You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello again, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
Today is the second in a three-part series on cold calling.
As we discussed last time, You can always make yourself more persuasive by asking well-considered questions and really listening to the answers.
This principle is true whether you're selling a product or an idea.
So Clayton, last time we covered four steps to a good cold call.
Can you refresh our memory?
Sure.
We'll go through them one by one.
First, Respect the prospect's time.
Keep your introduction very brief and use language such as, I understand you're busy.
This will just take a sec.
Remember, a prospect is the term we use for the person you're calling.
Second, you want to establish relevance.
For example, if you're a travel agent, you can ask, do your employees travel?
Third, You want to concisely state the specific benefit to the customer that your plan, product or service will bring.
You use language like enables you to, allows you to, or helps you to.
And last, you want to prepare questions to help you analyze your prospect's need.
This means asking open questions, beginning with what, where, When, who, and how.
Okay, and why is asking open questions so important?
Well, generally because people love to talk about themselves.
And if you ask them open questions, they'll often tell you everything you want to know, and a lot more.
Then, you can use the prospect's own words to establish a clear need for what you're selling.
And this will make your offer, or pitch, much more persuasive.
Such as in today's episode.
We'll study how to improve your pitch by clarifying and summarizing what the prospect says.
All right, and where do we begin?
We're going to pick up where we left off last time.
Steve has just gotten to step four.
He's asking Linda a needs analysis question.
So... let's continue listening to their conversation.
And as you listen, try to answer the following questions.
The answers will be posted in a few days on our website, www.businessenglishpod.com.
First, what's the main issue or problem that Linda sees with her current system?
Second, what does Steve mean by a one-stop service?
And last, What does Linda suggest instead of meeting with Steve?
If you could create the ideal conferencing solution.
What about your service?
Would you like to improve or change?
That's a good question.
I guess it's a bit unwieldy.
I wish we could simplify everything.
What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Darling, if you don't mind me asking?
Linda's fine.
Well, we use one company for multiple site audio calls and another company for video conferencing.
And everyone's got to be connected to the Internet to share documents.
Not to mention the meeting rooms all have to be booked on our internal system.
Thanks, Linda.
I'm beginning to get the picture.
From my understanding, what you're truly saying is that there's no centralized system and everything is just a little too complex.
Is that about right?
Yeah, that and it doesn't always work right.
It seems like half the time we're trying to sort out our technical problems.
What if I told you there was a one-stop service that could handle everything?
Audio video online collaboration meeting rooms.
The works with a 24-hour dedicated live operator and help desk support team.
And it could save you money.
Would you be interested?
Yeah, of course.
Sounds too good to be true, though.
Well, let's get together next week for 20 minutes to see if there's a fit.
I can answer your questions and show you how our service can achieve your objectives.
What's better for you, mornings or afternoons?
Maybe you can just send me a brochure.
Well, I can do that, but better yet, how about we just get together in person?
I can demonstrate the system for you, and I'll bring along some brochures as well.
Despite Linda's putting up a little bit of resistance there at the end, it sounds as though Steve is well on his way to making a sale.
So let's go through in detail how Steve clarifies and summarizes Linda's concerns.
Steve starts off by asking a good needs analysis question.
If you could create the ideal teleconferencing solution.
What about your service?
Would you like to improve or change?
And how does Linda respond?
She says her current system is unwieldy.
As we learned last time, this means it's difficult to use or handle.
However, this is not enough information for Steve.
To establish a clear need for the service he's selling, he needs to know more from Linda.
What exactly do you mean by that, Ms.
Darling, if you don't mind me asking?
Linda's fine.
Well, we use one company for multiple site audio calls and another company for video conferencing.
What exactly do you mean by that, is one way to get more information from the prospect.
This is an example of clarifying the meaning.
BEP 35, which focused specifically on this topic, would be a great place to review for more ways of clarifying.
Now, let's analyze Linda's reply.
By Linda's fine, Linda means that Steve can use her first name.
He doesn't need to address her formally anymore as Ms.
Darling.
This is already a minor victory for Steve.
The two of them are getting on more familiar terms.
By multiple site audio calls, Linda means conferences between several locations.
Typically, a conferencing service provider uses special equipment to connect or bridge calls between several parties, which can include up to several hundred locations.
Linda's problem is that one company provides the bridging for video and another company the bridging for audio, and a third company her own has to be used to book all the meeting rooms, which are the actual physical rooms at each location where the meetings will be held.
Now, this is a key moment for Steve.
What does he say?
Thanks, Linda.
I'm beginning to get the picture.
From my understanding, what you're truly saying is that there's no centralized system and everything is just a little too complex.
Is that about right?
I think I'm beginning to understand now.
So what is Steve doing?
He strategically summarizes Linda's need in a way that makes it clear his service will benefit her.
Similar to some of the clarifying and paraphrasing skills we studied in BEP 35.
This is a kind of strategic negotiation of the meaning.
To be persuasive.
Steve represents Linda's need in a way that makes it clear his service will satisfy that need.
Of course, this works well because Steve has a clear value proposition, a clear benefit that differentiates his service from his competitors' services.
So obviously, it's important to think clearly about the benefit of what you're selling.
What are some other phrases that you can use to strategically summarize and clarify your prospects' needs?
Let's practice.
So, what you're really saying here is that you spend way too much time on booking tickets.
Is that right?
I see.
So the heart of the matter is that your employees lack confidence in communicating in English.
Am I on the mark?
Uh-huh.
You're saying you would love to buy products from China, but you just don't feel secure in trading directly with Chinese companies, right?
So correct me if I'm wrong, but what you seem to be getting at is that your employee turnover rate is too high for your liking.
Is that what you're saying?
Now you give it a try.
Imagine you're cold calling Linda.
You've just asked her a needs analysis question.
Listen to what she has to say, then strategically summarize it using the language you've just practiced.
Are you ready?
Well, how do I say this?
Our current service is just too hard to use, I guess.
We use one company for audio, another company for video.
And there are always technical problems.
But sometimes we have to call three different people to get an answer.
Now let's listen to an example answer.
Well, how do I say this?
Our current service is just too hard to use, I guess.
We use one company for audio, another company for video, and there are always technical problems.
But sometimes we have to call three different people to get an answer.
Okay, I think I understand.
What you seem to be getting at is there is no centralized service, no convenient way to get technical support.
Is that right?
How'd you do?
Remember, there are many possible replies.
Let's get back to the dialogue.
Steve has now summarized Linda's need and gotten a positive response from her.
She even helps him out by mentioning that she has technical problems.
Now he's ready to make a pitch by convincingly summarizing how his service can satisfy her needs.
What if I told you there was a one-stop service that could handle everything.
Audio, video, online collaboration, meeting rooms, the works.
With a 24-hour dedicated live operator and help desk support team.
And it could save you money.
Would you be interested?
You can guess from the context that the works means everything or the whole package.
The literal meaning comes from ordering food.
To ask for a hamburger with the works means a hamburger with everything.
Onions, pickles, lettuce, cheese, tomato.
The whole works.
What if I told you is one way of summarizing how your service satisfies the prospect's needs.
This is a key moment in your cold call.
The pitch. or the actual offer of your product or service to the client.
Remember, the most important thing here is to restate the customer's main challenge and indicate how your service will overcome that challenge.
Although there are other ways to do it.
Using a hypothetical if sentence is a non-threatening way of making your pitch.
It's difficult to say no to this kind of hypothetical question.
And once you've gotten the prospect to say yes, getting an appointment is one step closer.
Would it be safe to say that if there was a way for you to overcome your training obstacles, it would be worth discussing in more detail?
Ms.
Smith, if we had a service that specifically addressed all your concerns, would you be interested in learning more about it?
If we could demonstrate a service that satisfied all of your needs, would you say it would be worth exploring in more detail?
Well, now it's your turn.
Think of one of your own company's products or services, or perhaps an idea that you want to sell to your boss or your colleagues.
Next, think about the value proposition, a clear statement of benefit to the customer or your target audience.
Now, using the what if I told you approach that you just practiced, pitch your product to Linda.
Use such language as would specifically address your concerns, overcome your challenges and satisfy your needs.
Are you ready?
Give yourself a few seconds to think, then begin talking after the beep.
Yes, I have to say it sounds pretty interesting.
Almost too good to be true.
Did that go alright?
Now listen to an example answer.
What if I told you that we have a service that specifically addressed all your concerns and could save you money too?
Would you be interested in talking in more detail?
Yes, I have to say it sounds pretty interesting.
Almost too good to be true.
If you didn't have the same answer.
Bear in mind that there are countless possible different answers.
The point is to practice some of the language you've just learned.
Steve has now stated the benefit in a way that clearly satisfies her needs, and he's framed it in a non-threatening if-type question.
Of course, Linda's interested.
She says, it sounds too good to be true.
This is Steve's sign to ask for an appointment, which is the goal of his call.
Well, let's get together next week for 20 minutes to see if there's a fit.
I can answer your questions and show you how our service can achieve your objectives.
What's better for you, mornings or afternoons?
Notice that get together, like most two and three word verbs, is slightly informal or casual.
It's definitely easier for Linda to agree to a casual meeting, so this is also strategic use of language.
Also, as Steve has done, it's good to mention how much time you'll need when you ask for that meeting.
What are some other ways to schedule the next step?
Then let's meet up for 20 minutes to discuss the possibilities.
I'll answer your questions, share with you several options, as well as demonstrate how our product service will specifically fulfill your objectives.
Mr. Smith, do you have your calendar handy?
What day would be good for you?
Towards the beginning or the end of the week?
To have something handy means to have it within reach.
So, do you have your calendar handy means is your calendar nearby?
Also notice the good use of collocations such as fulfill objectives, share several options and discuss the possibilities.
And that just about brings us to the end of this show.
Today we've covered some key selling skills strategically clarifying and summarizing your prospects' concerns and incorporating them into your pitch to make it more persuasive.
Next time in the third part of this series, we'll study how to deal with some typical negative responses, such as I'm too busy or please send me a brochure.
In the meantime, don't forget to check out the learner's notes at our website, wwwbusinessenglishpodcom.
There you can find vocabulary and definitions, a full transcript, listening and language exercises and additional strategies for practicing your English.
The whole works.
Thanks again for listening, and take care.
See you next time at Business English Pod.
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