Cold calling

I've always struggled with cold calling. Though I have done with with success, I've never been able to do it consistently.

First, I don't like being cold called - so I don't like doing it to others.
Cold emailing is different. It's quicker & easier to process (or dismiss) on the recipient side

Tips

You can't tell upfront, with someone you have never met or discussed with, "We can help you".

Instead, one should say "We help {persona like you}", or more specifically "You remind me of {someone specific in the same role} we helped."

Common practive had been to start calls with the likes of:

"Thanks for taking my call."
"Can I have 30 seconds?"
"Can I tell you why I'm calling?"

Instead, start as a normal person - an equal - and get to the point quickly:

"Hi X, I'm Nic with Y. We haven't met before, but I'm working with {persona like you} who {have the same problems as you} and came across your name. It looks like you're managing {specific use case or program for the company}?"

From there, keep asking questions.

Good open questions can be: "Based on your experience/succsss, what are your thoughts on {problem you can help solve}?"

13 Feb 2023

"Cold calling is dead"
"Cold calling is not dead"
The argument both ways has been going on seemingly forever on Linkedin.

I have done very little cold calling in my career, except in my first B2B Sales job 20+ years ago... when reps were not allowed to use email because it was new and seen as a 'distraction' by the company's leadership! (how times change)

Despite that, by all measures, I have had a successful career in Sales so far, including a lot of new business.

I just don't like cold calling 🤷🏻‍♂️

Not only because it's hard and can be soul crushing.

But mostly because I feel like a cold call is like barging unannounced into someone's office.

And I would not do that in real-life.

Sure, 1 time out of 20, you might get a meeting out of it.

As everything in life, it's a matter of balance.

Cold calling will never be dead. There will always be some who will use it - or have to use it - to generate leads.

There's an art & science to cold calling, and it's hard.

The question is not "is it dead or not?" but rather "does it fit with how you want to generate leads and do you get a good ROI on your time spent doing it?".

Openers

"Hey XXX, this is YYY calling from (Company). You're not expecting my call. Do you have a moment? I promise to be brief."

"Hi, this is XXX from YYY. I know I'm calling you out of the blue. Is it ok if I take a few seconds and tell you why I'm calling you specifically?"

"This is XXX with YYY. You're totally not expecting my call, but I was wondering if I could get a moment."

"Yep, this is a dreaded cold call, but you're the person in charge of X so I took a chance. Do you have a quick moment?"

Permission-based

"Charlotte Lloyd, renowned cold calling expert, generated $1.5M in revenue for her business using a permission-based question in her opener"

“Hi {{first name}}, I know you're not expecting my call. Mind if I take a few moments to tell you why I am calling? Promise I'll be brief."

“I’ve found that this permission-based opener works 99 times out of 100,” she says. “It shows the prospect, right out of the gate, that you recognize their time is a gift and will continue to respect it.”

-from https://www.apollo.io/academy/guides/pipeline-generation/cold-calling

Resources

The “Heard the name tossed around?” opener

The step-by-step breakdown is as follows:

  • Lead With Context: Show you work with similar companies (by industry, investor)
  • Introduce Yourself: Introduce yourself AFTER you establish you’re not a random.
  • Heard The Name? Ask if they’ve heard your name tossed around.

Framework - Giulio Segantini (Linkedin)

  1. Pause
  2. Pause for 2-3 seconds.
  3. Mute yourself (if it helps).
  4. Why? It gives you time to think AND slow down.

  5. Acknowledge (and repeat)

  6. a. "I thought you might say that."
  7. b. "Ugh, no budget must be frustrating."
  8. Why? It’s the only way to reduce tension.

3a. Ask for permission
- "Do you mind if I ask a question about that one last question?"
- Why? Asking for permission gives control to the buyer and helps build rapport.

3b. Ask a question
- Example: "Does that mean everything is perfect?"
- Why? With very direct objections (like not interested), ask immediately or you may lose the conversation.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THE 17 TOUGHEST OBJECTIONS

For brevity, permission questions (3a) are not included.

SEND ME AN EMAIL

  • "Please send me an email (right away)."
  • "Of course, I can. What’s the best email to reach you on?"
  • "Before I do, would you be opposed to hearing what it is about to ensure it’s even relevant?"

  • "Please send me an email (after the pitch)."

  • "Absolutely. What’s the best email to reach you on?"
  • "To ensure it hits the mark, which of the problems I mentioned is the most relevant?"

  • "Please send me an email (during the conversation)."

  • "I certainly can, but do you mind asking a question first?"
  • "Nine times out of ten, when someone asks for an email, what does that actually mean?"

STATUS QUO

  • "We already have a vendor/something in place."
  • "I thought you would, at least you are relevant for our offer."
  • "Does that mean everything is perfect?"
  • "What are they doing so well that deserves your loyalty?"

  • "It looks quite similar to what we already have."

  • "That’s the first time I hear that!"
  • "When you say it looks similar, what do you mean, exactly?"

  • "We don’t need this at the moment."

  • "That’s not surprising. It sounds like you have already fixed the problem. Would you be opposed to sharing how?"

PRICING

  • "We don’t have any budget."
  • "It must be frustrating to operate with no money." (Pause)
  • "I’m assuming even if you had budget, this wouldn’t be a priority anyway, right?"

  • "It’s too expensive."

  • "I don’t get that a lot."
  • "Do you mind if I ask a stupid question?"
  • "Does that mean you’re currently perfectly satisfied with how you’re solving the problem?"
  • "Does that mean this problem is not worth spending more on, or you simply don’t have the problem?"

NOT INTERESTED

  • "I’m not interested (right away)."
  • a. "Was my approach bad?"
  • b. "Did I sound too harsh?"
  • "I’m surprised, I’m a complete stranger calling out of the blue, you probably have absolutely no idea why I’m calling."

  • "I’m not interested (after the pitch)."

  • "It sounds like you have already solved [problem]."
  • "Do you mind if I ask you how you did it?"

TIMING

  • "Call me back in six months."
  • "It sounds like something specific will happen in six months."
  • "Do you mind me asking what that may be?"

  • "I’ll call you back next week."

  • "Ahh, the famous last words." (Pause)
  • "What does it mean 99 times out of 100 when someone says that on a sales call?"

  • "I’m in a meeting/I’m busy."

  • "Ouch, my timing is awful!"
  • "Would it be a stupid idea to briefly explain now so that you’ll never hear from me again if it’s irrelevant?"

  • "It’s not the right time for this."

  • "I do usually have horrible timing!"
  • "Does that mean you don’t need this at all, or are there priorities taking over your schedule?"

BONUS

  • "I need to discuss this with someone else."
  • "That makes sense; I thought it would be the case."
  • "What do you think they’ll say when you discuss this with them?"

  • "We tried that, but it didn’t work for us."

  • "Oh, I don’t hear that often."
  • "When you say it didn’t work for you, what exactly do you mean by that?"

TONALITY

  • ❌ Sarcasm
  • ❌ High-pitched
  • ❌ Annoyed
  • âś… Calm
  • âś… Curious
  • âś… Cool

DISCLAIMER

  1. Have conversations, not interrogations
  2. Add your own spin/personality
  3. Practice, practice, practice
  4. Each prompt focuses on getting you back in the conversation. It’s down to you to make it work.

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