WIN A COPY OF "101 COLD CALL TIPS": Day 2

Since the blog has been live, I've encouraged readers to start using Twitter. For those of you who have taken my advice, log on to your Twitter account and post the follow message:

@Linda_Bishop just released her second book 101 Cold Call Tips. Purchase your copy today. http://bit.ly/cDlwnx

One fellow Twitterer who posts this tweet will be randomly selected to win a copy of the new book, "101 Cold Call Tips."

WIN A COPY OF "101 COLD CALL TIPS": Day 1

Happy Monday and welcome to a week-long of contests! Each day one lucky winner will be chosen to receive a copy of my new book "101 Cold Call Tips."

Today's contest: Promote Sales Is Not For Sissies!

1. E-mail the salesisnotforsissies.com link to colleagues and friends
2. In the e-mail ask your colleagues and friends to leave a comment on today's post stating who recommended them to check out the blog
3. Whoever has the most mentions in the comments section wins a copy of the book!

GOOD LUCK!

HAPPY 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY - To us!

Sales Is Not For Sissies has been live for six months! In order to make sure I'm covering topics you are interested in, I'd be very grateful if you could take the time to complete this very short suvey. If you want to leave your contact information at the end of the survey, you will also be entered to win a copy of my new book "101 Cold Call Tips." The winner will be announced September 30th. CLICK HERE to take the survey now.

Also, don't forget to check back next week as we will be holding a different contest each day and giving away free copies of "101 Cold Call Tips."

KeFactors Fridays: Adventures in Cold Calling

I've decided the American workplace is increasingly impenetrable: Lawmakers fret ourborders are too porous? Well, they should get corporate policymakers to re-engineerborder patrol, because then even American citizens would have trouble gaining re-entry.

Assuming you access an organization that — commendably — doesn't use electronic greetings, what you get is that Darwinian holdout of a dying breed: the human receptionist. And, like the dodo, this animal does not understand it's already in God's waiting room.

Today's adventure went like this:

Me, the cold caller: "Hi, I'd like to speak with John CEO." (Name changed to protect blah blah blah).
Receptionist: "Who?"
Me: "John CEO."
Re: "What department's he in?"
Me: "Erm...he's your CEO."
Re: "Oh. OK. Hold on, let me check. Does he work in this building?"
Me: "If you're the corporate headquarters, I would assume so, yes."
(Muzak version of "I Wanna Know What Love Is")
Re: (returning) "OK, hon, I've done some research and it looks like Mr. CEO does workhere, but he's out right now. Would you like to speak to one of his assistants?"
Me: (unstated: "I'll speak to Donald Trump if you've got him in fishnet tights")..."Sure.Who would I be speaking with?"
Re: "Hold on, let me check."
(Muzak: "Mandy"...life is cruel)
Re: (returning) "OK, hon, I'm switching you to Delphine Admin. She'll help you."
Me: "Thanks."
Re: "You have a nice (yawn) day."
Me: "Thanks."
Next: (voicemail) "Hello. This is Paul Backwater of the Employee Picnics department.I'm sorry I can't take your call right now, but...."
Me: (ringing again) "Ma'am? I was supposed to connect with your CEO's office but got your Picnics department instead. Can we try again for Delphine Admin?"
Re: "Who?!"

Customer Retention Tips - Part 2

Tips 6 -10 to help resolve problems when dealing with unhappy clients.

6. Understand the importance of the relationship. Some customers are more important than others, but all people should be treated with respect.

7. Acknowledge your contributions to the problem, even if the customer won't acknowledge theirs.

8. Understand "hindsight bias". Knowing how things turned out changes how we remember and interpret past events.

9. Don't rush to resolve a situation when it's complicated. Carefully consider long-term implications.

10. Stay focused on the most important thing--maintaining good relationships with customers.

All next week I will be holding contests to launch my new book, "101 Cold Call Tips".

REMEMBERING NAMES CONTEST

The remembering names contest started yesterday! Read the post below from August 24th to enter.

Customer Retention Tips - Part 1

There are times when clients are unhappy. Here are ten tips to help resolve problems.

1. Don't point fingers at fellow employees or customers. When you focus on placing blame instead of solving problems you make the situation worse.
2. Give customers credit for good intentions.


3. Don't slap labels on people. Calling customers "crazy" or "irrational" may make you feel better because you're superior, but it also blinds you from recognizing your flaws.
   
4. Clarify, clarify, clarify. Human communication is an imperfect process. Work to understand at a deeper level.


5. Examine your own motives as you go along. How pure are they?

Tips 6 - 10 tomorrow!