Want some tips on cold calling?

Here’s the cold calling cheat sheet!

I must receive about 20+ emails each month that ask me for specific help and guidance on cold calling so here are some top tips:

1. Sound Like A Human Being
Try not to sound like a robotic cold caller. That’s what 95% of the cold callers sound like. You need to sound as though you are just calling up a colleague for a chat rather than a “have I got a deal for you” salesperson!

2. Learn How To Get Through Gatekeepers
You need to ne able to identify a gatekeeper screen and also know how to get through them!

3. Opening Is The New Closing
Spend a lot of time on perfecting your opening to your calls. So many salespeople come to me and ask for tips on how to close a cold call. Just forget it! If you don’t open your calls in the right way you will not even get to the close! That means trying out different openings and measure the response and reaction of the prospect. Keep refining and modifying the opening until you nail it.

4. Understand Your Numbers
Keep detailed records of the calls you make, what you said, the response you get etc. You can’t manage and improve what you can’t measure. Keep tabs on the voicemail messages you leave and which ones get the most number of returned calls. If it moves, measure it!

5. Strong Work Ethic
Even if you close 10 out of 10 calls on the bounce please keep going and carry out your planned number of calls for that day. A 100% strike rate is not sustainable. You may go 50 calls with no sales in the future and you may feel like you’re in a slump when all it is are your averages catching up with you.

6. Have Clear Objectives In Your Mind
If your calling objective is to set an appointment then sell only the appointment! Don’t go into the latest and greatest benefits of your products and services. Stick to your objective!

7. Have A Secondary Objective In Mind
Ok, so they don’t want an appointment even if you gave them money for attending! What are you going to do then? You need to have a back up objective in mind. Can you find out who their existing supplier is? The length of the contract? There’s plenty of info you can find out!

8. Cold Calling Quick Wins

There are some quick wins to be had if:

- You can sound like and create the impression that you’re well known to the decision maker

- You can sound as though you’re an important person who expects to be put through

- You are polite! (A lot of cold callers in trying to sound important are out and out rude!)

- Assume that you’ll be put through in your mind

- Assume that you’ll be put through by not asking to be put through but by using the following:

Instead of:
“Hi it’s Sean, could you put me through to James please?”
Use
“Hi Jenny, it’s Sean, could you let James know that I’m on the line, thanks”

By using “thanks” at the end of the sentance it assumes you’ll be put through and a lot of gatekeepers will assume that you know James and instead of giving you a qualification grilling and be made to look stupid if it were James’ best friend they will put you straight through!

Ok, there are hundreds of other cold calling tips - but these should get you started!

Click on this link for some more cold calling techniques

Happy Cold Calling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

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