The rewards of cold calls

TIPS FROM A MASTER

After 15 years of 'going in raw,' Chuck Piola shares his thoughts

The best time to reach a decision maker is early in the morning or late in the day. "Try to catch people on their way into the office, before the secretary arrives. That minimizes interference."

Piola's favorite opening line: "I wonder if you can help me out?" " Everybody likes to help," says Piola. "Put people in that posture right away."

Almost any business could successfully use cold calls. "If I had a cleaning business, I'd cold call apartment houses, industrial complexes. You don't know what won't work if you don't try it."

The multiplier effect: "Cold calling maximizes your contacts. You meet people -- in the elevator, the hallway, the reception area. Everybody you see is a resource."

Multiplier-effect corollary: "Never assume the person you're talking to isn't the decision maker."

How do you get people to see you? "If you walk in the door and are a breath of fresh air for them, you're not an infringement on their time. They'll make room for you."

Even in slow times, stay consistent. "You might cold call for three weeks with no results, but you'd better make your calls that fourth week as good as when you started. If you don't, prospects will feel it."

"You can't take rejection personally. Nothing should bother you."

"You have to come up with a reason for someone to see you, and you usually have 20 or 30 seconds to do it, so be ready to think fast. If you're getting shot down, find something that will go 'click' and get a 'yeah, maybe' response. Then ask for the appointment right away: 'Would Tuesday be OK, or would Wednesday be better?' Go on the assumptive."

48 Hours with the King of Cold Calls