Stop Asking Permission to Interrupt

Are you making this fatal cold calling mistake?

In response to my last article on Apology Dialing, I received numerous questions and general uneasiness regarding my suggestion that a salesperson should never say, "did I reach you at a good time?" during the opening of a cold call. Some variations of this question are:

• Is now a good time to talk?
• Did I catch you at a bad time?
• Do you have 27 seconds so I can tell you why I called?
• Do you have 5 minutes?
• Do you have 10 minutes next week?

There are many variations on this deadly question, but the result is almost always the same; the prospect says NO.

So Why Do You Ask?

The fact is, almost all B2B cold callers ask some variation of this question. But why are they still asking permission to interrupt when the odds are high the answer is a gut-punching NO? I chalk it up to one of the three following reasons:

1. You want to appear polite, respectful, and courteous.
2. A boss, mentor, or sales trainer drilled it into you that you must ask.
3. You are fearful of harsh rejection or getting hung-up on if you don't ask.

Rationale aside, you’re starting your conversation – and potentially your relationship – with this prospect with an out. You’re giving your prospects a reason to reject you right from the start. You only get one chance at a first impression – do you really want to start it out with weakness and rejection?

A Better Way 

Every time I take over an Inside Sales organization, I conduct an initial opening statement workshop. I almost always receive pushback and trepidation when I suggest removing "did I catch you at a good time?" and other similar phrases from their openings.

But I never leave them high and dry. If they’re uncomfortable completely removing permission language, I suggest they temporarily shift to a more assumptive approach. For example, instead of asking if they’ve caught someone at a good time, I teach them to use the assumptive phrase: "If I have caught you at a good time" followed by (without pausing) the remaining opening statement and question.

Let see how this works in more detail. A traditional, permissive request goes like this:

Salesperson: “Hi, Bob. Did I reach you at a good time?”

Customer: “Actually, no. I’m on my way to a meeting.”

Salesperson: “Oh, ok. Sorry, I can call back later. Thank you

Instantly shut down, the salesperson’s confidence takes a hit, which can then affect subsequent calls. Compile those rejections and you’ve got a salesperson who is well on their way to call reluctance

Let’s see what happens when we replace interruption permission with an assumptive approach:

Salesperson: “Good Morning, Bob. If I’ve caught you at a good time, I’d love to learn about your project management processes to see if (solution) would be a fit or not. (Insert qualifying question here).”

Obviously, it won’t be simple every time, but this approach does not give the prospect an easy out. What it does is give you a chance to grab their attention while still being respectful of their time. If they genuinely don’t have time, you’ve let them know it’s okay to interrupt. 

In subsequent opening statement workshops, the teams eventually decide that no permission phrasing is required – traditional or assumptive. By using that phrase in the interim, the teams have overcome the initial unease of diving right in. But, in no time, they come to realize that the phrase is unnecessary additional words. Cutting them out gives back valuable seconds to try and gain the prospect’s attention.

Not Asking is Pattern Interruption

As someone who receives a fair share of cold calls, I can tell you nine out of ten salespeople sound the same. Most B2B cold callers follow a very similar pattern – a script or formula – and this repetitive pitch results in prospects becoming desensitized and automatically raising their defenses in those crucial first few seconds of a call.

Because asking for permission to continue the cold call interruption is so common, not asking is pattern interruption at its finest. When prospects hear the same overused phrasing, they subconsciously react the same way.

Ignore the Trainers - You Have Earned the Right

To all those sales trainers who say you must be respectful of the prospect's time and earn the right to have a conversation, I say this; you respect their time and earn the right to a conversation by quickly getting to the point. Nuff said.

Bonus Tip #1. Stop asking permission to ask questions. Never say, "Do you mind if I ask you a question," simply ask the question or questions. When a salesperson asks this question to me, I respond with, "you just did." Yes, I am a jerk, but they quickly get my point.

Bonus Tip #2 Use "or not" or similar verbiage. By suggesting that what you are selling may not be for them, you lower their defenses as you come off as someone who has their best interest in mind and will not try to fit a square plug in a round hole.

Conclusion

I am well aware that my advice goes against standard conventions. If you have always asked for permission to interrupt, I implore you to give this method a try. If you are still hesitant, let me give you some quick stats that might convince you to try. I deployed this method in my last two head of inside sales positions, with both inside sales organizations having large SDR teams. The two sets of SDRs teams generated a combined total of over 12,000 outbound qualified leads without ever asking permission to interrupt.

Please comment if you agree or disagree and let me know how this different approach works for you.

About Me

After serving in the United States Air Force, I returned to civilian life during an economic recession. The only job I could get was in sales. Jumping into sales is one of the best decisions of my life, second only to asking my wife to marry me after only two weeks of dating. We’ve been married for 21 years now. That’s right…I can close.

I eventually founded a national business magazine on the back of my telephone cold calling skills. After a month of cold calling, I secured $1.4M in revenue from logos such as Microsoft, AT&T, Office Depot, and FedEx, as well as partnerships with the US departments of Treasury and Commerce. Yes, I cold-called the IRS. Cold calling the White House was a different story as I failed to get the President's participation. The USAF taught me to "Aim High."

In my sales career, I’ve made over 60,000 telephone cold calls. I’ve also had the pleasure to build five winning inside sales organizations, scaled global SDR teams from zero to upwards of 25 people with multiple organizations, and taught thousands of salespeople and managers the secrets of effective cold calling.

Follow me for more content on cold calling, lead generation, inside sales, remote selling, and sales leadership. If I can be a resource, please reach out.