Secrets To Cold Calling That Will Save you A Ton Of Time And Money

You’re sitting at your desk, staring at the phone. You have a meeting scheduled with a prospective client, but you’re not sure what to say on the call. You know that if you don’t get this deal signed, things are going to get tight for your company soon.

So why do cold calls strike fear into the hearts of so many sales professionals? Fear isn’t a bad thing it keeps us safe!

But when it comes to prospecting and calling new customers, it’s important to find ways around that fear so we can focus on selling our products or services instead of worrying about how we’ll make a living if this deal falls through (and trust me: it will!).

Here are secrets I’ve learned over my years in sales that will help anyone overcome their fear of cold calling and start making more money today!

Cold Calling Techniques That Really Work! (Cold Call Secrets)

Takeaways
1. Focus on targeted prospect research to optimize call efficiency.
2. Craft compelling opening statements to grab prospects’ attention.
3. Utilize objection-handling techniques to navigate common hurdles.
4. Leverage technology tools to streamline and enhance your cold calling efforts.
5. Prioritize follow-ups to build relationships and increase conversion rates.

Table of Contents

Create A Prospecting Plan

The first step to cold calling is creating a prospecting plan. This will help you organize your efforts, save time and money, and ensure that you are following best practices.

How to create one: First, write down all of the companies or organizations that have something in common with yours.

Then add in any other companies or organizations whose business could be affected by your product or service (for example, if you sell software that helps manage customer loyalty programs for restaurants, include restaurants who might use it as well).

Next, add in all the contacts for these companies/organizations this list can come from social media sites such as LinkedIn or even just Google searches because most people publish their contact information online these days.

What should be included: Add the contact’s name along with their title and email address (and phone number if possible).

Also include notes about anything specific about this person that will help make your approach successful like whether they attended a conference where someone from your company spoke recently or whether they once gave a positive quote about something similar to what you do.

How often should I make calls?: If possible aim for at least two calls per day but start small until you get used to it.

Once comfortable make sure there is at least one day per week where no calls are made so that time can be spent doing research instead (more on this later).

For many businesses, this may mean getting up early each morning before work starts so that afternoon can then be devoted solely to making those precious daily calls.* How do I know what questions need asking?

Building a successful cold calling strategy requires understanding the fundamentals. If you’re new to the concept, take a look at our comprehensive guide on Cold Calling 101 to grasp the basics and learn why it’s an effective approach.

Begin By Investigating Every Company

Before you even pick up the phone to call a prospect, you need to know as much about the company and its industry as possible. This is where research comes in.

Researching your prospects will help you with:

Learning more about their role within the organization
Understanding what they do and how they support their customers/clients (this can be done by looking at websites, social media pages, etc.)
Understanding how they differentiate themselves from competitors (this can be done by reading annual reports or financial documents)

Choose The Right Prospects

Choose the right prospects. This is probably the most important part of your cold call. When choosing companies and people to target, look for:

Companies that are more likely to buy. For example, if you sell eCommerce software for financial advisors, you want to target large investment firms and mutual fund companies over small independent advisors or individual investors.

Companies that are most likely to buy from you (and not from a competitor). If you’re selling IT support services for large businesses.

You want to target CIOs or other IT decision makers at larger corporations who may be expanding their business or looking for new solutions, not mom-and-pop shops struggling with outdated hardware and software.

Companies that are more likely to buy from you because of your expertise or experience in a specific industry (e.g., high tech).

If this sounds like an obvious choice when targeting specific industries like healthcare it’s worth noting that even within industries.

There can be major differences between customers in terms of likelihood of buying versus competitors’ offerings; which means there’s also room here for some differentiation based on product features/benefits as well as price point!

Discover the secrets that can revolutionize your cold calling efforts and save you both time and money. Dive into our article on Secrets to Cold Calling to unlock valuable insights for more successful interactions.

Research The Decision Maker Thoroughly

Researching the decision maker thoroughly is the first step to landing a great appointment. It determines how you can best approach them, what questions to ask and what points will resonate with them.

Here are some ways you can research your target:

Research their background and experience. What kind of work do they do? What industries are they involved in? What companies have they worked for in the past?

Do they have any social media accounts where you can see what they like and dislike? All of this information will help guide you on how best to connect with them over the phone or at an event.

Make It Personal

Of all the cold calling tips you’ll read here, this one is the most important.

When you call a prospect, use their name right away. Don’t say “Mr. Prospectsname” or “Hello, my name is Prospectsname’s Rep. How can I help?” Instead, use the name they introduced themselves with and make it personal.

It takes less than half a second to do this, but it makes all the difference in making your prospect feel like he or she matters to you as an individual rather than just another contact in an endless stream of potential customers looking for better service providers all day long.

If you don’t get someone on the phone, leave them a voicemail that includes their name (and maybe even something else about them like their company name).

The more effort you put into remembering who is who when contacting prospects by phone, the more likely it will be that they’ll remember YOU when it comes time for them to buy from YOU!

Keep Your Message Clear And Simple

Doing so will help you connect with people and get better results. Here are some tips for giving a concise, effective message:

Be clear about what you want. Before you begin the sales process or any other informational interview, be sure that everyone involved knows exactly what’s at stake – and how it may be resolved.

If there’s a specific outcome in mind, make sure this is communicated clearly from the start so that everyone understands why they’re working towards it together.

Don’t overcomplicate things when communicating with others; keep things simple by using short sentences, paragraphs and words (but not “the” too much!).

Cold calling marketing can be challenging, but it’s a skill that can be mastered. Learn from others’ experiences with our post on 10 Things I Learned About Cold Calling Marketing, and gain practical tips to enhance your approach.

Quickly Bridge To Your Prospects #1 Problem

Now it’s time to get down to business.

The first step is getting your prospect talking about their problems, which will make them more open to hearing about how you can help.

So what you want to do is ask a few questions that will give you a sense of what the top two issues are for your prospect:

Briefly explain who you are and what your company does (if they don’t already know). This gives them some context for why someone would be calling them in the first place (and it also helps build trust).

Ask them about their business! Ask about their biggest challenge currently facing their company, or ask if there is anything else important that could be preventing them from being successful with whatever product or service they offer.

Get these answers from people doing similar work as yourself so that when they call back later on they feel like someone else has been through this process before and knows exactly where they are coming from.

It’ll make it easier for both sides to connect over shared experiences rather than just talking past one another!

Ask A Provocative Question To Get Their Attention

It may seem counterintuitive to ask your prospect a question that doesn’t directly relate to you or your product, but it’s one of the best ways to get their attention. The key is knowing what kind of question will get them talking and thinking about how you can help them.

Some examples:

“What are some of the biggest challenges [your organization] has faced over the past year?” (if they’re in an industry with regular pain points)
“What do you think [customer segment] would most benefit from our service?” (if they have experience with other customers)
“How do you see yourself growing in the next five years?” (if this company has plans for growth)

Maximizing the potential of your email list is crucial for effective marketing. Check out our guide on Getting the Most Out of Your Mailing List to learn how a strategic approach to cold emailing can lead to better results and engagement.

Use A Script That Has Been Tested, Practiced, And Perfected

If you want to be successful in cold calling, then you will need to use a script that has been tested, practiced, and perfected. You should test out your script by using it for a couple of days before going out into the field to use it with prospects.

Once you have found your best cold calling scripts, practice them over and over again in front of a mirror so that you can become familiar with how they sound when spoken out loud instead of just written down on paper.

Then try practicing them in front of a friend or family member so that they can give honest feedback about whether the script makes sense or not.

When testing this approach on one particular prospect who was looking for help with their website maintenance issues we found that they had no interest whatsoever in our products because they were already satisfied with another provider’s service offerings.

Be Prepared To Deal With Objections – Have An Answer For Every Likely Objection

Your prospect is likely to have objections. Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, ask for a meeting, or even get the prospect’s phone number.

It doesn’t matter if you have an awesome product or service and are offering it at a great price, there will always be someone who can say “No thanks!” or “I think we’re okay right now.”

You need to be prepared for these objections so that you can handle them in a way that leaves your prospect feeling good about their decision (no hard feelings).

Here are some examples of common objections:

I don’t need this right now.
I think we’re okay with what we’re doing right now.

We’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m not sure how it would work out for us/what impact it would have on our business/etcetera ad nauseum.

Always follow up with a letter or email to those you talked with on the telephone, whether they are prospects or not.

A follow-up letter or email will always be effective. If you are selling something, your prospect may want to think about it before they decide to buy. This is where your follow-up letter or email comes into play. It will help them remember why they should buy from you and not go somewhere else.

Some people use this as a way to get the sale by offering a discount code or coupon in the letter or email that can only be used if it is mailed back by a certain date with their name and address on it so that you know who received it for sure!

Cold Calling Is Hard Work But Can Work Well If You Prepare Effectively

Cold calling is a great strategy for generating leads. It’s not for everyone, but someone who has the right personality and is willing to put in the work will find it can be highly effective.

You Need To Do Some Research First

Know your audience: what are their pain points? What do you know about them? (It’s important to know who you’re talking to.)

Have a clear message: what’s your offer? How will this benefit them? And why should they listen to you instead of another company or service provider?

Be prepared for objections: often people won’t want to talk at first, so it’s good practice to have responses ready when they say no thanks or tell you that they don’t have time right now

Cold email strategies can lead to tangible financial gains when executed properly. Explore our article on 7 Cold Email Strategies that can significantly impact your bottom line and help you make the most out of your outreach efforts.

Conclusion

If you follow these steps and the advice we have given, you will see that cold calling is not as hard as you may think. It is a skill that can be learned with practice and patience.

The more calls you make and the better prepared for them you are, the better your results will be over time. Good luck!

FAQs

How can I improve my cold calling techniques?

Enhance your cold calling techniques by researching your prospects, scripting your calls, and practicing active listening to better address their needs.

What are some effective ways to overcome objections during cold calls?

When facing objections during cold calls, empathize with the prospect’s concerns, offer solutions, and highlight the benefits of your product or service.

How do I establish rapport with prospects during cold calls?

Start by introducing yourself professionally, showing genuine interest in their needs, and demonstrating your expertise to build rapport with prospects.

What should I do to make my cold calls more engaging?

To make your cold calls more engaging, focus on telling a compelling story, asking open-ended questions, and tailoring your pitch to the prospect’s specific pain points.

How can I measure the success of my cold calling campaigns?

Measure cold calling success by tracking metrics like conversion rates, lead quality, and appointment bookings to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Costantine Edward

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.