You’ve been cold-calling all morning and are hitting your stride on voicemail.
You left fifteen messages – each one more eloquent than the last.
There’s no outgoing voicemail you can’t slay because on this day, the words are flowing and you’re in the zone.
On the sixteenth call, your world is suddenly rocked – thrust out of rhythm by one word on the other end of the line – “Hello”?
If you’ve been in sales long enough, you know this feeling. You’re responsible for making a bunch of calls everyday and let’s face it, some days – no one picks up.
You’ve become really good at leaving voicemail and are shocked into existence when someone finally picks up.
You freeze. You’ve forgotten who you’re calling and why you called.
There’s a Method to the Cold Calling Madness
Whenever you’re cold calling, opt for three monitors at all times.
One = Email: To send email right after your voicemail.
Second = Your CRM: Since you’re recording every call, task and/ or email, it should be front and center.
Third = Research: This monitor should have data about the company you’re calling into or your target’s social media feed.
Having this information at your disposal at ALL TIMES guarantees that you will never be caught off guard while cold-calling.
Imagine freezing up on a prospect you’ve been trying to reach for weeks or months. You umm yourself through the intro, forget your name and can’t get your elevator pitch to roll off your tongue.
What are the chances of that prospect taking your call again?
The initial silence after your party says Hello is one of wonder and trepidation.
Those silent seconds in time are ripe with confidence or fear – an empty space enveloped in the possibility of success or failure.
It’s easy to freeze up or get tongue-tied, but with your monitors as your guide, ENGAGE and make an impactful impression in those crucial seconds.
It’s important you understand “Hello” from an executive on the other end is short for Who Are You and What the Hell Do You Want?
Remember, these guys are getting calls all day so now that you’ve got their ear, keep it.
Your goal in those initial seconds is simply to grab your prospect’s attention. You’re not selling anything but time. Time enough to be heard.
Introduce yourself, elevate your pitch and make it relevant.
If you can create a compelling reason within 30 seconds, you’ll earn the opportunity to catch your breath and move into a conversation.
The way in which you create space for the conversation is by providing your prospect with a hook to stay on the line.
* What’s in it for them?
* Why should they talk to you?
* How can you make their lives easier?
You may have the greatest solution in the world but if you can’t make it sexy, you’re not getting any sexy back.
Don’t be deceitful or misleading. The object of that First 30 is to get an honest bite. You’ll know you’ve succeeded when:
* They don’t hang up!
* They ask a question
* You ask a question directly after your intro and they answer with genuine interest
* They tell you exactly who you should speak to
Don’t Let Phone Fright and Negative Nancies Kill Your Game
Till this day, I still get the heebie-jeebies before a Cold-Calling session. I break the seal quickly by psyching myself up and making the toughest calls of the day first.
Cold-calling takes practice, courage and discipline. It can be scary at times but the more you do it, the better you get. If you need confidence for your calls, Follow These 8 Steps to Regain Your Sales Confidence Using Your CRM.
You could cold-call the same person once every week for a month and get a different reaction each time depending on their mood.
Don’t take it personally – everyone has a bad days and they will hang up on you. Empathy helps. Think about how you feel when you get a cold-call in the middle of something.
The key to cold-calling in B2B Sales is being prepared at all times.
There are various methods to attract prospects. Social selling, marketing/ advertising, referrals, inbound leads.
Don’t get complacent. Cold-calling is still an integral part of the sales process and is a great way to exercise your sales muscles.
If you can originate business through cold-calling as well as other avenues, you’re maximizing personal revenue opportunities.
Understandably, it can get tiring but you can switch it up by using different scripts, changing your elevator pitch or your phone personality to keep things fresh.
And another thing that helps making cold-calls is CLOSING BUSINESS. The easiest cold-call you’ll make is right after you’ve closed a deal: Happy and Confident.
Related (Keenan – A Sales Guy): http://www.asalesguy.com/cold-calling-is-dead-email-is-dead-so-do-this/
I’ve been in sales for over a decade and closed over 1000 deals with companies of 10 to 250,000 employees. Over 85% of those Wins were through cold-calls.
Cold-calling is alive and kickin’. Those that say it’s dead only say so because they can’t do it.
Do you think cold calling is alive or dead? Why?