Three years of cold calling before I figured out the trick

I spent almost 3 years making cold calls to small businesses in Austin, and my close rate was stuck at maybe 2%. Last month I finally asked one of the guys who said no what I was doing wrong. He told me I was pitching features instead of asking about their biggest headache first thing. Has anyone else found that just asking one good question at the start opens way more doors?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake9869d ago

That bit about asking what their biggest headache is first really hits home. I used to do appliance repairs and wasted tons of time explaining my methods until I just started asking "what's the main thing bugging you about your current setup?" first.

ellis.leo8d ago

My dad used to sell used cars back in the 70s and he had a similar trick. He'd ask people what they hated about their old car before he ever showed them anything on the lot. Saved him from wasting time on features nobody cared about.

the_lee8d ago

That reminds me of a buddy who does HVAC work. He told me he used to walk into a house and start rattling off all the specs on a new unit before the homeowner even had a chance to say anything. One day, an old timer gave him some advice, just like you got with appliance repairs. He started asking people flat out "what's driving you crazy about your current system?" and it turned everything around for him. Turns out most folks just want to know if you can fix the noise or cut their bill, nothing else matters to them.