Cold calling

Let's face it, as a culture we just don't like talking to strangers. Our mothers warned us of the very endeavour when we were children and for most of us the sentiment never wore off. Statistics regularly wheeled out tell us we put public speaking at the top of the list when it comes to fears. The cold finger of death comes in at number two, meaning that most of us would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy.

The experts say it get easier with practice, but every time I prepare for cold calling for new business I develop a strange need to do anything else but with my time. Practice does help, but here are some extra tips I have compiled that I still use to get the cold calls done.

Believe in what you are selling: If you wouldn't buy it then why would anyone else? Of course the product or service you will be pitching to your cold call recipient is of value, if it wasn't you would be in business selling it. The key is making sure the product or service is relevant to the person on the other end of the phone in a way that allows them to see the true value of what you are selling. This means you may have to become very critical of how you project yourself during the calls and you may do well to run the pitch past someone you trust (who doesn't have a vested interest in the business), to make sure you're selling it right.

Have a plan but not a script: Before picking up that phone write down the key points for your pitch. You want to see clearly what you are selling and why the person on the other end should be buying. An outline is good but avoid writing a script as this will just limit the responses you are prepared for and throw you off easily if things don't go to plan. Telemarketers often rely on a sales script when cold calling and if you have every interrupted one of their sales pitches with an off-the-wall question before you will have witnessed how relying on a script can be a huge liability. Above all else, keep it loose but focus on your key points.

Pick your battles: Time of day can be very important. We can all recall being called away from a just run bath or the dinner table just to tell a telemarketer what you would rather be doing with your time. Business isn't any different. By about 10am people have usually resigned themselves to working. Waiting too late in the day will only yield you tired, uninterested and unreceptive people. It is also a great idea to use the front line staff answering the phones to give you pertinent pieces of information not worth bothering your potential client with. Ask them things like "who am I best to speak to regarding..?" and "is he/she busy now or when would the best time to call back?" Getting these simple yet important details cleared up without wasting the potential client's time is always a big plus.

Do your homework: Through the glorious 'cheat sheet' that is the internet it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to find out all you need to know about the potential client you will be calling be cold calling. This research, though brief, is about more than just finding a name. Use the opportunity to look around their website and become familiar with what they do and how your product or service can help them to do it better.

No one likes a desperate call from a complete stranger: Be calm, confident and above all else keep in mind this call is not about making the sale. Focusing too much on the end result can make a cold call seem desperate and forced. Worst of all we as humans are pre-programmed to sense desperation and will run a mile if we feel we are dealing with a dying company or floundering idea. So keep it light and all about getting to the next contact, not getting to the sale.

Follow through: Whether it's setting up a meeting or sending out a sample, solidifying your cold call contact with something tangible is crucial to getting the result you want. In my own business I have heard of a competing tattoo after care product who called one of our studios to introduce themselves and then after promising to send out a sample (only after the studio suggested they do so) ended up only them sending a generic letter and price list. Not only did this lack of follow-through not solidify the initial cold call but it also left their potential customer feeling they were never spoken to or 'heard' at all. No prizes for guessing who they still buy their tattoo after care from.

There are very few customers I sell to today who weren't disinterested, abrupt, or just 'too busy to talk' the first time I called them to discuss selling our products, but as the figures suggest, if you have a good product 80% of them will come around. It is said it can take up to five contacts to turn a potential client into a sale or ongoing client. Smile, be friendly and remember that above all else a cold call doesn't have to be a 'cold call'.