Cold calling was a very popular way of selling products from 2001 to 2010. Every American used to receive up to 15 telemarketing calls on a daily basis. During this time, consumers were not very engaged in social media or emails or chat messages. This worked in favor of cold calling salespeople.
In today’s digital world the customer acquisition channel has shifted drastically. Many salespeople believe that cold calling doesn’t work anymore as people now have access to information online and they simply don’t trust you on the phone. With the increase in telemarketing frauds, consumers have become more cautious than ever before.
In this blog today we are going to take a look at some of the cold calling tips that actually work..
Enrich leads
Before you even think of dialing a prospect, just do a little research on who you are calling. You can start by looking at their social pages, demographic information, professional network, etc. This activity is not to peek into someone’s personal details but to understand the prospect better about their taste, likings, behavior, style, etc. This will help you build a rapport with the customer and connect with them personally. These days AI in the telecom industry is capable of getting this information.
Avoid sales scripts
Every customer is different, so you shouldn’t use the same script for all. There are different age groups, language proficiency, accents, states, country, etc when you bifurcate the potential prospects in different buckets. Remember, the first 10 seconds will decide the length of the conversation with your customer on the phone. Based on these factors, you should start your call and personalize it at the beginning itself.
Sound energetic
Cold calling is nothing but a number game. When you make 400 calls a day, you will find 10 people interested and only 2 will actually buy your product. But at the end of the day, you got 2 sales. It’s like playing soccer. Not every kick is a goal. Sound energetic on every call. however, don’t be too excited. You must keep a normal pitch tone, volume and speak slowly like a matured guy trying to pass on some valuable information.
Talk less and listen more
Most people like to talk about themselves and their problems with someone who has a good ear to listen. Allow your prospects to speak more and allow them to give out information that you need to pitch your product. You will also encounter many customers who strictly mean business. In that case, you just have to give your best shot to pitch and end the pitch with a question. These types of customers are easy to convert because they know what they are getting into.
Use power-words
There are several movies that showcase the best ways to make cold calls. You must watch “Boiler Room”, “Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Pursuit of Happiness”. These are not just movie scripts but this actually works in real life. Just by saying ‘that sounds awesome’ you will win hearts. By using power words such as great, appreciate, amazing, welcome, etc will encourage your prospect to talk more and connect quicker.
Always confirm
Using phrases like ‘So if I understand this correctly, you are saying that….’ makes a huge difference. It gives a sense to your prospect that you are actually trying to solve a problem here and not just using sales tips to sell a product. Taking confirmation is a good habit in general as well. It helps you double register the thought or a decision.
Treat it like a game
Don’t get frustrated or angry just because someone abused you over the phone. Don’t take it personally. You will get this all the time. There are no fair rules for this game. The customers will be as harsh and tough as they can. They will use profanity to piss you off but keep pushing yourself and dial more numbers until you achieve your goal. It’s also important that you stay calm and request your customers not to use profanity over the phone. If they continue doing so, you follow your call disconnect policy. You should be able to handle tough customers on the phone.
Send literature
After your first cold call, be sure that you send your prospect or customer some kind of literature that they can refer to. This creates a subconscious trust in the mind and develops urgency to respond. It is like ‘now the ball is in your court’. Most prospects treat it like an unfinished task. This works better in the case of real estate sales. If you have SMS capability in your phone system, then you must send a ‘thank you’ note.
Follow up
This is probably the most important of all. There is only a 0.5% chance to get a sale on your first phone call. Therefore, you must keep track of all your calls and follow-ups. If get hold of the customer at the right time, you are most likely to get a sale. Also, get a virtual phone number for yourself where your prospects can call you back if they have any questions.
Ask for reference
There are chances that your prospect may not be interested in your product or service however, there could be someone else that he knows. If the prospects listen to you for more than 20 seconds, you can openly ask for a reference. This will help you add more cold leads to your bucket. These are more valuable leads then the regular ones because now you have some to attest to.
Follow these sales tips to make better sales calls and make full use of your time on the phone.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.