Nov 1, 2021 | Updated Nov 2, 2021 
By @JoshuaNgala

How do you feel making a first call to a total stranger?

In the world of sales and marketing, cold calling has long been a contentious issue. Although some companies vouch for it, others view it as an outdated and ineffective strategy. But it can be a challenge to deliver a pitch to someone who has never heard about you or what you are offering.

Cold calling can be an effective tool to increase revenue and generate leads when done correctly. Our team of professionals has spent years perfecting the art of cold calling and has used this strategy to help countless businesses succeed.

This article is going to be your recipe for success because cold calls turn even the most competent souls into neurotic messes.

Read on to learn the techniques for effective cold calling, whether you’re a seasoned salesperson or a company owner looking to increase lead generation.

You could be a salesperson, startup, or entrepreneur trying to expand sales lead. For that reason, I have gathered four research-backed rules to help you every step of the way to keep cold calls warm.

Cold calling is a marketing tactic in which a sales agent contacts leads who haven’t yet previously indicated interest in their product or service for the first time. If you feel overwhelmed by cold calls, you’re not alone.

A good cold call is made to someone who is likely to be interested in or profit from the good or service, even if the lead is unaware of the salesman’s brand.

In his book, Never Eat Alone, author Keith Ferrazzi lays out specific steps—and inner mindset—he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and potential sales leads.

The writer warns that you, yes you, should never make cold calls. He says such calls are for suckers!

He simply means every salesperson should make strategies that ensure that every call they make is a warm one.

How could you then warm a cold call?  First of all, it’s all about attitude. Your attitude drives your fears. You’re never going to be completely ready to meet new people; there is no perfect moment.

Your fears will never be completely quieted because inviting rejection is never going to be appealing. There are always a hundred reasons to procrastinate.

The trick is, change your perspective on getting to know new people as a challenge and opportunity.  Just plunge right in and cultivate trust. Envision yourself winning to win. Be the ball.

Below are the tips to help you make a good cold call warm;

1. Make a reference list

Having a shared friend or acquaintance will help you stand out for trustworthiness when making a call.

This quickly builds trust with the other person because they don’t know: who you are, your company and what it stands for, your customers, products, and reputation.

Try referencing a mutual connection between you and the prospect. Credibility is the first thing you want to create in any interaction.

No one will buy from you unless you establish trust.

Prior research to call is essential. Without this, you appear selfish of showing zero investment in the person on the other end of the phone.

Drafting off the brands of others. Whether personal references or organization is a helpful tactic to get someone’s attention.

When you mention someone both of you have in common, all of a sudden the person you are calling has an obligation not only to you but also to the other friend or associate you have just mentioned.

For example, try saying:

“My name is …, I come highly recommended by … (mention the reference)”

Make certain that you only bring companies and contacts to your prospect lineup that you believe you can assist.

Today, in the year 2021, finding someone’s contact is easier than before. Search engines like google are all available. Check their LinkedIn, company site, your CRM (for possible past engagement), socials, among others.

Professional networks like LinkedIn help in finding people you should make connections with. You are a click of the mouse away from making that contact.

Importantly, as you make references, use trigger events to get your foot in the door. If you contact someone right after they close a contract with your competitor, chances are they won’t bite.

You can pick up on these opportune moments — known as trigger events — by keeping tabs on publicly available information that surfaces every day across a variety of online channels.

Other main trigger areas could include: new executive hires, winning large contracts/large customer announcements, company expansions, funding, mergers & acquisitions, among others.

These references reassure people that you’re on their side, relate, and are aligned to their industries.

Having a network of salespeople where you can refer to each other is equally important. As you grow in sales, expand your networks and sustain good business relationships.

What this means is that the most effective strategy to close prospects is to keep growing your networks and nurturing those relationships.

Never Eat Alone emphasizes the necessity of developing a big network, as well as strategies for doing so and maintaining those relationships.

2. State your value

Having reference is just a stepping stone to getting someone off their reluctance. Now, it’s your opportunity to deliver a high-value proposition within thirty seconds of the attention given.

To communicate the need your product fills, and its differentiating factors, you need to create an effective value proposition.

Your business’s value proposition is arguably the most important element of your overall marketing messaging. It explains how your product addresses their needs.

A value proposition (VP) is a simple statement that summarizes why a customer would choose your product or service.

Capturing the interests of customers and getting them to find out more about what you’re offering is a result of a successful value proposition. Here’s where you start to bring it all home.

Having a value proposition is important because it clearly and concisely communicates what customers can gain from selecting your brand over that of your competitors.

You’ve established who you’re selling to. You’ve established why you’re selling to them. Now, you have to establish why they’d buy from you. What can you do better than your competition?

This statement can be used in several ways, including:

– When pitching your company to investors or potential leads.

– On your company’s website to help convert potential leads into customers.

– As an answer to the question, “So, what exactly does your company do?”

You don’t need immense marketing to put what makes your business the best front-and-center in your messaging.

After all, you’ve got very little time to articulate why that person should not try to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

State how you are going to be helpful to them and why they should give you their time. That is absolute selling. Selling is, reduced to its essence, solving another person’s problems.

And you can only do that when you know what those problems are.

It is important to do some research beforehand about the company and the industry they are selling in. As emphasized while making a reference list, researching your prospect should be a pre-call ritual at any level.

Try to seek ways in which your pitch can help them. Remember, it’s all about them. What you can do for them.

The VP being a consumer-centric promise should offer the three things below:

Relevancy. Explains how your product solves customers’ problems or improves their situation.

Quantified value. Explains how your product/service will deliver specific benefits.

Differentiation. Compels the ideal customer to buy from you and not from the competition.

3. Talk little, say a lot, make it quick, convenient, and definitive

You have already enticed the person with your value proposition, and now they have your attention. They have even started having a conversation with you. Bingo!

But even as the conversation flows, remember the rule here: make it quick and precise. It’s a dialogue, not a scripted boring monologue that would turn off someone.

While it is important to have a script, make sure you talk like an actual person, not just someone reading lines. Hold a conversation with your prospect.

You’ll be flexible to cope with the conversation better if you know how to explain who you are and why someone should care if you understand how to explain who you are and why somebody would care.

Then, create a list of open-ended questions to help you start your conversations. When you ask these questions, you must be prepared to listen rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak again.

The reason for a cold call is to get an appointment to explain further your value proposition. These prospects are people who weren’t expecting the call and were probably doing other things when you ‘interrupted’ them.

Try to be quick, stating what exactly it is you aim to do for them in a few words but with great meaning and promise.

Your diction and business phrases remain a deal-breaker too. Try to use the words “Talking with” when you get someone on the line.

These two words imply that you and your prospect are going to be engaging in conversation.

In contrast, “speaking to” describes a one-way action. It suggests that you are going to broadcast your message — whether they want to listen or not.

Try and understand your prospect’s requirements and needs so you can address them accordingly.

You may develop opening value statements that set you apart from the competition while quickly heating up your cold calls by analyzing your top client’s specific requirements.

Instead of making cliché statements like we should hook up sometimes when you get a space, impart a sense of urgency and convenience instead.

Finalize with a definitive statement like:

“I will be in town next week. How about lunch on Tuesday? I know this is going to be beneficial for both of us, so I’ll make time no matter what”.

Important to remember that many marketers use the Sales Pitch Framework for building their elevator pitches. They also use success stories in their pitches to ensure the sale. Name-dropping really works, so be sure to use that to your advantage.

4. Offer a compromise

As mentioned above, the goal of a cold call isn’t to pitch to someone on the spot. You’re just trying to get them to commit to a meeting at a later date.

Don’t expect to sell within the first pitch/call. If the prospect is not interested in your pitch, try finding a compromise.

For example:

“I understand you are not interested in this particular item but could I maybe interest you in a similar…”.

Also, be willing to learn as you push for the prospect to accept your pitch. With an example below, you could try saying:

“I admire your forthrightness. The most difficult aspect of my job is not knowing whether or not we can assist someone. Do you mind telling me why you don’t think we can support you, for my own education?”

Frequently, people won’t get back to you as expected. Setting up such meetings sometimes takes time. You, therefore, have to be aggressive.

You have to put your ego aside and persist in calling or writing. And when you finally meet, do not sabotage your effort to show anger that they never got back to you as could have expected. Nor should you apologize for your persistence.

Find a Calling Schedule that Works. If you call prospects with no particular schedule from 9 am-5 pm each day, you’re missing an opportunity.

Someone who is busy is likely to pick calls at unusual hours, say at 8 am, or at 6.30 pm when they are less engaged at work.

The majority of calls lasting over five minutes occur between 3:00-5:00 pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

When you call someone who can benefit from your offer, you are assisting them in bettering their lives and businesses. Don’t waste your valuable time looking to reach people who don’t need what you’re selling.

Also, it is important to remind target prospects about the pitch. Next, provide concise responses to common objections.

You won’t be able to do these on the fly when you’re first learning to cold call, so write them down word for word.

In sum, as discussed above, apply the rule of warm calling within your 15 seconds of fame. Convey credibility by mentioning a familiar person or institution.

State your value proposition- how the person on the other end or his company would benefit from your proposal.

Impart a sense of urgency and convenience by being prepared to do whatever it takes whenever it takes to meet the other person on their terms.

Be prepared to offer a compromise that secures a definite follow-up at a minimum.