A Modern Guide to Cold Calling
I used to cold call a lot more than I do now, but I've realized over the years that what was once taught is now obsolete. If you’re staring at your prospect list and dialing up a phone number to cold call, there are three important factors to keep in mind.
Forget the 30-Second Sales Pitch
When you launch into a 30-second pitch, you make three dangerous assumptions right off the bat:
You assume they want to talk to you.
You assume that they care about what you have to say.
You assume that they’re going to remember it.
First impressions matter, and immediately promoting your company or selling your product usually ends up on the wrong side of first impressions. It’s likely that your counterpart has bought what you’re selling before or has had some past experience that they feel is relevant. Get them to talk about past experiences and expectations by asking calibrated questions. Then, use labels to both demonstrate and confirm understanding.
You: What problems have you had in the past? (Calibrated question)
Prospect: We’ve been screwed over by companies like yours that talk a big game but don’t deliver when it comes time to follow through.
You: It sounds like you’ve had a bad experience with this before. (Labeling language) It sounds like you have a good reason for why this makes you uncomfortable. (Labeling emotion)
Be Compassionate, Not Pushy
People aren’t going to remember a pitch — they’re going to remember you and how you made them feel. Think about what it would take to make someone feel comfortable with you and feel like they had a good interaction upon hanging up the phone.
Your likeability is not how charming or chatty you are; it’s based on your ability to understand your counterpart and make them feel understood. To get to that point, think about how you might communicate to get them to reveal their unfiltered thought process.
Don’t Discount the Gatekeeper
Oftentimes, cold calls will be fielded by personal assistants, secretaries, family members, and other individuals who play gatekeeper to the decision-maker (DM). Because these people aren’t whom you’re trying to connect with, it’s easy to write them off or try to steamroll them to gain access to the DM. But gatekeepers have much more power than they’re given credit for. They were put in place by the DM to manage their lives, and they typically have influence over how the DM constructs their day.
As such, they can become an invaluable ally or an immovable roadblock. Rather than calling and asking the gatekeeper to pen you into the DM’s calendar, encourage them to problem-solve with you by using the first two points listed above.
Millions of people make millions of cold calls to millions of people every day. Are you doing the exact same thing as everyone else? What makes you stand out? These tips will help you generate more qualified leads, increase your number of warm opportunities, and ultimately drive up revenue for your company.