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1. Be selective with prospects.
At HubSpot, we live and breathe inbound marketing and sales and rely on our strong sales teams to close deals.
We know that a 100% inbound method might not work for your business — at least not overnight. So be selective with your prospects to mimic the success of inbound sales. That means you’ll need to get creative with whom you add to your list. If you can find hand-raisers (people already interested in the product or service your company provides), prioritize calling them first. If they’re interested in what you have to offer before you call, Cold calling company for windows and doors replacement you’ll be well on your way to closing them on the solution you sell.
2. Practice your cold call script.
While you don't want to sound robotic and rehearsed, you do want to repeat your script so you don't forget it.
The better you know the goals of the script, you'll be able to think on your feet if the prospect comes back with a comment or question you hadn't planned for.
With each call, you'll get a chance to practice your cold calling script — and you'll learn strategies to make future cold calls more effective.
3. Focus on them.
When crafting your cold-calling script, it's easy to fall into the me-me-me trap:
"We at [Company] offer..."
"We're the best at..."
"I want to schedule a meeting to..."
Instead, you should be putting your focus on the prospect using "you" language:
"Are you experiencing challenges with..."
"What roadblocks kept you..."
"Would you benefit from..."
Doing so centers them in the conversation, making it personalized and relevant.
4. Do your research.
Before you even think about picking up the phone, you should have plenty of information about the prospect you're reaching out to.
You should know what the company does, the prospect's role at the company, whether you've worked with a similar company in the past, and any additional facts you can use to build rapport with them.
Where did they go to school? Do you know a friend or colleague? Did they recently attend an industry event? These are some rapport-building topics you can use to start the conversation.
5. Find the best time to call.
Although there isn’t a universal "best" time to make a cold call, some experts recommend early mornings or late afternoons since individuals haven't yet started their day or are already wrapping it up — thus increasing your chances of getting through.
However, the more cold calls you make, the more you'll get a feel for days and times that have the most success. Once you do, prioritize your calls and make the most important ones during those windows.
6. Pique curiosity.
Open the conversation by generating intrigue and interest. If you can get prospects invested in the conversation, you’ll give them a reason to keep listening.
Harvard Business Review studied curiosity in the workplace and found that curiosity correlates with less defensiveness and stress. Curios prospects might give you more of their time to explore solutions to their problems.
7. Be respectful of their time.
While it's essential to establish rapport and start the conversation off on a positive note, be mindful that cold-calling is somewhat intrusive. Best lead generation company for Air Duct cleaning You have interrupted their day, and you should get to the point quickly to respect their time.
Use your positioning statement early on in the call or make a transition like this one: "The reason I'm calling is to..."
These will signal to the prospect that you're about to be quick and to the point.
8. Ask open-ended questions.
Avoid asking 'yes or no' questions. Instead, open-ended questions will keep the conversation going, especially when asking the prospect about their pain points and goals.
You could say:
Hi [prospect’s name], this is [your name] from [your company name].
I’ve been doing some research on [prospect’s company name] and I just wanted to ask you a few questions about [insert chosen topic].
What roadblocks have kept you from finding a better solution to [insert chosen topic challenges]?
(They answer)
I’d love to continue the conversation because I think [your company name] would be able to help you figure out a solution. [Then take whatever next steps are part of your sales process.]
Asking open-ended questions will help you get more information out of the prospect and will help you tailor a solution to their specific challenges.
9. Be an active listener.
It can be easy to get lost in the conversation, but ensure you're listening carefully to the prospect's responses.
When appropriate, repeat back what they said about their company or goals. This helps you clarify what they said and shows the prospect that you truly care about what they're saying.
10. Pick out their pains.
Often, eliminating pain is more powerful at incentivizing prospects than adding value. As you get the prospect to open up about their organization, role, and situation, listen for current struggles, points of contention, or problems they may be experiencing.
This may give you an "I can help with that" moment with the prospect.
You can build off of the open-ended questions script:
Hi [prospect’s name], this is [your name] from [your company name].
We’re a [type of company] platform that helps companies like yours [problem you solve]. I’m calling to see if we can provide assistance.
What roadblocks have kept you from finding a better solution to [insert chosen topic challenges]?
(They answer)
I can totally understand your frustration with that. It sounds like your team is having trouble with [summarize their pain points/issue]. We work with a few companies like yours and most have found our services to be [how your product/service helped]. Do you have something similar in place?
This script helps you nail down their challenges and presents your services as a remedy.
11. Anticipate objections.
The more calls you complete, the more you'll get a feel for the types of objections you'll get.
For example, the prospect may already be working with a competitor. You could respond with:
"Yes, I am familiar with them. Why did you choose [compny name]? What's working? What's not? Allow me to explain how [your product/service] is different."
Certainly, there will be some cases where you don't want to waste the prospect's time.
But for the cases where it is a good opportunity to press on, having a scripted response to handle the objection will keep you from getting caught off guard and allowing the call to come to a grinding halt.
12. Use social proof.
Your prospect identified themselves as your ideal client.
Why not guide the conversation in a way that allows them to continue seeing themselves in your offerings?
Tell stories about customers like them.
Use case studies that show what they stand to gain.
Show testimonials and success stories.
13. Focus on your goal.
The goal of each cold call is to introduce yourself to the prospect and set up a discovery call with them. Remind yourself of the desired end result. This will help you stay on track as you're cold-calling prospects.
14. Have a 'close' in mind for every conversation.
Sales pro Jeff Hoffman recommends always having a small close in mind for every point of contact you have with a prospect. For a cold call, that small close might simply be getting five more minutes of a prospect's time or a follow-up call for later in the week.
Before each email you send and phone call you make, identify the close you’ll use to encourage more streamlined and focused communication.
15. Make it easy to say yes.
Regardless of which 'close' you end up choosing, focus on selling just that 'close.' The more complicated you make it for the prospect, the easier it is for them to say 'no.'
For example, if the big goal is to sell a turn-key software package in the four figures, but you know that your demo will blow them out of the water, just sell the demo.
Make it easy for them to commit to the demo, no strings attached, and make it easy for them to schedule and show up to the demo. Don't fuss with the details about software packages in this initial step when you can deal with those details later (presumably after the demo). Doing so will plant objections in their mind before you get your foot in the door.
16. Follow up after the call.
If your prospect isn’t available to meet with you again until the next week or so, follow up with them within a day after your initial cold call. Go beyond the traditional "Thanks for your time" and offer some valuable information that could help them in the period between your conversation and their decision about your product.
You could try something like:
Hi [prospect’s name], this is [your name] from [your company name].
Did you get a chance to take a look at the materials I sent over?
If they say yes, follow up with some discovery questions or the next step in your sales process.
If they say they're not interested, you could end with:
Thanks for letting me know. Just out of curiosity, could you tell me why you aren’t interested? [Try to use their answer to overcome this objection].
17. Leave a voicemail.
In today’s digital world, voicemails can seem like an old-fashioned method of communicating with your prospect, but they’re a smart way to keep yourself top-of-mind with them when they check their messages. When your prospects have overflowing email inboxes daily, stand out with a voicemail.
Hi, this is [your name] from [company name].
I’d like to learn more about [chosen topic] to see if [your company name] can offer a solution.
You can reach me at [your number]. I'll also follow up with an email [specified date/time]. I look forward to speaking with you.
Have a great day
You can even adjust your cold calling script to work with voicemail. Remember to address the prospect by name, introduce yourself, your company, and the need you’re planning to address with them. Don’t sell in the voicemail; provide just enough information to pique their interest.
18. Conduct call reviews.
You should never let your cold call script or etiquette get stale. As your business and product or service evolves, so should your cold call technique.
Conduct a call or "film" review with your sales team on a monthly or quarterly basis. Select a few recorded (with permission) calls, sit in on a few live attempts, and have reps provide constructive feedback on what went well and what could be improved for the next time.
19. Spend more time selling.
Sales automation software is a sales rep's best friend. Best lead generation company for home improvement company Little tasks like scheduling meetings, leaving voicemails, and sending follow-up emails might only take a few seconds to do, but when you multiply that by your daily quota, you’ll see hours per week spent on administrative tasks.
Automate these responsibilities with software that can do the work for you. These platforms streamline manual tasks so you can spend more time doing something technology can't — researching your prospects, building rapport, and closing deals.
20. Remember your why.
Cold calling gets pretty robotic pretty fast. Dialing, reciting your script, asking for the next call, and doing it all over again can start to wear on your enthusiasm, but don't let it. When you’re struggling to make it through those last few calls of the week, remember why you love to do what you do.
Whether you keep your family's picture on your desk, an inspiring note from a colleague, or an encouraging quote from a leader, always keep your “why” in mind. On those amazing days where you’re closing left and right, and those slower days when you can’t quite get into your groove, your "why" will keep you motivated.