Secrets of the Cold-Call

Cold calling has to be one of the most dreaded ways to gain new clients/customers so that is why I am coving it first in this new mini-series.

When it comes to cold calling, there are a few questions that go through people’s heads that are more for procrastination purpose than actually answering the questions; “What is cold-calling?” “ Is it beneficial to my sales?” Cold calling (or canvassing as it is commonly known as) refers to the first meaningful calls you make to a prospective client for the purpose of marketing yourself, business, product or service and how it could benefit them. If used properly and effectively, the cold calling technique can be very beneficial and gain you quite a bit of future business. 

Having the best cold-calling techniques serves as an added advantage to your business in that it allows you to improve other aspects that will serve your business in a positive sense such as developed communication skills.

Notably, the basic principles of cold calling as they relate to communication are among the main characteristics mentioned by most prominent entrepreneurs. The fact that cold calling creates a focus on initiative, addressing one’s fears and action is a recipe for successful sales hence the importance of employing cold calling strategies while promoting your product brand and aiming for higher sales in mind with each call.

The need for cold calling strategies

Today's modern world is characterized by increased dependency to online marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and content marketing. Cold calling should be seen as an opportunity to generate new leads and contacts and a viable process in which to promote your product brand and increasing sales. Cold calling may seem like an ancient marketing strategy, but, though this is factual to an extent, it is also a tried and true method by which people have been making a name for themselves for decades.

Besides the fact that successful entrepreneurs were able to successfully nurtured their business skills long before the internet by employing basic principles of this marketing strategy, cold calling plan kits have been introduced making product brand promotions easy and general sales even easier. Cold calling marketing strategies kits are all-inclusive and will always positively impact your sales considering the fact that it comprises of:

 

• Detailed tips and techniques geared towards effective telephone pitches and additional win/win business opportunities that benefit everyone.

• A number of secrets to cold calling success that experts from the different fields implement on a daily basis.

• Examples of actual cold calling scripts that have helped secure appointments even with high profiled prospective buyers.

• Sample checklists and worksheets that can help you come up with your own personal cold script (which I recommend that you have your own that way it is geared toward your specific business).

• Tutorials on how to leverage voicemails to get prospective clients to call you back.

 

How does cold calling strategies affect your sales?

 

Normally as a sale's person you serve as a link between the customer and the supplier / source.

What this means in a nutshell is that you are the one who is influencing the leveraging products and services. With this task in mind, it becomes apparent as to why cold calling strategies comes can help you establish some key fundamentals when it comes to linking suppliers with customers.

At this point, I hope that I have given you a strong indication as to why cold calling strategies make it relatively easier for you not only to interpret and predict sales opportunities but also to control your market. Using cold-calling strategies for your sales intentions places you in the best position to control the relationship and cooperation between customers and suppliers.

It is crucial, as you work toward meeting your set sales goals, that you choose to implement cold-calling strategies focusing on more pertinent matters such as your target market place including your competitors and all the threats your sales are faced with.

 

Successful cold calling strategies for online and offline marketing

 

As an entrepreneur, to make cold calling strategies effectively work for you, it is advisable that you use the following basic standards in creating a cold calling strategies kit:

1. Preparation:

Before you call a prospective client it is vitally important for you to plan in advance, set your objectives right from the start and most importantly choose the best time to call you prospect as outlined below:

A) Pre-call planning:

According to research, a pre-call plan stands out as one of the main fundamentals when it comes to making a positive conversation with a prospective client. When prepping to make a cold call, it is crucial that you collect pieces of information about your prospect that will help you not only effectively introduce yourself but also professionally raise your business intentions in a manner that grabs the attention of the prospective client. It is during your discussion with such clients that you bring in the specific details of what you are proposing to assist them with in a way that they can directly relate it to their business. This helps you give a precise account of your company's' overall goals regarding business as you will be talking of specific features your product brand or service can provide to them. As Zig Ziglar always said, “You’ll get everything out of life that you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”

Prior to calling your prospect, research for enough insights about your prospect’s business. To do so and to inject some of these facts into the conversation will impress the prospect and thus gain more interest from them. It's all up to you.

 

B) Setting an objective

Apart from the pre-call planning, cold calling strategies for offline marketing also requires you to have set objectives for the direction that you want the cold-call to go, and to have those objectives expressed clearly in writing prior to making that important call. Why is this relevant? Because the main aim for making this call is to set up a meeting and not necessarily to promote your product brand or services. Having a set of objectives, serves as a gateway, which allows you to bring in a possible business meeting to discuss the details of your proposals.

Remember your goal is to establish meeting with your prospect client and should you deviate from this by giving out too much unnecessary information up front, your prospect is likely to see you as being “salesy” and turn you down before you even have the chance of demonstrating the true value of your products or services. Consider your call to a prospective client as an opportunity to build more clout and develop a potential sales opportunity and introduce yourself as the best contact to consult in case of a situation change instead of “buy from me now” attitude.

 

        C) Choosing the best time to Call

Besides choosing to call your prospect at a time when you are prepared, well rested and ready for the call, it is extremely urgent that your timing be done perfectly; calling your prospective at a time you are certain he is not only available but also free to talk. Reason being chances are if your approach is agreeable; the call will most certainly be characterized by a lot of explaining and discussions before you finally settle on a meeting date. In other words, it would be more of a delightful conversation rather than one or the other trying to rush the call along. It is pointless to call up a client during extreme hours. Consequently, it is recommended that prospective clients not be contacted first thing in the morning, right before or immediately after lunch and not right before close of the business day as well as toward the end of the week is better. During such times, people are usually relaxed and in extremely pleasant moods.

 

2. Introduction

When introducing yourself and your business, try as much as possible to be relevant. Go straight to the point stating who you are, what you represent, the purpose of your call and the reason for the meeting request at a later date or another time depending on the availability of your client. At this point, you are free to explain the details of your offer, taking care not to go into details.

 

3. Ask questions

The course of your talk, it is healthy that you engage your client in a brief question and answering session to allow him to enlighten you on his situation. At this point, you will likely have a clearer picture on how best to approach so as to earn a more complete trust as well as being able to predict how he/she prefers to get work done which will give you a direction in how to make the meeting go most effectively. If the prospect is a story teller, then jumping right to the point with facts and figures won’t impress them, however, the prospect who is naturally impatient and likes to get to the straight facts, will be irritated if you go into testimonials and anecdotes.

 

4. Do not judge

Avoid taking sides especially when dealing with your customers; make sure you remain fair and neutral considering that most people prefer being helped to being judged and critiqued. In fact, providing help and offering guidance is the best choice regardless of your field of specialty, It is essential to consider this as it will help you come up with informed decisions that appeal most. Never get into what they are doing wrong, or could do better. Concentrate on how you can help them improve what they already have going.

 

5. Respond to customer inquiries

Take it upon yourself to listen to any inquiries that the prospect has and be willing to give an answer. If the answering the question is something that would be discussed in the meeting, then give a simplistic answer that doesn’t get into too many details and explain how you have full intention to go over that very question in detail at the meeting. Think of any and every question that could possibly be asked and have a prepared answer in advance so as not to have any dead space in the conversation. If the prospect feels that you are grasping for the information, then he/she might feel that you are not prepared, whereas on the adverse, a quick, well spoken answer could give the prospect the view that you are an authority on the topic.

 

6. Educate and inform your markets about your offers.

As a professional entrepreneur who understands the significance of an established offline customer base, make it one of your duties to reach out to your market audiences through both formal and informal venues of multimedia. Even if you don’t get the meeting, try to acquire permission to send them more information. Go with the attitude that if you can’t help them now, you may be able to in the future and express to the prospect that if they ever need your services in the future not to hesitate in contacting you.

 

They say information is power, so make sure that you never leave a cold call without having the prospect feeling that they are more informed without it costing them anything…and a future meeting to discuss a business venture wouldn’t be bad either.

 

Let me know your thoughts on cold calling, does this help you? What are some techniques that you use when it comes to cold calling?