How can sales management fix a lack of Cold Calling activity?
Four Best Practices ideas that sales management can actually apply when our charges are not setting enough Initial Appointments to hit our assigned targets.
First an observation. If we know we’re not setting enough Initial Appointments to feed that hungry beast, the pipeline, there is good news afoot! We have at least a minimal set of metrics or we wouldn’t even know that we’re headed towards disaster. As I have pointed out in the past, (see blogs August 19, 2009, August 26, 2009, September 16, 2009) consistency in making the dials does make a difference.
So if our charges just aren’t making the dials, what can we do if our selling model requires that the sales professional set their own appointments? Here are four ideas.
First things first, people are more apt to buy into a goal they help set. So, take each person through an Activity Calculator exercise (you can download it free from www.caponipg.com) allowing them to help determine what is the appropriate number of dials needed each day. Then get them to commit to that number in writing. If that alone doesn’t work, try these:
- Have them show you each week where they’ve set aside Call Blocks on their calendars to make those calls.
- If that doesn’t work, have them come into the office and make those calls during their chosen Call Blocks.
- If that doesn’t work, then have mandatory Call Blocks in the office at times of your choosing. This can be done in a couple of ways.
- One of our customers uses what he calls Touch Point Tuesdays – No one leaves the office until the appointed number of Initial Appointments is set for the coming week.
- A set aside number of hours each day until the appointed number of Initial Appointments is set for the coming week.
- There is a different approach that I’ve seen managers use effectively in managing remote sales people. Schedule a couple of days to go on calls with them in their territory and give them a minimum number of Initial Appointments and follow-up appointments you want to go on while you’re there. If they don’t set enough, tell them you’re still coming and it will be embarrassing to say the least, not to mention that they’ll have to sit there and make the dials in front of you during those times there aren’t appointments set.
- If those ideas don’t work and others are setting the required number of Initial Appointments, there are two additional arrows left in the quiver – get someone else to make the appointments for them or, well, you know what to do…
Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called The Prospector’s Academy™ under the brand name Coldcalling101. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations – the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 214 483-5800 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.
Leave a Reply