How can you position yourself as a trusted advisor and problem solver?

Sounds obvious but I still receive cold calls about stuff that has nothing to do with me ?? Know your ICP. Target only your ICP. Don't waste your own time. How can you be a problem solver and a trusted advisor if you don't even know your audience?

One way to position yourself as knowledgeable is to understand not just your audience, but the industry you are targeting as a whole. Talking about common pain points within a sector (and more importantly, how your offering can help solve them) will help you stand out from many of the generic (and scripted sounding) calls that decision makers receive.

Problems get attention. Your product or service kills attention. Show up like the lead story trailer for the 8 p.m. news. Create an itch. Join that secret conversation in their head that they've shared with nobody else. Land the hypothesis you have about how they are getting the job done today, and then lean back and give them the freedom to pick the fork in the road: Fork 1: I want to know more. Let's continue. Fork 2: Nah, I'm all good. And don't fight it. If they aren't emotionally curious, move on. A Fast No is worth celebrating. 7.8 Billion people on the planet - more than you can ever call - so you don't need every call to go your way. Next.

Best salesman Never try to Sell. They just ask meaningful questions and let prospect tell them they are having problems. Maybe the path to be seen as a problem solver and being trusted by prospects is not to sound like you are making them take a decision.

Connaitre son ICP (ideal customer profil) c'est à dire le type d'entreprise qu'on cible. Exemple : des sociétés de moins de 200 salariés, dans l'aéronautique, dans la région de Paris. Puis, son Buyer Persona, c'eest à dire le(s) poste(s) des décisionnaires qui sont susceptibels d'acheter votre produit/service. Exemple : DRH, DAF, CEO etc.

Words Matter. But Not As Much As You Think. Everyone focuses so much on the words in a script or framework, but only account for about 7% of how your communication lands to prospects head and heart. The other 93% is often ignored because it's not as 'sexy' as a flavor-of-the-month pattern interrupt. > Tonality and Body Language matters way more. Both are way more powerful than the words you use. Ignore those sales savages from yesteryear who claim you need to show up enthusiastic. Don't. Showing up like you hosed 18 pixie sticks is like spraying prospect repellant. Show up more like a Ted Talk speaker—calm, confident, but not needy. Leave the 'inner' cross-fit instructor at the gym.

Clarifying your objective is essential, but equally important is ensuring your prospect understands it. Don't assume they know you're calling to schedule a meeting; they might think you're attempting an on-the-spot sale. Being transparent with both yourself and your prospect fosters confidence in you and builds trust from them. Clearly communicate your intentions to align expectations and set the stage for a more successful interaction.

I think you have 2 objectives: 1 - qualify the prospect. As much as you want to get everyone to book a meeting, timing simply isn't right with everyone. If they don't have a clear pain, you need to validate that this opportunity to solve the pain is big enough 2 - Set the meeting. Not sign them up for a trial, or purchase your product. You're trying to spark some curiosity so they can give you 20-30 mins of undivided attention.

My cold calling begins before I pick up the phone. In fact, before I step foot out of bed. I am huge on visualization and before stepping out of bed, I visualize my future cold calling session for the day. I see myself connecting with people on the other end of the phone. I see myself closing smoothly or getting lots of appointments etc. And when talking to prospects, I have found 2 magic words that kicks off a truly properous interaction: "Imagine this..." then I continue to paint a detailed picture describing their pain points in a story line. Gosh, this works quite often for me. Inviting them to use the imagination is almost stepping into the goal of the call itself and right on into a sale! Wonderful!!

Give people a way out. Permission to Say No. Not as a tactic, but because it's your job to let them know upfront that you can help some people but not everyone. Using explicit phraseology to let people you know that it's okay to say 'no' - this subconsciously positions you with more status and creates buyer safety. Examples: "Do any of those problems sound familiar or have I completely missed the mark?" "I'm not even sure you qualify yet." "Is that something you'd like to discuss or not really" "Would you be offended if I told you I can't help you" "By the way, at any point, if this isn't sticking, just let me know and we'll stop. - it happens, and its okay. Are you okay doing that?"

Developing rapport is *not* done by being fake-friendly, or by trying to “personalize” a cold call with fluff about their sports team or the weather. This comes off as facetious and deceitful; as if your intention was to “butter up” the prospect first, and then pitch them later. Instead, rapport is built by being credible, respectful of their time, and aligned with their goals. Incorporate their responses into your conversation and have a dialogue rather than steamrolling them with a pitch. Speak to colleagues and gain familiarity with their company, research news and product launches, and show interest in how their personal role impacts the bigger picture for that business. Be relevant, curious, and patient with them. Rapport will follow!

People still buy from people regardless of what the LI influencer said! Building rapport is a great way to create trust and my favourite technique is to be super relaxed and talk to the prospect informally. Even ask how they've been, imagine that! Don't overthink it, be human!

Trust and confidence is more important than rapport when cold calling. The truth is, you only have 15 seconds to capture their attention and remove the barriers. It's a given that you want to mirror their tone, their pace. I recommend adding a bit of 'light' humor. IE if someone says "Hey you got me during lunch bad time", respond with "Oh got it, what are you munching on". Be the one that your prospect remembers.

People do like to talk, a useful prompt can often be as simple as 'I'd love to hear more about that'. However make sure you sound genuine. If someone sincerely says 'I'd love to hear more about that' it's not often the response will be sorry no I don't want to tell you more... If they do say that they don't have time to go into more detail, that's fair enough. Use that as the opportunity to ask when would be a good time.

Asking questions that result in either a simple yes or no can be the end of your cold call. If you ask a problem about pain and they say "no", it's very hard to come back from that. Questions could be: How do you go about x y z? When's the last time you audited your x y z process? How do measure success with z y z? What are some of your priorities with x y z? What are the biggest challenges with x y z?

Lead with the problems your prospects face. When you use their language and you mirror how they feel, that's your rapport and authority built. Don't reinvent the wheel. Do the basics well, and consistently.

Remember that you need to be an industry expert and add value to the prospect. No one wants another sales person aggressively selling without listening to what they are saying. A consultative approach is always the best.

Taking a neutral and unbiased approach is one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate credibility. You can do this with your language, your tone and your mindset. Being detached from selling and focusing on FINDING problems, as well as solving them makes you look like a true expert and authority, while everyone else looks desperate to sell thier wares.

The role of trusted advisor is, or at least should be, the objective of any consultant. But you only get there by being invested in getting to know your clients. What are their worries, their struggles, their obstacles and pain points? Then, you help them see what is beyond those struggles, what lies at the next peak for their business. Finally, you help them identify a path from where they are now,vto where they want to be. Small steps, laying out a path of their own design that gets them there. Consulting isn't about having all the answers, it's about helping your client see the answers they already have, guiding them, being the sounding board. If you can do that, they'll call you for everything, including your area of expertise.

Soft CTAs are king! Once upon a time, we were trained to push for the sale, that no longer works. ? Do you think it would be beneficial if we set some time aside for a deeper dive? ?? Do you have 30 minutes on the 13th or 17th?

It's ok to be relaxed with a CTA from time to time - something like 'Worth a longer chat another day when you have some more time?'. Helps it to not come across too pushy, and that you're respectful of their time in that moment given you did call them out of the blue!

Only sell to people who have a need or could have a need for your product or service. The easiest way to lose trust is to be a pushy salesperson selling to people who have no need

The main thing is to just be confident, clear and concise. Leave the window and doors sales techniques behind. Help your prospects, be insightful and become a problem solver!