Cold Calling Techniques That Really Work

by Stephan Schiffman

Praise for Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!):

"These principles are critical for successful sales managers, especially in the current market. Even seasoned veterans can benefit from this class."
-Fred Shea, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

"This book has already doubled my income this month!"
-Reader from Seattle, Washington

"Our sales force relies on Stephan Schiffman. His sales advice is simple, applicable, and, above all else, effective."
-Rolf Dobelli, GetAbstract

Stephan Schiffman has trained more than 350,000 salespeople at firms, such as AT&T Information Systems, Chemical Bank, Manufacturer's Hanover Trust, Motorola, and U.S. Health Care. Schiffman is the president of D.E.I. Management Group and lives in New York, NY.

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction, Communication, Buisness, Self Help

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Петър Стойков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Един приятел ме попита какво чета и аз му казах заглавието на тази книга. Обясних му какво е cold calling и той се недоуми за какво изобщо му е на някого да прави нещо подобно, еле пък да чете книга за него. Хората, които никога не са работили в продажби и особено тези, които са изкарали цял живот на държавна работа, нямат ни най-малка идея от огромния и суров свят на продажбите и колко интегрална част от бизнеса са те.

Cold calling може да се преведе като "обаждане на тъмно" т.е. без да познаваш човека отсреща и без да имаш съществена информация за него или фирмата му. Такъв вид обаждания са съществени за голяма част от търговците, които предлагат нови стоки на фирми или търсят нови клиенти.

Накратко, авторът описва успешната си стратегия в провеждането на първия разговор, целта на който е да си уговори среща с фирмата, за да представи продуктите на своята фирма. Какво да се каже, как и защо, как да систематизираме обажданията си и информацията, която носят и т.н. В книгата няма нищо за самите продажби, преговори и т.н. - само и единствено обаждането за уреждане на среща. Забавна е и изобилства от примери.

Макар работата ми да няма нищо общо с продажби, много интересно ми бе да науча повече за този досега почти непознат за мен свят.

[Matt Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Cold Calling based on Mark Cuban's '6 Great Books for Entrepreneurs' list. Before reading, cold calling seemed scary and distasteful - after reading, it feels more like a puzzle I'd like to solve. I count that as a win.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you absolutely need to piss off your mother-in-law, you must learn and use the techniques in this book!

I bought this book with the sole purpose of impersonating a cold-call salesman to get back at relatives that irritate me throughout the year.

Every holidays, I wait until dinnertime to flip down my rolodex of "family members I despise."

Whether I am trying to sell Atlanta Tribune newspaper subscriptions to my brother-in-law in Seattle, or cable tv upgrades (LOL) to my MIL in Maryland, the techniques in this magical tome are sure to raise some blood pressure!!

After a couple practice runs, be sure to record the calls and compile a "best of reel." You can play it back throughout a tough day and your stress will just melt away... the gift that keeps on giving!

Give it a try because face it: cold calling relatives, selling them fake sh*t, and recording the rage, is the most fun you will ever have with your relatives.
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As long as they never find you out.

[Tim Mortfenkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly recaps what you already know. Worth reading.

[Hathal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a random pick for me. It is a bunch of tips for salespeople on how to use the phone to generate appointments with new prospects whom they never knew before (That's what the word COLD is all about here). There is no selling over the phone as Stephan Schiffman advises against that.
Mr.Schiffman promises in the book that by implementing all the instructions, as a whole and without much change, the ratio of appointments/calls would be improved significantly. Apart from that, the language is simple, straight to the point and written in a conversation-like style. Given the nature of the subject, I think 130 pages were more than enough.

Read it if you need it...

[Alex Giurgea · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte concisa despre tehnicile care cresc sansele vanzarii, atunci cand primul contact se face la telefon si interlocutorul nu a mai auzit de serviciile pe care le vinzi. In special recomandata pentru vanzarile B2B.

[Upen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought this book for my manager to improve her cold calling skills and I finished the book in a day. The book is truly a practical tool that explains the techniques so well and can instantly change up your sales game ... a must read for anyone in sales 🙏

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coolest thing ever - I had a question after reading the book, so i submitted it to Stephen Schiffman's website. He personally wrote back!

[Fabian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well done. I tried the techniques. I'm not cut out for this.

[Sy. C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was recommended by Mark Cuban but I found it a pretty weak book overall -- Go with the classics, like Ziglar and Brian Tracy, which are packed with much more information.

[Jason Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

Book has a lot of the right ideas but feels like the supporting stories are backed up by hand waving. Sometimes it could be luck.

[Anoriadna · Rating 4 out of 5]

15 January 2020:

Хорошая книга для будущих хороших продажников

Как человек, который безнадежно влюблен в фэнтези, я где-то на подсознательном уровне стараюсь уворачиваться от нон-фикшен литературы. Но иногда накрывает желание оставить эльфов в их лесах, вернуться в реальность и все же немного посамосовершенствоваться.

Почему именно эта книга в моем случае? Рекомендация руководителя на моем assesment по случаю полугода работы в продажах. В продажах я уже почти два года (отзыв этот писался в далеком нынче 2020 году, с продажами я уже не связана с 2022), но прочитала её только сейчас.

Для кого эта книга? Для тех, кто в продажах недавно, только туда собирается или же хочет понять кто такие продажники и зачем они нужны. Если же вы менеджер года, то вряд ли найдете в этой книге что-то новое. Но тут на самом деле все субъективно.

Собственно моё мнение о книге какое? Книга определенно полезная. Причем автор не ограничивается рекомендациями по холодным звонкам, а приводит алгоритмы грамотного построения сделки с клиентом в целом. Не смотря на то, что в книге многие аспекты прожевываются по несколько раз, воды в ней гораздо меньше, чем полагается быть в такого-то рода литературе. Хочу отметить так же универсальность приведенных рекомендаций: вне зависимости от того, продаете вы страховые полисы или доставку воды в офис (уточню на всякий случай: я не занималась ни тем, ни этим), вы сможете применять то, что тут описано. Отдельный плюсик за мотивацию. Автор с таким воодушевлением преподносит холодные звонки, что хотелось прям брать и звонить каждый день. Жаль, запала хватило на пару недель, но все же. Мотивация от книжки все же приятнее, чем пинок от горячо любимого начальства. Минусы конечно есть. Некоторые примеры показались безмерно устаревшими, некоторые просто неактуальными для моей сферы, а вот некоторые - откровенно смешными. Но в целом книга читается легко, содержит полезную информацию по сбору материалов, холодным звонкам, работе с возражениями и проведении встреч. К чему-то из описанного я дошла сама на своем опыте, что-то попробую попользовать, что-то забуду и не буду вспоминать. Потраченного времени не жалею. Возможно, через какое-то время вернусь к некоторым разделам книги, чтоб еще раз более вдумчиво перечитать и набросать новый скрипт разговора. Но будет это когда я окончательно устану слышать отказы и начнет дергаться глазик от фразы "вышлите коммерческое на почту". Ну а пока можно снова вернуться к любимым эльфам.

[BossKunG1122 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been recommended by looking for Mark Cuban recommended books which I think this is a really great book for sale. I am reading this while I am still a student in Computer Science which I think it is a great book. Sadly, I am not having a opportunity to implement this book after I finished reading it. However, If I need to do sale one day, this book is the book that I will definately pick up and reread it again.

I like the openning part that he talked about the way to hold the golf club. It makes me stick with this book for an entire book.

I love the lesson on to expect the no answer, preparing for it, and how to turn around the response.
I also like the Ledge and referring call technique.

No doubt that this will get 5 star from me.

[George Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book on cold calling techniques with a great method to create a script and flow for a call. A bit dated in the approach and generic. (Hard to write a book on a subject like this applicable to all fields). Also feels unwieldy in terms of speaking so much before enticing a customer response, but is only one main method.

Overall the book is short and easy to consume, a recommended read if you want to go into the specifics of how to structure calling. If you want to go more in depth there are longer books out there with variable methods.

Memorable quote:
"People respond in kind"

[FAIZAN KHAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Reason I Liked This Book, Is It's Straightforwardness.
This Book Will Not Teach You Tricks Or Gimmicks - But Rather The Stuff That Comes Naturally To Both You & Your Prospects On The Phone.

How He Gives A Roadmap To Follow & Simplify Cold-Calling Process Makes It A Very Reader-Friendly Book.

From A Lead > Prospect > Closing

This Book Should Be On Your Desk - If You Want Appointments!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone starting in sales. I never thought about selling from a statistical standpoint and this book gave me some helpful new perspectives. Of course, these techniques are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but I believe it can arm any salesperson with better industry knowledge.

[Dana Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple techniques to do what needs to be done

Cold calling is the least glamorous activity of any sales person but essential to success. Steve Schiffman breaks it down to the most important elements. The purpose of step one is to get to step two, etc. This should be the FIRST book any new salesperson should read.

[Michael Toleno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read it just over 20 years ago, I have little memory of it (hence the rating), but I do recall that it gave some advice (which I don't remember) and encouragement to brokers (as salespeople) about how to sell a lot of their product (i.e., brokerage or other financial services or products) to people over the phone.

[Beckie Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most sales people I have struggled with cold calling. while not every technique would work for every situation or personality, I think there is always great benefit in reading books like this. There are always things that set of triggers and will make every cold-calling salesperson better!

[Valerii Sobolenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serious about prospecting - look no further

Good book, all aspects of prospecting are reviewed in a prism that final objective is to make a sale. No fluff, straight to the point. What doctor ordered.

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book and one all salespeople should read. This book is such a constant best seller because the author uses these techniques himself and they work.

No lying, deception or tricks just honest tactical steps to get more sales.

Highly recommend

[Tanveer Afzal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read

"Of course, practice is one of the key elements of success, as Steve Schiffma emphasizes. But what to practice, how to do it effectively, and the right ways to reach out to prospects—these are the insights I gained from this book."

[David Cigam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone that's new to cold calling. It's a book I go back to quite often and reread portions when I'm working on my cold calling skills.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tips on Cold Calling. Lots of examples are given of the various techniques.

[Nathan DiBagno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best sales book I've read. No silly gimmicks. I love the anecdote about the high performing salesperson who made one more call a day.
Also good to see how many calls he could do in one hour.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for anyone new to the world of sales!

[Ayushsurana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, crisp and to the point concepts that are easy to follow, intuitive yet enlightening. A good book to become the foundation of your cold calling aspirations

[Ernestina Biurcos Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A system that I will definitely apply.

[Nathan DiBagno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, no gimmicks, and straightforward. Probably the best sales book I’ve read.