Top Five Tips for Cold Calling
Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a guest post from Michael Powers, Buzz Coordinator at NetProspex.
There are not many people in sales who would say they absolutely love cold calling. However, cold calling should be a part of every effective salesperson’s arsenal. Quality conversations are necessary to qualify leads at the top of the sales funnel. The cold call is and will continue to be a necessary step in the sales cycle, so why not master it.
Like anything else in life, practice makes perfect. The more effort you put into learning how to strategically cold call, the more likely you’ll be to generate leads. With this in mind, salespeople should consider the following five tips to help improve their cold calling routine:
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Look for the right fit. Even the best salespeople can’t sell everything to everyone. Before you make your calls, do some research to determine which prospects would be a good fit for your product or service. Every company faces different obstacles so make sure your product or service could alleviate a pain or challenge within that organization.
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Establish a connection. Get to know your prospect's space before you call. That way, you can strike up a good conversation and really get to know the challenges specific to their organization. Luckily, it's usually easier to establish a connection with a prospect over the phone rather than by email.
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Speak simply. It’s not a terrible idea to have a script, but make sure you don’t read from it verbatim. Avoid buzzwords and jargon and let your personality shine. Speaking in honest terms will help you develop a strong rapport.
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Ask probing questions. Ask open-ended questions so the conversation continues. Direct questions can quickly kill a conversation or make it awkward. By asking open-ended questions it gives the prospect an opportunity to share more information about their company.
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Always close with the next steps. It’s nearly impossible to close a sale on the first call, so never leave your potential customers hanging. By letting them know when you’ll be in touch next, you establish the notion that there is value in continuing the relationship on both a personal and professional level.
Cold calling is certainly not the most glamorous part of sales prospecting, but it doesn’t have to be something you dread. Remember, practice makes perfect, and the more time you put into developing your skills, the easier the process will become.
