Latest / Sell Well: Helping Agencies Close More Deals and Grow Revenue / Becoming Friends with Larry: How to Turn a Cold, Hostile Prospect Into a Long Term Client

Transcript

Becoming Friends with Larry: How to Turn a Cold, Hostile Prospect Into a Long Term Client · Sell Well: Helping Agencies Close More Deals and Grow Revenue

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing Larry said to me when he logged on was, I don't know what this is.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember scheduling this call, and I don't have any budget.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, perfect.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to talk about cold calls.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think they get a really bad reputation.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that reputation is costing a lot of you real money.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing: if you've built your business on mostly referrals, which a lot of us have, you're used to a very specific kind of call.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Someone gets on and they're already warm.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: They already like you a little bit because Britney said that you were amazing and they're leaning in before you've said a word.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: And that feels really good.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it can make you believe that that's the only way a sales call should feel.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: So when you get on a sales call and someone comes in hot, skeptical, or just completely checked out, it can feel like a wall and like there's nowhere to go.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: But that's why I want to tell you about Larry.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Larry came in through a cold email.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: He had actually signed up for a call, he just didn't remember doing it.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And when he logged in, he was not warm.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: He was not leaning in, he had never heard of Britney, and a friend hadn't told him to call me.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: He said, I don't know what this is, I don't remember scheduling this, and I don't have any budget.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people would have folded right there, apologized, wrapped it up, moved on.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I get it, it feels like a closed door.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: But I didn't see a closed door.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: I saw someone who showed up, and that's actually half the battle.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of going into my pitch, instead of trying to defend why we were on this call or convince him of anything, I just said, hey, I'm totally fine if all we do today is get to know each other.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to try to sell you anything.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not that kind of salesperson.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I made some joke about not trying to sell him the trim kit on the card too.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: I just said, honestly, your business sounds really interesting and I'd love to hear the story of how all of this came to be.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And he told me.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it was really interesting.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And somewhere in the conversation, he relaxed.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then he said, I'm curious, what do you actually think of my website?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when I said, you know, I do offer a quick website audit where I'll record a short video walking you through exactly what I do to change everything and how I think I could increase your conversions.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's by as much as 30%, just from some small tweaks.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, You do that for free?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's so generous.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And just like that, we were buddies.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to be clear about something.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: The audit I'm talking about is different from a full strategy session.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: This was a quick five-minute loom video.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: I pulled up the website, I pointed out a few specific things, add a button here, changed the messaging there, and sent it over.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: It didn't take long, but it showed him that I was actually looking, that I actually cared.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I referenced some things in our call and said something like, I know that you chose red for this because you told me this story about how your daughter wanted the color this way.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I referenced things that made him know that I was listening.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I ended that call without pitching him on anything.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: No pricing, no process walkthrough, nothing.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I just listened to his story.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: I told him very briefly about what I do, just like we were at a cocktail party, and promised him the video and let him go.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then I recorded the loom.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the video, once I walked him through everything, I went into my pitch.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I explained to him how we could help him, how our team was structured, and exactly what the process would look like to work together.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: The difference between pitching him on that loom and pitching him in the room when we first met and he was already feeling defensive is that he had asked for some of this.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: He had said, Hey, what would you do if you were me?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I was answering the question instead of just trying to make the most of the sales call that I was on.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: He actually emailed me back right from that loom video and said, Hey, I really like you.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciated this.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: I totally get where you're coming from.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let's move forward.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: That cold, hostile, I don't have any budget call turned into a$10,000 website and a long-term retainer.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: He became one of our happiest clients ever.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: So let me break down for you what actually happened there because I think there are some really clear things you can take away from the story and apply the next time you get a Larry.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number one, don't get discouraged.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: When somebody comes in cold or aggressive, it's not a no, it's just a starting point.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Larry literally said he had no budget and didn't know why he was there.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And he ended up being one of our best clients and biggest fans.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: He has sent us so many referrals.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: The call isn't over until it's over.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Tip two, don't let them see you sweat.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Put your game face on.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: When someone comes in hot, the worst thing you can do is match their energy or shrink.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Stay calm, stay warm, stay confident.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: You set the tone for the call.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Which brings me to tip number three.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Own the call.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: They showed up.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: That matters.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: So take the wheel.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to follow their lead just because they came in skeptical.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay to gently redirect and say, hey, let's just start here and get to know each other.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: You're allowed to be in the driver's seat.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Tip number four, don't be pushy.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: This is the one I think people get backwards.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: They think that selling means convincing.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: But some of the best sales calls I've ever had, I didn't pitch on the call.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: I just got to know them.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: I followed up with something that showed I actually paid attention and actually cared.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: The sale came from the follow-up, not from the initial call.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Cold calls can actually lead to a higher close rate than your referrals when you know how to work them.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Referrals come in warm, but they also come in with expectations already set by whoever sent them.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: And people talk about pricing, by the way.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're trying to do a price increase, pitching cold is a way better way to go.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Cold clients, when you win them over, they're yours.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: They choose you based on you.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that makes them some of the most loyal long-term relationships that you can have in your business.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, you've just opened up a whole new door of referrals when you're able to close them.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: So the next time someone logs on and they say, I don't know what this is, don't hang up.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Just say, that's okay.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let's just get to know each other.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you might be talking to your next Larry.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to talk through how to handle cold outreach or how to build a follow up process that actually converts, book a call with me at susyconsoli.com.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to help.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, sell well.