Even in today’s virtual world, it’s too early to write an obituary on cold calling. The ideal scenario would be if your handset didn’t go silent and customers were queuing up for your product. Cold calling in your business will be a great addition to boost sales.
In fact, according to a recent DiscoverOrg survey, 60% of the more than 1,000 IT industry executives surveyed reported having booked an appointment or attended an event following a cold call or cold email.
In this article, we will look at outbound call meaning and discuss how to improve the sales process during outbound calls and increase conversions.
Table of Contents
What are outgoing calls
Outbound calls are any calls made from within your organization to an external counterparty. While these are usually sales calls to potential clients, they can also be made to current clients for contract renewals, customer service, or market research.
Cold calling is one type of outbound call. As the name suggests, cold calling involves reaching out to potential customers who have shown no interest in your product (i.e. “cold customers”). The purpose of a cold call is to generate interest so that the potential buyer agrees to set up another meeting to continue talking about the sale – demo.
Cold calling tips to be a pro at it
These cold calling tips won’t take away your fear, but they will help you become a little more successful in this area of sales.
1. Focus on the purpose of the call
Beginners think that phone calls are picking up the phone, calling and selling. But it’s not. The main task of a cold call is to arrange a meeting, otherwise it will simply be difficult to sell a product / service.
2. Research the market before picking up the phone
You need to direct your call to the right target audience. Explore the market. And then we start studying the company and the client you are going to call. Sales tips for cold calls from Revenue Grid will help you with this.
According to the Gartner Group, in a company of 100-150 people, on average, 7 people are responsible for most buying decisions, so connecting with the right people is critical to success.
3. Improve your chances by using social media
According to Vorsight statistics, if the person you’re calling is in a shared LinkedIn or Facebook group, you’re 70% more likely to talk to them on the phone. Having a connection through a social media group will increase the receptivity of a potential client when you call him.
4. Prepare for the call
This will help organize your thoughts before the call and help you avoid common mistakes at the start of a call. And forget to ask questions on the phone like: “Is it convenient for you to talk now?”
We do not read the prepared text, but we keep it in our heads. Be natural.
5. What should be in the call script?
Of course, each script is written specifically for the company. We will give a more general script for the dialogue. Include a greeting, a landmark (mention something about the customer), explain the benefits of your product or service, and then move on to the conversation.
Here is an example of a cold call:
– Good afternoon, (client’s name). This is (your name) from the “…” company. I read on your website that you have recently started building a new office complex. We specialize in commercial landscaping services that enable you to reduce internal maintenance costs and comply with new environmental regulations. I would like to ask a few questions to determine if one of our programs can meet your needs.”
Once again, this is a general version of the script. Each script after development should be tested.
6. Prepare the call script for the rest
Outline the benefits of your product or service and the reasons why the customer should buy. Write possible objections and answers to them. Without a cold calling script, it’s too easy to miss something.
Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your products and services! According to Forbes Insight, 58% of potential buyers say salespeople can’t answer their questions effectively.
7. Make an appointment at a specific time
Say, “Wouldn’t Wednesday at 11 a.m. be the right time to meet?” instead of saying, “Can I meet with you to discuss this next week?”
You need to act immediately, if you have reached the right person, there may not be a second chance to reach him.
Additional Tips for Successful Sales Calls
- Remember that secretaries are your allies, not enemies. Be polite to the person who answers the phone or guards the holy of holies when you call. Develop a strategy to get the secretary on your side. Sometimes asking “could you help me?” will help you get the information you need, such as the name of the right person to talk to, or at least know when is the best time to contact management. Friendly and polite communication with the secretary will add a lot of pluses to your karma. Do not forget to call the secretary by name.
- Make your call unique by sending potential customers a small, unique promotional item from yourself or your company. This will help break the ice and make your business stand out from the crowd. Pat Cavanaugh, Inc.com sales guru says, “This is amazing. The $2.15 thing we sent out helped us get invoices from Fortune 500 companies. When we call, they already know we’re the one who sent the gift.” It may sound trite or unnecessary, but it works.
- Phone early in the morning or late in the evening if possible. Of course, you need to call at any time, but if you are unable to reach the right person, try calling him in the morning or late in the evening.
- Be persistent. “80% of new sales are made after the fifth contact, but most salespeople give up after the second call.” Don’t be one of those who give up so easily. If you want to make a sale, you need to try and try again.
Conclusion
The most important thing is practice, practice and more practice. While cold calling is never going to be fun, you can get better at it, and the more you practice, the more effective the sales technique will be. So grab your call script and contact list and reach for the phone. The people who want to do business with you are already there, let them know about you.
And do not forget to improve in your profession, read best sales books, watch videos on YouTube, etc. The growth of results is possible only where there is professional growth.
