There are very few people out there who genuinely enjoy cold calling. Most find it awkward, others absolutely anxiety-inducing. Millennials especially despise making phone calls, often preferring to email or text the people they need to contact. Yet, while it may be easy to email someone, you will have to cold call someone at least once in your life, especially in your professional life. Whether you own a business, or you work in a call center, cold calling current or potential clients will be a part of your job. There are, however, ways for cold calling to be easier, both on you and the person on the other end of the phone.
Get the right person on the phone
If you’re going to have any success with your phone call, you need to get the right person on the phone with you first. With cold calling, this will require a bit of research. Check out the role of the person you’re intending to call, as well as their responsibilities at the company. This will help you determine if the person on your list is the person you need to speak to. If not, then start doing some research on other people who work at the company to see who it is you really need to call.
Try not to follow a script
It may be easy for you to write out a script and follow it word for word, but it’s not the most effective means of having a phone conversation. Cold calls should be personal, focusing on your client’s specific problems and concerns. Following a script just won’t have that same personal touch, and it’ll make the person on the other end of the phone feel like they’re not receiving your full and undivided attention. If you have bad phone anxiety and a script is the only way you can make a phone call, then by all means write one, but you should try your best to go without a script.
But do write out some notes and questions
While you shouldn’t follow a word for word script, you should write out some notes and questions that you want to ask. Have a general outline of what you want to achieve during the call with your questions in the order that you want to ask them. This will keep you well-organized and professional while also ensuring that you don’t forget anything that needs to be discussed.
Don’t be too aggressive
When you’re selling something, instinct tells you to be forward and aggressive. This, however, can be a mistake. If you’re too aggressive, you could frighten off your customer. Instead, take the first phone call as an opportunity to gather information about the client and build a relationship. This will keep your client relaxed throughout the phone call and more open to potential sales further down the line.
Find out how exactly your client will benefit from your service
You can be as nice as you want, but your customer will only do business with you if they think they can get something out of it. Do some research, find case studies, and get actual numbers to prove your point that your company can help theirs. If you decide to provide case studies, then make sure to keep it specific to their company by providing examples from the same industry.
Looking for more tips on how to cold call customers? Then give Vaspian a call today at 1-855-827-7426 to learn more about how our VoIP phone services can help your business succeed.
Very helpful article!