Episode #425: Keith Rosen
Meet
Keith Rosen
Keith is the Chief Evolution Officer of Profit Builders, recognized as the Best Training and Coaching Company for the fourth year in a row. He has trained managers in nearly every industry across six continents and over 75 countries. Keith, named a top executive coach by Inc. and Fast Company, authored bestselling books like Own Your Day and SALES LEADERSHIP. His work is featured in major publications, and he appeared on Mad Men.
Our Mission Is To Change The Negative Perception Of Sales People
Our Vision Is A World Where Selling Is A Profession To Be Proud Of
Cold-calling is the art of creating a new possibility. When someone makes a cold call, they’re often focused on “I have to get this meeting. I can’t blow this. I need this deal.” They’re so focused on themselves and their own agenda that they can’t create possibilities.
You have to understand the prospect’s greatest pain and how you can align their pain with the value that you can deliver. The only way any salesperson can do that is by discovering where the prospect is today and where they want to be tomorrow. Keith Rosen shares how to do that in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
Outline of This Episode
- [1:00] What is cold-calling? Is it still relevant?
- [5:00] Is there a science to cold-calling?
- [16:24] Keith’s top cold-calling dos and don’ts
What value can you give?
How you think is what you get. Your mindset dictates behavior. That’s why you need to start with who you are and how you think.
Keith emphasizes that you have to stop making a conversation about yourself and your goals and start making it about your prospects. When you pick up that phone or send an email, are you asking for a meeting? Are you asking to send material? Stop asking.
Start giving. If you notice they’re in a certain market segment, you can say that you just finished working with a customer in their segment and share the results with them. Once people see you’re giving them value, the sales process unfolds naturally.
The #1 strategy is connection
People don’t want to be pitched, they want to connect. When you’re trying to build relationships on a screen, you need to foster a deeper connection. Relationships are based on what the prospect wants. You can only uncover that by asking questions.
One can argue that as technology and AI improves, salespeople have more opportunities to hide behind technology. But sales are the byproduct of relationships. You have to focus on building rapport.
Keith’s top cold-calling dos and don’ts
Keith points out that 80% of sales people stop calling after four contact attempts. The people who “win” try to connect around 11–12 times (if it’s a longer sales cycle). You don’t have to be the best to win a sale—you just have to be good at follow-up.
When it comes to cold-calling and prospecting, you know what you have to do. You have 10 seconds to grab someone’s interest. Then you move into discovery. When you end a meeting, you’re going to ask for the next conversation. But there are other questions you need to ask, too:
- What concerns may prevent you from moving forward?
- What are their expectations?
- How much time do they have?
- How much do they already know about your product or service?
When you tell a prospect something they don’t want to hear or they already know, they’ll shut down. Instead, you must:
- Be present
- Be creative
- Be curious
If you’re insatiably curious, you’ll ask more questions. You’ll get the answers you need to address their pain points.
- Don’t ask how people are. You don’t care. You’re using that as a way to warm people up—and everyone asks it. Dive into your compelling reason.
- Don’t leave a call without scheduling the next step. Book the next meeting because you worked hard for it.
Keith shares an incredible amount of wisdom in this episode. Give it a listen!
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