“Cold calls”. How many people reading that just broke into a sweat? The mere phrase can send a salesperson into panic mode. The phrase has haunted salespeople for years. Calling perfect strangers to see if they want to work with you. Who wants to do that? After all, didn’t your parents teach you not to talk to strangers? The good news is, the market has been pretty darn good these last couple years. Companies and individuals have been spending like crazy on improvements to their properties. If you owned or sold for a B2B business lately, there is a good chance that business has been pretty good; good enough where you didn't have to worry about creating leads that often. They just came in on their own.
However, this business boon isn’t going to last forever. As rates continue to climb and inflation runs rampant, most agree that the slow down will occur. Some are already feeling it. At some point, individuals and companies will once again have to create business on their own. At some point, you won’t be able to take a ‘wait and see’ point of view; you will need to go out and make business happen. We come full circle to eventually having to, by necessity, making the dreaded ‘cold-calls’. Therefore, let’s see if we can give you some quick tips to make you more comfortable making them.
1. Specific versus general. Many salespeople that make cold calls make the prospect feel like they are merely a number; one of many that the salesperson is calling that day. The prospect feels this way because the salesperson sounds ‘coined’, using very common ‘salesy’ words and phrases in order to get an appointment. They might use phrases like, “We can help you grow”, or “We want to partner with you” or even, “We can definitely save you money”. No one trusts or believes the salesperson when they use these common phrases, and the salesperson is rejected. This ‘general’ approach doesn't work well. Instead, try using specific phrases that make the person feel important, like the call was intended for them. Try using phrases like, “Can I tell you why I am calling you specifically today?” (then, mention something specific about their property or industry) or “I noticed recently that _________ was going on with your organization, and was hoping to ask you a couple questions about it”, or even, “Mind if I take 30 seconds, tell you why I called, and we can decide if we want to talk further?” These types of ‘specific’ phrases can work much better if done with the right delivery.
2. Downswing versus upswing. Many salespeople, when they make cold calls, they have a tendency of ‘swinging up’ when they speak. Some will even speak at a higher octave when they make these initial calls. Picture this person starting with something like, “Good morning! Have you got a minute to talk?” with a tonality that swings up as they speak. Not effective as the person sounds young, inexperienced, overeager and nervous. It’s very common, even for some untrained veterans. Instead, try to ‘swing down’ with your tonality at the end of each sentence. If you simply say the same phrase, but with a downswing, it comes across much more professional, experienced and calm. It can be the difference between getting an appointment with someone, and not.
3. Permissions versus telling. Most salespeople, when making cold calls, feel that they have a limited time to talk so they want to tell the prospect everything they can about their company while they have them on the phone. Unfortunately, they end up giving way too much information, talk way too fast and do a poor job at listening. In result, the prospect ‘bails’ off the call as soon as they possibly can. Typical sounding salesperson, typical poor results. Instead, try asking for permission for everything that you do and ask about them, not tell them about you. Why? It makes the prospect feel like they are in control, and we increase our chances that we talk about something that they care about. As example, “Can I share with you why I’m calling?” or “Can I ask you a few brief questions about the maintenance you are having done on your properties” or even, “Thanks for taking the call. Can I ask you about who you are currently working with, to see if it would make sense for us to talk further?”. Permissions to speak allows the prospect and you to have an evenly paced conversation and will make them feel like they are in control, when you are the one who actually is.
4. Bragging versus humble. Most salespeople, when given the opportunity, think that bragging about their organization is the way to convince others to work with them. We call it the “faster/better/stronger” strategy, and it is not typically effective. As example, they talk about how efficient they are, how good their people are, how their abundance of equipment will solve all of the prospect’s problems, and so on. The problem is, everyone says that. Think about it. Nobody in their right mind would say something like, “I have to tell you, we’re not very good”. “Our people are just ok”. “We like to cut corners, so we can save you money.” So, they say what everyone else says, and they brag.
Instead, you might try being and staying humble and watch what happens. I don’t simply mean to stay humble from a personality standpoint/so they like you. I’m talking about ‘pushing away’ from a sale, to build credibility. Try using phrases like, “I’m not sure yet whether we will be a fit for you”, “I would need to ask you more questions before we would decide to quote” or even, “We work with a lot of companies just like yours...but, that doesn't necessarily mean we should work together...I would need to ask you some additional questions. Ok?” strategically, to get more appointments and more sales.
Making cold calls could be the very skill that will keep your organization strong and in control of your success. It’s a muscle that needs to be worked often if you’re going to get good at it, so maybe now is a good time to start. Know that if you do start, it will take a while to feel comfortable with the techniques. That’s normal and expected. Don’t expect results, simply do the calls, learning and getting better and better as you go. At some point, when you see results, you’ll know that all of the hard work was worth it. You’ll know that cold calls have become a positive habit and that cold calls don’t have to suck. Good luck!