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7 Healthy Phone Habits to Get First Meetings with Marylou Tyler #150

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7 Healthy Phone Habits to Get First Meetings #150

In this episode we talk about one of the most powerful selling tools you have  in your command, the telephone. Unfortunately too many sellers are ineffective using the phone for their prospecting efforts. Our guest is Marylou Tyler. She’s an expert in managing call centers and setting up efficient processes to maximize phone call success. Marylou is the author of the recently released book Predictable Prospecting. In this episode she shares the 7 healthy phone habits you need to get first meetings.

How To Generate High Quality Leads

Marylou believes you should adhere to a  method to generate high quality leads. For starters, she recommends you first schedule a block of time. This will get you into the calling mindset. A block of time allows you to be prepared for the conversation and advance the sale.

  1. Set a call objective for every call you do.  Set primary and secondary call objectives e.g gathering intelligence or setting up a meeting. Having an objective creates focus.
  2. Your tone of voice. Studies show that for compelling calls, 75% of the call is based on how you say it, versus 25% is the words.
  3. Use positive language. The Midwest is a permission based place. You must frame conversations positively: “oh I’m so sorry to keep you waiting”.  Negative language does not perform as well positive.
  4. Create a winning opener to get your foot in the door. Imply you have a right to be there. The opener should have an explicit or implicit referral.
    1. “Good morning Jackie, John recommended I give you a call. Our XYZ product caught his attention and he thought you might feel the same ”  Explicit
    2. “Hello Jackie, I see your CEO is interested in the XYZ initiative in a magazine article” Implicit
  5. Craft a interest grabbing statement.  Use words like “maximize , grow, reduce, minimize….” The goal is to  grab their interest and share a result. Build a script and memorize it.
  6. Know what questions ask.  Focus on  implication questions. Write them down and have them readily available. Don’t let executives disconcert you. Have the mindset that you’re a business executive too and equal to a CEO .  When you ask  questions it tells the prospect you are truly interested in understanding their problem.
  7. Love your objections. These are the reason prospects want to buy from you. Objections lead to the greater pain point.

Bonus Habit      Always have a reason to call. Set a goal to talk to 20 companies in a  2 hour time span and generate  4-5 meaningful conversations.  Full sales cycle sales reps should target two,  2-hour blocks per week. If you’re inside sales, it’s all day long.

Take Action Advice

Embrace habit. Create a space for repeatable work.  Set a time and you will succeed.

How To Connect with Mary Lour Tyler

How to Prospect and Generate Leads

Here are previous episodes that talk about lead generation and cold calling on the phone. Check them out!