What do you think is the most frequently requested plea for help?

Overcoming Objections?
Handling Stalls and Put-Offs?
Closing?
Getting Appointments?

It’s getting calls returned.

Getting calls returned can be fixed in about two minutes but why are you leaving messages?  Is that just easier than making repeated attempts until you get through?

The real problem is that most salespeople either don’t get through or when they do, one of two things happen:

1. They get an appointment for the wrong reason;
2. They don’t get an appointment for the right reason.

What are the wrong reasons? In the area, free samples, introduce yourself, demos and presentations, etc.

What are the right reasons? They told you about an issue that your product or service can help with. Most salespeople are simply awful at this. Several past Baseline Selling tips dealt with how to get through, get attention and get an appointment.

I’d like to help you better understand how to make Getting to 1st Base work in these challenging times by giving you 5  tips.

1. Get Introduced – use your network, clients, customers, and online networks to make this happen.  Ask!

2. Spend Time Developing Your Positioning Statement and Examples – It’s Exercise 5 in the Baseline Selling Field Guide. It’s a major part of Getting to 1st Base in Baseline Selling. Those are the most important words in your call.

3. Work on your tonality – how you sound in the first five seconds of the call. You should sound just like your prospect’s best friend, not some professional salesperson.

4. Have Fun.  It’s a game. The person that wins is the person who is most convincing. Do they convince you that they don’t need the help or do you convince them that you can help?

5. Practice until you can’t stand it anymore. Practice especially often on the stalls, put-offs and objections that are most difficult for you.