Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2005

By Harold Egeln

If a sales person is afraid or just plain reluctant to make a cold call and to get through a potential client's "gatekeeper," what can they do to overcome the barriers and break through?

The answers to tough sales obstacle questions were provided in a lively interactive motivational seminar titled "Master the Cold Call and Supercharge Your Sales" held by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Seminar Committee on July 21 at scenic Kingsborough Community College in Manhattan Beach.

Leading the seminar was Jeremy Rawitz, President of Sales Strategy Corp.  He has over 15 years of experience as a sales consultant, trainer, mentor and coach, noted Vincent Lisi, Chair of the Small Business Seminar Committee, as he introduced Mr. Rawitz to the group of over 30 small businesses.

Cold Calling Fears
Mr. Rawitz listed the fears:  fear of hearing no, rejection, the gatekeeper, stepping outside one's comfort zone, and failure of not knowing what to say. After discussing the fears, Mr. Rawitz said "the key" to the cold call fear is really one of "procrastination."

A paradigm shift is necessary, such as not seeing success in booking appointments, but making a successful call first, he explained.

"Pretend you're standing up talking with the person face to face," Mr. Rawitz said. "Don't hide but acknowledge your fears and move towards your feelings to overcome rejection."

The 30 Second Pitch
An interactive exercise followed, with Mr. Rawitz asking participants to write their own scripts for their "30 second commercial" that could get them an opening. Several people stood up and read their freshly created short scripts for their product or service.

Getting Past the Gatekeeper
The next step was "getting past the gatekeeper" by first being acquainted with the gatekeeper's attributes, which Mr. Rawitz said include screening calls, getting rid of callers fast, saying "no" and asking questions.

"Gatekeepers," he said, "when getting a cold call, worry about passing on a call that will upset the boss, or, worse, turning a person away may get the boss even more upset. You have to de-program them to get through them," he said describing gatekeepers’ behaviors.

The group next engaged in "the gatekeeper's dance," a role-playing exercise with Mr. Rawitz taking the role of the gatekeeper and various participants being the sales people, using strategies learned for dealing with gatekeepers.

To get pass the gatekeeper, Mr. Rawitz listed eight don'ts:

• Don't act like a traditional sales person.
• Don't answer questions.
• Don't tell but listen.
• Don't assume but ask.
• Don't hang up first.
• Don't beg for an appointment.
• Don't be anxious.
• Don't make appointments if they can't use your products or services.

Voice Mail Script
The final part of the 90-minute seminar was about messages to leave in a voice mail.  "Don't make your pitch, leave your phone number twice, state the time and date of the call, and don't tell the name of your company but do leave your name."

At the seminar's start, Mark Kessler, Vice President of Member Services for the Brooklyn Chamber, introduced and thanked the seminar host, Dr. Billy Katz, Dean of Continuing Education at Kingsborough Community College. He encouraged participants to take advantage of what the community college offers Brooklyn businesses.

For more information on Sales Strategy Corp. call 718-261-7004, or visit http://www.ssc.sandler.com/.