Anthony Stears, also known as the Telephone Assassin, is a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant who specializes in helping sales teams master the art of real-time conversations, particularly over the phone.
We dig into the relevance of live calls in today's digital-first world and explore how human-to-human interactions can break through "pipeline constipation" when automated tools and AI fall short. Anthony also shares practical techniques for building confidence in phone outreach, from shifting your mindset to using "permission to speak" as a powerful opener.
Anthony introduces the concept of "pipeline constipation", a metaphor for that frustrating moment in the sales process when automation, digital outreach, and AI fail to move prospects forward. This is the precise time to insert a human-to-human conversation.
Automated tools work wonders for prospecting and nurturing, but when a lead stalls, nothing is better than a phone call. It's not just about solving a technical problem in the pipeline. Real-time conversations build rapport, answer nuanced questions, and clear up final concerns that digital channels miss. By humanizing the process, sellers create momentum where bots and bulk emails fall short.
One major reason sellers dread the phone is the fear of rejection and coming across as a cold caller. His solution is to shift your mindset from a transactional cold caller to a proactive expert or problem solver.
Anthony's "Permission to Speak" (PTS) tactic is a game-changer: open the call by acknowledging you may be interrupting, and respectfully ask if it's a good time or when would be better. This simple gesture disarms prospects and communicates respect for their time. If you're patient and persistent, follow up as needed and always seek permission, you cultivate trust and increase the odds that prospects will want to engage.
Anthony outlines a powerful three-step approach for trust and rapport in initial outreach:
Each technique is designed to make the interaction more consultative and less transactional, turning cold calls into conversations the prospect welcomes.
Digital touchpoints, emails, social media, CRM-driven messages, are invaluable for efficiency and scale. But their impact is highest at the top of the funnel, for broad outreach and nurturing. When it's time to convert, when the lead is teetering on the edge but not moving, a phone conversation or live video call is irreplaceable. AI can help identify exactly where in your sales pipeline these bottlenecks occur, allowing you to target real-time outreach for maximum effect.
Anthony warns against several pitfalls:
His golden rules are to keep outreach friendly and respectful; use your CRM and analytics to craft timely interventions; and always blend digital with human touch to cultivate real, lasting relationships.
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