Cold calling is no longer a cakewalk. Customers are nowadays saturated with sales calls. Implementation of an effective pitching strategy is the only way to stand out.
As per stats, about 50% of the new conversions are from cold calls. However, the truth is that it is one of the most painful methods of selling, filled with rejections. Check out what is a cold call in sales and learn five tips to excel at it.
Also Read: 5 Crucial CRM Features for Your Sales Team’s Growth
What is cold calling in sales?
Cold calling is a type of sales methodology where an executive contacts a lead who has never interacted with your brand. The ultimate aim of every cold call pitch is to build a relationship with the prospect and convert them into sales for business growth. Even though the name covers only ‘calls’, it includes all activities, including in-person meetings and door-to-door interactions.
5 Proven Tips For Cold Calling
If executed properly, a cold call is still one of the best ways to gain sales. But how do you make a good cold call? Let’s check out some cold calling tips.
Do not try to sell your product right at the first call itself. Your main aim must be to create interest in the prospect by providing some value through a cold call.
1. Detailed Research
Every successful cold call starts with in-depth research of the prospect. Analyze the customer’s problems and how your product can solve them. Here are some tips for prospect research:
- Have a look at the social media profile of the lead to check out their interests and demographic background.
- Go through the prospect’s company website and understand the nature of the business.
- If the prospect was a previous lead or customer, check your CRM to analyze their past user behavior.
It is better to prepare a checklist for the cold calling data with custom fields like name, age, gender, location, etc., which you need to fill out after each research. Once you have a basic knowledge about the prospect, you can paint a clear picture of how to approach the prospect.
2. Do Not Sell
Yes, you’ve read it right. Do not try to sell your product right at the first call itself. Your main aim must be to create interest in the prospect by providing some value through cold call marketing. It helps you build trust among them that you are not just an ordinary salesperson.
It is okay to follow a cold call template. However, try to get the template only after the research process, as it gives you more room for personalization. Ideally, you must follow them only for introduction and, later on, tailor your interactions to the customer’s pain points.
3. Call At The Right Time
When it comes to cold calling for sales, the phrase “make hay while the sun shines” is not just an old saying but a proven truth. You must always try to call at the right time when your prospects are more likely to attend. As a general rule of thumb, you must:
- Avoid calling on Mondays and Fridays since they are the most productive workdays.
- Consider the time zones of prospects so as not to wake them overnight.
- If you are selling a B2B product, try to call within office hours.
You can use many online tools and research to find the idle calling time. But choosing a perfect time is challenging. You must try random timings to figure out which one works best for you.
4. Automate The Process
Let’s accept the fact. Nobody loves to do routine jobs like cold-call sales. That’s exactly where the need for automation comes in. There are several automation software tools, like Onstro, which can save you time and even optimize the entire process. See how an automation tool can help you:
- Get reminders on when to contact each prospect.
- Automatically record call timings and duration.
- AI-powered call scripts and templates.
- Store valuable customer data to use for personalization in later stages.
5. Make a Backup Plan
Yet another key cold calling advice is to have a backup plan in case someone does not attend the call. Most companies leave a voicemail for unattended prospects, which is a nice strategy. But make sure that you keep the voicemail within 30 seconds, ideally with a hook that baits the prospect to call you back.
Similarly, you can reserve the prospect numbers that have not attended the cold call to a separate list. Recall them after a day in another timeline. However, refrain from any spammy practices like disturbing a prospect by constantly calling them.
Conclusion
The effectiveness of cold call in sales largely depends on the data you use. That’s why you need to pick a powerful CRM solution for your business.
Onstro CRM is the perfect software solution to optimize your cold call campaigns. It can give a structure to your calling process with a list of advanced contact management features. You can fill the database with custom fields and convert them based on comprehensive customer data. Contact us now!
