Whether you like it or not, at some stage, you are going to have to pick up the phone and ask a complete stranger if they want to buy your products or services. Here is how to do it.
Cold calling is a fact of business life. So are rebuffs. You cannot be successful calling prospects unless you learn to take the rebuffs. Further articles on this site will help you get through to the decision makers.
Handling call reluctance
A major barrier is making the call to start with! The excuses we make are legion, but they generally boil down to the fear of failure – ‘What if they say no!?’ Fear is normal, but look on it as False Expectations Appearing Real.
When cold calling, do not picture yourself ‘landing the order’ right away. This is a mammoth target. Be more realistic. Cold calling is best for fact-finding and setting up the next point of contact. So a better objective is to get a request for you to send more information or even a quote. Getting an order on the first call is a bonus.
Instead of trying for the jackpot each time, consider yourself laying down the foundations of a partnership where your prospect gains by doing business with you, and you gain as a result. To do this you need information, not least to help you decide whether to invest your precious time building an alliance in the first place.
So a good fall-back objective with a cold call is to confirm the names, titles and fax numbers of your particular targets. Few castle guards will deny you these. This avoids that first phone call being a terrifying win or lose situation – there is no ‘no’.
All in the script
Most people feel under pressure when cold calling. You have your nerves to contend with and you want to gain a lot of information in as short a time as possible. So it helps to work out a script beforehand.
A ‘script’ is a grand name for a logical set of questions. You don’t need to stick to it rigidly, but when you meet an obstacle you can go back to it and press on with your prepared questions. This will improve your flow and give your nerves something to hang on to.
How to blow it in three seconds
However, don’t blindly follow your script, come what may. I had a caller recently who simply didn’t listen to my answers. Apart from anything this immediately put me off, as it clearly showed he was not interested in my needs.
He was following up a cold call to me the previous week in which I had requested a brochure. He asked whether I had received the brochure. When I said, ‘No, I’m still waiting’, he proceeded, without pausing for breath, to tell me once again about the services his company offered. I was so amazed I interrupted him. ‘Did you hear what I replied?’ I asked. ‘Yes, now our company is the leading…’ I cut him off.
Opening them up; closing them down
Always be ready with a few ‘open’ questions to throw in as casually as possible to get the other party – castle guard or target – to reveal useful titbits.
Conversely, be cautious of using ‘closed’ questions that invite yes or no replies, though they do have their uses. If you are selling fax rolls, for example, asking ‘do you need any fax paper?’ begs a quick ‘no’ and a ‘click’ as the phone goes down. But ‘do you have a fax machine?’ prevents you wasting time on non-prospects. Your next question might be, ‘who supplies your fax paper currently?’
Thinking through in advance what information you need stops you waffling. It also allows you to maintain the initiative by being the one who ends the conversation when you have the data you need.
Softly, softly
The secret of telephone success is to stay in control of your emotions. Tension alters your voice. Research shows that a tense man sounds elderly, irritable and inflexible, while a tense woman is judged to be emotional, irrational and dim. So calm down before calling.
Smile as you dial, and speak slowly. It makes you sound friendly and so less threatening.
Also consider your voice. It is human nature to help people. Those who seek help are supplicants. Supplicants speak softly. Their tone is light and friendly. By seeking information rather than trying to make a sale, your tone will help open doors.
Have a go
There are only two techniques you need to make cold calling a success: ask the right questions and listen to the replies. Nothing more. It is that simple. Try it!
Top tips for triumphant cold calling
- get the person’s name right
- ask a few qualifying questions before launching into a (probably irrelevant) sales pitch
- don’t ramble on
- don’t introduce irrelevant information
- don’t pretend to have knowledge you don’t have
- don’t sound too eager – it’ll make you sound amateurish or desperate
- don’t offer too many alternative times and dates for an appointment – it confuses
- confirm appointments in writing
