Cold calling is a key approach to sales. In the old days, salesmen reached door to door with their products or services. Nowadays, people are dependent on smartphones and the internet. So, the client hunting approach has entered into a new era.
Cold calling is a proactive calling approach to hunt potential clients from a pool of possible users. It is an old practice of businesses to reach new people based on their interests and relevant parameters. However, it became online instead of an offline approach.
If you have no strategic method to run a cold calling, your agents will struggle with closing sales. In this article, you will learn about proven strategies to approach cold calling.
How to Approach Cold Calling? 7 Smart Ways
Making cold calls is tough without proper guidelines and strategies. If you start without a plan, you will end up with zero conversion even after the 100th call. Here is the step-by-step framework that will convert a prospect into a potential client.
1. Set a Clear Goal for The Call
The first step of taking a cold call is knowing your goals. Providing a cold calling service is a very professional and crucial task and it has a very low success rate so you need to set a clear goal at the beginning.
Ask yourself three questions:
- What is the purpose of calling this person?
- What do you expect while you close this call?
- How will you accomplish this?
These questions will give you a clear goal for the conversation. It will help you to understand the motive of that person and make decisions while talking. So, take note before connecting to the prospect.
2. Prepare A Simple Prospect Snapshot
Once you’ve set your lead generation goals, it’s time to get well prepared. Take notes on important aspects of your prospects. Before calling a person, get the following data to personalize your sales call.
- Key information such as contacts details, location, company data, job title, activity logs, etc.
- Age, interests, and other personal details if available.
- Current stage in the cold calling pipeline, such as fresh prospect, or potential lead.
3. Open With a Permission-Based Introduction
Let’s say now you’re about to make a call, how will you start? Most cold calling agents start with introducing themselves. 49% of calls get instant rejections because of this approach.
Asking a prospect’s permission before introduction will be a game changer to reduce the rejection rate. Also, it will make that person feel more valued and understood. You can simply introduce yourself using the following format:
Script: “Hello, Mr. A. My name is X; I am calling from BCD Company. May I have some of your valuable time to talk about our new offers? (Let the prospect speak here.)”
Always keep your introductory speech short and sweet. Don’t push too much information at the start. This makes the call sound more robotic and non-engaging to the prospect.
If the person responds to your question, and is curious about what you are offering, it is time to explain it. However, keep your product description simple and easy to understand. Prioritize prospect’s time and their feedback about your offerings. This will help you to customize the next step of your cold calling approach.
4. Ask 2 – 3 Discovery Questions
Before you sell a solution, it’s important to understand the problem itself. Identify the prospect’s problem by asking simple discovery questions. This will help you to customize the solution according to the prospect’s needs.
Start by asking the following questions:
- Can you tell me how you are currently managing the situation?
- What’s the most difficult part of your current workflow?
- If you could change one thing in the management process, what would that be?
These simple questions will make the prospect explain his status and drawbacks of it. You should listen and note important points where you can ease his pain. Active listening makes your product/service pitching more effective and personalized.
5. Handle Common Objections
Before making a call, you should figure out common questions or objections that you may get from the prospect’s response. Prepare your feedback to handle these objections promptly. Follow these tips to identify and handle objections:
- Know the pain point that your product or service is solving.
- Listen more than you talk with prospects to identify their problems.
- Have proper knowledge of your product or service to handle questions.
- Take notes if you get new objections from the prospect.
While you are taking calls, you will figure out that most of the people have some common excuses or objections. You may come across the following objections while calling:
- I need to talk to my boss
- Your service is too expensive
- It’s not the right time for me
All these major objections require different answers, so keep it in mind while responding. Don’t rush to handle without any preparation, it will make them feel that you aren’t listening carefully. Make logical ground to convince the prospect with your response to their objections.
An example of overcoming the objection “Your service is too expensive”:
Script: “I can understand your feelings about the price. A lot of our clients have also felt the same way. However, they were later pleased with the quality and durability of our products.”
If you get objections like “It’s not the right time for me” you can respond that like:
Script: “I truly understand that and acknowledge your honesty. Your time is valuable for us. When would you like to have this conversation?”
These responses will mean that you care for their business and time. So, they will be more comfortable with your offerings. Always remind yourself that you are talking to a human and they have their schedules and tasks to complete.
6. Close With a Specific Next Step
Every cold call should have a next step after talking to the client. You never know he could be your valuable customer after the next call. So, never leave your prospects behind. Take their next schedule to contact, give a demonstration, or offer a free consultation.
Set an appointment with the client to make them feel that they are valued. At the finishing step of conversations, ask the client about the next follow up timing. You can simply ask:
- Would you like me to call you at (specific date)?
- Can I get back to you at (Date / Day) to showcase our offer?
- Should I book an appointment for you with the company associate?
However, sometimes you’ll get a straight “NO” or “I am not interested” type of closing response from the prospect. You must be proactive to handle this response.
You can use this reply:
Script: “I completely understand and value your time, I am quite busy myself. Could you spare 15 minutes so that I can show how our service can help to ease your pain?”
At this point, your prospect is not satisfied with your offering. He might need another discussion to understand your process. So, asking for another discovery session keeps your opportunity open.
7. Follow Up and Track Results
After dropping every call, you need to summarize the conversation and fix the next follow-up date. It is a very important task for an appointment setting service agent. Maintain excel sheet, notion, or other tracking tools to keep records.
Use a minimal template including the following categories of information:
- Prospect Information
- Conversation Summary
- Follow up Date
- Status (Fresh Prospect, 2nd Follow Up, Confirmed Lead)
On top of this, you should keep recording every call to identify the underlying response of the prospect about your proposal. You should play these recordings to prepare yourself for the next call. That’s how your follow-up will be meaningful and valuable for the prospect.
Conclusion
A responsive cold calling is more than just dialing numbers one after another. It requires preparation, effective communication, and successful tracking of each prospect. Quality leads come from active listening, personalized offerings, and a professional approach. Build your quality lead generation pool out of nowhere and make it a successful pipeline for your business growth.
FAQ
What Is the Best Time to Cold Call?
According to the time zone of each country, it’s best to call between 10 AM to 3 PM on business days. Never call at night or on weekends, as people spend their free time with family and friends.
How Many Cold Calls Should I Make Per Day?
Prioritize quality over quantity while making cold calls. Never rush to reach more clients, try to make meaningful conversations with each prospect. Generally, calling between 15-35 clients is possible for each cold calling agent.
How Do I Stop Sounding Scripted?
Keep your script short and to the point. Don’t prepare a detailed script for each question. Keep your script in mind to describe any point. Prioritize the client’s response for each question to tailor personalized feedback.
What Should I Say If They Ask Who Gave You My Number?
It’s a bit of a crucial question where you can lose a client’s trust if you mumble. Stay calm and say that our team is doing research on your social profile and find you have similar interests that align with our products or services. Never say that you’ve bought some random number lists from vendors.
