Does the thought of making cold calls make your palms sweat and your stomach bounce? Just the abrasive sound of the term “cold call” can make many a home businessperson cringe. However, if you are determined to build your sales business and grow your prospects and contents, it may pay off to have cold calling strategy and develop some skills for reaching out and making contacts.
Cold calling doesn’t mean that you have to pick up the phone book and start calling random people. In fact, this would be an incredible waste of time and your ego and efforts would become quite battered. Instead, for cold calling to be effective, there should be a plan and purpose to who you are calling and why you are actually calling them.
Your cold call lists should be people who have expressed interest in your products (individual names you’ve gathered from referrals or from an information sign-up you’ve had at an event.) You can even purchase lists from other companies or exchange customer lists with another business in order to help generate new leads. You need to have a “jumping off” place to start with cold calling and having at least some inkling that a person may be interested in the product or service you have to offer is a good start.
Develop a “script” for yourself and practice it before making calls. Of course, you won’t want to sound like you’re reading from a script when you make your calls so you’ll want to practice and tweak your script until you feel comfortable and sound knowledgeable and comfortable. I would even recommend trying it out on a trusted friend or two. Then, when you make your first calls, start with some really “warm” potential customers–people who’ve called in or referrals you know are expecting to hear from you. This will help you build confidence and a comfort-level with your pitch.
The trick to successful and productive cold calling is to be prepared and really know your stuff, this will help you feel comfortable on the phone. Try to remember not to take anything that might happen personally, stay professional, and give yourself pats on the back for your effort and courageousness. You may find that you have some great conversations, and get some really good leads from your cold calling efforts. And, the more you do it, the more your skills will develop and the better you’ll become.
See Also: Asking for Referrals and How’s Your Phone Personality?