Cold Calls Tutorial - How To See Success In Cold Calling

Out of all the sales techniques, cold calling has the worst reputation. So, we’re not blaming you if you assume phoning someone at random is at the root of the problem. However, in our experience, this sales technique has a poor reputation largely because of its poor execution. 

In reality, cold calls are an effective strategy, and when done properly, the results can be astounding. 

Fortunately, you can get it right by implementing some of the techniques experienced “cold callers” use. Here’s everything you need to know to see incredible success in cold calling. 

What is cold calling?

Cold calling is a telemarketing technique where businesses contact prospects with whom they haven’t interacted before to sell their service or products. 

While the idea behind it is simple, many sales reps struggle to execute cold calling successfully. As you can expect, pitching something to an individual you called out of the blue isn’t easy. 

Why do sales reps struggle with cold calls?

Before revealing the tips for success in cold calling, you have to understand why even experienced reps struggle with it. 

The dominant one is the fear of rejection. There’s no need to go to therapy for that - just do what the veterans recommend:

Accept the rejection as something unavoidable in sales. In fact, you should go as far as embracing it and using it as a valuable learning tool. We recommend making as many calls as possible and practicing handling objections. 

The second factor is something you, sadly, can’t control. Even if you become the Harry Styles of cold calling, your prospects may still be wary of you. It’s just something you must take as is. Your skills may be on point and the product you’re selling may be a banger, but if they’ve never heard of your company, some prospects won’t be open to hearing your pitch. 

Don’t take it personally, and simply move on. 

Most effective cold calling tips

Although not 100% guaranteed, you can noticeably improve the outcome of your cold calls by employing some tried-and-true methods. Here are six tips that will push you toward success in cold calling:

• Choose your words carefully

The first thing you do when calling a prospect is verify your identity. Believe it or not, this step is very important as it grants you the opportunity to make a positive first impression. 

For example, instead of asking who you are speaking with, ask who you’re talking with. The former is a one-way conversation and gives off the impression you’re fishing for leads, while the latter implies you’ll engage in an actual conversation. 

• Stick to a calling schedule

The biggest mistake you can make is randomly making calls and hoping for the best. So what should you do instead?

Make a calling schedule!

Finding the time when your prospects’ guards are down allows you to improve your chances. Generally speaking, you should make most calls later in the afternoon when people are approaching the end of their workday. This makes sense as most of us use that time to unwind and have a few minutes to spare. 

Still, you can achieve even better results by taking a data-driven approach and testing the specific times and days of the week until you find a sweet spot. Keep track of the responses you get during different periods and settle on a consistent schedule. 

• Ask more open-ended questions

Want to see success in cold calling and sell more services/products? 

Get your prospects talking by asking more open-ended questions. By proxy, this means not asking questions that have a yes or no answer. Your main priority is to get as much information as possible. You can then use what the prospect told you to guide the conversation toward explaining how your solution can help them or their business.

As an example, instead of asking whether they prioritize quality over cost (and vice versa), ask them to explain which attributes of a solution are most important to them.

• Use social proof to your advantage

Basic psychology says that everyone is influenced by the behaviors of others. Hence, social proof can be a powerful tool to demonstrate that your solution has helped other people overcome similar challenges.

For instance, you can tell a story of a company you worked with, or if you’re not a good storyteller, feel free to name-drop some of the more famous companies that use your service or product. 

• Make a call to action

Funny enough, you can experience more success in cold calling by shifting your mindset. Your goal is not necessarily to make the sale during the initial call but to move your prospect toward a specific action. 

During every point in the call, do your best to continue the conversation and get your prospect to say yes to a follow-up call, agree to a product demo, or consent to receive an information packet after the call. 

This way, you’re getting your foot in the door.

• Use a more positive tone of voice

The reason why making sales over the phone presents such a challenge is the fact it’s impossible to convey the full range of emotions. Humans are visual creatures and our speech is just one of the ways we interpret information. We also rely heavily on body language. 

Thus, make your tone more positive to compensate for the lack of visual input. 

By infusing your voice with some extra emotion and energy, you can convey more of your point of view and leave a lasting impression on the people you’re speaking to. 

Start winning big

Cold calling is something many businesses avoid as a plague simply because they heard the technique is dead. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Cold calling is still relevant and may help you reach an incredible amount of potential customers. 

Still, it does require a lot of skill and planning.

You can use these tips to increase your success rate. Before long, these tiny little things will become second nature to you and you’ll eventually start making sales consistently.