Matthew Kimberley

Finding it hard to get prospects to agree to see you? Can’t arrange your quota of weekly client meetings? Follow this trusty tip:

BE LESS BORING

Yes, it’s a sad fact that your potential client is resisting your offer of a face-to-face chinwag because resistance is the most attractive option. You’ve just spent ten minutes talking at him about yourself and are now asking the permission to do the same in a room he can’t escape from.

He’s heard your pitch before from your competition. He’s answered the same questions from shit salesmen all his career. He’d rather rearrange his facial features with a spanner than talk to you over a coffee.

Here’s what gives:

If you call somebody that’s glad to hear from you, not necessarily because they like you, but because you are of interest to them, and you suggest a coffee, they’ll say yes. If they can’t make time for a coffee, they’ll find another time for a beer, or lunch. And they’ll call you to arrange it.

People who find you interesting will want to meet you. This is a universal truth. Your client or prospect doesn’t like the idea of spending time with you, so he won’t meet with you.

He’s not too busy. He doesn’t have another meeting. His calendar isn’t “looking full. He’s just not interested.

Because you’re not interesting enough.

Sort it out.

Business Balls is an excellent free professional training resource. It rocks.

It has an intelligent, comprehensive article on cold-calling, which you should read, and includes the point that cold calling is an important weapon in the professional salesperson’s arsenal, because as cold-calling becomes more difficult, due to time constraints of prospects, it’s those who are good at it that prosper.

The more difficult cold calling is for the majority, then the easier it becomes for the successful minority.

If the cold calling challenge were easy, then it would be easy for everyone, and therefore very difficult to achieve differentiation or advantage, to stand out, to be noticed and respected and valued – to succeed.

I’d add that dealing with rejection on the phone and keeping a positive mindset and sufficient level of determination to make the next call equips you pretty well for a lot of other stuff.

They also reference the inimitable Ari Galper, who’s worth dropping by to see.

Business Balls also recounts this classic parable, which I hadn’t heard for years:

Once upon a time a scorpion wanted to cross a brook. On the bank he saw a frog and asked if the frog would give him a ride to the other side.

“Oh no,” says the frog, “If I carry you on my back you will sting me.”

“But why would I sting you when we would both surely perish,” replied the scorpion.

The frog eventually conceded that the scorpion had a point, and agreed to the request.

Half way across, the scorpion stang the frog, and they both began to drown.

“But why did you break your word and sting me, knowing it would be certain death for us both?” cried the frog.

“Because it is in my nature.” said the scorpion.

There’s been so much buzz about this lately that I’m very excited to have just ordered Target’s copy of Recruitment Juice. I also had a chat with Roy Ripper (yes, it’s his real name) who’s behind the thing, and although I’ve not seen it yet, I’m not expecting to be disappointed.

Roy was enthusiastic about the response he’s had over the past months and the future’s looking juicy too.

You can watch about 20 minutes’ worth of tasters on the site before you buy.

Full review going up here once it arrives and I’ve seen it, but in the meantime, there’s a £50 discount for anybody using the code “9467” when buying their copy.

www.recruitmentjuice.co.uk

I’ve come across a series of free audio downloads from Futura. There’s 4 hours (and more coming) on recruitment and, more specifically, headhunting.

There’s a wealth of stuff (although in just skimming through the recordings over the last twenty minutes I’ve already heard “to assume makes and ASS out of U and ME” and “You’ve got two ears and one mouth. Use them in proportion” at least once each).

And the best comment? When looking for candidates:

“do get their full date of birth. Because for example, your client, if they’ve got an age preference, you don’t want your candidate going over it on the day of the interview.”

and candidates should be, well, …

“… for weight and height you’re looking for a good ratio. Five feet one and 15 stone may represent a future health issue, and so might five foot eight and seven stone.”

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(*sound of me speechless and reaching for my manual on non-discrimination*)

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Comparing this with the wonderful stuff available at Recruitment Juice, it’s clear why the latter are able to charge a sweet £699.