Top Cold Calling Techniques That Really Work
Cold calling has emerged as a must-have service that helps in attracting leads or prospects. It was evolved as a powerful tool to maximise sales, which certainly affect revenue and profitability in the end. However, it is considered an obsolete or out-of-date approach. But if it is done with the right strategy by the niche expert, it can boost conversions. The spike in conversions automatically attracts new opportunities for your business. The RAIN Group researched and found that 82% of buyers are ready to meet with the sales expert after a series of cold calls.
This research clearly indicates that cold calling services are still relevant in the present scenario. So, the need is to evolve specific techniques that can maximise its success rate. So, here they are.
Proven Cold Calling Techniques
For sure, these cold calling techniques will help you achieve desirable results.
1. Research Your Prospect Thoroughly
Any step you take without brainstorming can backfire. The chances of failure are higher than expected. So, the research must be emphasised beforehand. It guides in tailoring your approach and personalising the conversation. In short, the research will provide you with sufficient points to initiate an engaging conversation. And HubSpot has proven it by discovering that 78% of salespeople involved in social selling stand out in performance, defeating their peers.
Social selling is actually linked with extracting data from social media like LinkedIn, where professionals have their authentic accounts and details. It helps in mining data to prepare an engaging pitch before making a call. This strategy can help in triggering conversation while referring to the research on their details. It immediately builds a connection.
2. Create a compelling opening statement.
As you are ready with your researched data, establish the tone. Remember, the first impression lasts longer. So, set the stage for the conversation prior. To engage the prospect, you need a compelling opening that can immediately create a hook.
A study by Invesp revealed that 40% of salespeople found it challenging to get responses from prospects. But a strong opener can help in getting it through his/her noise.
The most challenging part is to avoid reading the script. It sounds like a robot that can read out loud but has no sense to connect spontaneously. This is where they fall. Instead, they should prefer a conversational tone by giving a brief self-introduction. Then, shift it to how your offering can add value to their business.
You can set the tone to complement your objective this way:
- Introduction: Hi, [customer’s name], I’m [Your Name] from [Your Company Name].
- Add Value Proposition: We specialise in [specific service or offering] that can help businesses like yours to outperform [include how to solve a pain point or improve performance].
- Seek Permission: I was wondering if I could ask you a few quick questions about [related pain point or opportuni
3. Ask open-ended questions.
This point explains how to ask any question. As the aforementioned introduction will require asking about the pain points, focus on his needs rather than pushing to invest in your offerings. You can start with open-ended questions: What challenges are you facing right now? Or, what do you think? How would you find its solution (anything related to the pain point)?
Choose such questions that can reveal their challenges and expectations. And ask in such a way as you are there to help rather than sell. This approach will make your conversation more meaningful. And later, you can shift it toward a solution that they expect.
4. Highlight Benefits, Not Features
When you are likely to cold call, simply highlight the benefits of your offerings, but not only the features they have. Your customer may not be happy to understand features that are purely technical things. Instead, explain the benefits of how it addresses a problem and helps him out of problems.
Let’s say you’re likely to sell a chatbot. You can say, “Resolve customers’ queries online without you being there answering, and reduce answering time via automation.” Avoid explaining the features of your chatbot, like how it provides real-time analytics and has a customisation feature.
This shift can strike the customer’s pain point and push him to think of the value he is likely to derive from a chatbot.
5. Use the Power of Social Proof
Customers tend to exchange values with money. But they need proof beforehand. This is why many companies focus on catering case studies to prospects. Case studies or success stories are, indeed, a powerful tool.
So, you can share a case of success during your cold call attempt and see how this technique helps in boosting credibility. You may convert it as an opportunity by explaining the benefits your previous customers drew from your offerings.
6. Overcome Objections with Empathy
Be prepared for objections from the customer. It’s spontaneous. The customer will show concern about anything, ranging from price, timing, disinterest, or anything. Get ready to handle that objection, but not by being defensive. Always research what a customer is likely to ask about the case of benefits and prepare your answer to counter his concerns. But never let this countering convert into a spat. During this conversation, empathy can prove the best tool.
For instance, if a customer says, “I’m not interested and don’t have extra money for it right now,” Politely say, “It’s ok, I understand it. This is the case for every business. Could you please tell how you are handling this challenge (explain the challenge)?”
This acknowledgement can help in converting the conversation into productive discussion. HubSpot has proven it, which found that 60% of customers say “no” four times before saying “yes.” It’s only the consistent effort and empathy that lead to confirmation.
7. Follow up Consistently
Closing a deal on the first call is a rare case. You need to hold your breath and keep patience. It is a key to success. So, always try to send follow-up emails. Alternatively, you can make another call after a few days of the initial contact. This callback attempt will build the relationship. Make sure to remind the customer so that the conversation can continue.
8. Track Your Performance and Iterate
One pitch cannot be ideally used in all cases. It requires a unique approach according to customers. Since companies differ and the target audience is also different. So, you need to prepare cold calling services and pitch accordingly.
Apart from it, maintain a record of each call, response rate, follow-ups, and result in a spreadsheet. This database will reveal the success rate of your cold-calling strategy.
Conclusion
Cold calling can be uniquely used for various industries and services. For instance, B2C cold calling services need in-depth industrial research to prepare a pitch and open-ended questions to start a call for the first time. Overall, it depends on the industry, target audience, and the offering. Besides, the telecaller must be empathic and ready to handle objections without indulging in spats. Also, follow-ups and reports of the calling details can be helpful to prepare the next compelling strategy.
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