Top 5 Cold Calling Tips!

Cold calling is a practice that has been said to be “dead” in today’s society. This couldn’t be more false. Cold calling itself is not dead, the way it was practiced twenty years ago is. There are new techniques and methods to cold calling and telemarketing that sales reps need to embrace to be a high quality B2B cold caller in 2015.

1. Don’t be the Robot!

If you are reading from a script or are nearing the end of your shift, try your best to avoid speaking in monotone. Monotone will never keep a caller on the line. Your tone of voice should be pleasant, like he/she is your first client of the day.

2. Structure an Outline

Even if you are experienced in the business, you should have a general outline of what you will say to each prospect. The general outline for a call is as follows:

A. Start by asking the client if they are busy or if you caught them at a bad time before trying to pitch anything.
B. Ask a question relating to your business. For example, “how are you currently using x”
C. State your proposal
D. Assure them that you hear their concerns and objections, but you have a solution to them.
E. If they liked your pitch and are interested, schedule a follow up phone call.
F. Know when to quit. You can’t force a client to be interested and you are better of saying “I understand, thank you for your time” than pushing them to the point of hanging up on you.

3. Sending more Information

Just to clear something up, if a prospect says “send me more information” a mere 2 minutes into the phone call, it is their way of saying they’re not interested and trying to get off the phone politely.

As a cold-caller, you should never just say “Yes!” and send them the email because really, what are you going to send them? Generic information that they won’t do anything with.

If the prospect asks for more info, say yes and ask for their email. Then go on by telling them you want to them him/her information that truly interests them and fits their needs. Ask a few easy to answer questions until you get the information you need of the prospect ends the call.

4. Have Realistic Goals

Before making your first cold call, be aware that it is rare to make an instant sale over one cold call. These people are total strangers, they have no idea who you are or if you are actually selling something. Instead of setting a goal to sell ten products in x amount of days, set a goal that is realistic.
Ex: Gain the permission of 50 prospects to send more information about your product.

5. Know when to Call

For B2B cold calls, it’s important to know the best times to contact a prospect. The times that have provided the best results include:

• 10-11:30 am
• Five minutes before the next hour begins
• Holidays
• Early mornings – 8am before business really begins.

Follow these basic tips and you will be one of the best B2B cold callers in the business! This is a skill that will take some time to perfect, but once it has been done, you’ll be glad you did it.