Cold Calling Tips and Techniques
Before you stand a chance of making an effective cold call, you need a well thought-out approach. Thinking carefully about “when” and “who” can significantly increase your chances of success. You then need to know how to handle and follow up the call.
1) Plan call times wisely
Typically, the people you wish to target – those with the power to influence and make decisions – are some of the busiest people within an organisation, which means you need to think carefully about the best time to call. will not be available from 9 to 5. They have too much to do to during the day to answer phone calls from unknown numbers – and they’re guarded closely by assistants and less senior team members. If you want to reach these people, the best times to call are early in the morning or late at night.
Where possible, avoid Mondays - when people are settling into their working week - and Fridays, when they’re winding down for the weekend. By mid-week, your target person will generally have dealt with the week’s most pressing issues and are less likely to perceive your call as a distraction. You also need to think about the right time to call. Senior members of staff tend to arrive earlier in the morning, so call before 9am to have a better chance of reaching them. You could also aim to call between 5 and 7pm, when people have tied up the day’s work and have more time to chat.
2) Set a schedule
Once you’ve experimented with the right time to call, set yourself a target number of calls per week and schedule a window to make them. This will help you get into a rhythm. When your prospect picks up the phone, you might like to ask, “Is this a good time to call?” If it’s not, schedule a time that is.
3) Target the right person
Although sales will always be something of a numbers game, you can increase your chances by making sure you’re talking to the right person – that is, someone for whom your solution is relevant and who has the power to make a purchase or to sell your solution within their organization. Bear in mind that while the latter might not always be the ultimate decision maker within the organization, they might be just as useful and easier to reach (LinkedIn is a good place to determine who these people are). It’s better to spend ten minutes making sure you’re talking to the right person than delivering your pitch to the wrong one.
4) Preparation is key
Sales is not about selling products; rather, it’s about selling solutions to your customers’ problems. This applies just as much to cold calling as to any other type of sales technique. Research your prospect and think about how you can present your product in a way that will appeal to them. You might also want to use a script to keep the conversation concise and on track – if you’re not sure where to begin, simply take a basic outline and tailor it to your needs. Always make sure you have a reason for calling and a vision for your prospect’s business; for example, you might choose or tailor a pre-existing offer.
5) Follow up and be persistent
As a salesperson, you’ll know that most sales don’t happen after the first, second or even third call. Be (politely) persistent and follow up – you’d be surprised how many people don’t. You might not always get the in-depth meeting you were hoping for, but you should at least aim to secure a referral (and when you contact them, you’ll have the kind of credibility that money can’t buy).
6) Things not working out? Be aware of where you could be going wrong.
The nature of cold calling means that even the most skilled salesperson is never going to have a 100% success rate – but if you find yourself having a streak of “bad luck”, look closer and make sure there’s nothing you could be doing better improve. This guide tocommon cold calling mistakes should help you identify potential pitfalls!
7) Track your progress with data
Metrics are as key for cold calls as for any other area of sales - monitor your cold calling conversion funnel to see how you’re doing.
Check out our beginner's guide to the sales process
