Did you know cold calling is often linked with awkward interactions and carries a bad reputation? But still, it’s considered one of the most effective sales techniques, Why?
Well, with the right strategy and approach, it can serve as a powerful tool for successfully selling your product and service, offering a glimmer of hope and optimism in the sales process.
In this blog post, we will discuss the ins and outs of cold calling, including what cold calls are, how they work, real cold call examples, and essential cold calling tips for success.
🔑KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Cold calling is a sales practice that focuses on selling products and increasing business sales.
- The effectiveness of cold calling basically relies on how a salesperson pitches, the relevance of the product or service to the potential customer, and the timing of the call.
- The best time to make a cold call is on weekdays, especially between 11 a.m. and 12 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- To make cold calls better, you must understand your prospects’ interests by actively researching and listening to them, find the right time to call them, be confident, maintain your professionalism, do proper research, and lastly, explain why the reason for your call.
What is Cold Calling?
Cold calling is the process of making an unsolicited visit or phone call to a customer who hasn’t had any previous contact with your company or expressed interest in your products or services. This sales technique aims to introduce the offering to potential customers and persuade them to take action, such as making a purchase or scheduling a meeting.
Many businesses use this method to get customers interested in their services. However, with the growing number of other selling approaches and the ☹️ bad reputation that cold calling has had for a long time, businesses have started losing faith in this method.
They have started using other methods, such as social media marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, and many more. Even after all these sales methods, businesses still consider choosing cold calling methods.
Benefits of Cold Calling
Cold calling’s importance can differ according to industries. While it may not work for some businesses, it can work pretty well for others.
Having said that, let’s look at some of the benefits of cold calling:
- It enables one to reach a large number of prospects in a limited time.
- A good way to get in touch and show the importance of the service or product to prospects.
- A perfect way to make a great first impression with new customers.
- Useful for getting market insights by communicating with potential customers.
How does Cold Calling Work?
Cold calling works by reaching out to a targeted audience through phone calls.
In this method, a salesperson generally calls a customer or a new potential customer to inform them about the company’s service or product. To do so, the company lists the customer’s contact numbers 📲 and distributes them to the sales team. Then, the company conducts a market study and targets customers interested in the products.
During cold calling, the salesperson establishes an initial connection with potential customers who may or may not be interested in the brand. If the customer is interested in a product, they may buy it; if not, they ignore the call. Cold calling can be effective when done right despite the challenges and difficulties it faces.
Cold Calling Difficulties
Cold calling creates several difficulties for sales representatives due to changes in communication habits with the rise of digital communication. Some cold-calling difficulties include:
- Dealing with rejection and disinterest: When cold-calling, sales representatives may encounter uninterested prospects in your products. It’s important to stay positive, focus on the next call, and learn from each interaction to handle rejection. Remember, every ‘no’ brings you closer to a ‘yes. ‘
- Changing communication platform: With increased digital communication, many prospects prefer social media, texts, and emails over phone calls. Cold calling may not fit with prospects’ changing communication habits.
- Consumers might feel irritation: Prospects may get bored by unexpected cold calls and feel forced to talk. When you cold call uninterested prospects, they may feel irritated and get annoyed by your calls.
- Time-consuming: Cold calling is time-consuming when engaging with potential customers. It requires extensive preparation and a long time to connect with potential customers.
Cold Calling Examples
Cold calling can be challenging, but with the correct method and preparation, it can be effective. So, how does a cold call look on the phone? Let’s take a look at some examples of cold phone calls and cold emails;
Example 1: Example of the Cold Phone
“Hi, I am SALES REP NAME] from [COMPANY NAME] here. I apologize for the unexpected call, but I found out that you are doing great work in the [Prospect Industry].
We have something that helps businesses like yours automate their marketing efforts to save time and resources while reaching more qualified leads. Can you give me a few minutes to hear a quick overview?”
Listen and Respond (60 seconds):
(Listen to the prospect’s response, and if they are not interested, thank them and end the call.)
If they are interested in and concerned about marketing automation,
“Many other companies also struggle with what your concern is, and that is where our marketing automation software can be helpful. It simply allows your business to [ Briefly explain a feature that addresses their concern].”
Show the demo of your marketing software to the prospect and at last, say, “ Thank you for providing your precious time.”
Key Points:
- Focus on mentioning how your company addressing their pain point
- Provide a clear benefit and next step to them.
- Speak in a friendly and confident way.
- Respect them for giving their precious time.
Example 2: Example of Cold Emails
Here’s a cold email example for a company that is offering marketing automation software.
Subject: Streamline Your Marketing & Generate More Leads (Targeted Approach for [Industry])
Hi [Prospect Name],
I came across [Prospect Company] and was amazed by all your work in [ Prospects Company]. We have something that helps businesses like yours automate their marketing efforts, saving time and resources while reaching more qualified leads.
Many [Prospect Industry] companies struggle with [Common pain point related to marketing, e.g., managing multiple marketing channels, nurturing leads effectively, or measuring campaign ROI].
Our marketing automation software can help by [ Briefly explain a feature that addresses their pain point].
For example, we recently helped [Similar company] in your industry [Quantifiable achievement related to the pain point, e.g., “increase qualified leads by 30%”].
Would you be interested in a quick 15-minute call next week to discuss how our software can specifically benefit [Prospect Company] in achieving your marketing goals?
Best regards,
[Your Name] [Your Company]Key points;
- It grabs attention by mentioning lead generation and industry relevance.
- Show your research
- Focus on solving a problem
- Offers a specific next step
When is the Best Time to Make a Cold Call?
The best time to make a cold call ☎️ is on weekdays, especially between 11 a.m. – 12 a.m. and 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. This is because between 10 and 11, people mostly go for lunch, where they have the time to communicate, and between 4 and 5, they are ready to leave, where they avoid office work and feel free to take calls.
On the other hand, the worst time to call a prospect is the second half of Friday because people are in the weekend mode until then.
So, it’s better not to call after lunch on Friday. It could be better to wait until the best call time rather than rushing into the prospects.
How to Cold Call: Cold Calling Tips
Cold calling can be a crucial way to generate high sales conversion rates. Understanding how to cold call properly and what strategies to follow are equally important.
Some of the cold calling strategies and tips are listed below:
1. Face Rejection and Work on It
Every sales industry faces many rejections 😓, and that’s how it works. This is okay because not every individual necessarily wants the product, and there can be many reasons why they don’t like it.
But what matters is keeping up with cold calls with as many prospects as possible. It’s obvious more rejections come with it, but so does the success rate. The urge to work on rejection should be primarily injected into everyone’s spirit.
2. Explain The Reason for Your Call
You should always explain the reason for your call to the customer; otherwise, they may be confused about your call and then end it. Moreover, explaining the reason will help the agent and prospect be clear about the call.
However, explaining the reason for your call doesn’t mean starting to sell them the products; it means making sure that customers know why you are calling them.
3. Start With Your Scripts, But Be Flexible
Your telemarketing scripts are important, but having said that, you should not necessarily always stick to scripts. Every prospect is different, and the way of pursuing things can be various.
So, instead of reading the script, you can be flexible and add different points to keep the prospects’ attention by knowing the nature and wants of the customer. It is one of the important cold-calling techniques.
4. Work on Cutting Losses
By practicing cold calls with many prospects, you can gain insight into people’s wants and interests, which will allow you to guess earlier where the conversation is going. If you feel the conversation is not going anywhere, then it’s better to end it.
Talking with a person who isn’t interested is a dead-end waste of prospects and your time. It won’t affect your morals too because whenever you know the road won’t reach the destination then it’s better to leave that road and move on.
5. Don’t Start Talking About Sales Immediately
Many sales representatives make the mistake of immediately talking about the product and service without hearing the other side of the story. If sales agents talk straight about a product, customers might think what they are calling about is only to increase their sales.
So, do not start early pitching about the product. Have a conversation with the customer, slowly introduce your product, and make them realize why they might need your product in the future.
6. Conduct Pre-Research
Before making any calls, make sure you do your research well. Researching is not only about learning their names or addresses; it’s more than that. You need to make sure your prospect is a possible client.
While doing research, simply gather the essential data about your prospects, such as their interests, and do market research. This information will help you find a possible customer without wasting your time and energy.
7. Find the Best Time To Call
Many people get annoyed😡 by cold calls because of their awkward timing. The company prefers calling people in the morning and evening, thinking they might be free at that time.
But that’s the last thing the customer wants because no one wants to speak about a product that early. So, try analyzing the call time to find out what days and times people most often answer the phone. And start calling at that preferred time.
8. Create a Proper Script
A salesperson should always be prepared and trained to have a proper conversation with prospects. The best way to do so is to create a proper script, which is the best way to ensure a smooth flow of conversation.
A company should make a proper script that is relatable and has a proper method of what to do in many scenarios. A proper telemarketing script will improve your calling success and help agents build more confidence.
9. Leave a Voicemail
In the digital age, voicemails may seem like outdated cold-calling techniques for connecting with potential clients, but they remain a proper choice for many businesses. When you’re unable to reach a prospect, you can leave a brief and clear voicemail message with your proper intention.
If a customer wants your product, they will surely contact you. Voicemails can help to keep prospective clients engaged and maintain momentum, especially in cold call scenarios.
10. Listen More
Cold calling certainly requires more agents’ talk time than customers’, as agents have to convince clients to buy the stuff. However, cold calling also requires a good listener, as you need to understand what the client wants. At times, the client will give you an idea of how to solve their problems.
Moreover, by speaking less and actively listening, individuals are more likely to feel appreciated and build trust, which is a vital aspect of cold calling.
Is Cold Calling still effective?
Yes, cold calling is still effective and has proven to be a potent marketing tool, but it requires planning and customization. According to search results from Cognism, If done properly, cold calling is an effective method of selling, as 57% of C-level executives want to receive information from sales reps through phone calls.
Furthermore, people crave human interaction more than automated interaction, which can only be provided through verbal communication.
The traditional “bad” call, in which salespeople randomly dial numbers and give unconvincing pitches, has a poor success rate, averaging only 4.8%.
Final Thoughts
Cold calling may not be businesses’ first choice, but it helps companies connect with customers effectively if implemented correctly.
Understanding how to cold-call properly and following strategies is equally important. Businesses must actively research their customers’ interests. A handy sales script, some strategy tweaks, and good audience research can make cold calling easier than ever.
Moreover, you can enhance your cold calling process with KrispCall. KrispCall is a cloud telephony platform with several amazing features. Its power dialer and sales automation functions will enable you to improve your productivity significantly and simplify your sales calls. Apart from these qualities, KrispCall provides diverse call management capabilities that can effectively optimize both phone calls and overall business operations.
FAQs
How can you get over cold-calling anxiety?
You can get over cold-calling anxiety by following these steps:
- Accepting that failure is not a big thing.
- Getting enough knowledge about your product and service
- Understanding how the communication is does
- Using some kind of cold-calling script
- Continuously learning interactive methods.
Is cold calling an effective sales strategy?
Yes, cold calling is still an effective sales strategy. However, to benefit from it fully, you must follow a strategic and personalized approach, know your audience well, craft an appropriate script, and listen more than you speak.
Is Texting better than cold calling?
It’s subjective to compare texting with cold calling because if your customer has the potential to ignore a call, you can come up with a text, which can be a wise step in making deals. On the other hand, for ordinary customers, calling shows more urgency than texting.
What do you mean by no cold calling?
No cold calling refers to a sales approach where agents do not make cold calls to customers who have not shown interest in a product. Instead, it focuses on generating leads through SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing.
What is the difference between cold calls and warm calls?
Cold calls are unexpected and involve explaining a service or product to a customer, whereas warm calls require early engagement about the product or service.
Who uses cold calls?
Businesses wanting to improve sales leads, including advertising firms, IT companies, law firms, real estate agencies, etc, use cold calls.
Is Cold calling illegal?
No, cold calling is not illegal. However, your cold-calling activities should be subject to specific laws and regulations.
