Ten Time-Tested Tips to Start a Call so Prospects Won't Hang Up on You

Cold calling is an age-old method in sales to reach out to prospects through a direct phone call. There are different schools of thought when it comes to its affectivity. Despite the average conversion rate of a cold call being only 2%, it is still practised by businesses across the globe.

Numerous stats support that cold calling works:

• 57% of the C-level executives prefer to be contacted by phone
• Cold calling is 5-10 times more effective than email campaigns
• 82% of buyers accept appointments on being reached out by the salespeople
• 27% of sales reps consider cold calling as an extremely effective prospecting strategy

It all depends on the approach of a sales rep to turn a prospect into a lead by cold calling. So, if you are choosing Sales as a Career, here are some cold-calling techniques you ought to know.

10 Time-Tested Tips to Make a Successful Cold Calling Pitch

You can still make cold calling a success in 2022, provided you know the right strategy.  Keep Scrolling!

1.  Do Your Homework Properly: 

A sales rep must be well aware of the prospect’s needs. Only then will you be able to provide the right solutions. How effective you are in your sales pitch depends upon the homework you have done.

2.  Be Script Ready but Don’t Forget to Enact:  

A well-crafted script with a sequence of important points comes in handy during the initial phase of a sales rep’s career. However, over the course of time, the art of persuasion will naturally flow. While you follow a script, you must make sure not to sound robotic.

3.  Assess Potential Customers: 

Random pitching would give you more rejections. Although you might not land a potential customer every time, selective pitching will help you stay closer to them. Check for a client’s industry, company size, and technologies used to understand if your product or solution would be a good fit for them.

4.  Simplify Tasks with Technology: 

There are numerous cold calling tools and software available for simplifying, scheduling and streamlining the cold calling tasks. You can check the power dialer for a one-on-one call to clients, or a CRM integration tool to capture data from all the calls, or tools for scripting, call recording, and sales reports and email management. Some of these are Klenty, Hubspot Sales Hub, Myphoner, Toky etc.

5.  Figure Out the Apt Calling Schedule: 

Try to assess when your prospect is most likely to respond to your call during the day and call by that time. For example, during lunchtime or the end of the day, the chances of the prospect responding to a cold call are better. As per various stats, both the 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. time slots are best for a cold call. Also, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to turn a cold call into a lead.  

6.  Keep a Follow-Up Plan and Stick to It: 

Following up is crucial to turning your potential clients in. Statistics say that it takes an average of 8 cold call attempts to reach a prospect. It can be daunting to remember with whom you need to do a follow-up. A calendar, a follow-up plan, or a cold calling tool can help you set a schedule.

7.  Don’t Sound Over or Under Confident: 

Many sales reps commit the mistake of sounding either overconfident or meek. At the same time, some others don’t try to connect with the customers and end up being too salesy or desperate. This often puts your client down. A confident, balanced, and personalised approach won’t let your prospects hang up. Don’t worry, this will develop with time and practice. 

8.  Be a Good Listener: 

Most of the time, sales reps end up bantering everything at one go rather than listening to their prospects. This is a sure-shot invitation to a rejection. It is important to engage the customer with questions about their requirements here and there while explaining the products and solutions. If you state your reason for calling in your opening line, it increases the chances of success rate by 2.1 times. Try to communicate your USP right in the beginning itself. Stats say that an average monologue of 12 seconds is good enough during the cold calls.

9.  Be Open to Learning: 

Sales is an amalgamation of art and skill, which you learn with time. And the more you will practise it, the better it will become. You might not be able to turn in all the calls you would make, but it will make sure that you learn something new every time.

10.  Don’t take Rejections to Heart: 

Finally, it is important for the sales professionals to analyse each case and not take rejections to heart. Every rejection will teach you something, and in no time, you will end up making successful cold calls.  You would be surprised to know that only 1% of cold calls ultimately lead to appointments. So ditch the feeling of dejection and keep trying!

Bottom Line

Cold calling remains relevant for businesses. Numerous stats substantiate that it’s highly effective. However, it depends on the sales reps and the company’s strategy to make it a success. Also, they must know what mistakes to avoid for a successful sales pitch.

Sales tactics can always be learned with time and practice. However, proper training in sales strategies can take your career to the next level. If you are serious about choosing sales as a career, then book a counselling session with Juno School of Business, and find out the right course in ‘sales’ for you.