Cyber Sales Calls: Be The Change That You Seek

Cyber Challenge 2: Cyber Sales Call Deluge ! !

We all need an effective Cyber Solution toolbox, appropriately stocked with the exact technological innovation that you need at just the right time. This requires a network of good supplier relationships and a system. In an average week for many of us we may receive a dozen or more cold email approaches and possibly even more phone calls and InMail approaches.

Back in 2017 I started to be inundated with sales calls, InMails and emails from prospective vendors all wanting to sell me their latest innovation and, in common with colleagues, I simply didn't have the time to take all those calls and to do any of them justice. I recall watching one colleague's irritation at getting inundated with 3 sales calls in succession without a break. We are all pushed for time but still need to deliver our day job whilst building the right relationships with the right suppliers so we can succeed, so something has to change!

Paul Jobbins, who was my manager for a number of years, used to say 'good leaders are good with other people's time'. Sadly, Paul passed away a few years ago but his words and many of his better lessons stay with me including being direct when you can, in order to save time in the long run.

I found myself looking at my supplier relationships and my diary, deciding that if I wanted to make things better that I needed to become the change I was seeking by changing how I interacted with suppliers.

The system I developed, improving over several iterations, was very simple:

1. Set expectations with technology salespeople by communicating clearly and honestly.
2. Limit the window for cold calls to a specific ring-fenced time slot in my diary - for example you could allocate one hour once a week say Friday from 4pm to 5pm.
3. Counterintuitively, do respond to sales calls when convenient with a stock reply ('drop me a line to my work email address so we can line up a screening call') and do respond to cold sales emails with a boiler plate being clear on how you want to engage.
4. Send out a carefully crafted email to salespeople that states the rules of engagement for the emails of interest - please feel free to adapt the email below.
5. Keep each screening call under 5 minutes and only speak to those who call back if they get the busy signal.
6. Make sure you get answers to all 3 questions below, especially question 2. If the answer to that question isn't something in your gift, say so and conclude the call.
7. From your screening call select suppliers to spend time with, but only where there is budget and need to engage. Either be direct and agree a slot or say 'no thankyou' on the phone.
8. Establish slots on the phone with the caller during the screening call if you wish to proceed.
9. Keep records of your screening calls and follow on meetings with vendors and share the outcomes with your colleagues and your commercial team for their supplier database.

Many suppliers over the last few years have said (a few in email) that they appreciate the direct response and that they like the approach, including those to whom I have said ‘no’ to a further meeting. Additionally, a couple of suppliers have refreshed contact with me after a job move and came to the call fully prepared. The approach sticks with suppliers and they seem to like it. I like it because it enables me to show respect to the individual on the other end of the phone by treating them equally and allows us both to be good with each other's time.

Below is the boiler plate email that I have saved under an AutoText entry so I can

1. Click Reply
2. Type one word
3. Press F3, and then
4. Click Send

All in under 5 seconds.

It takes very little time to adopt this system and it saves a lot of time in both the short and longer term - I hope you'll join me.

Sample Email

Thanks for your enquiry.

You can appreciate that I get a high volume of sales enquiries, but I still need to build and maintain good relationships with the right suppliers whilst still delivering my day job.

In order to screen all these asks, I set aside an hour each week to screen sales calls from suppliers and potential suppliers. Please feel free to call me any Friday between 4pm and 5pm on [add mobile number]. 

There are no pre-booked appointments, time is limited to 5 minutes and is strictly on a first come first served basis where every supplier has an equal chance of getting through. If you get my voicemail, wait a few minutes and call again.

And…be prepared to answer the following questions:

1. What does your product or service uniquely do, that no other product or service does?
2. What do you specifically need from me?
3. Who else are you talking with at my company?

I use these screening calls to decide whether to allocate a more formal slot in my diary so that we’re good with each other’s time.

[insert signature block with your contact details]

Want to know more?

Here are some links to my other articles about #PeopleCentredCyber:

 1.Cyber Challenge 1:Email Deluge - Email: Be The Change That You Seek

2.Cyber Challenge 2 : Sales Calls Deluge – Sales Calls - Be The Change That You Seek

3.Cyber Challenge 3 : Speaking of Cyber... – Cyber Talk: Be The Change That You Seek

and...

4.Coming soon…Cyber Challenge 4 : Doing The Right Thing – The Cybercratic Oath - Be The Change That You Seek

5.Coming soon:...Cyber Challenge 5 : Team Creation-Build The Team You Need - Be The Change That You Seek