Is cold calling really dead?
As a firm believer in relationship building, cold calling has never been one of my favorite strategies for selling professional services. But in certain circumstances, cold calling can be an effective supplement to a strategic marketing plan – if done right.
To cold call successfully make sure that your cold calling techniques follow effective marketing and sales principals just like you would with any other strategy. Focus on reaching one specific goal, present them with a compelling case so that they want to talk to you, know what you’re going to say, but be flexible enough to leave room for conversation.
Here are some cold calling tips to help you launch an effective campaign:
1. Understand what the goal of your call really is, and aim for that goal specifically. When using cold calling to sell professional services, often a somewhat complex sale, the goal is to to open the door and and an appointment, not to close the sale.
2. Prepare for the call by researching the company you’re calling first. Find out what business problems they’re facing. Look for relevant news items that can open up opportunities for you; then use those opportunities to frame the conversation. Do your best to identify the decision maker and call them directly.
3. Don’t be thrown off by gatekeepers. Instead, befriend them, and enlist their help in connecting you with the decisionmaker.
4. Based on your research, pinpoint the problems you think they’re up against.
5. Focus on the results you’ve gotten for other clients in similar situations by creating a strong value proposition and tell a specific success story that pinpoints numeric results that companies in their industry have achieved through working with your firm.
6. Know what you’re going to say, and say it concisely – don’t waste their time!
7. Ask for the appointment, giving them an idea of how long it will take, and a couple of options for when and where.
8. Confirm meeting date, time and place.
Susan Martin, Sales Coaching
