Cold calls are a very useful part of B2B marketing, and when used properly, it can be great to generate leads and increase sales. If you prepare properly for a cold call, you can make each call go a lot more smoothly. Proper preparation can help you to feel more confident on the call, build a better relationship with the prospect, and have more success at turning cold leads into sales. (Image Credit: Pexels/Pixabay)
Research, Research, Research
Before making any cold-call, you need to research your prospect. This research should be a pre-call ritual. If you spend some time tracking down some key information about each prospect, you can make calls that have value and will keep the attention of the person you’re calling. If you skip doing your research, you will appear selfish and as though you are putting no investment into the person you have called. Your prospects will notice and appreciate the extra effort you put in in order to personalize your call to them, and you’ll be better able to open up a more productive conversation.
Write An Outline Of What You Want To Say
Write up a short cold call script that takes you thirty seconds or less to deliver, that can you turn to while you are on the phone. You shouldn’t read this script word for word but should be using it as a guide to help you deliver your message confidently, in a clear way. You’ll feel more confident with this to help you. When writing your script, remember that the goal of a cold call is not to pitch to someone in that call. Instead, you are aiming to get them to commit to a meeting at a later date to discuss your products and services.
Take A Couple Of Hours To Go Through Your Call List
Work with no distractions to make the calls go faster. Don’t try and make your calls while also checking your emails or anything else. The only thing that you should have in front of you while calling is your call list and your script. Anything else can be a distraction and will prevent you from being properly present during your call with the other person on the line. You can also use tools like Call Cowboy Predictive Dialer to make things go faster.
Work Out How Many Calls You Need To Make To Hit Your Targets
How many cold calls do you need to make in order to hit your monthly quota? If you don’t know, find out. You can work this out by working backward from your goal and then pinpoint roughly how many cold calls you would need to make each day and each month in order to reach that goal.
Prepare A Strong Opening Sentence
When you make a cold call, you have approximately ten seconds to prove to the prospect that you are someone that is worth them talking to. You need to quickly stand out from other cold callers. After you have introduced yourself, immediately shift the focus onto the prospect by bringing in your research so you can personalize the call.
For example, you could open your call with a compliment on a recent professional accomplishment, such as a large client win or a good piece of press coverage, that you came across while doing your research on the prospect.
Be Motivated By Rejection
Rejection isn’t nice, and nobody likes experiencing it. In fact, many people relive and experience social pain like rejection more vividly than physical pain. This means it can be very easy to become discouraged by a cold call that goes badly. If this happens, try not to get discouraged. Instead of feeling deflated, keep a positive attitude, pick up the phone again, and learn from what went wrong on the call so you can avoid repeating the mistake again.
Practice Makes Perfect
Never go into a cold call unprepared. A good way to prepare so you feel more confident and ready to talk is to rehearse what you’re going to say. If you’ve prepared what you’re going to say, you’ll perform better on the call. The more confident you feel before making calls, the easier making those calls will become.
Overcome Reluctance To Make Calls
One of the big reasons that new salespeople fail is because they are reluctant to make calls. It is totally normal to feel a bit nervous before making a cold call, but if you prepare correctly and take the right measures, you will be able to overcome those nerves and make the calls that you need to.
To help with your nerves, try to take positives wherever you can. Regardless of the outcome of the calls you make, view each call as a learning experience. Even if things go wrong, you can learn from those negatives so you don’t make the same mistakes again. Embrace what goes right and remember it to use again.
If you find essential oil soothing, you could try those. Choose an oil with a scent that makes you think of fond memories. Essential oils can trick your brain into moving to a more positive thinking state, so you feel less nervous.
Keep photos of loved ones on your desk. Seeing someone who is special to you will make you feel happier, and makes you less susceptible to feelings of anxiety. If you feel worried about a call, spend some time looking at your pictures to soothe your nerves.
Making cold calls doesn’t have to be an unpleasant chore that you and your team want to put off as much as you can. With the proper preparation, you can go into each cold call feeling a lot more confident and ready for anything that the prospect throws at you during the call. If you’re well-prepared, you can make more successful calls, turning those cold calls into warm calls and hot leads. Generate sales and make your prospects happy by preparing properly for each call.