5 Cold Calling Tips To Boost Sales

Even with the new and improved marketing techniques that are developed all the time, cold calls are still a viable way of generating revenue. There are a lot of reps who don’t have the desire or guts to make that call, though. If you are one of the gutsier people, here are a few tips to help increase your ability to make the sale in a cold call.

1. Avoid “getting ready just to get ready.” Too many times salespeople fall victim to productive avoidance. They find anything to do (call the customer they know will buy, clean out email inbox, etc.) to keep from having to make the calls. Committing the time and committing to making the calls is the first step in finding success.

2. Develop the right mindset. Do you hate when telemarketers call your house? Do you believe cold calling is a waste of time, but you do it anyway? If so, your mindset is already inhibiting you. Develop the mindset that people are waiting to hear from you and they need your help, and you have to find them. Sure, you feel uncomfortable, but that's okay. Learn to be comfortable with that. By shifting your mindset your conviction will be much stronger and your conversations will improve.

3. Pass the gatekeeper. You’re likely to be ignored if you take a happy-go-lucky tone when they pick up the phone and say something like “Hi…this is X, is Mr./Mrs. Y there?” In order to make an impression, you have to be a little more forceful without being rude. You have to interrupt their normal patterns to get through to them.

4. Share compelling reasons to buy. If your call consists of telling people about your products or services and how great your price, service or quality may be, you are no different than everyone else. You aren’t creating any separation between yourself and the competition, because they’re saying exactly the same things. Share compelling reasons and solutions to why others have hired you and find out if they are relevant to this customer, then go from there.

5. Know when to stop. Once you discover a gap, receive a real life example of the gap and the impact has been shared, schedule the appointment. The longer the call, the less likely the appointment will be scheduled.

Utilize these tips. Talk them out with your manager or your team. Build yourself up and get used to cold calling - you'll start to see how the results change when you do. Then take a look at our Guide to Cold Calling, a white paper filled with more tips to improve your team's cold calling results.

Aaron Prickel

Connect with Aaron Prickel

For 25 years, Lushin has guided business leaders toward intentional, predictable growth.

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