Frequently Asked Questions
What is cold calling?
Cold calling is the act of contacting potential clients or customers who have not previously expressed interest in speaking with you. It is an unsolicited contact. Cold callers use the telephone to reach a list of prospects who have been identified based on a set of attributes, for example, their industry and/or their potential role within the company.
What is appointment setting?
Appointment setting is an activity done on behalf of individuals who wish to speak with a particular type of prospect. Appointment setting is most often done by cold calling. A professional cold caller reaches individuals on a targeted list with the goal of making appointments with those who have a need for a particular service and a willingness to meet with someone who can fulfill that need.
How is your cold calling different from the telemarketers who call me so frequently?
We work with ethical clients, and we use sales best practices to ensure a high level of professionalism. Our sales team is trained in the Sandler sales methodology. Sandler is a recognized global leader in training sales professionals in Consultative Selling. In our experience, our well-trained sales team rarely gets “hung up on” before they are able to make their initial pitch. We set the expectation immediately about how long the call will take and let the prospect be in control of whether the discussion should be terminated. We work with a well-targeted list with the goal of setting appointments for our clients’ sales teams. A good cold call should be approximately 4 to 9 minutes.
What is pre-sales?
Pre-sales is the process of doing research to build a list of qualified leads. It can include activities such as leveraging social media to find prospects, email marketing, and cold calling.
What is a qualified lead?
A qualified lead is one that meets established criteria that indicate a high likelihood of need for your solution. These criteria could include industry type, size of company, the role or level of an individual in the company and having a particular business challenge.
What is conversational selling?
Conversational selling is a sales approach that focuses on creating a dialogue between the salesperson and the prospect. It emphasizes that a sales engagement is a two-way conversation that encourages the prospect to share information. It helps establish the salesperson as an expert interested in solving a problem that a company has. It also helps establish an equal footing between the prospect and the salesperson.
What is consultative selling?
Consultative selling is a sales approach in which sales representatives act more like advisers. Instead of pushing a specific product, sales representatives recommend solutions to potential customers based on their needs and pain points. Consultative selling emphasizes relationship development with the potential customer, as well as two-way communication to learn about customer needs before proposing solutions.
What is a lead generation engine?
Companies looking to grow need a lead generation engine, a set of coordinated activities that result in the development of a strong list of qualified leads. Companies that have created a lead generation engine use multiple methods to build their prospect list. A lead generation engine includes the components that are part of the pre-sales process. This might include social media engagement that identified prospects, an email wave that generates interest, or a cold calling campaign that identifies companies with a need.
How can cold calling help my business?
If you have a sales team that needs to meet with qualified prospects, a cold calling team such as the one at One of a Kind Sales can get them appointments with the right people. This avoids having your valuable sales team invest the time to do this type of work themselves. In fact, we know most salespeople dislike cold calling and avoid doing it when they can. This increases the chance that they will spend time with the wrong prospects. By outsourcing this activity, your sales team is freed up to sell to qualified prospects rather than spending time ruling out false opportunities.
How will cold calling improve sales results?
Cold calling to set appointments with qualified leads means your sales team will never speak to an unqualified lead. This will increase the likelihood that their discussions will lead to sales and avoid having your valuable sales team spend time chasing after prospects who are not ready for, or interested in, your solutions.
Is there a cost – benefit to outsourcing cold calling?
Outsourcing cold calling can allow you to reduce or eliminate “hit or miss” activity on the part of your sales team. This includes activities such as networking events where you have no idea who will attend. Cold calling will also reduce the likelihood that your sales team will meet with unqualified prospects. The travel expense and time associated with these activities adds up. In addition, cold calling gives you the opportunity to reach more prospects. And, if you have a good script and the delivery of the message is professional you will stand out compared to your competition.
How important is training for a professional sales team?
We believe that training is crucial for professional sales. We feel that selling is a process that must be planned and managed. Whether it is the script that allows the team to internalize the message, or the many techniques that enable the salesperson to drive the selling process forward to a conclusion, these activities that must be practiced and coached to achieve excellence. There is a reason why Fortune 500 companies routinely train their sales organizations. They rely on the sales team to bring in revenue and they view sales training as an investment in their future growth.
How can I learn more?
This is the easiest question to answer! Just call us at 908-879-2911. Remember, at One of a Kind Sales we love cold calling!
Call us NOW (908) 879-2911
Using our definitive methods and tools, our experienced team delivers qualified appointments