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Having an effective cold calling strategy is one of the very best ways to find brand-new leads for your B2B sales team. Read on to learn 20 cold calling techniques that work for all businesses.
Top 20 Cold Calling Techniques
1.Make a Great First Impression
If you fumble those first 10 seconds of your outbound sales cold call, you’ll never get a second chance. Practice a succinct opening statement that explains who you are and how you can help.
Learn the definition of sales engagement. Read this blog.
2.Personalize Your Pitch
Outbound cold calling is about building a relationship. Start off strong by showing your prospect that you’ve done your homework and already know a little about who they are and how you can help.
3.Use an Email Cadence Tool
Make sure you warm up calls before you make them and follow up with an email after you make calls.
4.Be Ready For Failure
Even with great cold calling tactics, you’ll only succeed around 2% of the time. Don’t stress over the rejections. Stay positive and prepared for the prospects who you have a chance to actually convert.
5.Look at the Time
One of the very best cold calling tips is to call at the right time. In B2B cold calling, for example, right before and after lunch might be best.
6.Track Success Carefully
Ideally, you’ll have cold calling software that tracks your data for you. This allows you to look at specific prospects and know exactly what dates and times are the most effective.
7.Organize Call Lists Strategically
Don’t waste peak calling hours on low-value prospects. Spend your time calling on the most valuable prospects when they’re likeliest to answer the phone.
8.Change it Up
You cannot assume that each prospect has the same schedule. If you keep trying the same high-potential prospect during your Tuesday 2pm to 4pm call block, it could just be a bad time for them. Try them in the morning or on a different day.
9.Stay Confident
Successful cold calling takes a specific type of personality. You cannot be embarrassed and shy, nor can you be overly confident and arrogant. Your best bet is to stay warm, professional, and get right to the point.
10.Use Open-Ended Questions
Don’t just take no for an answer. Avoid yes/no questions and stick to questions that are open-ended and force a conversation.
11.Take Notes
If your CRM (like Salesforce) is integrated with your cold calling software, you’ll be able to take detailed notes instantly as you’re on the phone, putting the info you need to close the sale at your fingertips at all times.
12.Aim Small to Start
Cold calls rarely convert right away. Instead, your goal should be to start a relationship and move it forward. Have one concrete goal for each call, such as setting up a demo or a second conversation.
13.Practice Makes Perfect
A great script is critical, but you can’t actually sound scripted. Practice on your own and keep making calls.
14.Listen
This is the simplest and easiest tip of all. When you’re talking to somebody, actually listen to what they have to say. Have a real conversation and make them feel valued.
15.Leave Killer Voicemails
Most calls go to voicemail, so yours must be effective. Keep them short and sweet. Make sure they’re relevant and interesting. Track your voicemails to see which ones generate the most traction.
16.Leverage Sales Dialer Software
A sales dialer software removes the hassle of forcing salespeople to manually look-up and punch in each phone number. Instead, you’ll spend your time actually talking
17.Talks Benefits, Not Features
Benefits are what businesses actually care about. Start by talking about what you can actually do for them. There’s time to talk features later, when you’re down in the nitty-gritty.
18.Keep Tabs on Them
Use news items about specific companies as an opportunity to get a foot in the door. This could include new executive hires, product launches, funding, and more.
19.Have a Local Number
Local phone numbers are much more likely to be answered than restricted or long-distance numbers. Use a dialing service to ensure your numbers are always local.
20.Invest in Technology
Great cold calling software goes hand-in-hand with success. Local numbers, click-dialing, and integration with CRMs like Salesforce are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy by investing in top-notch technology.
For more information on how integrated cold calling software will help drive results today, make sure to click here or give us a call at 800-955-5040.
