Do you hate cold calling customers? Do this instead and get better at it.

In these days were we have LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms, in-bound marketing, account based marketing, video marketing and so forth it is very easy to forget that the old phone actually works too; actually maybe even better in someway than before in the past when we did not have the internet. Reason behind this is quite simple; less competition than ever before!

While hiding behind your computer may feel like a safe option, putting yourself out there may give better sales and marketing results than you might think.

These days decision makers receives less sales calls than they did in the past and if you act professional and being up-front with what you can offer of value they may be very open to listen that what you have to offer. It all begins and making that dreading cold call. But hey it might not be so bad as you think. Cold calling can be very fun too and you get direct contact with your prospects.

Afterall; it doesn’t matter which modern form of internet marketing you use. The main goal is that it ends up with a sales call and a signed sales contract at the dotted line, right?

So why not go the direct path?

Well here is how you do it.

• Set aside time:
  Instead of dabbling with cold calls every now and then – which also makes them easy to put off – set aside a specific time a week, for example half a day, when you can call undisturbed and focused.
• Set goals: Decide how many calls you will make and chart the results of the call to see how many people you got to speak to (that was not a switchboard or answering machine), how many meetings you book and how many asked you to call back and how many requested information by email. The latter parameters are also good because there may well be new opportunities when following up. The mapping helps you see what hit-rate you have.
• Have a good basic list:
  Make sure your list has as many relevant companies as possible by segmenting it based on industry, turnover, number of employees or any other variable that means you don’t spend time calling companies that don’t fit your offer.
• Collect participant lists. At conferences and industry-related gatherings, you can collect contact information that can become a good ring list.
• Do NOT ask if you disturb the prospect:
  When you call them or apologize for it. Instead be direct and clear what you want and LISTEN to what they prospect says. Also be attentive to if you can hear back ground noises or voices which could mean that you called during a meeting. Show your customer the respect and ask if you should/can call him on a more appropriate time and when. The important thing is to show that you respect the customers time and you’re not the random sales guy, but you are a real professional.
• If no, set a new time.
  If the person is unwilling or unable to talk, be sure to set a time or day when you will return. This also applies if they ask you to come back after Christmas, the weekend or a holiday. Add to your calendar.
• Ask them to come back in a year:
  Call in six months. Otherwise, you risk missing important procurements or decisions. If you receive an excessively long time until the next follow-up, there may be changes in the interim, so stay one step ahead.
• When the conversation ends:
  Proceed from the three I’s.
  Introduction: a short, concise introduction where you either open simply with information about who you are and what you want, or bake in a relevant problem directly, based on what you and your company usually solve for your customers.
• Stimulate Interest:
  ask relevant questions, prove your competence. Then take the initiative to meet: give the person two more options when you can meet,
• Send an invitation:
  In Outlook, preferably with a summary and agenda.
• Create recognition:
  You can easily show that you understand the company’s problems, especially if you notice that the person you are talking to does not want to be so open. For example say something like: “We often see in other companies in your industry that …” is an effective way of expressing yourself.
• Build up talking points:
  Take control of the conversation by preparing a few points. If your first question gets a negative answer, have one or more follow-up questions prepared so that you are the one directing the conversation.
• . Be prepared to change the subject:
  If you notice that the customer is negative, have another topic going. Get back in touch and ask how it went after any previous contact. So feel free to read up a bit beforehand and keep track of what kind of contact you had with the company in the past, even if it was a long time ago.
• Record the outcome of your conversation:.
  Even if the customer does not respond. Then you know when you can call again – I advise that calling maybe a maximum of three times in a week if you don’t get an answer and letting it go after five unanswered calls. Then it might be easier to reach them by email. Many choose not to answer when an unknown number calls.
• Complete with networking:
  Or other ways to attack your market that are not as focused or direct. It provides new inputs and opportunities to go directly to a follow-up call.
• Work structured at company level:
  Basically: “A company I came into contact with decided to invest in cold calling, but the new manager faced resistance internally. An internal call center was then created with three people who only worked with booking appointments. It increased the company’s turnover by 53%.”
• Always follow up:
  Perhaps the most important of all. The timing is important, the customer can change their mind for various reasons and be more receptive next time. To avoid the follow-ups feeling boring and pointless, make careful notes in the CRM system about the development.
• Get in touch more times than you think is necessary.
  The average customer decides to buy after 5-6 contacts. The average salesperson gives up after 3…

So there you have it good folks!
Plan your calling time appropriately and most important have GRIT!

Do not give up because you get rejections or even worse upset about it. instead apply a mentality of that you are working towards your goals. It is fun to make cold calls and you meet a lot of interesting nice people while calling too and eventually you will also meet that person that will buy from you.