How to Get Cold Calling Intelligence

By Ron LaVine, MBA and President of Accelerated Cold Call Training, Inc.
Cold Calling System for Sales Success – Live Cold Calling Training Workshops®

Just collecting information is not enough. It is important to consider the impact or implications of that data. With each piece of information, ask yourself “What does this mean? What would happen if this action took place?” For example, you heard that Organization A is going to expand. You sell computer monitors.

Consider what the expansion would entail. Perhaps they would be hiring more staff – which would probably need monitors. Your next step would be to discover when and where the expansion would take place. Then how many people they plan to hire and who is responsible for evaluating and acquiring the monitors.

Alternatively, consider the organization who is acquiring another organization. Where will the funding come from? What systems will need to be integrated for the newly formed entity? Which positions will be eliminated? How will your “champion” or the person, who wants your solution to win any competitive battle, be affected?

Think about the importance of each piece of information you have uncovered. Then think about how you can use that information in service of your prospect. Listen carefully to what people share with you. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine what possibilities there are for you to make a sale or even multiple sales.

Who is responsible for making the final decision? Will it be a committee or an individual?

Has budget been set aside for your type of solution or does the prospect have access to budget?

Who, if anyone, will evaluate the proposed solution?

Who will implement the solution chosen?

Who will be the end user(s) of the solution?

How does this information benefit the person who told it to me?

Has the information been verified by a second source?

How can this data enable me to sell more of my solutions?

Why does the prospect operate this way?

What is the prospect’s future strategic direction?

What would happen if the prospect went in a specific direction? What might happen?

What are the implications of this decision?

What is going on in their industry?

What are their competitors doing?

What are the top, decision-making drivers? (For example, Client Loyalty, Market Share, Profitability, Risk, Regulations, Expenses, etc.)

What challenges, problems or pains would this decision create for the prospect?

What business opportunities would these problems create for you?

If applicable, what is their framework for avoiding a tactical focus?

Where and how should they start to connect your solution to corporate strategies and objectives?

How do they balance people, processes and technology?

What is the role of management?

What are their buying processes?

What are their top priorities?

What are the different time-frames? Timing for decisions, testing and evaluation, implementation and roll out, and feedback need to be established.

What types of time and date specific action or next steps do you think you should propose? What has worked successfully in the past?

What type(s) of training, if any, will be necessary to implement and encourage the use of the solution?

What types of documentation are needed and by whom?

How will you measure the results? Return on Investment, Net Payback Period, Total Cost of Ownership or another method.

These are but a sample of questions you should be able to answer while starting and driving a sale to its conclusion. Analyzing the information you collect from different sources will allow you to turn raw data into actionable business sales intelligence.

This intelligence you collect over the phone during a cold call can be used to understand who buys, how they buy, what they are interested in buying and why they buy. The answers to these questions plus answers to the questions above should speed up the process of converting prospects into clients.

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This article is reprinted with permission from Ron LaVine’s “Sales Tips for Success” complementary e-Zine. Ron LaVine, MBA is President and Founder of Accelerated Cold Call Training, Inc., an Oak Park, CA live cold calling training company. Get two FREE Reports, plus the FREE e-Zine, Sales Tips for Success by clicking here. Learn more about Cold Calling for Sales Success On-site, Virtual, Individual or Group, Live Cold Calling Training Workshops® by calling me, Ron LaVine at +1-818-991-6487 by clicking here. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

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