ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Wednesday, September 10th 2008

How to make a new business appointment in the 21st Century

I found an interesting article today on www.startups.co.uk, which describes how the founder of Pride Valley Foods, which incidentally has been taken over by Mission Foods, researched his market thoroughly before deciding on the product he wanted to sell. The part that caught my attention the most is when he says:
“People think that marketing is selling. It isn’t. It is finding out what the customer wants and selling it to them.”

Too often sales people phone up ICM without any knowledge of the company or even of what we do. They ask to speak to the owner of the business, or a particular director who isn’t the correct person to talk to. We have four directors who all deal with different aspects of the business and so when you ask the sales person what their call is regarding they get annoyed that you’re not just putting them through. They have then lost my respect and the opportunity to sell to ICM.

In the climate of companies instinctively rejecting sales calls, mainly due to the quantity that they just can’t handle, it is notoriously difficult to get through the gatekeeper. The last thing you want to do is irritate them. I’ve found over the years that asking questions is more important than your sales speech. Once people are talking to you they feel more at ease and as long as you ask the right questions you remain in control of the call. Whether it’s the gatekeeper or the decision maker, make them feel like they are really helping you out and be nice to them. Thank them for their time, show that you appreciate all of the information they are giving you, even if it feels like the information is a red herring to get rid of you and, most importantly, never get annoyed.

The more cold calling I do, the more I think that it is mostly about determination, plugging away and not losing faith that the next call will be an appointment. And of course to find out as much as possible about the company before you even pick up the phone.