Cold calling. The sheer mention of the phrase sends shivers down the spines of many salespeople. They hate it. They do everything they can to avoid it. And yet, when the sales funnel is dry, itās the fastest way to find new prospects.
In our experience, a half-day of cold calling will yield an average of 1-2 appointments. A full day of cold call blitzing (non-stop calling) will yield an average of 3-5 appointments. We see this with all the clients we work with whether theyāre calling marketing qualified campaign leads or cold calling a list. (The difference is in the warmth of the contact and how far along they may be in their buy cycle, but thatās for another post.)
Even with this proven cold calling success rate, sales reps shudder when they realize they have to cold call.
They get nervous. And therein lies how reps create a self-fulfilling prophecy of cold calling failure and sabotage their own success.
When youāre nervous, youāre focused on yourself, not your prospect. Youāre worried about what youāre going to say and how youāre going to sound rather than whatās important to the person youāre calling.
What are you really concerned about when you cold call? Usually itās that youāll be hung up on. The gatekeeper will grill you about why youāre calling. The contact will be rude. Youāll forget what to say. You wonāt be able to answer their questions or objections. Youāll make a mistake.
Whatās behind the fear? Potential humiliation. But these people donāt even know you, and because they donāt you, unfortunately the cold calling odds are they arenāt going to remember you called.
It isnāt until youāve called 3 times that they begin to notice your name. After 6 times they begin to notice what youāre saying. After 9 calls, they realize theyāll have to talk to you. So, you have 9 times to charm the gatekeeper, make mistakes, master your value proposition, handle their objections, and finally have a real conversation.
Here are 3 steps to avoid sabotaging cold calls and shortening your appointment setting journey.
- Focus on whatās in it for your prospect in talking with you. Let the business issue or need you suspect the prospect has direct your opening and the conversation that follows. This call is about them and their needs ā not your need to sell something today.
- Ask questions that help you understand their situation. When you focus on your prospect, what your prospect needs, and why they need it, you ask questions that will help you understand more about them and their situation. Youāll learn a lot and be able to qualify if this contact fits your ideal prospect enough to justify suggesting a meeting.
- Park your product talk at the door. Of course you have to discuss relevant business issues your solution can help with, but you donāt have to mention your solution. And you certainly donāt want to focus on trying to sell anything in your first call. Your only goal is to set an appointment for a deeper discussion. Thatās when youāll discuss your solution.
Get over yourself. Itās not about you and the possibility that youāll be humiliated. Itās about your prospect. What do they need from you? How can you help? Take these 3 steps in your cold calls and your conversation will happen comfortably and naturally. Your nerves will melt away and youāll close more appointments with qualified prospects who will want to keep them. No more sabotaging your cold calls.
