BUSINESS Anatomy of a Successful Salesperson in mind when recruiting and look for this type of experience and comfort level if cold calling is a primary requirement of your plan. This is an area where technicians who are disguised as salespeople usually have the most difficulty. Why? It’s oſten because, although they may be very capable technicians, they are simply not extroverts, and their DNA doesn’t include the natural drive to meet people. It’s generally easier to make a cold call when you have an introduction or can refer to a customer you’ve just met with, or already have a customer nearby. When cold calling, be prepared and appreciate that most don’t know you, did not expect you and really have no interest in talking with you (and this was pre-COVID). Cold calling requires a personality that is able to accept high rates of rejec- tion and indifference! Did your mom have to bribe the other kids just to get them to play with you? Were you always the last picked for a team? But even the nastiest gatekeeper can provide some information! On your cold calls, set a minimum expectation of acquiring a name and number, and maybe the email address of a contact that you need. In some instances, the gatekeeper will actually call the contact to see if they have time to meet with you. Ob- viously, you can build upon this if you’re fortunate enough to actually meet with someone. When entering premises, ask simple, straightforward ques- tions; most people like to help. Ask (literally) if they can help you, as you’re trying to find out who oversees whatever you 20 KEYNOTES JANUARY 2021 sell. Tell the gatekeeper that you would like to follow up, intro- duce yourself and company. Hint: If you don’t carry a bunch of brochures, you won’t be mistaken for a salesperson. Although this may sound silly, some folks are trained to automatically repulse salespeople by invoking the dreaded, armor-piercing “no soliciting here” defense mechanism. Your odds are better if you can engage in a brief, ice-breaking chat with a gatekeeper before they know why you’re there. Be observant and aware of your surroundings. Notice and admire the office holiday decorations or whatever else may help lower the Death Star’s force field. If you get a contact, you can always follow up later with an electronic version of your “pro- paganda,” which many prefer anyway. You can also mention that you were next door/nearby with a customer and wanted to share how you have helped that person or company. Who knows? They may even know each other. In a prior life of consumer products, it was my pleasure to work with Obi-Wan-Kenobi (ok, so his name was Irv), who I suspect, to this day, may have been a Jedi master. He seemed to be able to harness The Force, to get receptionists and gate- keeper strangers to nearly love him. He was able to turn cold calling into an art form and, as you can imagine, was extremely successful. No, he never mentioned knowing Yoda! I’m sure I would remember that. There are some businesses that you simply cannot just walk into, even prior to COVID. This also applies to certain posi- WWW.ALOA.ORG
