Antonio Garrido is President and Founder of Absolute Sales Development – Miami’s own Sandler Sales Training organization that provides companies of all sizes with superior business-growth training. Visit: www.absolute.sandler.com or contact: (786)-527 0277
Twitter: @SandlerASDMiami

The TACTIC: Use pesticide.
The STORY:
Bob decided to try something different toward the end of his cold call. This particular call, to Janet who was the decision maker, was heading in only one direction, down the tubes.
“Look,” said Janet, “there is no point in meeting at this time. We’re happy with who we do business with. I’ve got your number if we change our minds. Call me in couple of months?”
Bob hated that last line; he’d heard it so many times before. Now for something new, he thought.
“Okay, so I guess we’re not going to get any further then,” responded Bob.
“I think that’s about right.”
“So it’s really over for me.”
“Yes”.
“That’s good… ” responded Bob letting his voice trail off, waiting however long it took to get a response.
“Good? Why’s that good?” Janet finally asked.
“Well, usually when someone like yourself says ‘call me back in a couple of months,’ it’s like we both know that 99 percent of the salespeople never will. Is that what you want?  You don’t want me to be a pest?”
“You’re not a pest, and I do want a call back.”
“I appreciate that. But one of two things usually happens. I call back only to find out you needed my service a week earlier but you found someone else. Or, you still don’t need my service and now I am a pest. Which one is it?” Bob was prepared to wait forever to hear the answer.
“I guess it could happen, the first one.”
“I don’t know if this makes sense to you – you probably only buy from people and companies you trust-fair to say?”
“Yes, that’s what we like to do.”
“Here’s the problem; you don’t know me or my company. I call you back, find out you needed my service a week earlier, but you didn’t call because you don’t know if you can trust me … fair to say?”
“Yes.”
“If you were me, how would you solve that problem?”
“I’d have to know something about you and your company first.”
The RESULT:
Bob is going to get an appointment.
DISCUSSION:
Prospects don’t like receiving cold calls any more than salesperson like making them. Prospects also have a standard “get rid of this salespeople” script. Unfortunately, most salespeople are so well trained by prospects that they fall right into following the prospect’s script.
How often does the salesperson hear something to the effect of, “Call me back in a couple of months?” Ninety-eight percent of the time, that’s how often.
The prospect is expecting the salesperson to wimp out at this point. Bingo! The lame suggestion is made, and 99 percent of the salespeople say “Sure.”
The prospect’s suggestion gets rid of the salespeople, most of whom will never call back in a couple of months. The salesperson gets to delude himself into believing that “maybe we’ll do some business in a couple of months.”
This type of call, scripted by the prospect, only reinforces in the prospect’s mind that cold calls are a waste of his time. If you seriously track these types of calls, no business is ever done in a couple of months.
APPROACH:
Recognize the prospect’s script. To break your habit of falling into following the prospect’s script, record 10 cold calls that do not result in an appointment and where you find yourself lamely agreeing to call back in X amount of time.
Now type these calls out. Don’t listen to the tapes; type them out. When you are typing them out, it will become painfully clear to you how the prospect is maneuvering you down to the brush-off.
Don’t follow the prospect’s script. Take what will probably happen again in the future, and bring it into the present. Bob used the prospect’s current and future pain, that salespeople who cold call are pests, and offered the prospect a way to solve this pain. “You only deal with people you trust.” Pesticide was just applied.
What prospect would ever say, “No, we only deal with salespeople we can’t trust.”
And how does the prospect find out if someone can be trusted? What’s the first step? Meet with him.
If you hear the “send me some literature” brush-off, reply with “Got a problem with that. One of two things usually happens…”
THOUGHT:
Which is better-getting an appointment or calling back in X months?

Sandler Training is a global training organization with nearly 50 years of top-flight training experience. Sandler Training provides training and consulting services for small-to-medium-sized businesses, as well as corporate training for Fortune 1000 companies. With over 250 offices located throughout the USA alone, Sandler’s goal is to help clients initiate substantive, measurable and sustainable growth.

Antonio Garrido is President and Founder of Absolute Sales Development – Miami’s own Sandler Sales Training organization that provides companies of all sizes with superior business-growth training. Visit: www.absolute.sandler.com or contact: (786)-527 0277
Twitter: @SandlerASDMiami

The TACTIC: YOU pass the baton.
The STORY:
Diane was ready to kill. For the past three weeks she had worked on a proposal, then received requests from her contact at the company to revise it not once, but four times. Each revision became more complex and time consuming. Now she learned that her contact was not the one who made the final decision, but just the person who would present the proposal at a decision meeting.
“Mary,” asked Diane, trying and succeeding at the moment to keep the anger out of her voice, “what you are telling me is that you are not the one who decides?”
“That’s right,” responded Mary, “I figured that you’d understand a purchase that would ultimately affect every department in the company would not be left in the hands of just one person.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” said Diane.
“Oh, I’m so sorry that you had the wrong impression.”
“Is there any way I can present the proposal myself at the decision meeting?”
“No. My role is to gather all of the proposals, share them with everyone, and then as a group, a decision is made.”
“I know that others have given you proposals … can you tell me how mine is in comparison?”
“Well, I can share with you that it is one of the most comprehensive and well-thought-out. In my opinion, it’s one of the best.”
“That’s good to hear. So can I figure that you’ll share that opinion with the others?”
“Most definitely.”
“Would it be of any help for me to be there the day of the meeting … to handle any last minute questions?”
“Probably not. Once a decision is made regarding the direction we’ll take, I’ll be sure to get back to you. If there are any unanswered questions at that point, I’ll be in touch.”
Three days after the decision meeting, Diane learned that the company’s current supplier of the past three years got the go-ahead.
The RESULT:
Diane had lost control of what happened to her proposal, and as a result, lost the sale. It may have been presented at the decision meeting or it may not. Despite what she had been told, is there any assurance her proposal got a fair hearing? Absolutely none.
DISCUSSION:
Everyone knows the best way to avoid taking personal responsibility for something is to be part of a group that makes the decision. Saying to a salesperson that the group, not you, makes the decision is a way for the prospect to avoid becoming emotionally involved in the sale.
Consider what the job of the salesperson is. It is to present her product or service to those who might buy it and then, if possible, to make the sale.
Did Diane present her product to those who might buy it? She did not.
Diane left it up to Mary to do her work. Is it Mary’s job to sell Diane’s product? Absolutely not. In fact, Mary told Diane, in so many words, just that.
So why should Diane have any expectation of making the sale? She wasn’t there to do the work.
Who got the sale? The company that was already the current supplier. Did they get to present their proposal in person? Yes, by virtue of having done business with Mary’s company for the past three years.
APPROACH:
Every salesperson is told to find the decision maker. But if the decision maker is hidden behind a group, then what?
If the group makes the decision, then the salesperson should meet and make a presentation to the group. Can’t present to the group? Withdraw from the race. Tell the prospect that there is no point in going any further in the process-take the sale away.
What’s going to happen? One of two things.
The prospect allows you to walk away, in which case you probably never were being seriously considered anyway. You just earned the right to find a prospect who is serious.
Or, the prospect will try and work something out to get you into the meeting. Even if you only get to sit outside the meeting door to answer last minute questions, you’ve become the prospect’s coach. That’s much better than sitting back at the office waiting for the phone to ring.
THOUGHT:
Either you are in the race as a runner who passes the baton or you are a spectator. If you are in the stands watching, is there any possible way you can be on the winning team? Medals are not handed out to spectators.

Sandler Training is a global training organization with nearly 50 years of top-flight training experience. Sandler Training provides training and consulting services for small-to-medium-sized businesses, as well as corporate training for Fortune 1000 companies. With over 250 offices located throughout the USA alone, Sandler’s goal is to help clients initiate substantive, measurable and sustainable growth.