Turn "Not Me" into Your Advantage on Cold Calls

When a prospect tells you, "I'm not the right person," how do you respond?

Most reps ask, "Who is?" But on a cold call, credibility is everything—and you might not have earned enough for them to share a name yet.

Here's a better approach: Research the account beforehand and identify potential contacts. Ideally, you've already sequenced them in your outreach plan. So when they say, "It's not me," you can respond confidently with, "Oh, is it Rebecca Alderman?"

Having that name (or names) shows you’ve done your homework and builds credibility. At best, they’ll confirm it’s Rebecca or share the correct contact. At worst, you’ll extend the conversation and be more credible when you ask, "Can you tell me who it is?"

Remember, making things easier for the buyer should always be your default thinking. With this approach, you'll find more ways to get where you're going.

*I’d love to take credit for this tip but this is a tactic the crew at Steve Richard’s old company Vorsight taught my team in uh, 2012 I think. They called it name trading. Give a name, get a name. 

I’ve done it and taught reps this since then and have seen it work its magic for years.