2. WHERE DO WE START?WHERE DO WE START?WHERE DO WE START?WHERE DO WE START?
Before cold calling, do your research on
the company and, if known, the contact
person that you are calling on.
Would you rather be known as an Expert in your
Industry or as a Salesman? Who do you think gets more
meetings? Who do you think gets more returned voicemails/emails?
With it being so easy to do research on almost every prospect, why would you want to sound
like “just another salesman” by asking “so, what do you do here?”
By taking the extra time to do research, during your first meeting with a new prospect, you can
ask relevant questions like, “I saw that you are going to expand the plant and double your size,
what do you think is your company’s top attribute that led to that success”, or, “I saw that you
are introducing a new product line, will this plant be a part of the new product?” It is
questions like these that will start to give your prospect the comfort that he is meeting with an
expert instead of “another salesman.”
Basic Research Methods:
1) Google
a) Recent expansions or contractions
b) Growth in Recent years
i) Why?
c) Google Earth can sometimes, not always, help you see the size of the building to help
determine if they have cranes by the size of the building
2) Web Page
a) What are they most proud of?
b) What is their top selling product?
c) Locations – do we have Branches that line up with theirs geographically?
d) Press Releases – what corporate is looking at?
3) Contact Person
a) Utilize LinkedIn to see if you share some of the same contacts
i) If so, ask the mutual friend for an introduction
b) Google their name
3. COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…
Be prepared to have a
conversation BUT, the
odds are greater that
you will be leaving a
message. If so, YOU
HAVE TO CREATE A
REASON FOR THEM TO
CALL YOU BACK.
Having a prepared (not canned or memorized) voicemail will pay you
back and get more returned phone calls. So, where do you draw the line
between canned and “off the cuff?”
A good place to start is our company’s value proposition. Being able to
explain your company’s value proposition in your own words and style,
whether it is via voicemail or during a “what do you do” elevator speech
is a good start to being viewed as an expert in your industry.
Why? Because it creates interest and can help bring your prospect into
the conversation. If we simply say, “we work on cranes” it is easy for a
prospect to say, “no thanks, I already have someone that does that.”
However, if we say, “we manage your assets so you can manage your
business,” all of the sudden they are interested and they might say, “I
AM busy, BUT how exactly do you help.”
YOUR VOICEMAIL MIGHT SOUND SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
“This is ______ ________ with _________ and we help our customers
manage their Overhead Crane and Hoist assets so that they can manage
their business. We offer a one-on-one consultation to new customers to
determine what we can accomplish to reduce their crane downtime and
provide them with a return on their investment. If this is something that
interests you, you can call me back at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, again that’s
(XXX) XXX-XXXX. Have a great day.”
Never forget that the message you are delivering is about how you can
HELP THEM.
Your voicemail should NOT sound memorized and it should incorporate
your own personal style. If the voicemail sounds “canned” your chances
of a return call diminish rapidly…even if you create interest. Be warm
and personable.
QUICK TIPS FOR VOICEMAILS:
• Repeat your phone number
twice. If the person can’t
quickly write your number
down, you’ve given them a
perfect reason to not call
back. Once slowly, then
repeat faster
• Avoid asking the person to
call you back at a certain
time. This provides them
with an excuse not to call
you.
• Unless your plan is to call
back within 48 hours, avoid
telling the person you will
call back. Again, this only
gives the person an excuse to
ignore your message.
• Messages left on a Friday
afternoon are the least likely
to be returned.
• The best hours to leave
voicemail messages are from
6:45 AM to 8:00 AM and
from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
Aggressive people are
usually working during these
time periods, and the person
receiving your message could
potentially view you as one.
• Voicemail messages are an
excellent way to introduce
yourself to a person. Be
personable, yet professional,
and link your message to
something of interest to the
person you are calling (such
as another person or event).
• BE GOOD, BE BRIEF, AND BE
GONE. Voicemails are not
story-time. Optimal
voicemail length is 15-30
seconds long.
• Mention the person’s first
name at least twice in the
message. Depending on the
level or geographic area, last
names may be more
appropriate.
4. COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…COLD CALLING…
Having a good attitude and high intent when going to
market, and cold calling, is key. Your intent should
not be to sell something…but to find and solve
problems.
Your intent matters. When you walk into an office, whether
you first talk with the gatekeeper or your main contact, your intent determines their intent. If
your intent is to help them discover and solve big problems then you’ll immediately have
rapport.
Again, this isn’t about you…it is about the prospect and how you can help them!
Let’s start with the Gatekeeper:
• What NOT to say – “I am from __________ and I would like to know who I talk to about
your Overhead Crane Inspections and Services.”
o Why? – BECAUSE IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU…I am from – I would like – who I talk to
• What to say – “Good morning, can you help me?” or “Good morning, you look just like
the person that can help.”
o Why? – Because people like to help.
• “Could you please tell me who is in charge of your Overhead Crane Maintenance? Some
of the people that we usually talk to about this are: Maintenance Managers, Safety
Managers, Facilities Managers…”
• Once you have a name – “do you have just a minute to see if he/she is available for a
quick introduction?”
• If you get an introduction, refer back to our Value Statement, “we manage your assets
so you can manage your business.”
o When you meet with them, introduce yourself and ask to “get on their calendar”
so that you can come back to discuss how we help our customers.
If the Gatekeeper is not helpful or doesn’t give out names, try going through
shipping/receiving and asking the same questions. It helps to have an envelope with material
in it like you have something to be delivered.
5. INITIAL MEETING…INITIAL MEETING…INITIAL MEETING…INITIAL MEETING…
The initial meeting is a great time to learn
about your prospects business. Asking
good, open-
ended, questions
is key to
discovering ways
that we can line-up their goals with our
services…partners.
Without asking the dreaded “what do you do here” question,
a simple way to discover what is important to their business is
by asking, “can you tell me about your business?” Or, here
are some other questions:
• What differentiates you from your competitors?
• What are some of the biggest challenges that you face?
o …that you face when growing your business?
o How do these challenges affect you?
Note: it is VERY important to write down their answers!
Once you discover what is important to your prospect you can
start to uncover where they want to take their business in the
future. This will help you “paint the picture” in the next
meeting of how our services can help them achieve those
goals. Here are some examples of the questions you might
ask:
• What are the top 3 goals of your company this year or next year?
• What are your company’s safety objectives/goals?
• Concerning your Overhead Cranes, what would you like to
change that would have the largest impact on your business?
QUICK TIPS FOR BUILDING
RAPPORT:
• Be genuine. Be yourself. Don’t
try to be anything you are not,
create a new persona, or
adopt a “sales-like” tone.
Relax, smile, and go in with a
positive attitude. Good things
will follow. As Oscar Wilde
said, "Be yourself; everyone
else is already taken."
• Show interest. The more
genuinely interested you
appear the more relaxed and
willing to share they’re likely
to be.
• Read the culture. Always be
yourself but, at the same time,
you can adjust your approach
to the other person and
company. Don’t change who
you are to fit the culture, but
be aware of how the culture
works and how it best
responds.
• Just ask.
o How long have you been
with the company? Where
before that?
o (Look around) That is a
great picture of ____, is that
a hobby of yours?
o How was your weekend?
Anything interesting?
6. Now is your chance to get a feel for how they are currently managing their cranes. However,
you just want to scratch the surface and leave room for the second meeting. You might ask:
• Are you currently having inspections performed?
• Who is your current service provider?
• If you could improve one thing about your current provider, what would it be?
Now, secure a second meeting while he/she has their calendar in front of them. This locks
them in and gives you a deadline to have their information prepared.
SECOND MEETING…SECOND MEETING…SECOND MEETING…SECOND MEETING…
You have done your research, made it past
the gatekeeper, got the initial meeting,
discovered what is important to your
prospect. Now it’s time to bring it all
together and help them understand the
added value that we bring to their company.
Even if it has only been 1-2 weeks since your last meeting, it is always good to recap some of
the highlights that were discussed during the initial meeting. This helps them remember what
their goals and roadblocks are and it also gives them a chance to either clarify or correct any
statements that might have been misunderstood. Your recap may sound something like this:
• We discussed your goals for the future and they are…
• We discussed your roadblocks to those goals and they are…
• We discussed what you would like to see or improve upon in your crane service provider and they are…
Now is a good time to ask questions that are more specific to Overhead Cranes because you
have reminded them of what is important and now they understand that these next questions
are to help you better understand how we can help them achieve their goals via their Cranes.
Service supplier needs:
• How vital are your cranes to your production?
• Do you know your cost of downtime? (downtime tool)
• Which are your most critical or “problem child” crane(s)?
• What is your cost of downtime if that/those crane(s) go down?
7. • What is your threshold for “too much downtime”? (1-hour / 1-day / 1-week / etc.)
• How would it affect your business if we could reduce your downtime by 50%?
• How does downtime impact you and your product?.......what do you do next (send your guy, call a
Crane Co., sourcing for parts, etc.)?
Value Added Inspections:
• How do you receive your Inspection Reports?
• Do you receive your reports in a timely manner?
• How are your reports and documents controlled?
• Do you receive your quotes on critical items/repairs in a timely manner?
Decision Makers:
• Besides you, who else is involved in the safety and reliability of your cranes?
o Safety, Maintenance Manager, Plant/Facilities Manager, General Manager, Owner, Operations
Manager, Area Manager, Purchasing, Engineering, etc.
ROI/Budget:
• Besides OSHA compliance, do you feel like your current inspections provide real value?
• How would it impact your company and those goals that we have discussed if we can reduce your
Crane maintenance year-over-year?
Once they answer a question, if you have prepared material that will help them understand
how we provide value then now is the time to go over that material. But, it should not be a
“pamphlet dump” it should be relevant material that will help them understand that we are
experts in solving problems like theirs.
After giving them a chance to ask their own questions, if you feel like they will be open to it,
now would be a great time for a plant walkthrough. During the walkthrough, ask questions
about their cranes but also about processes, a neat looking piece of equipment, etc. People
like to talk about their accomplishments.
The answers to the last sections of questions are how you present our value. For example:
You ask: Do you receive your reports in a timely manner?
Answer: Well, it usually takes my current provider 1 or 2 months to get it back to me.
Our Value: We strive to have your inspection reports and quotes for critical items back to you in 10 days or
less. If there are any Potential Hazards found during the inspection, we can quote the repair,
source the parts, and make the repair sometimes that same day.
You ask: Besides OSH compliance, do you feel like your current inspections provide real value?
Answer: Well, they tell me what’s wrong with my cranes, isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?
Our Value: With our Maintenance Advantage Program we can review your inspection reports, collect the
data of how you are investing your money on repairs, breakdowns, modernizations, new
equipment, etc. and provide you with plan that will guarantee to lower your maintenance
spending, decrease your crane downtime, and give you a Return on your Investment year-over-
year.
