Cold calling; the single part of the job sales people like least. Whether you’re in technology, commercial real estate or any other B2B business sales function, it’s likely that part of your job responsibility is to prospect and unfortunately, cold call.

 

Generally speaking, cold calling is loathed by most B2B sales professionals and for good reason. The biggest reason? It usually results in us being treated disrespectfully; it’s a blow to our dignity or self worth if you like. Prospects are all too often rude and contemptuous towards cold callers, seldom treating them respectfully.

In the beginning, most sales people don’t even realize what they’re doing to provoke the wrath of the prospect but, much can be learned from that initial hello.

 

If you think about it, you can hear it in the tone and attitude of those who answer your cold calls; irritable, standoffish and extremely guarded as they wait for what’s coming next. In fact, I would go one further and suggest you can actually hear dread in their voice. So, what have we done to merit such a response?

 

The key lays in understanding how a cold caller approaches the call versus how you would start a call with someone you know.

 

First, when we call someone we know – lets say an existing client – we always start with hello and then ask them how they are. Then, whether it’s an actual question – is this a good time? – or, we just read their voice, we determine if they want to talk. In other words, we treat them with respect.

 

Then, we usually tell them why we’re calling, don’t we?

 

As I write this blog, I got just got caught on a cold call from the telephone directory people. Once the caller established I was the person she set out to contact, she immediately went into her pitch. She never stopped to ask me if this was a good time to talk, never asked for my permission to continue talking and never indicated how much of my time she intended to take. In other words, she failed to read me, failed to listen to the “dread” in my tone and just barged right into her sales pitch. How annoying.

 

If you follow these simple steps, you’ll find most people far more open to further discussion on the phone.

 

1)  Introduce yourself and where you’re calling from. This should never take more than five seconds

 

2)  Within these five seconds, tell them you would like to explain who you are and why you’re calling and, that you will take no more than sixty seconds to do so.

 

3)  Allow them to opt into giving you this opportunity. Maybe they would be willing to talk but now isn’t a good time. If that’s the case, listen to what they’re saying; I don’t want to talk right now.

 

If you’re smart, you’ll say “no problem, I’ll call another time” and that’s it. You won’t try and drag them into further discussion with lines like “when would be a good time?” or “How about tomorrow?” since they just told you now is not a good time to talk!

4)  If the sixty seconds is granted, make sure you stick to it or use less time.

 

5)  If possible, try not to product or sales dump within this initial sixty seconds but rather, ask some general questions and let the prospect determine if they want to continue talking.

Talking at people isn’t your goal. Getting them to listen and contribute is.