Prospecting Methods: Cold Calling
At some point in time, you will need to speak to a person about your product and the best way to do it is over the telephone. However, people get nervous when calling someone out of the blue and therefore avoid it.
The reason most people avoid cold calling is that their sales pitch is designed either with a face to face meeting or a large conference hall full of people in mind. They do not prepare specific scripts for calling someone over the phone with the consideration that talking is natural.
It may be when you are in front of someone, however phone calls require a different script. While the listener cannot see you, but changes in your posture and even whether you smile or not are conveyed through your voice.
It is also necessary to know that when cold calling you may need to go through many intermediaries. Most company’s screen calls through their reception, who may transfer the call to a junior exec in the department and so on till you reach your desired person. Be ready with scripts for each.
When calling make sure:
You know whom you want to get connected to. If the information is not available, ask the receptionist to connect you with someone who can make a decision regarding your offer.
Have scripts ready for the intermediaries.
Prepare scripts for voice mail. You need a different approach when talking to a machine than when you’re talking to a person.
Smile. Yes, smile. Your emotions are apparent from your voice. People like to talk to people who convey happiness over the phone rather than those who sound cranky.
Rehearse your scripts with your team. Prepare answers to objections. The better you are prepared the less you will fear calling the prospect up.
And as with everything else, if at first you don’t succeed, try again.