Explore Cold Calling 101: Techniques,
Quick, what’s the first thing that pops into your thoughts when you read: “cold calling?”
Do your palms feel sweaty? ( Have you ever experienced this?) Do you remember when someone yelled at you while on the phone? (Been there, too.) Are you excited about the deal you’re about to close?
Indeed, cold calling is only one of the preferred selling methods for some people. I get it.
Although there aren’t always cupcakes and rainbows (or whatever makes you happy! ), cold-calling remains a very efficient way of connecting with potential clients and making more sales.
We have your back if you’re considering trying your toes into cold-calling or want to enhance your technique. Let’s discuss ways to begin cold calls (without the chilly sweats.)
What is Cold Calling? (And Why It Matters)
Cold-calling is an outbound sales method that allows salespersons to make unannounced phone calls to prospective customers. For success, you must be confident and specific about the value proposition you are offering, listen attentively to your customers, and help them understand the benefits of committing to your next move.
Typically, cold calls work either of the following ways:
- Effective cold calls draw the attention of prospects and may lead to follow-up appointments.
- Ineffective cold calls annoy prospects and often end with swear words and abrupt hang-ups. (Kidding. Most cold calls are friendly, but you must be prepared for any situation.)
Modern cold calling isn’t only about making sales, but it’s about initiating conversations.
If you view cold calls as an unavoidable part of life, you can enjoy reading reports that say cold calling is dying. However, the reality is that it’s alive and is doing well.
Research shows:
- 28 per cent of cold-call attempts are responded.
- 82% of corporate buyers will attend meetings by cold calling
- 57% of B2B C-level executives would prefer to be reached by telephone
It’s clear that cold calling must be an integral element of selling for many sales representatives. There’s plenty to like about cold calling.
The Clear Benefits of Cold Calling
If you’re still overwhelmed by the thought of cold calls, it’s normal. Cold calling can be more intrusive often, and it isn’t easy to do it correctly. It’s also more difficult to scale up. After all, it’s impossible to call 1000 people simultaneously yet reach them via email with just a few clicks.
I was also averse to making cold calls when I first entered sales. As time passed, I came to realize it can have some knockout benefits, particularly for small-sized entrepreneurs:
- Cold-calling is the most effective way to find the best product-market fit for your company. There’s no other method of sales that provides such a rapid response. You’ll immediately know how your customers think about what you’re selling.
- In addition, talking directly with prospective customers can help you determine quickly whether they’re the right fit for your business. The qualifying process can be lengthy when you’re researching on the internet or back and forth through email. Cold calling lets you talk directly with them and let them qualify in real-time.
- Cold calling can be personalized. Talking to someone on the phone is more intimate than sending an email or text. Personal communication builds trust and is one of the most essential elements of a successful sales formula.
- Cold calling can create deeper connections within a shorter period than any other outreach message. In reality, cold calling has a standard conversion rate for cold calls, approximately 6.3 per cent. The typical conversion rate for cold emails is 1 to 5 per cent.
Are you willing to give cold-calling? Are you ready to try cold-calling? I guarantee you will not be surprised. Let’s first discuss the big question: Is it legal?
Read Also : Cold Calling 101: Techniques, Tips
The Legality of Cold Calling
Yes, as long as you abide by local laws, cold calling is legal.
Many fraudsters use cold calling to contact the people they wish to contact. This is why people are becoming more cautious about speaking to strangers over the phone.
Three steps can ensure you are legally able (and be careful not to appear as if you are a scammer):
- Only buy small calling lists. Don’t. It’s not very effective and could lead to legally hot water.
- Introduce yourself immediately after the prospect responds, and clarify why you’re calling.
- Be aware of the legal calling hours, which range from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. (local hour).
- Never request money by phone.
5 Steps to Successful Cold Calling
If you’re a small-business proprietor, a founder establishing your new sales procedure, or a sales representative making call-ins for the very first time, you may be a bit nervous before making a cold call.
It’s happened to me. What is the best method to eliminate this anxiety? Replace it with a simple and proven cold-calling strategy that you can wash, rinse, and repeat daily.
If you’re starting If you’re just starting, we’ve got your back:
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Creating Your First Cold Call List
Making an effective cold-call list is your priority. Therefore, you should block out some time to research. Make a specific list of companies you wish to contact and do some digging to find decision-makers and obtain their contact details.
It’s probably a given, but I will clarify: only add companies to your contact list that require your products and/or services..
I strongly recommend high quality over quantity for this case. A massive call list will not assist you, but a list stuffed with hot leads will, even if it’s just more than a dozen names.
Building an Email List for Sales Calls:
- Find companies that match your customer’s ideal profile: Once you have identified the people you’d like to market to, use prospecting tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Crunchbase to locate companies that match these criteria.
- Find decision-makers and end-users within these companies: Take time to determine who will likely use your product and who can decide on purchases. (For instance, if you are selling CRM products, you’ll need to know the sales reps who will use the product and the director or sales manager with the authority to make the purchase.)
- Find their numbers: To get numbers to make cold calls, look through the personal profiles of individuals on LinkedIn and their private websites. Ask your network members, write an email, or employ an application such as Clearbit and Leadfeeder.
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Invest in Thorough Prospect Research
Are you looking to increase your chances of success? Learn about your potential customers at least a little before making contact.
Seventy-six per cent of the top sales professionals claim they always conduct research before reaching out to potential clients.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the most successful cold-caller in the world. If you’re not aware of who your prospects are (and the type of customer you’re seeking) by the palm of your hand, you’re not going to be successful. Therefore, please do yourself a favour by studying your prospects before getting their number.
Conducting Research Before Dialing:
- Explore social media, whether visiting the profiles of those you’re selling to or businesses you’re targeting; you will gain essential insights through social networks (especially sites such as LinkedIn). You may even be able to connect to these individuals or engage in their posts. Eventually, you might get them to recognize your name, transforming your cold phone into a warm phone call.
- Do early qualification: Qualification begins by conducting an investigation. Learn what makes a successful prospect (or customer), and ensure your lead list meets these requirements. This could include the business’s size, location and changes to the company, or even the content of a LinkedIn post that asks for suggestions!
- Answer the most important issues: Who are these people? What goals do they hope to accomplish? What problems are they struggling with? How do your products or services aid in how they work? Preparing these questions before making the call will allow you to get faster responses when you’re on the line.
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Develop a Cold Call Script or Talk Tracks to Stay on Course
There is also a need for a plan. The plan you have is known as a sale script. Call scripts for cold calls and chat tracks aid your conversation without sounding like an automated voice. Learn everything you can about your potential customers–their interests and dislikes, their daily struggles, etc.–and combine it with your business’s value offer to pique the interest of your prospects.
Developing More Effective Sales Scripts for Cold Calling:
- Create a clear and concise pitch: Your marketing pitch should clearly define why you’re reaching out to the person you’re contacting and why they should be concerned.
- Open-ended questions: These queries will help you determine whether the person is good for the job while also helping them understand more about your product. You can ask questions like “What is your current process for X?” or “What is your biggest challenge with X?” (With X being related to your products!)
- Let the prospect know the following steps. One of the most effective cold-calling strategies I use is intentionally not trying to sell anything. Remember that your objective is to guide prospects to move on to the following stage in your sales process. So, make this call a way to make them aware of the subsequent steps, not to close the sale.
- Create separate voicemail scripts: Don’t get stuck when you hear the beep. Create a simple voicemail message that includes your name, the reason you’re calling, and a clear next step. Even if they don’t answer your call, they’ll remember your number the next time you call.
A tip for you: Want to start creating your cold-call scripts early? Download our most effective template sales scripts here!
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Prepare Ahead to Overcome Objections
Every sales representative, SDR or business owner needs to face the possibility of objections. How you deal with them will determine the frequency of follow-up calls or meetings in person you schedule. This means that you must get the job done right!
The most frequent objections you’ll hear include:
- “It’s too expensive.”
- “I don’t need this product/service right now.”
- “I already use a similar product/service.”
- “Now is not a good time.”
- “I need to run this by my boss.”
If you have a clear set of answers, you’ll sound more confident on the phone and demonstrate that you are concerned about your potential customer’s requirements.
How to Handle Objections During Your First Phone Call
- Write down the most common objections salespeople hear and then create templates for responses: You’ll know exactly what to say when your customer has an objection to you. Be aware that the goal isn’t just to read the entire line (and sound like the voice of a robot!) But to have a general answer ready.
- Pay attention to comprehend: Refrain from assuming you know the meaning of an objection. (This means that you shouldn’t be rude and cut off the person!) Be sure to inquire about their concerns and know what they’re saying. Your customers will appreciate that you’re paying attention to their problems.
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Prepare Your Follow-Up Workflow
There are two kinds of calling back by cold-calling:
- Then, you’ll follow up with the potential clients you spoke with and determine the next steps to move the conversation forward.
- In the second, you’ll need to contact those who didn’t respond to your telephone the first time you tried calling.
Indeed, you may only sometimes be in contact with a person the first time you make a call. Getting a prospect to respond during your cold-calling process can take up to eight calls. This means that you’ll have to keep calling.
Creating a follow-up workflow is essential for moving from the cold leads list to a database with satisfied customers.
Creating Effective Follow-Up Workflows
- Be sure to specify when you’ll be able to speak with the person you talked to earlier. This should happen before you hang the phone. Make sure that during the call, you outline clearly the following actions. Whether you plan a follow-up meeting with another person, a call, or even a product demonstration, let you know precisely when you talk to them again.
- Create cold outreach workflows within Close. With Close’s powerful automation tools, it is possible to create fresh cold outreach procedures within Close and then put your follow-up plan on auto-pilot. Just set an event, then build your steps and allow it to run!
Final Thoughts: Cold Calling Tips for Your Next Call
Like a professional gymnast who is able to land each time, you must practice your technique every day to improve the amount of time you spend on the ground (or, in this instance, using your phone).
Here are a few of our most popular cold-calling tips to ensure your next cold-call succeeds:
- Be sure to keep your primary goal in your head: When you cold call someone, you’re trying to sell them something; you’re just trying to make contact. Utilize this opportunity to find the best fit for them and persuade them to go on towards the next phase. Concentrate more on the prospect (and more on what you sell) to increase your chances of success.
- Use the correct style of speaking: Tonality is crucial because your prospects don’t see you and interpret any non-verbal messages by the style of speaking. Make sure you practice your scripts and talk tracks to ensure that you appear confident. Talk clearly, and speak at the same rate (not overly fast and not either, but just the right).
- Select opening lines that grab your audience’s attention: The best opening lines contain four key factors: who you are, the services you’re selling, the reason you’re calling, and the purpose of the call. Test different opening lines to determine which resonates with your intended audience.
- Stop the call with specific future steps, whether an appointment, a product demonstration, or a different call. If you cannot convince the person to sign up, tell them when you can call them back. You can say, “I’ll call you again next Tuesday. That way, we can discuss [your offering] in more detail. Does that work for you?”
- Watch back those cold messages to get better: The best way to improve your cold-calling skills is to pay attention to what you hear yourself. You may prefer listening to chalkboard nails rather than your voice, but listening to yourself is the most effective way to enhance your cold-calling abilities.
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