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keithS

This is tough because your bank is demanding expectations that you can't deliver on because they don't respect or understand the sales process. A bank is NOT a sales organization, despite what many people believe. With cold calling, my goal is to always secure a first meeting. I never ever try to sell them on anything during the cold call except on a first meeting. I target specific businesses. I do my research first. Then, I ask the prospect a few targeted questions, build some rapport, and secure a commitment to spend quality time together at a later date, all within a maximum time of 2 minutes. And if I don't get to meet the principal I at least make sure I meet the secretary, who I will build rapport with, and hopefully turn into an ally, so that when I do follow up, she is comfortable with me. I always follow up with a letter, thanking the prospect for the time and reconfirming the meeting. I also phone the secretary to say it was nice meeting her and to alert her that I am in fact meeting with the principal, and thanking her for introducing me. Trust me, every time I call and she answers, I get a better response than if I hadn't invested the effort in getting to know her. If I don't get to see the principal, I will do 3 phone follow ups. If there is no activity, I will send a Gitomer special. This involves a letter and a lottery ticket. I follow this up with a drive by, and if I am still unable to get the attention of the principal, he or she goes on my drip list and I move on. I think too many salespeople try to be salespeople. They have been conditioned to sell on the very first face to face opportunity and it doesn't work. "This may be the only chance I get to sell them!" is a common thought. If you listen to the prospect and work on a solutions oriented track, you shouldn't be "selling" until the presentation. Not sure if this all applies to your specific situation but good luck and keep smiling!