Where does planning cross over from productive into call avoidance? What one of the 1st sales trainers I ever had called “getting ready to get ready.”
Here is a great rule of thumb to use.
If the activity you are doing could be compared to separating a bowl of jellybeans into piles of individual colors – you’ve crossed over into call avoidance.
Valid Research includes pieces of information that you will actually use in the conversation you MIGHT have when you dial the phone (might… because there is a high % chance what you’ll actually do is leave a voicemail message). The information you gather may also be the key to the voicemail you leave.
Now I wish I had come up with what Vorsight has coined 3×3, but I didn’t – they did. It is such a great idea that I want to share it with you “Try to find 3 key points of research that you will actually use on the phone. We call this 3×3 research – 3 points in 3 minutes.”
As important as doing this research is keeping track of it to use the NEXT time you call that company and/or person. If we have a running list, and quickly find 3 new pieces of information before each call – soon you can become an expert on their company and the people you are building relationships with.
It is key to create a picture that both you and your prospect are in together. Using “money language” that is in their annual report, knowing current news (good & bad), understanding what they think are their areas of expertise by reading their LinkedIn summary, and all the other pieces of information you can gather in a few short minutes will bring the picture into focus.
Call Avoidance is any activity that you are using to justify NOT dialing the phone and speaking with someone.
The most common inside sales call scenarios don’t require read the prospect’s entire annual report, ever news article going back 7 years, searching LinkedIn for every person who works in the department affected by the product/service you offer.
At times salespeople fool themselves about being prepared, because the truth is that they don’t want to make the call. Perhaps the guy was mean last time he answered, there is fear around talking about money and that is the next thing to discuss, or a never ending litany that, in my experience, is as individual as the mix in that bowl of jellybeans.
If you catch yourself avoiding making calls, figure out what is causing it; either on your own, with a mentor/coach/manager/cube-mate. Once you know the what create a plan to get over, around, or through the obstacle. Call avoidance will kill your chance at success (come to think of it, so will NOT doing any research).
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