Sales, that’s the first order of business; I’ve commanded myself since the day I open the door. This is a fact that I’ve learnt early in business world, doesn’t matter what kind of business you have – sales will keep its going; sales will decide all and end all: The greatest invention since cupcakes, and coming from my 5 years old daughter, that miracle of human creation will bring peace to the middle east – cupcakes.
How do you make sales you ask? well…simple enough, two eggs, 3 pounds of baking soda, 4L of milk, mix it in a bowl, place it in an oven, and then sit by the telephone and wait…I know you’re anxious, just be patience. Wait…O.k by this time a golden egg: sales, should be under your seat. If you were to pick it up it may smell funny, yes. Congratulations! you now have successfully made it through Super High Intensity Training: Sales. If for some reason the golden egg is not there, you must have done it wrong, repeat step 1 to 3.
If you still keep on reading after that comic relief, then I did my job reasonable o.k, as a writer, between a sheep and a donkey. Anyway let’s get back to topic, sales, how do I make sales. First of all, my first target is do my research in the area that I intended to serve. So in my case it’s North York. Then I look at the companies in the area: the vertical and horizontal markets; the type of trades and professions. The next logical step would be to initiate contacts, but hold on your horse, I’ve learnt form the best mentor, for the shake of privacy I will call him SB (SB if you happen to read this you rock man), he taught me one basic sales skill: Don’t Spray and Pray. In a nutshell, don’t call just for the shake of calling because the first impress is the last impression, like the girl in SI cover magazines staring at me right now as I wrote this. With her pink lips, red long curvy hair down to her shoulder, sitting on a beach in her bikini that seem to hug perfectly around her well-trimmed body: the body of a goddess, calling “paul…come to me…paul.”
Way off topic, sorry, male hormones, the magazine is in the trash. Sales, yes, so I researched the company, I picked a large food manufacture in Shepard and Arrow rd., after spending about 5 minutes learning what the company does, I then looking and poking around to see who owns the place. Started with Linkedin, then twitter, some facebook, and other tools of the trade that I’ve picked up over the years. I found the President. I then rehearse what to say for a minute, then place that call.
A minute into our phone call I got shot down. Took few minutes to learn about our conversation, I typed that into my CRM system, set a reminder for myself to follow-up in 6 months, and move on to the next business. That’s how I do cold call. How successful am I at it? The rules of 80/20 works out for me so far. That means 80 percent of the time I got NO, yes, it’s a huge number, and yes, that is why sales people are so special. God created sales people for a reason. We, I, think, we are humble creatures and can take rejection better than most. And I do that 90% of my day. If anyone read this and have a better way of doing sales call, I’m all ears, and for sure its not that of sheep or donkey.
Next week post will be about the many tragic, triumphs, and funny of cold call in my new role. Some of them are just roll the floor crying. Like calling on an owner of a garment factory to find out he just had a heart attack an hour earlier, while taking a call from of his only customer – wow. What do you say to that?
Thank you for reading, may the light of your deity shine upon you throughout the day. I’ll now getting back to my 8th rejections.
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