I’m a fan of cold calling. I said it there.
Cold calling is not as engaging as social selling, lifecycle messaging, or content marketing. – And despite what any hipster ‘customer success advocate’ tells you…
Cold Calling is NOT dead.
Before I interrupt the force and anger every mobile marketing Jedi in the galaxy… I want to make it clear that this article is more about the discipline of cold calling prospecting than it is about how to build a brand or where your potential customers come from. I’m also not saying that social selling, drip campaigns, referral prospecting, and SMS marketing are an urban bohemian flavor of the month. These are much-needed and effective sales tools that have a definite place in customer engagement and solicitation of prospects.
What am I saying is that while there are several valuable ways to acquire new customers, I strongly believe that cold calling should be the centerpiece of new business development.
If you call a prospect who hasn’t been referred to you and you’ve never talked to them before, it’s a cold call. Maybe I’m an inside sales Neanderthal; or just old school; But, I think that in order to have material growth, you have to roll up your sleeves and find new clients; before, your competition does.
Cold calling is the oxygen of your business. You can survive without oxygen for a short time; but, if you go too long without it, you won’t make it. Cold calling is the same way.
I’d like to think that everyone knows this; but I don’t think many have the discipline to do it regularly and that number seems to be growing. A quick Google search will show how many sales experts are ringing the bell for cold calling. In fact, the world is changing; but, cold calling is certainly not dead. Sales acceleration plugins like Connect And Sell, Inside Sales.Com, and First Rain are revolutionizing not just cold calling; objective, the marketing strategies of thousands of organizations. I dare say sales acceleration tools like these may even be giving cold calling a bit of swagger..
Whether you’re using a CRM or a pen and paper, your cold calling should be a regularly scheduled, structured sales time so you can find new customers. It is programmed so that no matter what, you always get your selling time dedicated. Here is how to do it.
Prepared.
Schedule your recurring outgoing call time on your calendar. Have your call list prepared in advance. Have your thoughts ready, paper, whatever you need. Pre-Call Plan: Know the outcome you want before you answer the phone. Get excited. Prepare before you start calling. If you’re not sure how to do this, think of the Ickey Woods Geico commercial. Just replace: “Cold Calling” for “Sausages”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFrsR9NByc4)
Make The Calls.
Self explanatory law. What I mean is that you need to focus without distractions. Put out of office in your email, turn off your cell phone, don’t ask questions of those around you, and don’t check email. Make The Calls. I know it sounds easy, give it a try.
Set a Rhythm.
Make calls for an absolute minimum of 45 minutes. Your need to have a cadence and a tempo. If it is less than 45 minutes, you will not receive enough calls to establish a rhythm. This will help make your calling process easier. (ie dialing, talking, call disposition, etc.) Also, I try not to dial ferociously for more than 2 hours at a time. (2.5 hours max) If you really keep up a wild cold calling pace, it won’t take long for you to burn out. After a couple of hours, stop and take a few hours to return some emails, etc… Give yourself a break of at least 45 minutes, so you don’t get tired and end up alone ‘going through the motions’.
Do not waste your time.
Don’t go hunting for the wild goose. – If you are put on hold for more than two minutes, hang up and continue. – If they tell you that you have to call ‘corporate office’ and you don’t get the name of someone specific, move on. It’s not worth your time. If you really think it’s that important, you can call back later after your cold calling session ends. Once a call ends, take notes, schedule a callback, and quickly get back on track. I recommend doing any after-call work. (ie sending follow-up emails, preparing proposals, etc.) Doing these tasks during your cold calling session will only distract you, lessen your intensity, and make you less effective.
Have a personality.
It’s no secret that people do business with the people they like. – You don’t have to be glib or silly… Just be yourself. Be someone someone would like to talk to. Sound optimistic and be confident. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is boring. Using words like, New, Special and Exciting help to.
Be respectful.
Treat whoever answers the phone with respect. – You don’t know who they are or what influence they have. Please understand that they are doing a job just like you. Your job is to talk to the decision maker and their job is to make sure you don’t. If you approach your call with a positive attitude, such as calling a friend to do a favor, rather than making a commission, you’ll be more successful.
Move.
When you’re selling, stand up from time to time, especially at the beginning of your calls. Walk around if you have to. This will help you sound more excited. Selling is transferring emotions. Make your customer feel the same about your product as you do.
Advance.
While we’d all love to end every call we make with a first order or new opportunity, it’s usually not that easy. I’m not saying it never happens; it’s just not enough to make a living out of it. However; Every time you hang up the phone, your relationship with this prospect should be more advanced than it was before you dialed.
- Find out the buyer’s name.
- Identify who your incident is.
- Ask for a reference.
Whatever it is, make sure you hang more than you started with. If you are prepared and know the result you are looking for before making the call, this step will be easier.
There you have it… It’s not fancy. Cold calling is very much alive and very hard work. I still do cold calls. When I do, I follow these steps. I win, I lose, and I leave voicemail. Take the time to develop a discipline of scheduled cold calling. Protect this time. If you can make the time to cold call new prospects regularly without fail, you will dramatically increase your sales success.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.