The New Cold Calling
Cold calling is very different today! If it were the 1970’s and vacuum salesmen could come to your home and sell a vacuum to your mom…well… things have changed completely! Referral-based selling is the only way today to be successful in sales. Building referrals does take time and work. There are some specific tips on how to build your business on referrals. The new cold calling is still working, though must be done differently than in the past. sales process that is consultative is the ONLY way you can even begin to cold-call. Cold-calling is still the least effective way of making sales but often needs to be a part of the overall plan. Typically, at the beginning of your sales career, this is more prevalent, but one of the goals should be to create relationships through networking and decrease the need for cold-calling. That being said, while it is a large part of prospecting, let’s talk about making it more effective.
In the long run, salespeople need to work out of the cold calling grind and into referral-based selling. How to be effective on the phone? You must have a true process with cold calling and create cold-calling skills that are consultative.
BUT until then…here is how to do it best
These are a couple of ideas that will help you in cold-calling
to be as successful as you can. Use this process with your own words, and your own style but keeping this process in mind.
there are some different ways that might make this a little bit less uncomfortable and a little bit more successful for you first I think it’s very important if you’re going to cold-call so when you call somebody it’s really honest. I’m gonna give you some stories of people that I’ve met over the years that have done a good job on this and understood how bringing in the “human factor” is important is in sales.
The Human Factor
I worked with a woman years ago named Leslie and she worked for the Business Journal which I know you’re familiar with since there are business journals in every city around the country and of course I write for a lot of them so hopefully, you’re reading my column in one of those but the point is when Leslie started working for the business journal she had worked 20 years in New York for another advertising publication moved to South Florida and started working for The South Florida Business Journal she had a list of people she needed to start building relationships with so she did and she would pick up the phone and say, “Hi this is Leslie with The South Florida Business Journal and this is a cold call so if you want to hang up go ahead”. That alone I thought was funny but I thought that was really good because that’s what people are thinking!
I really liked was kind of a spin on that one and she said, “Hi this is Leslie with The South Florida Business Journal as
much as you hate getting cold calls, I hate making them but I’ve been in the advertising business for 20 years in New York and I just started down here so I’m starting over, so if you want to hang in there with me great if you want to hang up go ahead it’s been happening all day!”
I think to assume that there is a NO before you begin, and give them permission to take a no, gives you less of them!
I hope you enjoy your weekly Free B2B Sales Tips. If you arent getting them already, just click below!