We’re now almost five months into the launch of "Smart Calling-Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling," and well into our quest to eliminate "cold" calling for professional sales reps. For those who might not be fully aware, let’s look at what Smart Calling is, and why it is, well, smart.
First, say the words, [...]

Here’s a good article from INC magazine about David Rosen, a sales rep who "gets it" regarding prospecting. In the article, they refer to it as "cold calling," but he really exemplifies Smart Calling, which is, well, the smart way to do it.

Hard to believe a salesperson could make so many mistakes in a short period of time, using so few words.
But it happened. I’ll explain in detail.
I overheard Steve, my marketing guy, who also answers the phone in my office, talking to the caller:
"Well, that would be Art. I’ll transfer you."
He put the call on hold [...]

A few months ago I was introduced to a young, but rapidly-growing group, the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals. I was impressed. They are dedicated exclusively to advancing the profession of Inside Sales.
If you are involved in inside sales, and I’m assuming you are using the phone in some way in sales since you [...]

Most sales reps hate prospecting by phone. Part of the reason is that they believe some of the many myths that have been perpetuated over the years about “cold” calling.  Most of these are nonsense, and just plain wrong. Perhaps you’ve heard them:
Cold Call Myth: “It’s just a numbers game.”
Smart Calling™ Truth: It’s a quality [...]

Today is the official release of "Smart Calling-Eliminate the Fear, Failure,and Rejection from Cold Calling." If you do any prospecting at all, this will flat out help you avoid the dumb cold calling mistakes that so many sales reps make, and show you exactly what to do and say instead to get success.
And, as part [...]

Tim Rohrer writes the Sales Loudmouth Blog, one of the top-rated blogs out there. He just put up a very favorable review of my new book, Smart Calling.
Now, I’ve never met, nor spoken with Tim, so he certainly wasn’t doing this as a friendly favor. I’m pleased and honored by what he wrote.
As [...]

I always laugh when I see the the "studies"or suggestions on "Best times to call" prospects.
 
In fact, I devote a page to it in my new book, "Smart Calling." (Have you reserved your copy yet? Amazon.com is selling it at a pre-release discount of just $14.93)
To summarize, my feeling is that if you are [...]

As you might have noticed, I’ve begun shamelessly plugging my new book, "Smart Calling-Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling."  In short, it shows you, step-by-step, how to acquire intelligence about prospects, and then how to USE that information in opening statements, voice mails, and questioning to generate interest, build rapport, engage the [...]

The caller greeted me with,
"Mr. Soba-E-zack?"
ME: "It’s pronounced Sub-check. What do you need?"
"Oh, uh, sorry. I’m Pat Jones with Trojan Golf. You’re still a golfer, aren’t you?"
(I’ll normally listen to ANYTHING golf-related, even if it is a telemarketer reading from a script, as this person was. At least their target marketing was good.)
ME: "Yeah, I [...]