If you are a B2B salesperson, you know how difficult it is to get someone's attention during a cold call. However, what do you do when you receive a B2C call? If you hang up immediately, you might be missing a valuable opportunity: observing other sales techniques live and learning from them.
A Learning Opportunity with Every Call
Every call is a chance to analyze what captures or loses attention. Rather than focusing on annoyance, ask yourself these questions:
Is the hook impactful? In the first few seconds, does the caller grab your attention, or does their speech make you want to run away?
Does the tone of voice inspire confidence? A calm and natural voice encourages listening, unlike a monotonous or overly aggressive tone.
Is the argumentation smooth? Is the speech clear and well-structured, or does it veer into unnecessary details?
Does the questioning engage the conversation? Does the caller ask relevant questions or mechanically follow their script?
How do they handle objections? (or the revenge of the targeted prospect) Do they clumsily insist, skillfully bounce back, or give up after the first refusal?
Do they use rephrasing techniques? Do they show they have understood your need or continue without adjusting their speech?
Do you identify attempts at manipulation? Some salespeople use misleading associations: exaggerated words ("revolutionary"), false urgency ("offer valid today only"), doubtful comparisons ("the Netflix of insurance"), or vague references ("I'm calling you following an EDF report…"). Does this convince or turn you off?
What if You Played Along?
Instead of hanging up immediately, give yourself a few minutes to analyze these calls. Note what works and what bothers you. Perhaps you realize that some approaches that annoy you… are also ones you use without realizing it!
So, ready to turn those unwanted calls into a learning source?
And your organization, where does it stand?
The CoAct diagnostic allows evaluating your onboarding in five dimensions.