One of the most important things to improve your sales results is to get more appointments. The ability to get appointments counts for a lot more than most salespeople realize. One of the simplest ways to get appointments is to cold call new prospects. I know that the idea of cold calling a stranger can make a grown salesperson cry! If you can master the art of cold calling, you can get an appointment with anyone. If you need to improve your cold calling skills watch my webinar “3 keys to cold calling”.
Getting the appointment opens an opportunity for you to have a sales conversation that could lead to a sale right then and there or sale sometime in the future. Bottom line is the number one method is cold calling because it is the most direct way to get an appointment.
Social media is another way to get appointments. One of the key benefits of social media is it’s ability to find the right target with a few clicks of the mouse. Social media networks like LinkedIn or Facebook not only help you find the right target but they also give you vast amounts of background information on the person you are engaging. You can easily find out if you are connected to the person you are trying to reach or if that person is connected with one of your existing connections. If it is a direct connection fire away. Otherwise have your connection do a warm introduction for you.
Networking is all about building relationships. Networking allows you to meet someone new in a non-threatening environment. Often times there is alcohol served at these events which helps remove any social anxiety. Remember do not overindulge!
Networking is a powerful tool that leads to sales. Networking can go beyond sales, just yesterday I was talking to Rohit Patel the CEO of Intelect Corporation. Rohit told me he met Steve the CEO of a Multi Billion dollar corporation at a networking event. Now Steve sits on Intelect Corporation’s board. Normally billion dollar CEOs don’t sit on the boards of >$30M companies. But a strong connection at a networking event can make amazing things happen.
The three ways to get appointments are:
Cold Calling
Social Media
Networking
