Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Nobody seems to remember who first coined the term elevator pitch, or elevator speech, but I know it’s been around a long time, and I am often asked to help design such speeches for clients.

An elevator pitch is a short presentation that you could deliver to someone in an elevator as it travels from top to bottom, or vice versa. It must be compelling as well as descriptive. It should contain such punch that the other person would love to buy from you. Of course, you can present such a speech in places other than an elevator!

When cold calling in person, it is a good idea to have your pitch ready. When the buyer meets you in the reception area, deliver the elevator pitch with enthusiasm, and he or she is much more likely to agree to allocate time to you. On the phone, you can use this method to obtain an appointment. You may even want to use it in a sales letter where you introduce your company to the prospect.

For those who work trade shows, have your elevator speech ready for people as they approach your booth.

I use my elevator pitch as a networking tool, and I deliver it by way of an introduction of myself and my companies.

The Main Components of the Pitch

An elevator speech should meet the following criteria:

• Keep it brief - long enough to convince, but short enough to hold the other person’s attention.

• Be articulate - use the right tone and speed so that you don’t rush the message.

• Make it sincere - the buyer must feel that you’re a credible source (which of course you are).

• Be enthusiastic. Use appropriate excitement when telling your story. Buyers take their leads from salespeople. Enthusiasm is infectious, and if you are not enthusiastic about your products/services or your company, change jobs!

Your elevator speech should answer these questions: Who are we? What do we do? To whom do we sell? What makes us unique? How do we bring value to our customers?

Do remember that knowing what you want to say and rehearsing it will make this sound natural. This may be the first time the buyer has heard it - but you don’t want it to be the first time you deliver it.

Used effectively, the elevator pitch can be a good salesperson’s foot in the door. Once you get your break, it’s up to you to finish the deal.

Today’s News: I recently completed a couple of interviews with one of my favourite article community sites, Eyes On Sales, and you can listen to the first one by simply clicking on the banner below:

I am often asked if the Top Sales Experts team collaborate much on joint projects - the answer is a resounding YES WE DO. Obviously, if you are going to expose your clients to another consultant, there has to be a very high level of trust, but this week was a typical situation: One of my favourite clients has a small team who needed some specific coaching on how to reach the decision maker via cold calling, so I immediately turned to Leslie Buterin, who is after all, one of the world’s leading gurus in this area.

Leslie delivered a two hour online coaching session. Result? They were bowled over by her and are already reaping the results of her pearls of wisdom. This is where relevant, specific mentoring comes into it’s own and proves the point that I evangelise about so often - “One size fits all” sales team development no longer works, it really has been consigned to the annals of history.

Would you hire the local handyman if you had serious structural problems with your house? I hope you would not! You can catch up with Leslie here

Finally, I tried to find you another good blogpost today, but in vain - I’ll keep searching over the w/e.

I need to thank you for your patience with delayed posts this week and also with the technical issues we experienced with The JF Journal - I have to hope that patience was rewarded.

Tomorrow: My last few days in the UK, so I am getting together with two of my children for some “bonding” - so wherever you are, have a great w/e and be sure to make it back next week - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Leslie Buterin

The best cold callers on the planet are topnotch sales professionals. Oddly enough we are also the worst.

When we sales pros first start the process of cold calling prospects, it’s not unusual for us to establish new records for scheduling meetings with decision makers—magically transforming scheduling as many as 8 appointments out of cold calls to 10 prospects. 

Then, one day, seemingly overnight, the novelty wears off. The thrill is gone. The smile and dial routine, becomes, well, routine.

Although cold call prospecting is lucrative …

You quickly tire of the repetition.

You want the meetings and deals that energize you. But the process of  ten to twenty calls per day, five days a week, leaves you bored right out of your gourd!

Did you know many people thrive on repetition and routine? More than half the population falls into that category. As you may well imagine, those folks aren’t drawn to the sales profession.

Our natural behavioral style gives us:

The confidence to do the difficult assignments

The ability to think on our feet; and to support (or oppose) strongly

The talent to bring fresh ideas for solving problems

By our very nature we:

Are optimistic, enthusiastic, and build confidence in others

Have the “gift of gab” and an ability to verbalize our feelings

Are excellent troubleshooters

With the right incentives we sales professionals are willing to take risks that can give our companies unbelievable success.

Routine. Our nemesis.

So, how do you reconcile the fact that the most successful cold calling system has to do with using the same script over and over again?

You have to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses so you can develop strategies to meet the demands or routine cold calling. You must claim victory over “the boredom-factor”.

I know that’s tough to do, nonetheless, your ability to fight the boredom is critically important to your success.

Folks like accountants and clerks who gravitate toward routine flip out as they read these suggestions. But successful sales professionals, you’ll laugh … and value these simple yet effective tips. Blast past the dreaded “boredom barrier” as you follow through with these techniques, and keep laughing all the way to the bank.

OK. Let’s shake things up a bit

Your prospect never needs to know you are doing these kooky things on the other end of the line to break the monotony of cold calling decision makers.
 

These are the tips that’ll blast you past the boredom barrier.

Get rid of your chair.

Conduct calls from squatting position—position yourself as though you are sitting on air. The physical tension of this “squat” will distract your brain from the boredom as you are challenged to sound natural to the executive assistant on the other end of the phone!

Stand with pen in hand over a calendar or stylus over your PDA—ready to schedule a meeting. The changes in your voice as you assume this position and your sense of expectation will convey to your prospect. Much like when you extend your hand in person and expect the other person to extend their hand to shake yours; your sense of readiness will convey to your prospect. 

Keep the chair. Lean back in it and put your feet up on the desk, like the big wigs in the movies.

Oxygenate - project your voice with clarity and strength.

First time I did this I got dizzy and called the doctor. He said, “No worries. Your brain isn’t used to that much oxygen! This is good for you. Keep it up.” To get as much air in as you can, put your hands on your bent knees. Lean forward into this slight squat lean, take 5 deep breaths in through your nostrils–so deep that your abdomen fills first then your lungs, and finally your chest. Then, exhale through your         mouth. This will pump you up for your calls and add strength to your voice.

Immediately follow one successful call with another.

Your sense of exhilaration and success will carry to the listener. And you’ll feel the sweet sensation of riding the crest of the wave of success!

Is boredom keeping your from your personal best with cold calls? You will blast through that barricade as you master these tips! 

Forward this article to friends—they’ll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit www.ColdCallingExecutives.com ! Or call the office of Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author, speaker, Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at  (816)554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time).

Today’s News: First up, my apologies for such a late post - we had some technical issues, and I am also with clients, so news today is brief. I can tell you that The JF Journal is definitely launching today, and it really does look great, so grab a copy!! 

Tomorrow: “How’s Your Elevator Pitch? Mine’s Pretty Good”

The JF Guest Author Spot

Wendy Weiss

If you are not speaking with a decision-maker your sales cycle will lengthen and you may run the risk of losing the opportunity altogether. “Influencers” influence. They do not decide.

Bottom line: If you are not speaking with a decision-maker, you are not speaking with a qualified prospect. Far too many sales representatives spend far too much time courting prospects who can never and will never make a decision.

One way to ensure that you are always speaking with the decision-maker is to always call the highest-level person that you believe would make the decision. That person will either be your correct prospect, or they will know who is and they can point you in the right direction.

Once you’ve got that prospect on the phone, make sure to ask the following questions. This way you will be certain that you are speaking with the decision-maker.

1.  What is your decision-making process?

2.  How have you made this decision before?

3.  What are the steps in your decision-making process?

4.  How long does it take?

5.  Who is involved in the decision-making process?

6.  Who makes the final decision?

7.  Who else will you be speaking with about this decision?

8.  After we submit our proposal/bid/quote, what happens next?

9.  How long will that take?

10. When do you expect to make a decision?

11. When would you like to begin?

Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling,” is a sales trainer, author and sales coach.

You can subscribe to her latest program Cold Calling College Live, which kicks-off on September 30th, by visiting www.wendyweiss.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. and read more about her here

Today’s News: Well, we have completed minor cosmetic makeovers to all our sites including: Top 10 Sales Articles, The JF Consultancy, Top Sales Experts and of course this blog. But by far the most exciting re-launch will be the Top Sales Experts initiative at the end of the month, when we add a whole host of new features and resources.

However, tomorrow I will be announcing a superb new addition to the resource area of The JF Consultancy.

This weekend, I completed the revision of a series of new E-books, and you can receive one FREE every single month just for subscribing to my complimentary JF Journal, which launches next week - please see the banner below.

Finally, a very good blog post for you: From Dave Brock “Why Manager’s Don’t Do People Management”

Tomorrow: Some updated thoughts about sales leadership and, as I mentioned earlier, news of a great new resource!