Cold calls are still of great importance even in the modern virtual world. If you are looking for business, one of the most effective sales tactics is cold calling. It is part of the outbound marketing strategy for your business and can deliver great results. A recent survey by DiscoverOrg on 1000 sampled senior executives in the IT industry reveals that 60% of them attended an event or took an appointment after receiving an unsolicited email or cold call. If you fear cold calls, then these tips will not help you to eradicate your fear. However, they will give you a more successful experience in making cold calls.
Focus on the Goal
Most beginners think that cold calling only deals with making the sale. However, this is not the case. It deals with getting an opportunity to make a sell. The primary reason behind making a cold call is setting an appointment for making the pitch. You can use a cold calling script to help you focus on the goal.
Research Your Prospects and Market Before Making the Cold Call
Your cold call has to target the right audience. Market research can help you to focus on the right audience. Gather a lot of information about the company or individual you will be calling in advance. This step will give you a significant advantage of being in a position to talk about their business and needs when you make the call. Gartner Group states that an enterprise that has an average of 100 to 500 employees will have approximately seven people making the purchase decisions. Therefore. It is critical to connecting with the right individuals if you need success in your cold calls.
Leverage Contacts on Social Media to Enhance Your Chances of Connecting
Statistics from Vorsight reveal that if you share a LinkedIn group with the person you are calling, you have a probability of 70% of making a successful cold call. What applies to LinkedIn can also stand to the other social media platforms. You can increase your prospects of receptiveness when you are connected with your audience in social media. Therefore, make sure that you work towards establishing of extending your presence on social media.
Prepare Opening Statements for Your Call
It is good to organize your thoughts before making a call as this will assist you to avoid the common mistakes while opening the conversation. Making such errors can make the individual you are calling to terminate your call. At this point, the cold calling script comes in handy. This document should act as a guide, and you don’t have to read it out.
What Should Be in The Opening Statement of the Cold Call
It is essential to organize your conversation on the cold call in a logical manner. You need a greeting, an introduction, reference point that talks about the prospects, advantages of your products and services, and lastly a transition to the dialogue or question.
Prepare a Script for the Remaining Section of the Call
Put down the benefits of your products or services and reasons that will make your prospects to buy them. Put down some of the possible objections and how you will answer them. It is easy to meander or leave something out if you don’t have a cold calling script. Once more, you will not be reading out the script when you call. The most important thing is to prepare a framework for your cold call in advance. Be ready to answer tough questions about the products and services you are selling. Forbes Insights report that 58% of potential buyers assert that sales representatives cannot adequately respond to their questions. You can get yourself out of this script by preparing an excellent cold calling script.
Request for an Appointment During the Cold Call
Set the appointment that you request during the conversation at a specific time. For instance, you could ask the prospect whether 11:00 a.m. would be good for him/her. You could also ask your audience whether you can meet them the following week. It is good to get your prospects committing to a meeting in your initial conversation. Don’t leave it vague because this will necessitate a second call for setting up the meeting. The phone call may never take place if you are unable to get to the prospect.
Note That Gatekeepers Are Allies and Not Foes
Remain polite to anyone who picks up the call or whoever guards the inner sanctum when making the cold call. Have strategies that will make the gatekeeper to come on your side. You could even ask something like ‘I am not sure whether you will be able to assist me?’ and he/she will give you the info that you require like the name of the person you need to talk to or the best time of contacting the prospects. You also need to learn the names of the gatekeeper and remain friendly during the call.
Send Your Prospects Unique and Small Promotional Items to Smooth Your Way for the Cold Call
This step will break the ice and make the brand to stand out from the crow. Sending out such promotional items will prepare the way for a successful cold call. A question like ‘are you the one who sends me this’ from the prospect may seem to be unnecessary or cheesy but it works well.
If Possible, Do the Cold Call Late in the Afternoon or Early Morning
The best time to reach the decision-maker directly is late evening or early morning. Research also reveals that Thursday is the best day for cold calls and Wednesday comes in as the second. The same research reveals that Tuesday is the worst but this can vary from one person to another.
Remain Persistent
80% of new sales will come after you make the fifth contact yet most salespersons give up after making the second call. Don’t be the kind of person who gives up so easily. It is good to learn to try again if you really want to make a sale.
Above all, practice, practice, and keep on practicing and you will become an expert in cold calling. You will always get better even if you find no fun in making cold calls. With constant practice, you will develop effective selling techniques. Therefore, get your script ready and the call list and begin to reach out to your phone. There are several people out there who would like to do business with you but you need to let them know about your brand first.
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