--- tags: Module 6 --- # Get permission and engage early As we mentioned, sales is a craft. You must find *your* own style that feels right for *you*. Authenticity is crucial, so we want to continue giving you examples of successful approaches to cold-calling so you can try out different things. Let's look at one more recommendation from one of our favourite experts on how to effectively open a sales call: Marc Wayshack. Marc's approach is about getting permission early, and getting your lead/prospect involved early - otherwise, it is a monologue, not a conversation 😉. **So keep it short and simple, and ask quick questions that get them to say yes early on.** There are psychological studies done advocating that you should get your prospect to say yes twice early on in the conversation, as it sets them off to a positive tone! Have you also noticed that all three experts from the last three lessons share the same message? - It is about "how" you say it (tonality) - Have a distinct opening - Do not let it sound like "I am a salesperson" :::warning **Practical tip:** When you state the reason for your call, do not fall into the trap by giving a definition of what your company does like "We are a software company that does ABC". **Nobody cares what you do.** The only thing the other person cares about is their challenges and objectives. So when you explain what your company does, do it in the context of challenges you help customers solve and what VALUE you deliver. At the example of Hyrise and the hiring partners we work with, this could sound like: "We see many growing SaaS companies that struggle with sales recruiting. We help companies like yours find great salespeople by giving access to a new pool of fully trained sales talent." ::: Enjoy! 👇 {%youtube 5TVBHdAgpjY %} &nbsp; :::info **Call openers that work:** Call openers that work change continuously, and their effectiveness varies greatly depending on your product and region. [This article from Gong is a **MUST (!) read** for you](https://www.gong.io/blog/cold-call-opening-lines/) as it sums it up beautifully. Adding to what is written in the article, we are sharing a couple of openers that have worked for us so you can try them out yourself: &nbsp; 1. Hi (name of prospect), this is (your name) from (your company). "How've you been?" or "How are you?" 2. Hi (name of prospect), this is (your name) from (your company). Did I catch you in the middle of something? (Answer prospect, probably a "Yes"). Let me take 30 seconds to tell you what this is about and if it's not relevant, we stop right there. Does this sound fair? 3. Hi (name of prospect), this is (your name) from (your company). You don't know me yet, but we help companies like yours to (insert your value proposition). 4. Hi (name of prospect), this is (your name) from (your company). The reason for my call is to (insert specific reason like "learn how to currently go about doing ABC" or "find out to what extent you also suffer from problem ABC"). 5. Hi (name of prospect), this is (your name). Knowing how busy you are, can I get straight to the point? (Wait for answer.) I noticed that (something from your research), how do you currently go about (insert problem you address with your product here)? Notice how in #5, you are just stating your name but not what company you are from (because often they won't know you and will ask "What company are you calling from again?"). Feel free to experiment with these or come up with a variation or a completely new way of starting. Keep in mind: you want to stand out, be respectful of their time and non-salesy 😉. It's all about pattern interruption (and saying something the other person doesn't expect). ::: <style> body > .ui-infobar, body > .ui-toc, body > .ui-affix-toc, body > .ui-community, body > .document-footer { display: none !important; } </style>