THE ART OF COLD CALLING: 3 STRATEGIES THAT WORK

Cold calling — it's a term that can give the sales industry mixed feelings.

It’s either something you instantly excel at, or something you instantly dislike and then dread even the thought of doing it.

Aside from the fact that you’re calling complete strangers about a product or service, it requires confidence, quick thinking, negotiation skills, and the ability to build rapport. That’s a lot to think about, which is why many salespeople either avoid cold calling or do it badly – both leading to missed opportunities. Regardless of how much you personally dislike cold calling – it can be a truly powerful sales technique. 

But all is not lost if you didn’t instantly succeed in it. With the right strategies and approach, you’ll be able to feel more confident and prepared when going into a call – as well as see results.

PREPARE FOR YOUR CALL AND PERSONALISE FOR EACH PROSPECT

Cold calling can be perceived as a spontaneous task that doesn’t require much prior thought… which could be why some people fail. Any successful cold call starts by preparing: 

RESEARCH: Find out information about the company, industry, and any news or events that may be relevant to bring up in discussion. This will show you’ve taken time and interest, rather than just approaching it as ‘just another call’. It’ll then help you tailor your conversation to their specific needs and challenges.

VALUE PROPOSITION: Craft a clear and compelling value proposition before the call that highlights the unique benefits your product or service offers. Focus on how you can solve their individual pain points and/ or help them achieve their goals.

This won’t just make you look like an organised person, but it’ll show you’re a personable person. No one wants to answer the phone and feel like someone is reading a script that they use for every prospect. You want to instantly make someone feel like you’d go above and beyond to understand their needs and be a genuine and beneficial point of contact.

Example: "Hi [Prospect's Name], I noticed that your company recently expanded into [new market/industry]. As a sales professional with experience in this space, I wanted to share how our solution has helped companies like yours overcome similar challenges and achieve significant growth."

FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIP BUILDING MORE THAN SELLING

Everyone’s had stereotypical sales calls. The confidence to sell is always on point, but the empathy? Not so much. But by putting the two together, you’ll be able to not only persuade but connect with people in a short amount of time. 

It may feel counteractive to not instantly go into selling, but by focusing on relationship building, you build a better foundation so when you do begin to explain your product/ service, you’ve built these 4 things:

1. Rapport

2. Trust

3. An understanding of their needs

4. An understanding of their personality 

This’ll make it so much easier in the end. 

And not to mention, even if the first call doesn’t end in a sale – you’ve been able to build a relationship with someone who may buy from you in the future or refer you to other potential clients. To be a known and trusted salesperson, you have to focus on your reputation, for the sake of your company and your career/ network.

Relationship building also means showing empathy as you communicate.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and rather than heading straight to a solution, ask questions and try to relate to what they’re saying; so when you do go to sell to them, they feel like there’s a mutual understanding. Whether it’s a mutual understanding of the current market or even the struggle of implementing a certain software – they’ll know you understand.

Example: Prospect: "We've been struggling to improve our customer retention rate."

Salesperson: "That’s interesting. I’ve talked to many people who’ve had the same issue, especially in X industries/ especially in the last X years. What have you tried so far to improve this? Any systems or marketing strategies you’ve implemented?"

FOLLOW UP WITH VALUE AND EXPERTISE AFTER THE COLD CALL

A mistake so many salespeople make is giving up on that prospect/ company after the first call if it doesn’t result in a sale. But what about the rapport you built? What about the interesting information you learned about their current business challenges and goals? They can still be of great value to you because it gives you something to speak about next time.

You want to keep the resilience and hope that this prospect could turn into a client one day. But of course, you don’t want to be too pushy where rather than them enjoying hearing from you, they roll their eyes.

Here are 3 ways to do that:

TIMELY FOLLOW-UP: Send a personalised follow-up email or LinkedIn message shortly after the first call to thank them for taking the time to speak to them and emphasise how you’ll always be happy to help or discuss anything related to the things you two spoke about. This demonstrates professionalism (and that you’re not an angry salesperson who cuts ties with anyone who doesn’t buy from them) and it keeps the conversation alive.

PROVIDE VALUE: If you haven’t already – connect with them on LinkedIn. Here you can share relevant resources such as articles, case studies, or industry insights. This positions you as a valuable resource and legitimises your expertise.

PERSISTENCE: As a salesperson, you should be spending time at least once a month to catch up with clients and warm prospects. This is your chance, yes to sell, but to keep them in the loop with any market updates or suggestions you have. Keep yourself at the front of their mind by providing value. 

- Written by Arun Sutton

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