COLD CALLING - HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEARS AND MAKE SUCCESSFUL CALLS INTO COMPANIES

Determine how you will introduce yourself

Create a short script designed to garner instant rapport, yet ascertain quick information about the company. This information should enable you to determine whether or not your business can meet the needs of your prospect.

Set your objective

What is the purpose of your cold call? To schedule an in-person meeting, establish a specific need that customer has for which your product meets the need, or just to introduce yourself to the key decision maker? Establish your objective, and don’t sway from it. This will help you stay focused on your purpose for calling.

Pick up the phone and begin!

The people on the other end are just as skeptical of you as you may be of them. Your job is to sell, and the first step is to pick up the phone and start calling your target list.

Ensure you are speaking with the key decision maker

Speak with the decision maker -- the one who will ultimately sign off on whatever you are trying to sell. Talking to anyone else will be an ultimate waste of time, because they will not be in a position to work with you.

Manage the responses

Each person you call is going to give you a different answer. Some will tell you “no” right away; some will have reserved interest; some will have more definite interest in what you have to discuss with them. Remember to stick to your objectives, and this will help you effectively manage the answers to your advantage.

Ending the call

A cold call takes the recipient off-guard when they answer the phone. You are interrupting their day, so ensure that you state your objective immediately, ask for their time, and then ask 3-5 questions about their business needs to determine if there is need to move forward with further conversations. This will show your prospect that you are respectful of their time, yet you have something to offer that they may not even realize they need.

Cold calling is the beginning of the sales cycle, and can be the most important one. Without the cold call, the selling can’t begin! However, remember that an effective cold call is focused, relatively short, and results in an immediate outcome.

It is also important to remember that you need to set aside time to schedule and complete your cold calls every week. The best bet is to schedule a certain time each day in which you make your cold calls. Even 5 cold calls a day will produce more results in the long run than if you sporadically make your cold calls. Cold calling is the key to maintaining a successful sales career.

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