© Jozsef Szasz-fabian | Dreamstime.com

You need more meetings on your calendar and getting the decision‑maker on the phone is harder than ever. This guide offers proven techniques to ensure you connect.

Call Again

It’s an embarrassment to the sales profession that I have to lead with this tip. If I had a nickel for every reasonable, professional voicemail I received from a sales professional that I simply did not have the time to talk to that particular day. Years ago, I returned everyone’s call regardless, but those days are long gone. Why do so many sales professionals call only once? If you try two, three, four or more times, you’ll likely get your eight seconds to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me).

Don’t Sell to Voicemail

This may not be true if you work for an industry-leading company, but chances are you don’t. As soon as you leave a prospect a voicemail you’ve just lost all control. They know why you’re calling and chances are they’ve made a decision about your offering before you actually get them on the phone. Don’t lose control — don’t leave a voicemail.

You’re on the Road

Gatekeepers always want you to leave a message or overly identify yourself and why you are calling. Don’t take the bait. “Thank you, Suzie. I’d be happy to leave Mr. Decision Maker a message but I’m going to be on the road today and would rather not ask him to play phone tag. Is there a specific time or day that would be better to try and reach him?” (And if you feel guilty about saying this because perhaps today is not the day you’re traveling around the world; my guess is that yes you will be “on the road” even if only locally at some point today.)

You Gotta Drink the Kool Aid

That’s Rule #1 in sales, and I apologize if you don’t need to be reminded of it — but many sales reps do. If you’re not passionate about what you’re selling, how in the world will the prospect get excited enough to make a positive decision? What you’re doing is worthy! You deserve to get the decision-maker on the phone! Expect everyone else to feel the same way.

Time is Not Money

The old adage that time is money is the second biggest piece of bunk ever uttered (send me an e-mail and I’ll share #1 with you). Time is infinitely more valuable than money. You can replace money a million times over — you can never replace time. Remember that the next time you go soft on trying to get through or think that your precious seconds and minutes of phone time aren’t valuable — your time is priceless!

People, Places, the Things They Do and the
Times They Do Them

That gem is from the old hit TV series NYPD Blue. Bosses work 7 a.m.-7 p.m. while their gatekeepers work 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or thereabouts. Scheduling quality prospecting time a couple of days a week, early in the morning or late in the afternoon and evening, can work wonders.

Go Inside

Phone systems can be tricky but they can also enable access. Who says you have to call the decision-maker’s direct line or that of his or her assistant? You’d be surprised how often some random extension in accounting, engineering, security or a half dozen other departments will gladly transfer to extension 2501 — most times they have no clue they are transferring you to the big honcho. Have fun with it and see what works.

Reference Check

Okay, now we are getting into a grey area. Be careful how you use this technique, because if you are not accurate in your wording and how you transition from one topic to another you’ll come off as a fraud. I’m not recommending misrepresentations here, but you’d be surprised how many times you can get through to the head honcho simply by stating that you’re calling about Tom Jones or whatever the name is of a former employee. Develop a reason to have that conversation and if the (legitimate) opportunity exists to extend the conversation to a more virtuous discussion, then run with it. But don’t risk your reputation by being sloppy.

Warm It Up

If you’re cold calling and getting nothing but dead ends, then you need to invest more time and energy toward research. In today’s day and age of LinkedIn and a dozen other viable means to discover your personal Six Degrees of Separation, it shouldn’t take you too long to leverage a relationship. Webster’s Dictionary defines friend as an acquaintance or one that is not hostile, among other things. Based on those definitions, you should have a lot of friends to leverage.

Don’t Settle for Less

You want a meeting with Mr. or Mrs. Big and Lord knows that it’s darn hard getting him or her on the phone. You can access dozens of seemingly important folks at lower levels and maybe that works for you. But if you truly need to be selling at the Mr. or Mrs. Big level, then stay away from the others. Who cares if it takes 20 or 30 times as many calls to get him or her on the phone — it’s worth it. There’s a reason those other folks are always so available. If they had decision-making power you wouldn’t be able to raise them so easily, either. So if you need to sell to Mr. or Mrs. Big, then hold out and don’t settle for less.