1. How come people don’t call me back?

People not calling you back is not a problem; it’s a symptom. Here are some of the real reasons people don’t call you back:

A. Boring message. B. Insincere message. C. Sales message not a value message. D. Self-serving message. E. No humor employed. F. Non-compelling message.

How should you leave a voice mail?

Answer: Give your name and number first, offer facts and valuable information on what they want to hear, and give your name and number AGAIN

2. Why is cold calling a waste of my time?

The three-word definition of a cold call is: waste of time.

No one likes cold calls. Not the salesperson who makes them. And surely not the prospect who receives them.

“Cold calls are a necessary evil of selling” is a false statement. “Cold calls are a necessary evil if you don’t employ the correct selling strategies” is a true statement.

Here’s what waits for you at the other end of a cold call:

You’re calling people who don’t want what you’ve got. You’re calling people who don’t want to be bothered. You’re calling people who resent being interrupted. You’re calling people who will get angry at you or your company.

It’s not a “cold call.” It’s an intrusion without an invitation. A gate-crash. And if handled poorly, it will ruin future chances for a legitimate sales call.

Let’s see … poor timing, having a tough time getting through, and when you do get through you fight for attention. Ninety-five percent of those who get through are wholly untrained and incapable of selling anything anyway. What’s the point? Isn’t there a better way? Look at the other side; there is no worse way.

3. What is the BEST WAY to make a sale?

The easiest way to make a sale is lower your price to a point at which you make no profit. Not a good option.

REAL ANSWER: There is no BEST WAY or EASIEST way to make a sale. BUT there are several elements that contain the word BEST that you must self-evaluate in order to discover why the sales takes place, or why not.

KEY POINT: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing. Oh, you can occasionally make a manipulative sale. But if you’re still in the 1970s trying to “find the pain,” or “sell an upfront contract,” or “make a cold call,” or “close the sale,” you’re toast. Sales toast.

Here are a few of the BEST ways to make a sale:
•  Have your reputation precede you by word of mouth, from your Google ranking, and from your business social media presence.
• Be known as a valued resource before you start.
• Be friendly before you start.

3.5. How did my mother help me make sales?

Your mom said it best. As a child, when you were fighting or arguing with a sibling or friend, your mom would say, “Billy, you know better than that! Now you make friends with Johnny.”

Here are two major sales tips right out of the mouth and memory of your mother:

Make friends. There’s an old sales adage that says, “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends.” I say, “All things being not quite so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.”

Say nice things. Your mother told you, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” I’m certain she only told you this a hundred times. Somehow after you got your business cards printed, that lesson was lost. Especially when you begin speaking about your competition. I’m sure your mother would approve of referring to them as “my worthy competition.”