Have you heard of the phrase dialing for sales dollars?

In my early days of selling cars, warm sunny days were ripe for selling!

Would-be customers would flock to the dealership and line up to look at new cars.

It was great, until it wasn’t sunny anymore…

Most of the salespeople I worked with would wander the showroom, peering out into the parking lot for any signs of life.

Being new to sales, I asked my manager what I could do to sell cars when it’s raining.

“Pick up the telephone” was his response.

Being too naïve to argue, I grabbed a phone book (that shows how old I am) and started what is often referred to as “dialing for sales dollars.”

How to use Cold Calling Strategically

Today, when I ask the CEOs and other executives how they intend to hit their sales targets, invariably their answers include new selling.

Selling existing products into new markets.

Selling new products into existing markets.

Or launching new sales into entirely new markets.

When I ask how they intend to do this, silence takes over.

That’s when I share my story above about dialing for sales dollars.

A good starting point is to create a Sales Strategy — like my one-day approach using Sentient Strategy.

But before you even develop a strategy, you’ll need to do some testing.

There’s simply no better test to identify opportunity than picking up the phone and making a few strategically placed calls.

Let me share some examples:

When a client a few years ago wanted to start distributing into the United States, we identified some of his target buyers and then called them to determine their interest in his product.

Before the pandemic hit, I was doing work in and around Monterrey, Mexico for a client, booking meetings (by phone) and then flying down to see prospects to determine interest.

Putting Strategic Cold Calls to Work for You

If you’re looking for new sales opportunities, you’ll need to do some “dialing for dollars” to validate your opportunities.

The good news is it’ll take very little time and it costs you nothing.

So, stop wondering how to sell into new markets (or launch new products or services) and pick up the telephone.

This Week’s Exercise >>>

1. What new markets or products would you like to launch in 2021?
2. Who are some likely targets that would determine if the effort and expense was worth it?
3. Pick up the phone and make a few calls.

© Shawn Casemore 2020. All Rights Reserved.