One of the most challenging parts of selling is cold calling. Like all of us, salespeople dislike rejection and don’t want to hear the word “no.” And many have never been trained how to do cold calling. As a result, many salespeople find cold calling intimidating. Aside from the fear of rejection, there is a concern that they are “interrupting” someone to make a pitch. But as professional salespeople, they need to keep in mind that the person on the other end of the call may have a need for the potential solution they offer. If the prospect sees that value in having their problem solved, it is well worth the interruption.
In a recent Zoom Info article, cold calling was deemed “very to extremely effective” by almost 30% of professional salespeople. Also, it was reported that almost 70% of buyers accept cold calls. Given these statistics, it’s clear that cold calling presents a real opportunity to prospect for new business. In our experience as professional cold callers, once our callers reach their targeted prospects, most of them get the opportunity to make their initial case without the call terminating before that point.
What goes into making cold calling more effective? I believe preparation is critical to success. Below are just some of the steps we take to make our cold calling as efficient as it can be.
The call list should be targeted to the segment you are pursuing. This ensures that your offering is relevant to the prospects you are pursuing.
Develop a script that lays out what you want to communicate. Don’t repeat the script word for word. Use it to internalize your message. This prepares you to be able to say exactly what you want to say the moment you get the opportunity to connect. You’ll only have seconds to make an impression.
Check your mindset. Think of yourself as an equal to the prospect you want to connect with. Remember they have a problem, and you have a solution.
Make sure the purpose of your call is clear to the prospect, so they understand how what you are calling about is relevant to their business.
Remember this is a dialogue. Let the prospect speak. This is when you’ll learn whether there is an opportunity for your solution now.
Every time you speak to the prospect remember you are establishing a relationship – one that will earn you the right to speak to them again, whether for a follow up appointment if there is a current opportunity, or for a check-in several months from now if there isn’t a current need.
If your team can incorporate this approach, it can help take cold calling outreach to the next level and bring in new opportunities for growth.
At One of a Kind Sales, we love cold calling! If you need help implementing cold calling within your sales team, give us a call at 908-879-2911 to learn how we can help.
I am frequently asked, “is Cold Calling a waste of time?” Given that my business is to find and place, train and manage Cold Callers and that we at One of a Kind Sales LOVE making Cold Calls, I can confidently say, “YES” – when done poorly, Cold Calling IS a waste of time!
This may sound blasphemous – how can someone who LOVES Cold Calling, admit that it is a waste of time?! I am able to say this because I KNOW that it is true. I meet salespeople all the time who are wasting their time – and the time of their potential prospects – by using outdated scripts, poor techniques and/or ‘winging’ it. Too many people think that Cold Calling is just a matter of picking up the phone, dialing a number and chatting with, or worse yet, bullying the person on the other end into setting up an appointment. This could not be further from the truth!
Cold Calling is an art and a science. There are proven techniques and approaches that you need to learn in order to be effective. And you must be able to LISTEN to, and empathize with, your prospect. Most people are NOT born with these skills but with training and guidance, they CAN be learned.
Successful Cold Callers know:
They need to be consistent, making calls daily.
They need to be persistent – and know not to give up!
Their KPI’s – their Key Performance Indicators (check out our post Are YOU Dialing Blindly for more on this).
The VALUE of their work – they know that the appointments they set with qualified prospects lead to CLOSED SALES and a healthy bottom line.
Cold Calling is NOT for the faint of heart. It is a hard, often harsh, business where you hear “No” way more than you hear “Yes’. But it is also a rewarding one! Cold Calling is an important and EFFECTIVE part of many business plans and well trained, accomplished Cold Callers are ALWAYS in demand.
Are YOU wasting YOUR time Cold Calling without results? Give us a call at 908.879.2911, we can provide you with the training you need turn that around! And if you would like to HIRE one or more of our well-trained salespeople to fill your pipeline with qualified leads, give us a call. Our people are snatched up pretty quickly, so get on our list!
So, is Cold Calling a Waste of Time? When done poorly, yes, it can be. But when done properly, by well-trained salespeople, Cold Calling can be one of your most powerful funnel filling tactics! Are you and your salespeople wasting YOUR time?
In our experience, retaining Lead Generation Services on a Month to Month basis leads to disappointing results and increased salesforce turnover.
We have noticed that some of our competitors are offering this type of lead generation services option. We think that this option is a shortsighted strategy which is a waste of your time and money and as such, we do NOT offer this option.
Month to Month Lead Generation Services are a shortsighted strategy
Strong Sales Reps need a good 6 – 9 months to get their ‘mojo’ going. See our previous post on nurturing a successful sales team for more on this. If a sales person is on a month to month retainer, they may not have the time needed to show real results.
It takes time to learn the ropes and to develop connections that will result in real sales. Unrealistic expectations of immediate sales production creates pressure, causes quality to slip and can lead to premature turnover.
Month to Month Lead Generation Services are a waste of your time and money
It may LOOK like you are saving money in the short term but in reality, you are probably going to churn through salespeople and prospects more quickly and way less effectively, if you retain people solely on a month to month basis, costing you more and delivering you poor results.
Long term lead generation services will result in lower turnover, higher quality leads and stronger sales
Commit to the time necessary for salespeople to get up to speed and to develop the relationships they need to deliver the results YOU want!
When you are ready to invest in long term lead generation services with QUALITY salespeople who will deliver quality leads, give us a call! Our salespeople are trained to deliver solid results, consistently and over the long run. Click here to learn more and start getting the results YOU want, TODAY!
Are you unhappy with your cold-calling results from 2018? Know something needs to change but not sure what it is? Here are 5 ways to boost YOUR cold-calling results in 2019!
1. Be CONSISTENT
Consistency is KEY to your success in this business! I HIGHLY recommend setting aside a specific amount of time EVERY DAY, to make your cold calls. I know that things come up and meetings need to happen so you may not be able to make the calls at the same time every day but make sure that you are making time, every day, for calls.
The amount of time you need to spend is dependent on your goals. (I will address this formula in an upcoming post.) But studies show that you need to ‘touch’ someone 8 – 12 times before you make a real connection. Keep this in mind as you dial!
Stick to the same script to keep your messaging consistent and you will see results. Remember, NO means ‘not just now’ and every dial gets you closer to a YES!
2. Stay POSITIVE
When you are making your calls, think ‘positive’!
Not only can the person you are speaking with FEEL the positive vibe but getting yourself into a positive mindset can really make the difference between just making calls and SETTING APPOINTMENTS.
Remember that ‘Attitude Drives Behavior’ and YOU control YOUR attitude.
Here is a short video with an interesting take on how to stay positive with ‘Inverse Paranoia’ Darren Daily: Inverse Paranoia
3. Have, and use, a FOLLOW-UP PLAN
Deals are LOST due to lack of, or poor execution of, follow-up!
I HIGHLY recommend using a CRM that automatically enters your calls into your queue and having a cohesive follow-up plan. Depending on the outcome of each call, you may be identifying and reaching out to the ‘right’ person or setting appointments – the call is only the first step, be sure you have a clear map to CLOSING.
Your plan will vary based on your needs and goals but make sure that it also includes a STOP point. You don’t want to OVER follow-up (which leads to burn out on both ends – the prospect AND the salesperson making the calls!)
If the prospect is not interested after your fourth call, you should take them out of your rotation for a few months before reaching out again. And if they have ghosted you – are no longer taking your calls – you should have an email follow-up that you can send. In that email, ask prospects to clarify where they are in the process, what has changed and to be frank, clarifying if they no longer wish to be contacted.
4. Know and MONITOR Your KPI’s
MAKING a specific number of phone calls is NOT the ultimate sales goal – know what YOUR goals ARE!
Clearly identifying your goals and monitoring your progress towards those goals is KEY to ACHIEVING them! Knowing YOUR KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) will help you stay ON TRACK.
Sales tactics, techniques and technology change constantly – you need to be a life-long learner to succeed! Practice WILL get you closer to perfect but staying on top of industry trends and refreshing your skills is VITAL. Educational posts with sales insights and tips can help, as can videos and podcasts.
We offer training for salespeople of all levels, keeping them up to date with best practices, sharpening their skills and giving them the tools they need to succeed. We make sure that they KNOW and MEET their KPI’s and consistently hit and EXCEED their sales goals.
If you are NOT seeing the results you need, give us a call – we can help you with your script, train you and your team on your delivery and even make calls for you if needed! Contact us at 908.879.2911 or leads@oneofakindsales.com
While psyching yourself up to make that first dial of the
day may be the most daunting part of cold calling, MAKING the calls is NOT the
ultimate sales goal for most organizations. Setting QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS and
CLOSING SALES are what impact your organization’s bottom line. Understanding
the full sales process and knowing (and monitoring) your KPI’s will help you
meet your ultimate sales goals.
KPI’s are ‘Key Performance Indicators’ – clear, specific
actions YOU need to take, during a specified time, to achieve a specific
outcome. In the example above, picking up the phone and making calls IS key,
but the specified desired outcome is to set appointments with qualified
individuals and then to close sales with those prospects.
If you are responsible for making that first call, your KPI
might be to make X number of calls per hour, day or week. If the other
subsequent metrics are falling or failing to be met, this number may need to be
increased.
Are you responsible for setting appointments? That KPI
might track the number of calls that result in an appointment. If this number
slips, go back to the initial call script and make sure it is solid. Re-work
that as needed to ensure the calls you are making lead to appointments.
The next metric to track would be the number of appointments
that are converting to actual sales. If you find this number slipping, you
don’t necessarily need to make MORE CALLS (though that may help increase your
odds) but you need to work on the delivery and content of those calls so that
when you are setting appointments, they are with people who are truly QUALIFIED
to close a sale.
Clearly identifying your goals and monitoring
your progress towards those goals is KEY to ACHIEVING them! Knowing and
monitoring YOUR KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) will help you stay ON TRACK
to meet and exceed your sales goals.
Are your calls not converting? Need help with your scripts or to tune up your teams’ delivery? Give us a call – our training programs can boost YOUR team’s results.
And if you still need help, WE LOVE COLD CALLING! Give us a
call at 908.879.2911 to see how WE can make calls for YOU!
Your leads have been properly qualified as a good fit for what you are selling. But the leads aren’t getting closed.
When qualified leads don’t turn into sales, cold calling campaigns can be erroneously considered to be root of the problem. The failure to close sales cannot be attributed to the cold calling campaign when other conditions may be in play.
Proper training, preparation and having the right tools on hand will ensure that qualified leads result in closed sales.
Training and role-playing. Often reps are not properly trained to take the call/meeting to closure. The goal of the salesperson isn’t to just make a one-time sale but to position themselves as someone that understands the customer’s needs, someone to be trusted, and someone that the customer can turn to for solutions to their problems. Role-playing techniques help salespeople to become comfortable using this consultative selling approach.
Preparing and planning. When it comes to sales calls, don’t wing it. Prepare by becoming knowledgeable about the company and the prospect you will be speaking to. Have on hand all paperwork, forms, etc. that the customer will need to move forward. Plan by anticipating any objections that might arise and knowing how to respond to them.
Tools. Scripts are a useful tool to guide how the call or visit should go. Base scripts on the ultimate goal for the meeting but be as specific as possible when goal setting and writing scripts. Be sure to include thoughtful questions that will open the prospect to discussion. Leverage rather than read your script to make sure progress is made through the call to reach your goal.
Hiring. There is no training or preparation in the world that will make a rep successful if that person does not possess the need for achievement, an underlying competitiveness and overall optimism. If a rep is still not successful after the proper training, planning and preparation, it’s time to re-examine your hiring process because you are not attracting the right people.
Select people who are suited for the job, and train and prepare them properly to sell and close. Then you are ready to launch a cold calling campaign and turn qualified leads into sales.
Your leads have been properly qualified as a good fit for what you are selling. But the leads aren’t getting closed.
