Cold calling should always be more about farming than hunting. It helps to bear in mind what your objective is. 1. Ditch the script- not only will you sound more natural without it, but not having a script to look at will force you to listen more carefully to what people are saying. 2. It’s […]

So… you want to make some cold calls to generate some leads, here are some practical tips to help you out. 1. Set aside a decent amount of time – ideally a day. 2. Have all the numbers and research to hand before you start – as soon as you start, doing a bit more […]

3 Steps to Cold Calling: 1. Get an Attitude Baby! Following my rant the other week about the “don’ts” of cold calling, I thought I’d make a start on some “Dos”. Firstly I wanted to set the scope, as with most things we write about – we are talking here in the broadest terms: you […]

Oh no…. I’m definitely in a ranty mood today – spotted this article on cold calling scripts… http://www.advisorone.com/2009/07/01/winning-scripts-for-cold-calling Many of you will know my thoughts on cold calling scripts (if you don’t know your market or your product well enough to sell without a script, please put the phone down). But for me there are […]

Nothing seems to send some of our clients into a spin faster than having to set prices for a new product or service. We think pricing is central to selling (….well duh!), but often the first area where pricing and sales intersect is the business owner’s confidence in their ability to sell at all. A […]

Finding a market for your product and service isn’t always easy. So…. if you are in the process of launching or deciding on a new business here are some market-finding pitfalls that you can avoid. (These are all based on real examples we’ve come across recently). Mistaking a need for a market. Finding a need […]

Last week we heard a “motivational” speaker deride people who grow their business part time. They outlined why being one-foot in and one foot out was for cowards, and why the only way to succeed is to close other doors and dive in. A day later we heard someone describe a fellow networker as “not […]

This one is for the self-employed among you…. In employment most people are part of defined structures which tell us how we are doing: regular team meetings, targets, performance reviews. Chances are, when you were employed, you usually knew where you stood. And…. if you brought in a big deal, delighted a client or a […]