Mastering the art of cold calling

Cold calling is, it seems, universally accepted as invasive, unwanted and irritating. With such a poor image, how can you master the art to generate sales and ultimately, keep your manager happy?

As with most types of sales pitch, you are unlikely to succeed unless you have taken the time to plan carefully. A seasoned salesperson may be tempted to rely on their instincts but this would be unwise. After all, your potential customer only needs to tolerate a sales pitch only for as long as it takes to disconnect your call. You are afforded only the briefest of opportunities to capture a potential customer’s attention, so it is crucial that you make the most of it.

You must ensure that you have all of the relevant facts and figures a potential customer may query. Time is of the essence so if they ask a question, you should know the answer. Indeed, many successful salespeople rehearse their pitch to iron out any errors, reducing the time it takes to deliver an introduction. Be careful though; over-rehearsed speeches carry the potential to sound monotone and tedious. You need to motivate your customer into action; stimulate them and spark their curiosity. With good preparation, perhaps you should think about tailoring your script to the interests of the recipient?

A critical component of your pitch preparation is the introduction. Be sure to inform the potential customer of who you are and the reason for your call. It would be true to say that the majority of potential customers lose interest at the introduction stage, so you should consider experimenting with several types of script to determine which is more successful.

Once you have successfully handled the intro, you must carefully gauge the feelings of your customer. Odd though it may seem, cold calling is all about empathy and listening, adapting to the interests and wishes of the person you have called. You must remember that essentially, you have interrupted their home-life so you should work hard to contradict the “nuisance” stereotype that cold callers carry.  It is critical that you avoid adopting a hard-sell mentality.  As the saying goes, “you will catch more flies with honey”. Exhibiting patience and empathy is generally considered the more desirable and successful approach to laying the foundations of a sale.

Lastly, you should take notes of every call, even those that have lasted just a few seconds. Some customers may be keen to place an order at a later date, whilst others may experience a change in circumstances over time. Keep track of all your sales leads and stay in touch with potential customers because in the long term, building lasting relations with customers can generate sales and keep your pipeline healthy.

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