|
|
|
Cold calling can be a challenge even for those sales professionals that have been practicing it for years. Practice? Just like the practice of medicine, it’s always changing, never perfect and they can get it wrong. What can sales professionals and management do to be effective at the Practice of Cold Calling?
To make cold calling effective, you have to put in the work before you even pick up the phone. Research, planning, and preparation are the keys to success. Just like a doctor needs to know as much as possible to diagnose a patient's problem, you need to understand a company's issues to close a deal. Let's look at a few ways to accomplish this.
Once you’ve identified the list you want to call from, you want to learn as much as possible about the prospects you are targeting. Preliminary research can help you to understand their business and potential needs. What exactly should you look for?
Next look at the contact you are calling. Is this the right person to call? Be sure to ask yourself if this person is the decision maker, recommender or part of a team to evaluate solutions. What does their job title or past experiences say about them? Are they active online? If so, get an idea of their professional interests and accomplishments.
The best way to know what you want to say is to plan. Put together your cold calling script along with any special notes you’d like to ask or discuss. Be ready for objections, especially those on price. Remember talking about price before the prospect knows or has seen the solution is a ‘no, no’. Most importantly, be sure to practice the script so it sounds natural. We all know when someone is reading a script when we get a cold call. Be sure to practice.
Plan for your opening line. That opening line needs to capture the attention of the prospect. Choose if the opening line is the same for everyone, or does it change based on the research you did. Finally, as your conversation begins, be sure to ask open ended question. These may be planned, however, since the information may be unique to them, ask inquisitive questions to gain as much insight as possible.
To be an effective cold caller, you need to get into the right mindset. Meaning, if you don’t want to cold call, the receiver will know. If you are having a bad day, the receiver will know. The most effective cold callers know how to smile so the receiver can ‘hear’ it.
Be sure your tone of voice is upbeat and positive! The phone is the most revealing communications. If your voice is happy, positive and excited about what you’re saying, it will come through. Finally, silence. The hardest task for any caller is to like silence and eliminate Um’s and talking first. You’ll get more information by allowing the prospect to make the first move.
Unlike doctors who can count on people getting sick and needing help, our jobs are not so lucky. In order to be successful in cold calling, you need to cold call consistently for a continuous flow of sales leads. This is where the challenge comes in. Many companies are now turning to our industrial lead generation and appointment setting services to provide that consistency, while their teams focus on working the sales funnel to close.
Consistent cold calling takes time, energy, and a steady flow of qualified contacts. And that’s where we can help. Our industrial lead generation and appointment setting services are designed to put your sales team directly in front of decision makers, creating predictable appointments and opening doors to new business opportunities. Ready to strengthen your pipeline and close more deals? Learn more today.