Cold calling is NOT dead. You just don't have the guts!
You must be breathing a sigh of relief. Here you are, new to sales and you're being told that cold calling is no longer required. That's a good thing for you, the phone scared you anyway. The biggest fear you had was someone picking up. What would you say? Would you hang up? Would you freeze on the spot? Fear drove you to believe the biggest lie in sales today - that cold calling is dead.
Bull@#$%
Here is the stark reality from a sales leader who lives and breathes the art of pipeline building every day - cold calling is not only alive and well - its more important than ever before. Wanna know why? Its because you cannot rely on your SDR's and marketing to give you enough opportunities to hit your number. No self respecting sales person is going to TRUST anyone with their commission cheques. REAL sales professionals take matters into their own hands and use cold calling as an effective tool.
Let me tell you a little story from the front lines soldier, my best reps have always been the most active on the phones. My top guns block out 2-3 hours a day in the calendar for the sole purpose of cold calling. My top reps have zero fear of picking up the phone and helping prospective customers with their business problems. These snipers do not wait for SDR's to hand over a lead, they know they can't blow out their numbers without taking their own action.
Top actions for wanna be phone snipers:
1) Make it a habit. Block off time in your calendar for the art of cold calling and stick to it.
2) Find a way to enjoy it. When I was a rep I loved cold calling. I used to research my target and find something we had in common. If I got through to the prospect I would find a way to incorporate our common interest and use it to build rapport and trust. Pure gold.
3) Set up a contact rhythm. A strong mix of email and cold calling that touches the prospect multiple times. If you cannot get a reply from a contact - your final touch should be a thank you message:
"I have not heard from you and can only assume that the timing is not correct for us to talk. I wish you the best and will follow up with you in 6 months. THANK YOU.
I cannot tell you how many prospects I WAS able to connect with after six months and you want to know what they would used to say to me - thank you for your message, your approach was professional and respectful.
4) Tell a story and build a vision. Every prospect wants to hear about how you are helping others like them. Prepare yourself with 3-4 great stories and get really good at telling them. Use intricate detail and be passionate when telling the story - its effective in garnering interest.
This blog post is dedicated to the best cold caller I have ever met, Jordan McCormick. I wish you the best of success in Australia - I learned a ton from you and will use your lessons to help other sales reps with their careers. THANK YOU!
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If I had your number I’d warm call you.
Sales Associate at CVPA
1yI needed to hear 👂 this today
Sales Representative at International Paper P: (816) 591-0362
1yAbsolutely spot on. Your prospect may be cold, but you had better be on your game. Today's phone prospector needs to have an idea, from research, what pressures the prospect may be facing and be prepared to give the prospect a reason to see you: How can your product or service deliver results that address those pressure points? Be prepared to leave a short voice mail that will be compelling enough to cause them to think about it. This is hard work, and most sales people won't do it. However, the necessary prep work will make you a better cold caller as you focus on delivering meaningful results for your potential clients. Lastly remember this, you and your company do not determine what constitutes value; your customer does. "I was hoping to sit down with you and discuss your needs" doesn't do it. No one has the time for that. You need to know what your customer / prospect is laying awake at night worrying about and deliver a potent reason for them to spend their valuable time on you by causing them to think you might just have the answer. The payoff for you is more appointments, and that phone receiver will weigh a whole lot less when it comes time to pick it up.
Soloists - Singer / Keyboardist-Horn Player & Performer-Voice Over Artist at Randy Hawkes Entertainment
2yHi Jon, Perfectly put. I’ve always followed my old Mentor when we would do physical cold calls as if we were stepping out on to a Broadway stage as we knocked on the door and would smile at each and with enthusiasm and would say “It’s Show Time”. I have since adopted that to my phone cold calls as well.
Strategic Advisory - Franchisors, Franchise Suppliers and Targeted Outbound/Inbound Franchisee Recruitment
4yThoughtless cold calling is hard on people.