Here are more cold calling tips to help you increase the success of your cold calls:
5) Prepare a script for the rest of your cold call.
Lay out the benefits of your product or service and the reasons your prospect should buy. Write out possible objections and your answer to them. Without a script, it's too easy to leave something out or meander. Once again, it's not that you'll be reading your script word for word when you call, but that you've prepared the framework of the cold call in advance.
6) Ask for an appointment at a specific time when cold calling.
Say, "Would Wednesday at 11 a.m. be a good time to meet?" instead of saying, "Can I meet with you to discuss this next week?"
7) Remember that gatekeepers are your allies not your foes.
Be pleasant to whoever picks up the phone or is guarding the inner sanctum when cold calling. Develop strategies to get the gatekeeper on your side. Sometimes asking, "I wonder if you could help me?" will help you get the information you need, such as the name of the right person to talk to or when the best time to contact the prospect is. Learning the names of gatekeepers and being friendly when cold calling helps, too.8) Smooth the way for your cold call by sending prospects a small, unique promotional item.
This helps break the ice and makes your business stand out from the crowd. Pat Cavanaugh, sales guru of Inc.com), says, "It's amazing. A $2.15 crazy little item we've sent out has helped us get Fortune 500 accounts. When we call, they say, "Oh yeah....you were the one that sent me that..."
9) Do your cold calling early in the morning, if possible.
That's the best time to reach the decision maker directly, and for most people, the time that they're most energized.
10) Be persistent when cold calling.
"Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact, yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call" (AllBusiness.com).
And above all, practice, practice, practice. While cold calling may never be much fun for you, you can get better at it, and the more you practice cold calling, the more effective a sales tactic it will be. So get your script and your call list together and reach for the phone. The people who want to do business with you are out there - but you have to let them know about you first.
