As a beer marketer, I’ve spent a lot of time talking on the phone. Not only do we dial up potential clients and prospective retail partners, but we also need to reach out to press outlets and other industry professionals.
That last category includes other beer marketers who are eager to share their own insights with us.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Applying creative marketing tactics can enhance cold calling success. |
| 2. Drawing parallels between beer marketing and cold calling can provide unique insights. |
| 3. Building rapport and creating a connection with prospects is essential. |
| 4. Understanding objections and addressing them effectively can lead to positive outcomes. |
| 5. Leveraging storytelling techniques can make cold calls more engaging and relatable. |
Be Prepared
If you’re going to be successful in cold calling, it’s important that you know what you’re going to say. You can’t just call someone cold and offer them something without preparing. The best way to prepare is to have a script and plan of attack.
But keep in mind, that things don’t always go according to plan. If they do, great! However, if they don’t, be prepared with an alternate route in mind as well as possible solutions based on their response.”
Cold calling can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can achieve remarkable results. Learn essential tips in our guide on Cold Calling 101: How I Got Over 100 Interviews with This Strategy to master the art of reaching potential clients effectively.
Treat It Like A Conversation
This is especially important for those of you who are introverts and have trouble making small talk with strangers. You don’t want to come off as desperate, but also don’t be afraid to get personal and ask questions about their interests or life goals.
If you already know someone from school or work, try starting the conversation by asking how their kid did in sports or whatever may be relevant for that person (and remember: never share too much information right away).
This approach makes you seem like an actual human and not just some robot trying to sell them something they don’t need.
The key here is being natural so that people can relate to your message and understand why they should buy your products/services without feeling pressured into buying anything at all!
Give Them A Reason To Talk To You
The most important thing, and what we’re going to focus on here, is that your cold call needs a hook. You need something that’ll make the prospect want to talk with you and make them want to stay on the phone long enough for you to deliver your pitch.
The best way is by giving them good information they didn’t know before (or had forgotten). If they think they already know everything there is about the beer industry (or their industry), then give them an interesting fact or story that’s related but not directly related.
In other words, if everyone knows all about canned beer worldwide and its impact on society since the 1960s and 1970s, but no one knows anything about how beer cans were invented in America during World War II…that would be something worth sharing!
Mastering the cold calling strategy is key to boosting your business growth. Discover actionable insights and techniques in our article about How to Master Cold Calling Marketing Strategy and Boost Your Business Growth to make your outreach efforts more successful.
Never Mention Price
The next lesson is never to mention price.
This sounds like a pretty obvious one, but it’s important to remember that you don’t want to throw out a lowball offer or make it seem like you have something for sale that isn’t worth much.
This can lead to your prospect feeling like they are getting ripped off, which will make them defensive and hostile during the entire process of trying to buy from you.
If you don’t know anything about their product or service, how do you know what price range would be appropriate? Your goal should be to get as much information about their business as possible before even thinking about pricing (or even if there is money involved).
Once they provide some details on what type of company they run and what services/products they sell/produce/deliver etc., then it’s time for us marketers (and salespeople) at Beer Marketer Incorporated!
Don’t Ask For The Sale.
The first thing to remember is that people don’t buy anything unless they know what it does for them. What’s the point of cold calling if you can’t tell them what your product does?
You need to give the prospect a reason why now is the best time for them to buy from you instead of someone else, and why your service or product will make their life easier.
The only way you can do that is by understanding their needs, which brings us back to our original point: You can’t sell something if they don’t know what it is!
Are you tired of ineffective marketing strategies? Explore the cold calling approach that’s actually useful in our comprehensive guide on The Cold Calling Marketing Strategy That’s Actually Useful and learn how to leverage it for your business success.
Always Have A Goal Before Picking Up The Phone
When you pick up the phone, you should always have a goal in mind. The first thing you should do is decide what information you want to learn and how much time you’ll spend with each person.
You should also think about how the information will be presented and what your next steps are after getting it.
For example:
What do I want them to say?
How much time am I willing to spend? Is this going to take me ten minutes, or an hour and a half? Will I call back after 45 minutes if they haven’t gotten back to me yet?
How will I present myself on the phone so that my message sounds genuine and not forced (which can come off as annoying)?
Have Goals For The Call, Too
Know where you’re going. This doesn’t mean being super-specific about the numerical outcome, but it does mean knowing what your goal is for the call.
For example, if you’re calling someone to ask them to come to a marketing event, your goal might be to get them there. If you’re calling a customer asking them for referrals, then your goal should be getting one or more referrals from that customer.
Have an idea of how much time the call will take. When I’m cold calling on behalf of my company’s clients, I usually have an idea of what kind of response rate we’ll expect from each person.
I reach out to (based on previous experience) and how long it takes me as a salesperson (or account executive).
To make those calls effectively so that allows me to know how many calls I can reasonably expect myself or my team members to make per day before we run out of steam plus have enough time left over at the end of our day/weekend/etc. when we need time off!
Make Your Paths And Scripts
You may be tempted to use the same script and approach every time you call. Don’t. It’s much more effective if you can make your cold calls unique, and the best way to do that is by being creative.
One way I’ve done this is by asking questions like “Who are you?” “What does your company do?” and “How long have you been doing what you’re doing?”
By asking these questions, I’ve had people on the other end of my cold calls talk at length about themselves or their companies.
And often it leads them down a path where they end up talking about one thing in particular that would fit right into my pitch (like how many people work there).
Another thing I’ve found helpful when it comes to thinking outside the box when making cold calls is not being afraid to tell jokes or deviate from my script completely if it feels natural in an interaction with someone who seems receptive.
For example, last week I was calling a potential client whose website listed only three phone numbers: two landlines and one fax number (!).
So instead of calling any of those numbers directly, which would probably result in no answer anyway since nobody seems to use fax machines anymore these days…I decided just to go for broke.
And said something along the lines of “I guess everyone must know each other well around here; so many extensions but none listed as ‘main office’…or maybe there isn’t one!”
Cold calling doesn’t have to be a dreaded task. Discover innovative ways to connect with prospects in our article on 10 Non-Sucky Ways to Cold Call Prospects as a Marketer and turn this traditional approach into a valuable lead generation tool.
Don’t Use A Telemarketing Script
Use Your Own Words
You don’t want to use the same language that was written down for you. Use your own words and phrases, but try not to go overboard with jargon or industry terms.
You should sound conversational, not like a salesperson trying too hard to sell someone on something they don’t want or need.
Make It About Them For A Change And Get Their Name Right!
Instead of using the usual script (or even if you do), try changing up the way that you approach people by starting with some questions about them instead of trying to sell them on whatever it is you’re selling immediately upon first contact:
“How’s your day going?” or “What brings you here today?”
Again, this isn’t just about being polite; this is how we build relationships in general when we meet someone new.
And in today’s world where most people are connected digitally all day long with various social media platforms, cold calling can be one of those rare occasions where we get face-to-face interaction with another person outside our immediate circle of friends and family members (ahem). So take advantage of it!
Be Conversational In Tone And Style Instead Of Salesy.
Don’t Say Your Name First
I’ve talked to hundreds of sales reps, and this is one of the biggest turn-offs for me. When a rep starts by saying their name, it’s like they’re saying: “Hey, I’m here! And now that you know who I am, let’s get down to business.”
It can be especially annoying if we have already been speaking for a few minutes before they introduce themselves with an unnecessary “Hi my name is [insert full name].”
It’s not just about being polite; there are practical reasons why we shouldn’t say our names first. First off, it gives away information you don’t need to give away yet your full name might give some insight into where or how old you are (or even gender).
We also don’t want to reveal any personal information that might make us seem weak or vulnerable in any way (e.g., mentioning your child’s birthday).
Finally, if someone wanted to stalk us after meeting us on LinkedIn one day and they knew our full name from cold calling or networking events then we could be putting ourselves at risk by revealing this information right off the bat no matter how unlikely such an event may seem!
Tie In Their Vendors With Your Openers
One of the most effective ways to personalize your cold calls is to tie in their vendors with your openers. This is especially important if you’re a beer marketer, but it works in any industry.
If you can connect with them on a level that they care about, you’ll be able to do so much more easily. So what if they’re not interested in beer? The key is finding out what’s relevant and interesting to them, and then creating a story around it.
There are several ways of doing this:
Using their vendors’ names – This can be as simple as saying “I noticed that ABC company does quite a bit of business with XYZ company,” or something more specific like “I know that ABC company recently announced its new campaign for XYZ product.”
Either way, it’s going to show an interest in the person on the other end of the phone line without being too intrusive or pushy.* Mentioning upcoming events/tours/mixes – If there are upcoming trips or events involving your client’s favorite vendor(s), mention these things!
If not now then at some point down the road when asked about plans.* Using quotes from articles and blogs – Use quotes from articles written by industry experts who have something relevant (and positive) to say about your client’s favorite vendor(s).
Despite its reputation, cold calling can yield impressive results. Find out how to make it work for you in our piece about Cold Calling Is Boring, But It’s Working, where we share insights on turning this strategy into a successful avenue for customer acquisition.
Research The Person And The Account You’re Calling On
Know the person’s name. If you don’t know the name of the person you’re calling, you can’t personalize your approach in any meaningful way.
Know the company’s name and location. Knowing where your target resides is essential to crafting an effective cold call strategy you’ll have a better understanding of their buying habits, preferences, and industry trends when you know where they’re located geographically.
Know who their customers are, too! Your target could be selling to someone else for all we know (and even if they aren’t). Make sure that whatever it is that they do sell or do services for has a place in this world (and if not, find out why).
Leave A Voicemail If They’re Not There, But Don’t Call Back
Leave a voicemail if they’re not there. This is the best way to leave an effective cold call message. It lets you control the exact words that come out of your mouth, rather than relying on the whim of a person answering the phone who might not be in a good mood or may have no interest in hearing what you have to say.
Don’t call them back. If they don’t answer their phones, let it go and move on with your life! Don’t even bother leaving them another voicemail; just forget about them and focus on other prospects who are available right now!
If someone doesn’t want to talk with me after I called twice, then clearly I’m wasting my time on someone who doesn’t want to buy anything from me anyway (and could potentially damage my reputation by being associated with such people).
Never Call More Than Once In A Day (Unless Invited)
Here’s a lesson from the world of beer marketing: don’t call more than once a day. If they want to talk to you, they’ll call you back. If they don’t call back, it means they don’t want to talk to you!
This is true even if that person happens to be your mother-in-law if she doesn’t return your calls and emails then take it as an indication that she doesn’t care enough about her relationship with you (or at least not enough about what’s going on in your life) that she’ll make the effort required for keeping up with things like phone calls and emails.
When someone does finally reach out after being cold-called multiple times per day by salespeople at their workplace (though this should never happen), it can feel like a victory for everyone involved: both parties get what they want.
The salesperson gets some leads or appointments; the prospect gets some free time away from all those pesky phone calls and emails from said salespeople!
Don’t Act Like You Are Selling Something
Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. People are drawn to genuine people, so if you’re going to cold call, be genuine in every way. Be friendly and likable and genuinely interested in the person on the other end of the line.
Don’t sell anything; rather, offer solutions that will help your prospect reach their goals. If they ask how much something costs, tell them!
If they don’t ask (and even if they do), tell them how much it costs anyway this shows that pricing isn’t a secret or taboo subject for you but an easy part of doing business with others.
Don’t just talk about yourself ask questions about your prospect’s goals and challenges as well as their current situation so that you can better understand where their problems lie and what solutions might work best for them (hint: it probably won’t always be your solution).
Ask open-ended questions like “What have you tried?” or “Why?” instead of closed-ended ones like “Did it work?” or “How much did it cost?” This will demonstrate empathy and curiosity which are both essential qualities when building trust with customers over the phone
Never Give Up, Even If They Say “No”
Don’t take it personally. Even if you’ve done everything right, people will still say no. It’s a numbers game when you’re cold calling, you just want to reach out and touch them all. And remember: even if they say “no,” there’s always a chance that next time they’ll say “yes.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone else in your company or your industry, as long as they have experience with cold-calling and are not too busy at that given moment!
You don’t want them distracted by other tasks or projects when they could be helping you land new accounts by advising on what worked best for them in the past when making these kinds of calls themselves (which should be plenty).
Don’t be afraid to ask if there’s any way possible that we can keep following up with this customer until he takes action on something we’ve offered him before ultimately signing off entirely without agreeing upfront with all terms laid out beforehand.
So nothing gets lost in translation later down the road when things get complicated due to a lack of clear communication techniques used throughout the entire process and good luck finding out what those might be after everything else has already been said here today!”
Use The “Mystery Shopper” Tactic
Callers can use the “mystery shopper” tactic. A mystery shopper calls a business and asks questions, pretending to be a prospective customer. They might ask you to tell them about your company’s products, services, or processes.
Or perhaps they’ll ask you about the competition and what their advertisements say? How are they different from yours?
One of my favorite stories about this tactic is from when I was working at a beer distributor in Michigan in college. We got an order for five cases of beer for some sort of event where one team would win free drinks for four days (I don’t remember what kind).
When we went to deliver it, I pretended like I wasn’t supposed to be there, asking who ordered all these beers and why we were being forced into giving them away. This led us into telling him all these things before he realized what was happening!
Start Your Conversation From Where They Are At, Then Move It To Where You Want It To Be (A Sale)
As you can see, each of these questions is designed to learn more about what they are doing, how they do it, and where they fit into the market.
The goal of this approach is to get them talking about their business and what’s going on that affects their ability to make a decision.
You can use this same technique for any type of sales call: cold calls, appointment setting, client services, or any other kind of call where you are trying to get an appointment for yourself or your boss.
Sales is an exchange of information
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
You can find out the best person to talk to, or you can get a sense of the problem they’re trying to solve. It’s okay if they say no it means they don’t want your product or service right now.
But if they do want it, you’ll make sure that as soon as possible, they’re buying from you instead of someone else!
Conclusion
If you’re serious about cold calling, there are a few things that you can do to improve your results. The first thing is to find out what the person on the other end of the line wants. Then you need to figure out how your product or service can help them meet those needs.
Finally, it’s important to ask questions that get your listener thinking and feeling excited about how they might use whatever it is you’re selling (or not).
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources that provide insights into related topics:
5 Things I’ve Learned from Cold Calling Discover valuable lessons and tips from a seasoned cold caller on improving your outreach strategies and making the most out of your calls.
Beer Marketing Strategies in a Global Pandemic Explore effective beer marketing tactics during a global pandemic and gain insights into strategies that have proven successful, especially heading into the new year.
Selling Beer: The Changing Nature of Sales Calls Learn about the evolving landscape of sales calls in the beer industry and how strategies are adapting to the changing market dynamics.
FAQs
How can I improve my cold calling techniques?
Improving your cold calling techniques involves understanding your audience, crafting compelling pitches, and practicing active listening during your calls.
What are some effective beer marketing strategies during a pandemic?
Effective beer marketing strategies during a pandemic include leveraging online platforms, offering delivery services, creating virtual events, and focusing on community engagement.
How has the nature of sales calls changed in the beer industry?
The nature of sales calls in the beer industry has shifted towards digital interactions, virtual tastings, and personalized outreach to accommodate changing consumer behaviors.
What are some key takeaways from successful cold callers?
Successful cold callers emphasize the importance of research, building rapport, addressing objections, and providing value to the prospects they engage with.
How can I adapt my sales approach to the evolving market dynamics?
Adapting your sales approach involves staying informed about industry trends, utilizing digital tools, customizing your pitch, and focusing on building relationships with potential customers.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.