Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

A

This call really happened.

Years ago I lost a large piece of business because I advocated telling prospects, “This is a sales call.” For some reason, the Sales Director was appalled that I would announce it was a sales call. Who would prospects think they were speaking with? Their wife? Their mother? A relative? A friend? I'm a stranger, obviously. And why would I be calling them? Would I be from their child's school, announcing a problem? Or from the neighborhood, with a report of a house on fire? How about a person from the cleaner's, telling them I'd lost their new suit?

What is wrong with telling prospects that you're placing a sales call? They'll guess it anyway when they don't recognize your voice. It will also be obvious because your opening remarks will probably sound uncomfortable - like a stranger placing a call to another stranger.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

NO NAME, NO TIME

Let's start with the name game. Dale Carnegie used to recommend that sales people repeat the prospect's name because he thought people loved hearing their own name spoken. Whether that was because the phone systems in 1937 weren't that great, or because that was a commonly accepted belief, it's no longer the case. When we really know someone, we rarely use their name. Intimacy means never have to say someone's name – there's just this eye contact people have, or a special way of saying ‘Hi. It's ME.”

Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

A

This call really happened.

Years ago I lost a large piece of business because I advocated telling prospects, “This is a sales call.” For some reason, the Sales Director was appalled that I would announce it was a sales call. Who would prospects think they were speaking with? Their wife? Their mother? A relative? A friend? I'm a stranger, obviously. And why would I be calling them? Would I be from their child's school, announcing a problem? Or from the neighborhood, with a report of a house on fire? How about a person from the cleaner's, telling them I'd lost their new suit?

What is wrong with telling prospects that you're placing a sales call? They'll guess it anyway when they don't recognize your voice. It will also be obvious because your opening remarks will probably sound uncomfortable - like a stranger placing a call to another stranger.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

NO NAME, NO TIME

Let's start with the name game. Dale Carnegie used to recommend that sales people repeat the prospect's name because he thought people loved hearing their own name spoken. Whether that was because the phone systems in 1937 weren't that great, or because that was a commonly accepted belief, it's no longer the case. When we really know someone, we rarely use their name. Intimacy means never have to say someone's name – there's just this eye contact people have, or a special way of saying ‘Hi. It's ME.”

Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

A

What is wrong with telling prospects that you're placing a sales call? They'll guess it anyway when they don't recognize your voice. It will also be obvious because your opening remarks will probably sound uncomfortable - like a stranger placing a call to another stranger.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

NO NAME, NO TIME

Let's start with the name game. Dale Carnegie used to recommend that sales people repeat the prospect's name because he thought people loved hearing their own name spoken. Whether that was because the phone systems in 1937 weren't that great, or because that was a commonly accepted belief, it's no longer the case. When we really know someone, we rarely use their name. Intimacy means never have to say someone's name – there's just this eye contact people have, or a special way of saying ‘Hi. It's ME.”

Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

A

Let's start with the name game. Dale Carnegie used to recommend that sales people repeat the prospect's name because he thought people loved hearing their own name spoken. Whether that was because the phone systems in 1937 weren't that great, or because that was a commonly accepted belief, it's no longer the case. When we really know someone, we rarely use their name. Intimacy means never have to say someone's name – there's just this eye contact people have, or a special way of saying ‘Hi. It's ME.”

Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

A

Of course you use people's names – I'm being slightly facetious here – but not repeatedly during the same conversation, and not often, when you know someone well.

When you over-use a prospect's name, it becomes a ploy to manipulate them into liking you so you can fantasize that you're their friend, and convince this person that you want or have A RELATIONSHIP.

But it's not true. Hearing their name spoken repeatedly by a stranger makes prospects feel even more detached.

And what about the assumption that they're sitting there, waiting for this call, with nothing else to do but take the call – even if it's a bank they do business with, or a charity they donate to?

What is it about a sales call that makes it about the sales person anyway? What makes it about the product? Why is it even about a sale?

Why not make a sales call – even a prospecting call – an aspect of your brand? A way of showing your prospects that you are supporting them and your product, through a collaboration (rather than a sale)?

FEAR OF COLD CALLS

Let me back track for a moment. I've trained many thousands of sales people; I can name on one hand the number of people who have eagerly sought out cold calling (and I'm one of them. I LOVE it – what fun! What a neat way to get to know people!). Why? Because sellers don't want to impose themselves on strangers. Because you believe the prospects don't have the time or care. Because you get rejected. Because your ego says prospects should call you.

But none of that has to be true. Let's look at the pieces, and then proceed to understand how they can each be mitigated with Buying Facilitation.

Imposing on strangers When you make a call to a stranger (either prospects, or clients who have been handed over to you from a previous sales person) they don't know who you are, naturally, and you have no rapport with them. By definition you are imposing. Additionally, you are placing a call to get something for yourself and actually attempting to take something from them. Whether it's to ‘make them' listen to you, or buy something from you, or do something for you. It's not like you're calling to give them a million bucks: you want them to do something, like listen to you, or buy from you, or make a change for you in some way. So you want something from this person.

But this person is a stranger. Why should this person give you anything, unless they are already predisposed to want what you have anyway? Remember that before someone does anything