreciated the time he commits to the psychology of selling. The emphasis on process goals (a book he should write next) is a new look at the outcome-driven goals that many of us were taught to follow.
I read Mr. Rosen's book and committed time to completing his exercises and following his techniques. Two weeks later, I scheduled five qualified appointments. Why do I say "qualified"? Before I read his book, I focused on setting up the appointment. I'd meet with prospects, but after all the driving and time spent in an office, often, the only thing I had to show for my effort was a wrinkled shirt that required dry cleaning. Using Mr. Rosen's book as a guide, matters quickly turned around for me. I met with people that were ready to close because I qualified them over the phone. I wish I had his book three years ago. (To think of all the gas I would have saved!)
If you've doubted your skills, needed some fresh ideas, or are new to the cold calling process, buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling. Once you do, you'll soon have a book that has a worn down spine, pages loaded with Post-its, and a cover that refuses to stay shut--just like mine.
Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling Review.......2007-07-28
This is a good book for those who are just beginning their cold calling career. It provides good techniques as well as outlooks on the reasons for cold calling. I would recommend for any novice cold-caller just getting started. However, for those who loathe cold calling, but realize the necessity of it in their business, I would HIGHLY recommend Wendy Weiss's Cold Calling for Women.
complete idiots guide to ccold calling.......2007-05-30
the best cold calling book out there. Really changed how I view about cold calling. I hated it before. Was truly stuck and terrorized by the phone. Very easy to read.
A must read if you set sales appointments over the phone........2006-12-23
As a sales professional with over 20 years of sales experience I've read many books on various sales issues I can say this is one of the best and most useful. I'm always looking for fresh ideas and Keith Rosen has really done a fantastic job in covering all the aspects of cold calling. Compared to all of the other books on cold calling this is the best I've read.
Keith's approach to the call and the to the process itself are completely professional and teaches you how to be respectful to the person on the other end of the phone. If you follow the techniques that Keith outlines you will have better success in securing more quality appointments with more prospects.
Book Description
"Cold calling is the lowest percentage of sales call success. If you invest the same amount of time in reading this book as you do in cold calling, your success percentage and your income will skyrocket."
- Jeffrey Gitomer, Author, Little Red Book of Selling
"You can never get enough of a good thing! Read this book and USE its contents!"
- Anthony Parinello, Author, Selling to Vito and Stop Cold Calling Forever
Salespeople everywhere are learning the hard way that cold calling doesn't work anymore. Yet, millions of salespeople are stuck in the past, using twentieth-century sales techniques to try to lure twenty-first century customers. There has to be an easier way to find prospects - and there is. Today's most successful salespeople are using modern technology to bring prospects to them, rather than fishing for prospects over the phone or knocking on doors.
Never Cold Call Again offers practical, step-by-step alternatives to traditional cold calling for salespeople, small business owners, and independent professionals who are actively building a client base. The Information Age presents endless opportunities for finding leads without cold calling. In fact, Frank Rumbauskas’s system brings prospects to the salesperson, rather than the other way around. Readers will find unbeatable sales advice on effective self-promotion, generating endless leads, how to win prospects using e-mail, prospecting on the Web, networking, developing effective proposals, and much more.
Frank J. Rumbauskas Jr. (Phoenix, AZ) provides marketing consultation and coaching services to firms who wish to provide qualified leads to their sales force rather than have them spend productive work time cold calling. He is the author of the self-published hit Cold Calling Is a Waste of Time (0-9765163-0-6).
Customer Reviews:
Change your views on sales.......2007-10-10
Two things for around six years I have not made a cold call or have I asked for a referrals. It is always great to read books from like minded salemen there is plenty to learn and Frank puts it well. Great read
its just ok.......2007-09-04
the book is just ok
stuff you already know
however if you buy the book you will be put on Rumbauskas' mailing list and get endless emails.
Never Cold Call Again.......2007-08-29
Excellent book
Arrived right away
Packaging was great
Thank you!
Boring!!.......2007-07-14
Really did't like it... For me it was boring and after spending so much time reading, it didn't had any valuable content. Basically it tells you that you have to keep calling as a way of prospecting but focuses on alternate ways of prospecting such as e-mail, flyers, newsletters, etc.
Competitors will eat your lunch if you don't Cold Call.......2007-07-11
I gave a $60,000 sales training order to a cold caller. Our company gave a $450,000 lease to a cold calling Commercial Real Estate Salesperson. Both had excellent cold calling skills, something that is missing in 90% of all cold callers. The 90% are setup for failure because of inadequate cold calling training.
I would love to compete with a company that does not believe in Cold Calling. "Cold calling is the least expensive, quickest, and most effective way to increase business".
The issue is not cold calling but "cold calling technique". Remember that "skill = knowledge + practice". Unfortunately most salespeople do not have the knowledge of how to effectively cold call, so naturally they fail and also have high fear and call reluctance. Ineffective cold calling is a sign of ineffective training.
While you can win sales without cold calling, the author has eliminated a tool that works for those who have the knowledge of how to cold call correctly. Don't fall for his trap.
Book Description
Lead Generation for the Complex Sale arms you with a sophisticated multimodal approach to generating highly profitable leads. Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch Incorporated and expert in lead generation solutions, reveals key strategies that you can implement immediately to win new customers, accelerate growth, and improve your sales performance.
You'll start by defining your ideal leads and targeting your ideal customer. Then, you'll construct your lead generation plan, a crucial step to staying ahead of your competition long-term. To help you put your plan into action, Carroll guides you step by step to:
- Align sales and marketing efforts to optimize the number of leads
- Use multiple lead generation vehicles, including e-mail, referrals, public relations, speaking events, webinars, and more
- Create value for the prospective customer throughout the buying process
- Manage a large group of leads without feeling overwhelmed
- Identify and prioritize your best prospects
- Increase the percentage of leads who become profitable customers
- Avoid lulls in the sales cycle
With Lead Generation for the Complex Sale you'll learn how to target prospects early in the buying process and make the most efficient use of sales productivity and marketing resources.
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful At Very Short Notice!.......2007-07-20
I needed to know a lot about generating leads in a market that I wasn't familiar with. And I didn't have time to do lots of research. This book gave me just the important points I needed to know to develop a solid lead generation marketing plan. And it was very realistic about lead management, the relationship between sales and marketing, and lots of tips on how to make it better.
Tried hard to like this book, but..........2007-07-07
I tried hard to like this book but I just couldn't get there.
It is a generalist book. You would be better served to purchase books that extensively develop some of the key points. I found this one wanting.
The sales pipeline is any organization's lifeline........2007-06-06
For as long as I can remember, I have heard the assertion that "sales is a numbers game." For Brian Carroll, this means that the more qualified leads you have, the more you will sell and that is especially true of the complex sale. However, he acknowledges "unique demands" that limit the process of lead generation: fewer opportunities, commoditization is more difficult to overcome with differentiation (I'm not convinced of that, at least insofar as "big ticket" purchases are concerned), increased selling at the executive level, involving those who comprise the sphere of influence, less selling time (usually in combination with a longer sales cycle), and ROI. To these I would add that buyers are much more sophisticated in what has become a "customer-driven" sales environment. So the challenge is to initiate and then sustain lead generation for the complex sale. More specifically, Carroll, explains how to:
Build an ideal customer profile
Talk to your best customers
Build your personal prospecting engine
Develop a lead generation calendar
Act like a good financial manager
Define your goals for lead generation
Rigorously qualify
Be consistent
Develop a lead nurturing plan
Develop and maintain your own database
What Carroll provides in this book is a comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective program to initiate and then sustain lead generation for the complex sale. He has carefully organized his material as follows:
Part One: Fundamentals of lead Generation for the Complex Sale
Part Two: Lead Generation Tactics for the Complex Sale
Part Three: Lead Development for the Complex Sale
For me, some of the most valuable material is provided in Chapter Four as he explains why the ROI of lead generation depends on the quality of data: "There is an old expression that says if you have eight hours to cut down a tree, spend six hours sharpening your ax. So it goes with creating [and then maintaining] the marketing database for companies that specialize in the complex sale. The marketing database is crucial to any lead generation program. Experts agree that it can influence the program's success by a factor of 50 percent. Unfortunately it is still one of the most overlooked tools in many companies' lead generation strategies." Especially now when there is so much information readily available (at little or no cost), there is no excuse for not having all that needs to be known about relevant industries, client prospects, their competitors, key contacts at each prospect company (including those who comprise what Michael Boylan aptly characterizes as the "circle of influence"), the prospect company's history, and its current circumstances (e.g. nature and extent of operations, financials, what it sells and to whom).
Then in Chapter Five, Carroll shares his thoughts about another especially important subject, the value proposition, and its function within the complex sale's purchase process. In this context, I am again reminded of a conversation years ago during which someone suggested that there are three very basic questions anyone in marketing or sales must be prepared to answer. The first two usually pose no difficulties but the third one often does:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why should I care?
Hence the importance of the value proposition. According to Carroll, an appropriate one "focuses on the contacts within your ideal customer profile. The potential customer has business issues that it needs - and wants - resolved. The potential customer must know the difference between opting for your solution and doing nothing. The potential customer must be convinced that you represent the best solution." (Jeff Thull calls it the "prime solution.") It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of carefully formulating and then effectively explaining an appropriate value proposition, especially when a complex sale is involved. Without one, the given lead generation process - however efficient and productive it may be - will simply increase the number of wasted opportunities.
Obviously, it would be a fool's errand to accumulate lots of ideas from only one source or, worse yet, from a wide range of sources and then attempt to apply each of them. There is much truth in the suggestion that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. That said....
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out thee books by Thull: Mastering the Complex Sale: How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High! (2003), The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale (2005), and Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales (2006). Also these: Boylan's The Power to Get In: A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideas (1996 and still relevant) and Accelerants: Twelve Strategies to Sell Faster, Close Deals Faster, and Grow Your Business Faster (2006), and, Anthony Parinello's Selling To VITO (The Very Important Top Officer) first published 1999 and also still relevant and Getting to VITO: 10 Steps to VITO's Office (2005).
A very important read, especially for managers and leadership.......2007-06-02
This book is fantastic for sales leaders, management, and business owners. It points out that the average salesperson (in complex sales, i.e. capital equipment, business sales, etc.) must generate $1,000 in business per working hour to make their quotas. That won't happen if we spend our time in unproductive, low quality work, regardless of how important such activities may be.
This book contains the strategies and tools for creating an in-house lead generation system that will help salespeople do what they do best: sell qualified prospects. This book will help transform companies into market/sales driven enterprises, critical to success in this age of hyper-competitively. I believe this is simply one of the best books on this subject (another is "The Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales & Marketing"). However many of the suggestions cannot be implemented and may even run counter to the politics and management of the organization you work for. Therefore most of the ideas won't work for a salesman in the territory pounding away daily to get sales. For example, aligning business systems and the value proposition to optimize lead generation is imperative, however I can't do that alone, neither can most salespeople.
If you're an entrepreneur, a sales leader or a manager this book is a must read with sage and up-to-date advice. For the salespeople on-the-ground and in-the-field better book selections for lead generation are "Selling to Big Companies" and "Selling Against the Goal." However, "Lead Generation for the Complex Sale" does inform every salesperson about the skills needed to be successful regardless of one's position. Knowing business metrics, how to profile and evaluate prospects, increasing the value of the sales process by being a consultant and not simply a vender with PowerPoint are all critical success factors for modern salespeople. Not only will salespeople be dramatically helped by reading this book, they may be able to create upward pressure for the business and management to improve as well.
A must read!.......2007-05-06
After reading this book twice and turning the entire inside yellow with my highlighter, I purchased a copy for all of my lead managers, sales consultants and marketing team! I made it required reading but I didn't have to pull teeth, everyone on my team loved it and it has become part of our company sales bible. Thank you for the excellent insight on lead generation and nuturing. I have also been subscribing to Brian's blog for a long time and have found it invaluable, thank you!
Book Description
Who says telemarketing has to be torture, or that you have to be pushy to succeed with it? This book teaches you how to cold call using a consultative style. Learn how to feel way more comfortable making cold calls and how to prevent the urge to throw the phone out the window. Learn when telemarketing makes sense, and when it doesn't! And discover how to create effective, uncanned scripts. If you need more business, especially if you've tried telemarketing before, this is the book for you.
Customer Reviews:
Help for the Telemarketing Blues!.......2007-02-04
In I'D RATHER HAVE A ROOT CANAL THAN DO COLD CALLING! Shawn Greene captures the dread that most people who don't sell for a living feel about cold calling. They'd rather do just about anything else.
I'D RATHER HAVE A ROOT CANAL THAN DO COLD CALLING outlines a step-by-step method of approaching telemarketing. It is full of encouraging examples and provides tips and techniques to improve your chances of success. The exercises provide a chance to practice the techniques. By the end of I'D RATHER HAVE A ROOT CANAL THAN DO COLD CALLING! confidence improves, you have scripts you can use and a method to track results. The conversational tone and overall supportive attitude is just what a beginner in telemarketing needs!
This is the best, and only, book you'll need on cold calling........2006-08-30
I actually purchased "I'd rather have a root canal than do cold calling!" in April 2005, when I changed jobs and careers. There are many authors who've written books on cold calling, telemarketing, and telesales; I've purchased, and given away, more than twenty. However, no other author I've read provides the essential essence of cold calling as elegantly as Shawn Greene. Shawn's techniques are powerfully sophisticated in their simplicity and effectiveness.
This is an amazing tool - buy it, use it.......2006-06-24
This is a great way to delve into why you're having cold calling reluctance, and a source for dealing with your issues head-on. I am SO glad I bought this book, and worked with the author, Shawn Greene.
Sometimes I say I give a book one star because I can't give it zero stars. With "I'd Rather Have a Root Canal Than Do Cold Calling", I only gave it Five Stars because I can't give it an even higher rating.
This is the real deal!
This book has helped me sell more!.......2006-04-26
One of the most difficult things to do is creating and then delivering an opening statement over the phone, that results in the person you are calling wanting to engage in a meaningful conversation with you. Prior to reading Shawn's book I was using ideas to create opening that didn't feel right, weren't effective and created resistance versus interest in what I had to say. Adopting the ideas in Shawn's book has helped me fill my pipeline with enough qualified prospects to achieve, and often exceed my sales quota.
Fantastic Book.......2006-02-18
This is the right book for those who need to do cold calling for their business.
This fantastic book will make you feel more comfortable and confident making the the cold calls and less the fraustrations one always get when cold calling.
Want to have effective cold call? This is the book for you!
Book Description
MAKE SURE YOUR FIRST CALL ISN'T YOUR LAST!
Everyone in sales knows how to sell -- if they can get to the buyer. But in today's selling climate, the road between seller and buyer is frequently blocked with layer after layer of objections, distractions and delays. Now, America's #1 Corporate Sales Trainer shares his proven techniques for getting through all that interference to make the sale.
In this powerful program, Schiffman provides sound advice and proven strategies for cold calling -- the technique used by salespeople everywhere to make their appointments and increase their sales exponentially.
Customer Reviews:
Full Of Strategies, Tactics and Techniques.......2007-09-16
This is a terrific CD program which is narrated by Schiffman himself. This is of benefit because you can hear the techniques demonstrated by a skilled master of the art of telephone cold calling.
The beginning of the program is spent setting up the context of the different strategies which could be employed to generate activity and first appointments.
In addition, the listener is introduced to skillful telephone techniques that really do work in getting appointments with customers, by successfully completing the "dreaded cold call". This process is very well explained and demonstrated.
The program is complete because it addresses the objections head on. "I'm not interested", "Send me more information in the mail" or "what is this all about" are only a few of the objections that can be over turned. Overcoming objections will become quite effortless and simple using these strategies and techniques. These techniques are also effective during any sales call to turn around certain objections when they arise.
This is a great program. Get it and listen to it repeatedly while in your car travelling between sales calls.
Eliot Hoppe
Author - Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success
Excellent guide for people fearing cold calling.......2006-01-28
I found the tape highly useful. I would strongly recommend to sales people wanting to start cold calling or improve the process. Just nake sure that you take notes and than act upon those.
It may seem simple, but it works!.......2003-11-25
I have seen some reviews that criticize Schiffman's techniques as being too simple and too sophomoric. I have to disagree. Just because a method is simple, doesn't make it null and void. Schiffman gives a sales person, who needs to have face-to-face meetings in order to sell product, very simple and repeatable procedures on how to set appointments and overcome objections to the appointment. After listening to the tape, you would think that you could come up with those steps on your own. But if you could, you wouldn't be surfing the internet looking for a book or tape.
I have listened to Schiffman's tape so many times, I can repeat it myself. I have practiced and used his techniques, and they work. Plain and simple. I have not had anyone not take me seriously when I got the appointment. In addition, the "hang up during the voicemail" technique works like a champ.
Don't listen to the guy who has to have a method developed by a PhD in order to validate it. Get the tape, listen to it, master the technique and just do it. My batting average went way up after I started using these techniques. My call back percentage increased too.
Not if you're calling anyone important.......2001-02-13
I bought this because other reviewers had said great things about it. Maybe it works if you are a salesperson who calls 800 random people a week. But when you fewer than 10 named accounts and are in larger sales, this is not the tape you need. His big secret to getting appointments is this: "Hi Mr/Ms Whoever, I'm so and so from company x. I want to make an appointment with you to talk about [enter product/service here]. You do want [enter benefit here], don't you?" I can't imagine that most people can't come up with that themselves. The moral of the story is: If you're selling life insurance, this might be of some use, since he lets you know almost everyone you use this technique on will say no, so you don't feel so bad when you're rejected. If you're selling anything else, save your money. Try "The Power To Get In" by Boylan.
Great for Beginners or Veterans.......2000-01-28
Steve Schiffman gives a quality effort in overcoming the myriad of objections that any sales representative faces. His practical approach deserves applause. I would recommend this for anyone just learning the ropes of the sales process or the road warrior who needs to brush up on his or her skills.
Book Description
Cold calling is one of the most awkwardand unsuccessfulways to obtain clients in business. Now Joanne S. Black shares her proven 5-step Referral Selling Methodology, so no businessperson ever has to make a cold call again. In this unique and practical guide, Black offers a tutorial on how to differentiate you from your competitors, make favorable impressions on current clients so theyll refer their acquaintances, and set a hook that will leave them wanting more. NO MORE COLD CALLING provides selling scripts, presentation techniques, troubleshooting advice, and a host of helpful insights to increase any sales forces productivity.
Customer Reviews:
If You Want to Increase Sales..........2007-05-30
read this book! Joanne Black offers a fresh perspective about how to use referrals to build revenue in today's competitive market. Simple, yet powerful, the book offers a step-by-step approach to implementing a system that works.
How to Get More Referrals.......2007-01-29
If you're not asking for and leveraging referrals to increase your sales, you're making a big mistake. This is especially true in today's corporate environment where decision makers seldom answer the phone, roll all calls to voicemail and never call you back.
In No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black outlines a pathway to build your business via referrals. She very pointedly differentiates between hopeful networking versus strategic referral generation. She stresses the need to:
- Clearly define your ideal customer.
- Focus in on their critical business issues.
- Know your value proposition and ROI.
- Invite others to open the door for you.
For those of you who have read my book (Selling to Big Companies), you'll find this to be a perfect compliment since it tackles a subject I only briefly touch on. And, if you hate to ask for referrals, you need to read No More Cold Calling too.
No More Cold Calling.......2007-01-09
For highly skilled and experienced salespeople, this book is especially incredible. It provides breakthrough thinking. I have been a successful cold call person for 20 years. I have a library of over 300 books on selling and marketing. I own a national marketing agency. This system, though simple, is brillians.
Interesting approach to an age old topic.......2006-09-11
I found the authors approach interesting and applicable. While it is an age old topic, it is certainly not an easy one. She lays things out in a manner that is understandable and easy to take action on. The book offers how to advice that is similar to what has been said before but the approach is a good one and as with most things, if it is to be its up to me. Enjoyed it though.
Putting the personal back into the art of sales.......2006-07-26
Much of the current day thinking and practice about sales is based on talking to as many people as possible, quickly, with the idea that these brief encounters will result in the desired clients. No More Cold Calling puts the personal and the thoughtfulness back into the art of sales. This is a very grounded and practical book, with much wisdom.
Book Description
One of today's most innovative sales trainers reveals how to be a consistent top producer while avoiding the dreaded cold call
It's time to hang up on cold calling, asserts Tony Parinello. The renowned sales trainer introduces proven tools and techniques that make such telephone torture unnecessary, teaching sales professionals how to master a powerful four-step process he calls "Identify, Contact, Present, Sell" to reel in new clients.
Parinello's approaches will work for anyone who loves to sell but hates the grind of "smiling and dialing." Instead, he explains how to:
- Identify and contact the very ripest prospects in far less time than via cold calling
- Rake in much more business from current customers without ever "pestering"
- Catapult up the sales chart with presentation and closing skills used by sales superstars
Customer Reviews:
I am done with Anthony Parinello forever!.......2007-10-02
I am done with Anthony Parinello forever. this the second book that I had bought that he wrote. the first was the selling to vito. both were terrible. there were bits and peices in both that were somewhat helpful, but there is no follow through on any of the ideas. Overall, these books were a waste of my time to read and were of very little help. I have been in sales my enitre career and have read some really good books over the years. these were not it!
Wish I could give it 0 stars.......2007-06-14
Sorry, this misses the mark altogether. The title of the book promises a way to stop cold calling forever, but chapter 12 is all about how to cold call. While a couple other poor prospecting choices like direct mail,are mentioned, Parinello seems to weasel around the "stop cold calling" issue by telling you to mail something first. Garbage! A call to someone you don't know and who doesn't know you is a cold call even if you've sent them a ream of mail. You want to say mailing them something first makes it a "warm call", go ahead, just don't plan on it being effective. There is also info about creating buzz, usually not a sales function. He provides an unsolicited email technique that calls for sending the prospect a postcard telling them to look for your email. First, the postcard will likely never see the desk of the addressee, it will find the trash can. Even if the right person sees it, the email he advises you to use starts out with "during the past 7 years, we have worked with 30 organizations....." That's about as far as ANYONE would read that before hitting the delete key.
Salespeople want to stop cold calling because it is painful and highly unproductive and ineffective. Using that pain to sell a book that doesn't deliver what it's title promises is distasteful and borders on unethical.
Good Basic, Simple, Accurate Advice.......2004-11-20
As I picked up this book to start reading, the telephone rang. It was a young lady, well she sounded like a young lady, and I like to talk to young ladies. Since they were going to have people in my neighborhood anyway (in my small town, if they're in town at all they're in my neighborhood), why didn't they come by and install a free satellite TV receiver. We chatted and chatted, it was a delightful conversation (at my advanced age I don't get to chat with many young ladies). Then when I asked her if she would give me a free TV set because I didn't have a TV, she didn't want to talk to me any more.
I then went back to the book. Lo and behold, the basic thesis of the book is "don't call prospects at random, only call those who are predisposed to buy from you." If the young lady on the phone had done just a little bit of qualifying - "Do you have a TV?" - she would have saved a lot of her time.
The book is filled with good common sense advice on how to narrow down the suspects into real prospects. It's the good old fashioned basics of how to sell.
If we could give a copy of this book to all the people who call, we could eliminate an awful lot of wasted phone calls.
But then I wouldn't get to talk to the nice lady who wanted to give me a free satellite dish. If I only knew her number I'd call her back and talk to her some more.
Book Description
Cold Calling is a powerful, inexpensive and easy way to develop new contacts and expand resources. In today's market, generating new business requires planning and skill. For over 10 years, Wendy Weiss has been a marketing consultant specializing in cold calling and appointment setting. In the book - based on real-life, hands-on-cold-calling experience - you will discover how to:
-->Develop a can't miss marketing plan for cold calling (chapters 3,4,5)
-->Identify hot leads so you don't waste your precious time (chapter 4)
-->Warm up to project confidence and authority for successful cold calling (chapters 2,3 and 14)
-->Eliminate telephone terror and call reluctance (chapter 8)
-->Create appointment-setting scripts that make your prospects want to see you (chapter 6)
-->Breeze past the screens and gatekeepers (chapter 10)
-->Easily handle the voice-mail barrier and reach your prospects (chapter 13)
-->Convert any and all objections into profitable sales (chapter 12)
-->Double the number of face-to-face appointments you set (chapter 6)
-->Have fun (yes, fun!) with cold calling (chapter 18)
Customer Reviews:
Great for the basics, skip if you are skilled.......2003-09-15
I do not think any of these techniques work just for women, so men, go grab it and read on....
I think for anyone just starting out in sales, whether on the phone or in the field, these techniques will give you the basics to get started. It is also a good idea to go back and read any good sales book as a refresher or a motivator.
Wendy does focus on selling from step one (prospecting, how and where to find your client base) to closing the sale and everything in between. What do I say, how do I say it, what do I do if I fumble... She gives many great real life examples to which we can all relate. Highly recommended for those new in the sales field. But remember for those of us that have been around the block a few times, it's not new information, just a reminder that what we were trained to do years ago still applies.
A waste of time and money.......2003-09-10
I found absolutely no value whatsoever in this book. It's another "take a deep breath and dial the phone" books that lacks any specific advice to work with. A complete disappointment.
She's Got the Process Down Cold!.......2003-02-16
Cold Calling for Women is one of the most helpful books I've ever read. It starts well before the tactics of picking up the phone to include the important strategies of identifying your market, targeting the right prospects, and positioning your product or service for maximum appeal.
That said, it is also extremely specific in terms of tips and techniques for handling each stage of the cold calling process - something I was formerly terrified of. By the time I finished this book, I thought "Hey - I can do this!" Let me tell you - that's saying a lot!
The book is also wonderfully readable and blessedly concise. Wendy Weiss' energetic writing style makes it a fast read, and the exercises she includes motivate you to take action NOW. I read it cover to cover in one sitting - including all the exercises and note-taking - and by the time I was done, I was ready to pick up the phone and get started!
Cold Calling and more.......2002-12-27
Wendy Weiss has done a fabulos job of delivering what was once stale information and making it interesting. Cold calling is one of those daily "chores" for people in business. Ms. Weiss' has clearly detailed helpful "Tips", the best "Do's" and the "Don't" you want to truly avoid. I enjoyed her style and found it an easy read. Its one of those books I keep on my desk for ideas and reference.
Very helpful indeed........2001-08-09
There are several glowing testimonials contained in this book; believe them all. The comparison of cold calling to a performance is as effective an analogy as you'll find. This, and the many techniques recommended therein, are reinforced throughout with exercises that construct a winning strategy for successful cold calling. Even seasoned veterans will find new approaches that work. Do not view the title as a deterrent; anyone who has to cold call (male or female) will find this book quite useful.
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General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople
The 25 Most Common Sales Mistakes: And How to Avoid Them
Successful Cold Call Selling: Over 100 New Ideas, Scripts, and Examples from the Nation's Foremost Sales Trainer
Stephan Schiffman's Telesales: America's #1 Corporate Sales Trainer Shows You How to Boost Your Phone Sales
Closing Techniques: (That Really Work!)
