Feeling overwhelmed and terrified by the prospect of making cold calls? You’re not alone. Whether you’re a sales rep or a sales manager, these tips will ensure that when you dial a number and a potential buyer answers, they say «yes» rather than «no thanks.»
To alleviate some of your stress, we’ve compiled a list of simple cold calling tips for sales pipeline to make your calls pleasant and easy.
What Is Cold Calling?
Cold calling is a digital marketing tactic in which sales representatives call potential customers with whom they have never previously interacted. The aim of the call is to pique customers’ interest in their product or service.
Truth be told: cold calling is difficult. It’s incredibly challenging to call a stranger out of nowhere, engage them quickly, and successfully pitch your service or product. And doing it consistently is even more difficult. However, if done correctly, cold calling can be highly profitable.
What Is the Difference Between Cold and Warm Calling?
Wonder what the difference between cold calling vs warm calling is? Both strategies entail calling prospects.
A cold call will have no previous engagement with the lead. You have obtained their contact information from somewhere, but you have yet to determine if they are interested in becoming a customer. A warm call occurs after they have shown an initial interest in your brand or marketing campaigns.
Now that we’ve explained the differences, let’s move on to concrete cold calling tips that will get your sales up.
#1 Do Your Homework Before Making a Cold Call
Do your homework before picking up the phone. Again, this is one of the most critical cold-calling tips anyone can give.
Determine who the decision-maker is, what time of day they generally take calls, and what their role within the company is. These specifics will influence how you generate interest in your product or service. If you complete this step, you may avoid talking to the wrong person and wasting valuable time.
This step in the cold calling process is usually included in strategic planning when you are defining user value. Knowing how to approach people you talk to is essential for creating conversions.
#2 Understand the Best Times to Make Cold Calls
Weekday afternoons are ideal for making cold calls. The majority of calls lasting more than five minutes take place between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
Using a phone carrier lookup can help ensure that you reach your prospects at the right time and improve your chances of meaningful conversations.
#3 Create a Script for Cold Calling
Making several cold calls per day and speaking with various people is a challenging task. It’s even more difficult (and stressful) if you’re a newbie who has only recently begun to learn the ropes.
Having a call script containing all of the relevant information, details, and tips on dealing with demanding or unkind customers is highly beneficial to both your new and experienced sales reps. It provides them:
- A detailed checklist of which steps to take while on a call
- Answers to commonly asked questions
- Advice on dealing with sales objections
A cold calling script will help your sales reps get back on track if they become distracted.
#4 Adopt the Right Tone
You have all the right words. However, if your tone of voice does not match, you will not be able to create business proposals and close sales successfully. If you’re bored, your prospects will notice and won’t want to do business with you. After all, if the person selling the products isn’t excited about them, why should they be?
It can be challenging to maintain your enthusiasm on a daily basis, but your tone must be convincing yet pleasant during all calls. You want to leave the impression of being confident and firm but not pushy. There is no room for aggression in a successful cold call.
#5 It's Okay to Make Small Talk
When someone answers the phone, don’t instantly turn to your sales pitch! Before you begin your pitch, make small talk about something work-related. Inquire about their day, what projects they have on their plate this week, and how long it took them to get to work.
This is an excellent way to determine whether you’re speaking with the right person and to gauge immediate interest in your offerings or services before selling them.
#6 Leave a Voicemail
Try to keep your message brief and to the point. You should keep your voice message between eight and fourteen seconds at most.
Fourteen seconds fly by. You must practice your sales pitch so that you can deliver it within that time frame. Time yourself to see how much you can cram in 14 seconds. Then, condense your message so that it only contains essential information.
#7 Understand How to Handle Objections and Rejections
The vast majority of customers have objections and doubts; how you deal with these objections may determine whether they decide to buy.
Thus, it is crucial to learn how to respond to the most common sales objections, such as: «It’s extremely costly.» «I don’t require it at this time.» «I have something similar.»
To assist your sales reps in overcoming such challenges, include guidance in your sales script on how to negotiate with objections or doubts.
#8 Automate Your Sales
Are you still manually updating your database, writing important information on sticky notes, and scoring leads? You are wasting time and effort that could be spent making calls. The Benefits of automation are numerous and one of them is saving your precious time!
Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could schedule follow-ups, dial numbers, update the database, and send messages to your teammates automatically? That convenience is achievable with good CRM software and a virtual call centre system!
#9 Try Saying "Talking with" Instead of "Speaking to"
When you cold call a prospect, you want to know whether or not they are the person you’re attempting to contact. This person’s first impression of you is based on how you verify their identity, so get it right.
When you get a person on the phone, try to use the words «Talking with.» These two words show that you and your prospect will have a conversation. In contrast, «speaking to» refers to a one-way interaction. It implies that you will broadcast your message regardless of whether they choose to listen or notю
#10 Influence Behavior with Social Proof
We are easily swayed by the actions of others. Social proof is essential in selling since it shows the prospect that your product has helped others with similar problems. Try telling a sales story about a customer who experienced similar pain points.
#11 Listen More Than Talk
One of the most basic cold-calling tips is to not just talk at customers. Listening is an easy way to establish a personal connection because it makes a person feel valued and allows you to learn more about their concerns and desires.
In a Nutshell
Cold calling is a major headache for many sales teams, but it doesn’t have to be. You might be pleasantly surprised that making cold calls is easier than it once was with a few strategy customizations, a helpful sales script hanging next to your reps, and intelligent automation tools.
