Cold calling tips and sales techniques leave most sales-people in the cold.
Most companies and biz owners would rather pretend cold calling doesn’t work than spend time calling freezing cold prospects.
Don’t let yourself (or your business) ignore these cold calling tips while your competitors are (secretly) using it as a bottomless goldmine…
BEST PART: The tips below literally make cold calling so comfortable, your grand mother could do it (and make loads of sales).
Cold Calling Tip #1 – Set Realistic Goals
I’m going to go ahead, be honest and level with you: The “real deal” freezing cold calling will not sell anything directly.
So many entrepreneurs (and wannabe sales-folk) set unrealistic cold calling goals – only to quit (prematurely) when they don’t work out.
Phoning total strangers and asking for credit card numbers is going to win you no friends (and the consolation prize is verbal abuse).
The cold calling “phone and ask for a sale” approach works in very few industries (I’d struggle to name three).
The realistic alternative is to incorporate cold calling as the first point of contact which feeds new prospects into your sales funnel.
When you set a realistic goal for your calling, then it’s easy to be successful. The feeling of achievement itself, for you and your sales reps, is gonna breed more success.
Here’s a couple of realistic, achievable and profitable cold calling goals:
100 “Permissions” to send info (via post or email) and follow up by phone call
If your product is top notch, you can hit this milestone in less than a week of part-time 8am-12pm calling. Try mailing out something remarkable (like a brochure in the shape of a giant tree – whatever) to ensure it gets opened. The recipient needs to notice it.
10 Sales appointments with qualified prospects
This works well in the B2B market and in industries like Insurance and Finance where cold calling for home appointments is appropriate. A masterful cold caller can convert around ten percent. Beginners can expect around five.
Just a single day of full time calling will net this result. I know Insurance guys who do it all on Sunday evening.
Cold Calling is for selling “the opportunity” to sell another day
These examples show that, when cold calling works really well, it is because it bags an opportunity to contact the prospect and sell to them.
There is a psychological reason this works so well…
People are conditioned to be immediately distrustful of anyone trying to pitch them. Any attempt to accelerate the sales process beyond the comfort zone of the prospect will be met with increased resistance and resentment. Don’t do it.
A couple of points of contact will give your prospects time to warm to you, your company and your pitch. Many effective cold-callers keep a database of numbers from 6 months (or a year ago) to continue “calling back”. Do this.
Cold Calling Tip #2 – You’ve got 3 seconds. No pressure
The crucial element of cold calling (where 95% of the wannabes get it wrong) is the first three seconds after saying hello.
Three seconds is the size of the “window-of-opportunity” you have to get your prospect interested. If they’re not curious after three seconds, it means they’ll dismiss you and your offer. Instead of listening, they’ll start thinking up objections and excuses to hang up the call.
How do you create Cold Call curiosity in under three seconds?
Have a legitimately exceptional product/service: Easier said than done, it really helps if your business is doing something so extraordinarily awesome that people can’t wait to hear more. This is a long term goal for some.
Offer a quick, easy and commitment-free next step: This could be asking for permission to keep talking, or even better, asking for permission to send a free sample.
Make the prospect feel special: If they feel like the 200th prospect you’ve spoken to that day, they’re not going to enjoy the call. In B2B cold-calling you can get immediate interest by mentioning vertical market competitors who you’ve “spoken to”… and explaining why you thought your prospect would be interested.
Have an eloquent, concise scripted three second intro: You’d think this would be obvious, but so many businesses and sales reps fail to recognise the importance of a fluid introduction. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP
A good three second intro that adheres to these principals would look like this:
“Hi <Prospect>! I’m calling for ACME gardening co. We’re doing a crazy promotion in your street by expertly mowing people’s lawns for free. If you’re interested, I just need to get a preferred date and time for your free mow.”
Regardless of how realistic it would be to mow lawns for free, do you see the cold calling principals in action here?
P.S. Secret cold calling tricks
I won’t lie – I added a few extra secret strategies into the example above. Let me know if you spotted them by leaving a comment below…
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Pete,
Good Article, and the goal setting is really great. I do think a lot of people expect to turn around more than they do. I have a couple of questions that maybe you could answer here. It is great if you can talk about your company and your promotion in three seconds, but what if is isn’t quite as simple as mowing lawns. Say it is something else? And you want to build credability? Do you do that after that three seconds?
Also, by saying “if you’re interested” aren’t you giving them an easy out, the golden NO rule of selling? Wouldn’t it be better to simply say, “All I need to know from you is a prefered time and date to set up your free mow?”
Hi Chrissy,
Great questions! Here’s a couple of key points:
If your product/service is super complex then you need to simplify the “3 second intro” by communicating across the primary benefit(s) of your offer.
It is unlikely that there will be time to establish credibility or explain much of the “how” – but if your intro is good enough, the interested people should ask you “how” or question your credibility. This is a fantastic way to get a conversation rolling.
The words “if you’re interested” might give an easy out, but remember that cold calling is also about crunching numbers. The faster you can get off the phone to “uninterested prospects” the better.
It’s all about spending as much time as possible talking to the people who are inclined (and ready) to buy.
What you guys at 10 Thousand Trees are doing is an emotive sell – therefor, you’ll benefit from qualifying out all the emotionally dead folks who just don’t give a rats arse about the environment. Enjoy 80% of your time talking to the people who do.
It’s an abundant ol’ universe out there…
- Pete
Hey Pete
Thanks for the mention. Great article and I felt it fit right in with what we’re trying to teach people over at our site.
I like your piece on the script. Having a concise and eloquent script shows great professionalism. Never try to over complicate anything in cold calling.
Terry
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