To Ask Permission to Speak or Not, that is the Question

By Ron LaVine, MBA

President, Accelerated Cold Calling Training, Inc.

Mastering the Art & Science of Cold Calling™

From a business perspective, there may be nothing more valuable than our time. Let people know you respect their time by asking, “Is this a good time to speak?” or “Do you have a few minutes?” before using your opening statement. Not only is this a more professional approach, you’ll find people will offer their full attention since you’ve been given their permission to speak. Professional salespeople understand and respect the importance of another person’s time.

The next time you receive a call from a telemarketer or telesales rep, notice if the person asks for your permission to speak with you. My experience has been that the majority of callers launch right into what they have to say without giving any thought to what I might be doing. It angers me that the caller hasn’t considered that I might be doing something more important and I respond
with “Take me off your list.”

You can be seen as an interruption or a blessing depending on how you handle
yourself. I called a senior buyer of a microchip manufacturer who granted
permission for me to speak. I asked how they went about buying a certain type
of solution. He took thirty minutes explaining their buying process to me. That
information was extremely valuable to the strategy of the sale.

If it is not a convenient time for your prospect to talk, QUICKLY CONFIRM THEY
are the RIGHT PERSON, SCHEDULE A FOLLOW-UP CALL and then HANG UP THE PHONE. Why
waste their time or yours? If they are busy, you certainly will not have their
attention. Make a good impression right off the bat by being polite and
respectful of the other person s time. They will be more receptive to your next
call because you showed a simple courtesy.

During one of my training sessions, we placed a call to an executive of a
Fortune 500organization. After a brief enthusiastic introduction (my name and
organization only), I asked the executive if he had a minute to speak with me.
The man replied that he was busy. I offered to call him at another time when it
was convenient to speak. He asked about the nature of my call. I reminded the
executive that he said he was busy and I did not want to interrupt his current
activities and would prefer to call back at a more convenient time.

Guess what happened next. The executive said he would take the time to speak
with me briefly and he asked a second time regarding the nature of the call.
The executive became curious because of my courteous concern for his valuable
time. The conversation lasted over twenty minutes. The executive explained
valuable details regarding the evaluation and decision-making processes within
the organization. He also provided additional information for me to develop an
enterprise-wide proposal.

The training attendees in the room were flabbergasted. Who ever heard of a
telesales rep refusing to speak with an account? The concept is simple. If you
speak with a busy prospect without their permission, you will not have their
full attention, defeating the purpose of your call. Asking permission to speak
before going on to explain the purpose of your call, will distinguish you from
typical telesales reps. Your call success ratio will begin to climb.

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Ron LaVine, MBA is president and founder of Accelerated Cold
Calling Training, Inc., a live cold calling training firm located in Oak Park, CA.
You can receive a complimentary special report “How to Measure your Cold
Calling Effectiveness” AND the free bimonthly Sales Tips for Selling Success
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compilation is © 2012 by Accelerated Cold Calling Training, Inc. All rights
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