How to Be Great at Cold Calling With These 10 Easy Tips

MartinRaymondo

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MartinRaymondo 〰️ 〰️

Nothing sends shivers down our spines like the dreaded “Cold Call.” 

I’ve been doing them for 25+ years, and I still get nervous and anxious before making a call. 

You only do it because you have to; they are crucial to success if you have a business or work in sales. 

Nobody wants to cold call a prospect for fun. 

I came up with a list of the top cold-calling tips to calm myself down before making the calls. 

They have helped me with my sales and approach, and I hope they help you succeed. 

As much as we hope we can avoid the cold calls, they are crucial in any successful business. 

I wish I could tell you otherwise.

1. Volume and Leads

Everyone knows cold calling is a numbers game. 

This doesn’t deserve the bad rap it receives, as most things in life are similar. 

Think about dating, which is also a numbers game. 

Days of dating one person are gone, as in the 1950s, as are client loyalties. 

While landing a handful of clients through cold calls can be an outstanding achievement, it’s essential to recognize that their loyalty isn’t guaranteed. 

That’s why it’s crucial to maintain a steady flow of leads in your pipeline. 

You get leads by cold calling or asking for referrals. 

“Cold call 300 people a day, and you’ll lead the nation in whatever you do.” — Dan Peña.

2. Pick Up the Phone

“See those little black boxes? They are called telephones. I’m gonna let you in on a little secret about these telephones. They’re not gonna dial themselves! Okay? Without you, they’re just worthless hunks of plastic.”— Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street.

It’s as simple as dialling a number and pushing through the anxiety. 

Our brains think of the worst-case scenario. 

This is an evolutionary survival mechanism that keeps us alive. 

Do these sound familiar? “What if I blow this call? This huge lead would make me so much money,” or “They don’t even know who I am. I’ll sound ridiculous, and they will hang up on me.” 

The only issue is that we aren’t running from sabre-toothed tigers anymore, but rather making a cold call.

3. Make It Quick

Your call should last 30 seconds max. 

The prospect’s time is valuable, and so is yours. 

The last thing anyone wants is someone rambling on about a product they have no interest in. 

Think about the call you get to have your cleaning ducts serviced. 

Those salespeople ramble on and on. If that were me, the first line after introducing myself would be, “When was the last time you had your ducts cleaned?” 

Now, why would I ask that? It serves two purposes. 

First, it asks a question to draw people in, making them feel compelled to respond. 

Second, it filters out those who don’t own homes or businesses. 

You don’t want to spend five minutes chatting only to find out you’re talking to a renter or a front desk clerk who isn’t the decision-maker. 

4. Know Your Prospect

Depending on your situation, this might not apply. 

Most people will know their prospects and what they do. 

I don’t spend much time on this as I haven’t seen the results reflect the effort. 

Knowing your prospect is more about who you call. 

If you’re selling tires, call garages and not a daycare. 

That’s more in line with what knowing your prospect means. 

If you aren’t sure if that type of business would use or buy your product, call a few and ask them. 

If 3–4 of them say they have no use for your product or service, then you know that demographic is not a good fit. 

Now, you can move on to a more appropriate clientele.

5. Stop Worrying

This is a big one. We all tend to worry, and nobody likes getting rejected. 

If the call goes terribly and you fumble your words or sound like you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s okay. 

Chances are the prospect won’t even remember you 10 minutes later. 

This goes back to my point that our brains are trying to keep us alive. 

Your brain doesn’t realize you’re making cold calls, so even if the person you’re talking to is the most challenging call ever, you’re not going to die. 

Some days, overcoming this isn’t easy, as momentum is powerful. 

Negative motivation is a real thing, and remind yourself that times come and go, and this, too, will pass. 

So, don’t get too excited when things go great. 

Those times will also end, and the best strategy is to keep your emotions in check at all times.

6. Keep Them Focused

You always want your prospects to stay focused on the reason you called. 

If they start wavering, pull them back in and redirect them. 

You’re there to offer them something and not to discuss how lovely Paris is in the summer. 

Their attention spans are short, and they can get off track quickly. 

I imagine them as a balloon that’s floating away, and it’s my job to pull them back in so I don’t lose them. 

There is some finesse to this, as you can’t ignore what they have said; rather, comment and move on.

7. Learn to Recognize Time Wasters

Some non-buyers are time wasters. 

These people will waste your time and keep talking without real intent on buying. 

It’s okay for someone to ask some questions and get back to you a few times. 

I’m talking about the wishy-washy ones who give rebuttals that go nowhere. 

A client questioned why they should switch their business to me when they already deal with a local company, and I’m over an hour away in a different city. 

I responded that we do everything nowadays over the phone and by email, and they kept giving me rebuttals. 

I realized they weren’t going to switch. 

So, I politely ended the call by recognizing their loyalty to their current provider and suggesting they stick with what they have. 

There’s no point in banging your head against the wall in that scenario. 

Some people won’t give you their business no matter what, so keep it moving and don’t spend your energy on time wasters.

8. Follow Up

It’s essential to follow up on some prospects as time passes on. 

There isn’t a set number of days or weeks, so you must understand how often you should follow up. 

If the deadline is close, you might follow up after a day, but waiting a week could be appropriate for a more casual interaction. 

Don’t be afraid to follow up and keep the conservation quick like the original call. 

If you ask if they’ve had time to check out what you’re offering and they say they’ve been too busy, say, ‘No worries, let me know when you do.’ 

Keep it at that, and if you don’t hear back in a while, you can send an email to be a little more non-intrusive. 

I once got a client I had followed up on for five years. 

One day, they called me and wanted to do business; to this day, they are still one of my more prominent clients. 

Don’t be afraid to follow up even for years.

9. Your Script

Everyone should have some script. 

I’m not talking about a 20-page script here but rather a short paragraph or a few sentences. 

Here is my script for every call: “Hi, this is John Smith calling from XYZ company. I want to speak to the person who deals with (your product or service you are selling).” 

That’s it. 

Don’t ignore the power of a script. 

You can also use a script for parts of a presentation or a few rebuttals you might face down the line. 

An opening script is crucial to success, as you need something that flows in those first 10 seconds.

10. Confident and Enthusiastic

The last one is your tone. 

No matter the situation, you need to sound enthusiastic. 

Nobody wants someone on the other end that sounds disinterested. 

Don’t go overboard and be overly excited; that sounds fake and uncomfortable. 

We have all had a salesperson be like that, and it’s weird. 

You must also be sharp and know what you are doing, so practice beforehand. 

Building rapport isn’t about talking about fishing or their kids. 

It’s about them seeing you as an expert in your field. So be enthusiastic, confident and sharp. 

That’s the real magic of cold calling.

Final Thoughts

Cold calling is scary, and nobody likes doing it, so try to relax when you’re about to proceed on a calling spree. 

It’s helpful to know in advance that there are both good and bad times, and these phases can last for several months. 

So, don’t let yourself get discouraged. 

There is nothing wrong with analyzing your approach. 

Don’t get too concerned if the results have been terrible for weeks. 

The most important thing is that you make those calls. 

What sets winners apart from losers is that winners don’t give up. 

The losers analyze and try to be perfect while being too scared to make a simple call. 

One thing I read a long time ago about high-income earners has always stuck with me. 

They said the people with the lowest IQs earn most of the money worldwide. 

I never could understand that until I realized those people don’t think…they do.