Cold calling sessions are a dedicated time block where calling agents actively make phone calls to people who they don’t know yet. Each session includes 1 to 2 hours of back-to-back calls. It’s a strategy that cold calling companies use to expand market in a rapid pace.
A business call is an informative discussion between a prospect and cold calling professional. If the cold caller has no prior strategies to convert the prospect into satisfied clients, that call has no value at all.
Cold calling is an approach to new prospect to introduce your offer, start a conversation, and try to reserve a meeting, demonstration, or close the sale.
This article is specifically designed for the preparation cold calling sessions. These proven strategies will improve calling experience and client’s response.
Let’s get started to increase your leads during each session.
Set A Clear Goal and Define Your Target
Before you know your clients, you should know yourself first. Why are you calling unknown people? What do want to achieve in the next 2 hours of calling? How can you achieve your goal? These questions will show the way to achieve your target of each cold calling sessions. This will also help you to warm up cold leads and gradually optimize them from MQLs to SQLs.
Follow these steps answer those questions:
- Choose One Primary Outcome for The Session: The outcome of your cold calling could be getting 5 leads or close 10 sales from this session. Choose a single primary outcome that you want to achieve in next 120 minutes. Don’t overthink while setting goals, keep it simple and achievable.
- Confirm ICP And Qualification Basics: Creating an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is your bullseye target before you start dialling. If you skip ICP, you end up calling random people. Defining ICP and qualification basics makes every call warmer, more relevant, and convertible.
ICP includes the type of person/business that’s most likely:
- Need your service
- Have budget
- Say “YES” faster
- Stick around longer
A clear ICP reduce your time on bad leads and help you to personalize your opening line. This also increase the acceptance rate and reduce sales closing time by 3X.
- Prepare Your “Reason to Call”: Give your prospect a clear and relevant reason at the start of a cold call. Prospects make up their mind in just 3 seconds thats why having a good opening is must. It’s like your permission slip to keep the conversation going on. Follow this simple method to prepare the reason to cold call for a prospect:
- Pick ONE real problem of the prospect
- Connect that problem to your product/service
- Add personalized effect while pitching
- Keep your delivery short but effective
Let’s say you are offering social media management service to new businesses. Here is an example script of your “Reason to call” –
I’m calling because I help new businesses launch their Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok with ready-to-post branded profiles, so they don’t look empty when customers find them.
Build A High-Quality Call List
Building a high converting cold call list is very essential over a random spreadsheet collected from vendor. Handpicked prospects will be more encouraged to have your product / service. Let’s learn to build a high-quality call list for cold calling:
- Source and Segment Leads: You can find your prospect’s details according to your goals. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Google Maps, Startup directories, local business associations are the possible sources for your leads. However, don’t mix everyone in a common list. Segment them based on industry, business stage, eCommerce, Offline business, etc. to personalize your approach.
- Do Lightweight Research Per Contact: Do preliminary research quickly to identify trigger points of that prospect. The research won’t take more that 2-3 minutes per lead. Check these queries:
-
- Do they have social media presence?
- Dose the page looks professional?
- Is branding consistent?
- Are they posting contents regularly?
- Is there any opportunity gap where you can help?
- Prioritize For Better Connect and Conversion: Don’t measure and treat all leads equally. Rank them based on their probability of availing your product or service. You can segment them as follows:
Tire 1 – High Probability: Keep leads with recently launched business, active website, struggling to consistent branding, or have clear growth intention.
Tire 2 – Medium: Prospects with some activity or looking outdated and might need helping hand to reshape their business falls in tire 2.
Tire 3 – Low: Prospects who don’t have any activity for years, no website or land pages, no visibility efforts will place in tire 3.
Pro tips: Start your every session by calling Tire 1 prospects to get high responsiveness. This will keep you motivated and close more sales without consuming your energy.
- Prep Notes Without Over-Researching: Don’t do over research on every prospect. It will make you overwhelmed. Instead, keep short notes of following information in spreadsheet columns:
- Prospect Name
- Business Type
- Online presence
- Quick observation / Remarks
- ICP segment (Tire 1/2/3)
Prepare Your Script and Talk Track
Cold calling scripts gives your agent a strategic idea of the scenario they need to address . Most of the cold calling service agents miss their sales target due to lack of quality script. Also, due to having no meeting records they lose potential customers. Here is how an expert cold caller prepares his script before jumping into session –
- Structure Your Opener: You must know what you going to say at opening speech. A strong opening motivates the prospect to listen your proposals. Here is a sample opener:
Good morning/afternoon Mr. X. How are you? (Or give a completement instantly). I am Jhon, calling you from ABC Company.
- Create A Core Pitch in One Sentence: Long sales pitch in cold calling don’t work properly. It also reduces retention rates and prospect feel intentionally forced to listen. Most of the cases, they drop the call. Instead use one line pitching about your offerings as following sample:
Our company works with XYZ services. Is there anything I can help you?
Don’t say Do you need any services? All people need help with their business. So, don’t directly sale the service.)
- Write Discovery Questions That Match Intent: According to the response of your prospect, prepare 2-3 discovery questions. These questions will make the prospect discuss about their business’s current situation. That’s who they reveal their pain points that your service can be placed. Here are some examples of discovery questions:
-
- How you’re currently managing your business operations?
- What type of issues you think slowing down your business?
- Which problem you want to be solved right now?
- Prepare A Clean Close: Don’t leave your prospect without next follow up date or action. A clean closing is very important to keep your approach professional. Here is simple example for closing speech:
Let’s have a 15-minute discussion on following date on how we can help to shape your business operations.
Plan For Objections and Proof
Average success rate through cold calling is just 2.3%. It indicates that cold callers have to handle objections and rejections all the time. Find out common objection patterns among prospects and prepare your response against those. Here is how you can deal with in call objections –
- Pre-Write Responses to Common Objections: Let’s have a look on how to deal with each of following common objections –
“Not interested” –
I acknowledge your response. Can you tell me which part of our service makes you uncomfortable?
“Send me an email” –
That will be great. Could you tell me what do you want me to include in your mail about our service?
“No budget” –
That’s totally fine, Sir. We offer customized plans for your exclusive clients. Would you like me to set a 15-minute meeting on the following date to set a feasible budget for you?
“We already have a vendor” –
That’s great! Do you mind if I set 15 minutes meeting about why you should upgrade your vendor? Or,
Can you tell me what issues you’re currently facing while dealing with current vendor?
“Call me later” –
Okay, No issue. What time / date will be perfect for you to discuss about it?
“I’m busy” –
I acknowledge your valuable time – I will be quick. Or Do you want to set a meeting later (specific date)?
- Use An Objection Framework: It is a simple response structure that you should follow when a prospect pushes back. Instead of arguing, you should acknowledge, clarify, and respond calmly to keep the conversation alive.
Start by showing respect to his response such as, I understand your pain, that’s fair, I hear that a lot, etc. Then find the real reason behind such response by asking simple / informal questions. According to the response, redesign your proposal with new perspectives. Lastly, don’t push for a big sale, ask for a trial, or small step.
- Prepare Proof Assets: These are materials that you keep prepared before cold calling. These proof assets build instant credibility and prospect trust you faster. When someone asks, “Can you show me something?”, your background need be ready.
Set Up Tools, Systems, And Environment
Every cold calling session should be recorded and maintained in a professional manner. It helps to track each prospect and make effective sales call. Upgrade your cold calling setup using following tools, systems, and surroundings:
- CRM And dialer Setup: Setting up CRM and dialer for cold calling are important foundations. It helps you to scale your outbound sales. There are various CRM for cold calling available. A dialer automates your calling lists, logs calls, and increase daily volume. You will also get call recording and analytics for every session from the dialer. You can get dialer from Aircall, JustCall, Cose, or RingCentral.
- Email and Calendar Templates: Use ready to use email templates to follow up clients accordingly. Also, cold caller uses calendar templates to set appointments and send meeting invites. These templates showcase your professionalism.
- Remove Friction from Your Workspace: As a cold caller continuously attend calls, they need a soundproof environment. Setup your calling space in a calm place with proper lighting. Keep the table clean to keep yourself focused with the prospect.
Rehearse For Delivery and Confidence
There are no other options available except preparation and rehearsal before taking calls. Here are some tips and tricks to do better in cold calling rehearsal:
- Warm-Up Routine (5 Minutes): Set aside minimum 5 minutes to warm up yourself. Do light facial exercise to open your mouth and jaw properly. Get your cold calling template and repeat it clearly to get used to it.
- Voice And Pacing Checks: Test your voice in different pace to find your ideal voice. Speak you script both loudly and calmly. It will help you to catch the prospect’s pace and make them comfortable to have conversations with you.
- Set A “Minimum Viable Performance” Standard: Set a clear standard of performance while conversing with prospects. Never lower your standard of performance from the minimum point. It will keep you confident and let the prospect be independent to think about your services.
Run The Session with A Simple Operating System
Step into calls and sessions according to your plan. Don’t get overwhelmed taking too many calls in one session. Instead take a calculative approach and keep everything measurable. Here are expert tips you can follow to make your sessions valuable:
- Time-Box the Session: Select a time frame to conduct calls. It could be 60 to 120 minutes in a row. However, don’t exceed over 2 hours of calling. It will make you feel complex and gloomy. Take 15 minutes of break and start again.
- Track The Right Metrics: Keep notes of important metrics while conducting each call. This way, you can keep track of the progress of each prospect. You can use simple tools like excel, or pen and paper to start.
- Debrief And Improve After Each Session: After ending each session, debrief yourself and find out where you missed the key nodes. Improve your pitch after each session. This will help you to grow as a professional cold caller.
Conclusion
Being a professional cold caller requires patience and continuous improvement. Use supportive techniques and environment to leverage your focus and overall outcome. Never get overwhelmed. Act regularly with a proper planning to be master on your cold calling sessions.
