Cold Calling? Crack It!
Ah, the dreaded cold call – that moment in sales that separates the lions from the lambs. It's that one task most people avoid like the plague, and rightly so! Who wants to interrupt strangers' days, asking for their precious time and attention?
But fear not, fellow sales warriors! Today, we're diving into the murky waters of cold calling and how to swim through them like a champ. So grab your headsets and let's get dialing!
Anyway...
Let's start with the basics: what the heck is a cold call? It's when you ring up someone who isn't expecting you, isn't in any conversation with your company, and frankly, might not even care you exist. Tough crowd, huh?
The goal here isn't to make a sale right off the bat (though that'd be nice). It's to pique their interest just enough that they're willing to entertain a longer chat later on. Think of it as planting a tiny seed of curiosity in their minds.
The Smile and Dial Dance
Step one: Smile! No, seriously, put on that million-dollar smile before you even think about dialing. Why? Because your voice carries that grin, and trust me, it makes a difference. People can hear a smile, and it sets a positive tone from the get-go.
Step two: Dial. Now, I won't bore you with the details of how to find numbers or leads – let's assume you've got a target in mind. Dial them up like you're the quarterback about to throw the winning touchdown. Confidence is key!
Alright, so Jeff's picked up the phone. He's probably thinking, "Who's this? What do they want? Why are they bothering me?" Your job is to answer these questions succinctly and confidently.
Step three: Open strong. Picture this: you're calm, assertive, and your voice is smoother than butter on a warm roll. None of that shaky, nervous business – that's a recipe for disaster. Practice until your opener sounds as natural as saying "hello" to an old friend.
My favourite cold call openers are:
"Hey looks like {observation}, it's {name} from {company}, got a minute to chat?"
"Hey {name}, in the middle of some research and I was hoping you might be able to help me out..."
"{name}, you're gonna hate me this is a cold call, can you spare a moment to hear what it's about? I promise it'll be brief"
Step four: Explain your reason for disturbing their peace. This is where you show them you've done your homework. No generic sales pitch here – tailor your approach to their world. Maybe you noticed they're drowning in marketing challenges or struggling with employee turnover. Hint at how your magic potion (product) could make their pain go poof!
Here's the framework:
"Spotted {thing about company}, made me think {goal} is a focus, a lot of {personas} run into {challenge}, is that something you've seen or is your team CRUSHING {process} right now?"
If they haven't hung up yet and seem mildly interested, it's time to seal the deal – the deal for a meeting, that is. Don't oversell. Remember, all you need now is a tiny spark of curiosity or a relevant pain point or challenge, not a full-blown commitment to buy. Schedule that meeting like a pro and follow up pronto.
Here's a framework to transition to a meeting:
"Hey it sounds like {recap}, would you be interested in hearing how other companies are going about that with {offering} when I'm not catching you off guard?"
Now, here's a trap many fall into: launching into a full-fledged sales pitch. Hold your horses! They're not ready for that yet. Keep it focused on their needs and problems. If they're itching to know more about your product, pivot gracefully to scheduling a time to delve deeper.
Ah! objections – the roadblocks on your journey to sales glory. Don't panic.
Instead, ask questions. Understand where they're coming from. Maybe they're genuinely not interested, or perhaps they just need more info. Stay cool, keep asking, and see if there's a way to turn that "no" into a "tell me more."
The framework I've seen success with is:
1. Acknowledge
2. Reposition
3. Ask
Then try continue the conversation
So in practice that could sound like:
"Send me an email"
"Totally happen to send you an email Steve, I know these calls can be a bit of an interruption. Just so I don't waste your time there, most folks want to hear about {problem} or {problem solution}, which of those is more top of mind for you?"
"I'd say challenge 1"
"Not the first time I've heard that. Say, why don't I shoot you an email walking through how we've helped other companies with that, and then we can put a placeholder on the calendar to discuss assuming it's interesting to you. If it isn't you can just decline the invite, I'll get the message and it wont hurt my feelings"
"Call me back later"
"Yes 100% can give you a buzz again later today. Maybe so I can prepare for that a little better, most {persona} tell me they're running into {challenge 1} or {challenge 2}, which of those is more top of mind?"
"I'm busy/in a meeting"
"Totally on me for not giving you a heads up I was planning to call. I could try buzz you again another time but to avoid the risk of me interrupting you with something you don't care about, is {challenge} something you're seeing right now?"
"We don't have budget"
"I hear you there {name}, lot of folks are cutting their vendors more than they're adding them. May I ask, is it that {challenge} isn't something you see as worth investing in or is it just that your CFO would tear you a new one for even suggesting to spend more money right now?"
"Where did you get my number?"
"I got it from {data provider}, happy to reach out to them on your behalf and have them remove you as many sales teams use their tool. That said, while I've got you I was calling about {challenge}, is that something that's even remotely top of mind right now?"
"We have a solution in place"
"That's great to hear you're already solving this. Most folks I speak to are still using spreadsheets to get it done. May I ask what are you using for {process}?"
"Quickbooks"
"Oh fab, Quickbooks is awesome for early stage companies looking to do a lot of tasks in one place. That said some folks have found {challenge} is that something you've notice or is it ticking all the boxes for you right now?"
Let's be real: Cold calling is hard. Like, really hard. Embrace the suckiness of it all. You're interrupting people's days, breaching their comfort zones, and asking for their precious time. It's not a walk in the park, but hey, everyone starts somewhere.
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So there you have it, folks – a crash course in the art of cold calling. Remember, practice makes less terrifying. So keep at it, refine your approach, and who knows? You might just become the next cold calling maestro. Now, get out there and dial like you mean it!
If you'd like to get even more cold call tips check out this video I made on Sales Feed's YouTube channel a while back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OweikRF7bg&pp=ygUYZXhhY3RseSBob3cgdG8gY29sZCBjYWxs