Those of us who cold call all day have been there. After multiple calls and getting kicked around the company, you finally get your target contact on the phone. Once they pick up, for a millisecond, you naively assume they are as excited to hear from you as you are for them. You quickly learn that ain’t the case.
The reality of it is an overwhelmingly high percentage of the prospects we cold call into every day are not always happy to be speaking to us. You can sense it in their voice. They seem as though they've been cornered or trapped like a caged animal and they’re immediately looking for a way out.
So what can you do to turn the start of that conversation around? Here a few suggestions that I recommend using to get your prospects attention:
Do your research: You don’t want to sound like any other schlep calling up and interrupting their day. Make sure to learn enough about their business to articulate why you feel you can help.
Make it about them: Once you managed to articulate why you feel you can help their organization, the very next thing to do is explain how it can help THEM. If you’re wasting their time, you need to make sure they immediately understand how you want them look like a hero.
Use their name: Seems simple but the more you can use their name the less it will sound like you’re reading from a script. I don’t mean the “Hi {Insert Name Here}" type script, all I’m saying is to try your best to say their name throughout the flow of the conversation without sounding like a schlocky sales guy/girl.
I’ll be brief!: If they don’t sound pleased to hear from you let them know you don’t want to waste their time and then get down to brass tax. If they still don’t seem willing to engage in conversation or provide you information, then try to get them to commit to another time for a quick 5 minutes that will work better for them. In the meantime send them a basic kill-sheet or a relevant client testimonial to discuss when you follow up at that designated time.
Ask a good follow up question: "Is that something you may be interested in?"...may be a question you need to ask at some point, but it’s a crappy first question to ask when you have a busy executive on the phone. Assuming you’ve gotten through your elevator pitch, ask a question that you know will get them THINKING.
Even if you feel you’ve perfectly executed your cold call, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be at 100%. Most of the time a prospect is not necessarily going to be overjoyed to hear from you even if you truly are able to provide them something that will help to make their job easier. Keep in mind a big part of your success generally depends on the mood of your prospect. Incorporating a few of the tips suggested above could turn the 20 second call that ends with a: "Not interested. Thanks."…dial-tone. To more of a productive call that could help to uncover some genuine interest.
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