Some salespeople use the “Your Baby is Ugly” approach. It directly tells the prospect that they have a problem, or are doing something wrong. And it should be avoided. In this episode of The Art of Sales, you’ll hear how I received this approach in an email, why it should be avoided, and how you can actually use a more subtle, nuanced approach to help them reach the conclusion on their own that they have a problem. Listen Here Get the Smart Calling book here Hear Episode 3, “The Cold is Dead, But Not the Calling” The post Calling Their Baby Ugly is Not a Good Prospecting Strategy appeared firs ..read more

I’m asked to do interviews every week… podcasts, blog articles, etc. For that I am grateful that others find value in my work. Here’s one that is a bit different, and thought I’d share it with you. WordClassPerformer.com is a site that interviews achievers in virtually every field and asks incisive questions about the individuals, what they have done and still do to be successful. Essentially, life lessons as they term them. In this interview I really reached down deep to answer with some things that I’ve never shared before. Hope you find some value! Short Life Lessons From Art Sobczak The ..read more

I had never spoken with the well-known sales trainer and author (and former reality TV show host) Victor Antonio. During the launch of the new Third Edition of Smart Calling a few weeks ago he reached out to me and said he would like to review it on his “Sales After Dark” livestream. I thought, sure, I’ll send him a copy… along with a t-shirt. I had no idea what he was going to say about it, although of course I was fairly confident it would be good, given its track record and amazing reviews so far. The next I heard, he simply sent me the date and time for the livestream. That’s it. OK. I was ..read more

When I talk with sales leaders whose reps are struggling with prospecting, quite often I find the root of the problem is actually with the leaders themselves. Upon examination of their methods, processes, and beliefs I often can spot mistakes being made due to belief in one—or many—of the cold calling myths that still are being perpetuated. Most of these are nonsense, and just plain wrong. Perhaps you’ve heard them. I’ve list them, along with the Smart Calling truths. Cold Calling Myth: “It’s just a numbers game.” Smart Calling Truth: Actually, prospecting professionally is a qualit ..read more

I had a blast with Jason Bay, kicking off the free “Think Outside the Script” prospecting training summer tour last week. It was great to have heard from so many sales pros who attended, saying they already changed the way they viewed, and placed their calls. One rep told me he got an appointment that afternoon–that he would not have set otherwise– by using one of the techniques. Jason prepared a cool summary of some of the points that you can click through here. Here’s the entire replay of the session. We covered, -working WITH assistants, and exactly what to say to get them on our side ..read more

Most prospecting calls fail in the first 10 seconds. As a direct result of what the callers says. See how many mistakes you can spot in this opening. I will then point out what was wrong, why, and what the caller should have done instead. The post How Many Mistakes in This Cold Call Can You Spot? appeared first on Smart Calling Blog ..read more

When I talk with sales leaders whose reps are struggling with prospecting, quite often I find the root of the problem is actually with the leaders themselves. Upon examination of their methods, processes, and beliefs I often can spot mistakes being made due to belief in one—or many—of the cold calling myths that still are being perpetuated. Most of these are nonsense, and just plain wrong. Perhaps you’ve heard them. I’ve list them, along with the Smart Calling truths. Cold Calling Myth: “It’s just a numbers game.” Smart Calling Truth: Actually, prospecting professionally is a qualit ..read more

I had never spoken with the well-known sales trainer and author (and former reality TV show host) Victor Antonio. During the launch of the new Third Edition of Smart Calling a few weeks ago he reached out to me and said he would like to review it on his “Sales After Dark” livestream. I thought, sure, I’ll send him a copy… along with a t-shirt. I had no idea what he was going to say about it, although of course I was fairly confident it would be good, given its track record and amazing reviews so far. The next I heard, he simply sent me the date and time for the livestream. That’s it. OK. I was ..read more

Most prospecting calls fail in the first 10 seconds. As a direct result of what the callers says. See how many mistakes you can spot in this opening. I will then point out what was wrong, why, and what the caller should have done instead. The post How Many Mistakes in This Cold Call Can You Spot? appeared first on Smart Calling Blog ..read more

I’m asked to do interviews every week… podcasts, blog articles, etc. For that I am grateful that others find value in my work. Here’s one that is a bit different, and thought I’d share it with you. WordClassPerformer.com is a site that interviews achievers in virtually every field and asks incisive questions about the individuals, what they have done and still do to be successful. Essentially, life lessons as they term them. In this interview I really reached down deep to answer with some things that I’ve never shared before. Hope you find some value! Short Life Lessons From Art Sobczak The ..read more