Things Not to Do While Cold Calling

Things Not to Do While Cold CallingThings Not to Do While Cold CallingWhile many prospecting methods exist nowadays including email, social media, and even snail mail cold calling via the telephone is still the primary method used by most salespeople. Thats because cold calling just works best. The other prospecting methods can be extremely effective, but they tend to take much longer to move someone from a lead to a customer. For the salesperson in a hurry, cold calling is the way to go. Yet some salespeople report a complete lack of successful cold calling. Whats going on here? Those salespeople are probably making one or more of the below common cold calling mistakes. Not Enough Phone Time Some salespeople feel like theyre spending all their time prospecting, without results. But what those salespeople are actually doing is spending all their time PREPARING to cold call, without actually doing a lot of cold calling. They are collecting lead lists, researching leads, going ov er customer-relationship-management data, talking to existing customers to get feedback, looking up leads on social media, and so on. Pre-call research definitely has its place, but if youre spending more time researching than you are spending actually on the phone with prospects, its time to cut back on the preparatory activities and invest that time on the phone. Failing to Qualify The only way to determine which leads are actual prospects is to qualify them. You can, of course, wait to qualify until you are actually in the sales appointment. However, if you dont do at least a little qualifying over the phone, you will end up wasting an astounding amount of time meeting with people who are notlage actual prospects. Given that time is a salespersons most precious resource, youre better off taking 30 seconds to ask a couple of basic questions during the cold call. Selling During the Call The point of a cold call is not to make a sale. The point is to get your prospect to agr ee to a meeting, at which you will have his full attention and can start actually selling to him. During the initial call, its very unlikely that your prospect will become interested enough to buy. If you try selling during the cold call, all you will do is give your prospects an excuse to say Im not interested and hang up. Neglecting WIIFM Your prospects dont care that you need to make a sale. Theyre thinking about their own problems, not yours. So if you fail to show WIIFM during the cold call, you may lose the prospect right then and there. Remember, the entire purpose of the cold call is to get the prospect interested. And the prospect is not going to be interested in your products features. A Weak Opener When you make a cold call, you have just a few seconds to catch the prospects interest. Because as soon as the prospect realizes that this is a cold call, he stops listening. You need to pique his interest in the first few seconds so that when he does realize youre a sale sperson, hell still be intrigued enough to want to hear more. So before you even touch the phone, craft yourself a strong opening phrase. Not Closing the Call Most salespeople know that its important to close in order to commit a prospect to buying. But you may not realize that you also have to close the prospect on making an appointment. Even if your cold calling technique is effective and the prospect is interested, he probably wont volunteer to meet with you and hear more. After youve delivered your opener, answered a few questions, dropped a few interesting facts, and done a bit of qualifying, its time to ask for the appointment just as you would ask for the sale.

These are the cities with the most (and least) drinkersl

These are the cities with the most (and least) drinkerslThese are the cities with the most (and least) drinkerslThirty percent of the US population abstains from drinking. Although some experts expect this percentage to rise amongst young peoplein the coming years, (thanks in large part to social media oddly enough)global alcohol consumption is actually at an all-time high. It has increased by 70% in the last 30 years according to a study published this year in the Lancet.America does its fair share in surging these numbers, given 56% of its own population are habitual drinkers, and an additional 26.9% are confessed binge drinkers. A study conducted on more than34,000 adults released just last year found roughly 40% of Americans consume excessive amounts of alcohol, which is 10% more than the one in three heavy drinkers reported in Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 20092011,which was from 2014.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard co vering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAmericans love booze, that much is well-documented but which citiesin the US house the greatest numbers of the minority that chose to steer completely clear of the stuff? In order to find out, Alcohol.org pulled data on the percentage of non-drinkers in the 100 largest cities in America from city-data.com.Where are the non-drinkers?As a resident that witness at least 30 subway barf sessions a weekend, I was surprised to learn New York City has the highest number of non-drinkers in the country by a lot. There are 804, 420 non-partakers currently occupying the big apple, though its important to remember, New York City is a big place, with a massive population, so massive in fact, that even though they house the highest number of non-drinkers, they dont actually house the highest percentage of non-drinkers. A City Life datenbankindex Survey conducted last year found that 91% of New Yorkers enjoy hitting the sauce.T he distinction between the lowest percentage of non-drinkers goes to Honolulu, Hawaii. Twenty-one percent of HIs population opt notto imbibe alcoholic beverages, which makes it the number one percentage wise by a pretty wide margin. Fermont California comes in at number two, with 15.50% non-drinkers, Hialeah, Florida with 14.60%, San Francisco, California, with 14.10% and Detroit Michigan rounding out the top five non-drinkers with 13.40%.Half of the top 10 cities with the largest percentage of non-drinkers are in California. The authors of the new report also note how it is that a large portion of non-drinkers additionally lives near beaches and large bodies of water.Gilbert, Arizona has the lowest percentage of non-drinkers of all the US states observed in the study, with only 9% of its population reported. Two-thirds of the heaviest drinkers featured in the survey were located in the Southwest.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStranger s know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste im bunde Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

8 Questions to Avoid at the End of an Interview

8 Questions to Avoid at the End of an Interview8 Questions to Avoid at the End of an Interview3The moment has come. You are at the end of your job interview, and from your vantage point, everything went really well. You easily answered every question (even the ones designed to trip up the most skilled job interviewer), and you made great eye contact. But now the end of the interview is at hand, and youre notlage really sure what to say. In an attempt to avoid an awkward silence, you might wind up saying something youll regret later. To keep that from happening, below are a few questions to avoid at the end of an interview and a few to focus on instead.Here are eightquestions to avoid at the end of an interview1. How much will I get paid?Typically, salary negotiations abflug when youre officially offered the job, not after the first job interview. Its better to not mention money, or else it could look like thats all youre after.2. When can I take a vacation after starting?This questio n looks like youre more focused on pleasure than business. Since it can convey to a potential employer that youre not really interested in the job, ask this question to someone in HR after youve gotten the gig.3. Will I have my own office?While everyone wants to have their own private space, asking about your own personal office can convey a sense of entitlement- or that you want to separate yourself from other coworkers. This shouldnt even really be a question, but rather something that is explained to you on the first day of your job, should you be hired.4. Do you check your employees computer usage?This is a big no-no. By asking this, youre going to automatically make your potential employer think youre going to use work time (and company equipment) for personal usage. Its kind of tresor to assume that everything you do during work hours on company property is traceable, so save your Instagram addiction for after hours.5. Does your company perform background checks?Almost every o rganization performs background checks in todays job market. Asking about it ahead of time shows a hiring manager that you may have something youre trying to hide should the company perform one. Its better not to bring up the subject at all and assume one will be conducted at some point during the interview process.6. Can I work from home?Although many companies offer some type of work flexibility, if the job description didnt explicitly state you could work remotely, the job might not be flex-friendly- for now. Wait until youre offered the position to find out if you can have a flexible schedule or give it a few months and then submit a flexible work proposal to your boss.7. Did I get the job?Even though everyone craves immediate feedback, asking your interviewer how you did will put him on the spot. And imagine ifyou didnt do as well as you thought you did- do you really want to be rejected right then and there?8. Are personal calls allowed?To a job interviewer, hearing this quest ion really means, Can I be on the phone with my mom/friend/partner all day and not get in trouble for it? While you probably would be allowed to make a personal call here and there, asking explicitly for it shows a potential boss that you might be more focused on your personal life rather than your professional life.Here are three questions toconsider asking after your job interview instead1. What is a key thing someone can do to be successful in this position?This question shows a potential employer that you are motivated to do what it takes to be a successful part of the company. It shows initiative, focus, drive, and tenacity, all of which are qualities managers and bosses look for.2. How has this position evolved over time?When you ask this type of question, youre intimating that youre not only focused on the roles present duties, but how it has been an integral part of the company since its inception. You want to know not only what impact the job has had but where its also goin g, too.3. What are some of the top priorities for this job for the next year?Hiring managers dont want to hire a job candidate only to have him submit his two-week notice a mere two months later. Employers want employees who want to work for their company and are willing to make a time commitment. This question shows you want to plant roots with the organization, which is very attractive to a hiring manager.With so many questions going back and forth, its easy to wind up saying or asking a question you might regret during a job interview. Avoid problematic questions, stick to positive, forward-thinking ones instead, and see how quickly you can turn a job interview into a job offerHave a job interview coming up? You can find more advice andjob interviewing tips here.Readers, have you ever asked some of these questions to avoid during a job interview? What happened? Did it negatively impact your interview? Let us know in the comments