Handling objections through understanding

Brian LaManna says the biggest mistake new SDRs make is handling objections right away. His approach is understanding objections using "discovery reverses." He learned this technique, which helped him get promoted from SDR to AE in under 10 months.

When prospects give common objections, use these responses to learn more:

1. "We're on a budget freeze."

Response: “So sorry to hear. Is the company not investing in any new tech?”

2. "We are super busy this time of year. Can you try us in 3 months?"

Response: “Totally hear you there. What makes it the busiest time of the year for you all?”

3. "Can you send me an email with more info first?"

Response: “Absolutely. I’d love to! Anything you’d want to see in that email?”

4. "We already have a solution in place for that today."

Response: “Oh, I’m SO glad to hear you are investing in the space already! Are you comfortable sharing who you are leveraging?”

Brian suggests it's better to understand objections than to handle them right away. This leads to higher conversion rates.

Advice after 17 years of cold calling

Tom Slocum shares his journey of making cold calls. Seventeen years ago, his first cold call was terrifying. He spoke too fast, was shy, and often stumbled, taking three months to find his footing.

Despite the challenges, he persisted and learned from each rejection. Now, after 17 years and 500,000 cold calls, he approaches calls with calm and preparation, confidence and clarity, and persistence and positivity.

Tom’s advice:

1. Practice: Keep making calls; you’ll improve with time.

2. Persistence: Show up every day with determination.

3. Preparation: Have a strong opening line ready before you call.

Success comes from commitment and learning from every call. Cold calling is tough, but with the right mindset, you can master it.

Key stats on cold calling

Abe Braha explains why your business isn't getting clients through cold calling:

• It takes an average of 8 attempts to reach a prospect.

• 85% of prospects are unhappy with their phone experience.

Most businesses give up after 3 calls, which lowers their chances of success. Despite these stats, 92% of customer interactions happen on the phone. If you're not calling, you're missing out on 92% of potential interactions.

Abe suggests training your salespeople to perform like the top 1% to improve success and make more money.

Don’t be a jerk

Paul Castain shares his "secret" to taking immediate control of a cold call without being a jerk. He emphasizes that the person asking questions controls the dialogue.

Here’s his step-by-step method:

1. Greet the prospect

Start with a friendly greeting. Example: “Hi Mary, it’s Paul from Castain Training Systems.”

2. Frame the question

Mention something relevant from your research. Example: “Quick question, I noticed that...”

3. Ask a question

Follow up with a question related to your observation. Example: “I noticed that you’re hiring a bunch of sales reps and was curious as to how you typically onboard them?”

This approach is disarming because it deviates from the typical cold call script, avoiding an immediate pitch or meeting request. Instead, it engages the prospect in conversation quickly.