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KEY MOMENTS:
0:42 1. It’s just a video game.
1:34 2. Drop the sales voice.
2:27 3. Minimize time between dials.
3:17 4. Know them.
3:54 5. Have your script.
4:42 6. Personalize.
5:28 7. Know your contingencies.
6:21 8. They can't hurt you.

1. It’s just a video game.

Imagine if I developed an online video game where you could make mock sales calls, role-playing with pretend prospects to test out your sales strategy on a game platform. How much more comfortable would you feel than making real-life phone calls? The reality is that when you're making real prospecting calls, it is just a video game, for all intents and purposes. If you screw up on a sales call, that person isn’t going to remember you at all in a couple of weeks. All those nerves, all that fear associated with making sales dials is simply in your head.

2. Drop the sales voice.

When I listen to salespeople making phone calls, I notice that their voices tend to go up a couple of octaves. This is the telltale mark of a sales voice. When your sales voice comes out, it’s the ultimate sign that you’re a salesperson. You might as well announce it to your prospect. If you really want to learn how to be good at sales calls, then you absolutely must drop the sales voice. In fact, 99% of your competitors are using a sales voice whenever a prospect picks up the phone. It’s time to set yourself apart. Drop that voice because it’s killing your calls.

3. Minimize time between dials.

Some salespeople justify taking time between calls to do research on prospects. But even if you have to do some research between dials, I would rather you do all your research before you start dialing for the day. Get all of that out of the way. The most important thing is to minimize time between dials, and just go from dial to dial to dial as efficiently as you possibly can.

4. Know them.

Particularly in big-sale prospecting, you’ve got to know who your prospects are before you call them. You need to do some research. But, again, I would minimize the amount of research done between calls and instead do it all ahead of time. Or, better yet, have someone like a virtual assistant do it for you, if that’s possible. Either way, you simply must know who they are before you make a single dial.

5. Have your script.

Salespeople are constantly pushing back on the idea of using scripts. But in reality, if you’re not using a script to make prospecting calls, then you’re never going to learn how to be good at sales calls. Ever. Just imagine watching a (non-reality) TV show with absolutely no script. (Okay, I get it. Curb Your Enthusiasm doesn’t use scripts—but they still have a proven show structure, not to mention a cast of the best comedians on the planet.) Most TV shows and movies use a very tight script for a reason. Sales calls must do the same. The goal is not to sound scripted. Rather, the key to a strong script is that you don't sound scripted at all, because you know exactly what you're going to say, you've practiced it a lot, and it sounds very conversational.

6. Personalize.

A good sales call script includes as much personalization as possible. Reference the prospect’s company name or title, where they live, etc. Use whatever information you gleaned from the prospect research you’ve done, and slip those pieces of personalization into your prospecting calls. Particularly for big-enterprise sales, you should be personalizing like crazy. Show the prospect that you know exactly who they are—not in a creepy way, but in a way that demonstrates that you've done your homework, you know who you’re talking to, and you've made the effort.

7. Know your contingencies.

When you make sales calls, prospects are likely to push back at very predictable points in the call. And these are the moments that scare salespeople the most. When you start the call and say, "Hey, how are you?" or "Do you have a minute?" and they reply, "No, actually, I'm really busy," how do you respond? Most salespeople get all choked up and freak out at that moment.

Instead, build your contingencies for moments like these right into your script.

8. They can't hurt you.

Sales calls are, by their very nature, virtual. We're not actually there face-to-face with prospects. They can’t hurt you. (And quite frankly, even if you were face-to-face, they still aren’t going to hurt you.) There is no situation in which you are physically at risk when you're selling. Prospects can't hurt you. Make the dials, take risks, have fun. And in the process, learn how to be good at sales calls—even great.