Cold calling is a challenging but essential skill for outside sales professionals. It requires you to connect with prospects who may not know you, your company, or your product, and persuade them to give you their time and attention. How can you keep your cold calls focused and effective? Here are some tips to help you improve your cold calling performance and results.
Before you pick up the phone, you should have a clear and realistic goal for your cold call. Do you want to book a meeting, qualify a lead, or pitch a solution? Depending on your goal, you should prepare a different script, value proposition, and call to action. Your goal should also align with your prospect's stage in the buyer's journey and their pain points. Having a specific and measurable goal will help you stay focused and avoid wasting time on irrelevant topics.
Live in the customers world - their problems not your product - LISTEN! Clear Objective: Define a specific goal for each call. Concise Pitch: Craft a brief and compelling pitch. Active Listening: Understand prospect pain points and adapt your message. Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the benefits of your product or service. Handle Objections: Anticipate objections and prepare responses. Qualify Leads: Ensure alignment with your target customer profile. Follow-up Plan: Have a strategy for post-call follow- Time Management: Stick to scheduled call times and respect prospects' time. Continuous Improvement: Learn from each call and refine your approach accordingly.
Las personas necesitan escuchar lo que realmente resuene con ellos, para ello, debes saber a quien llamas, su cargo, empresa, funciones, el rol que desempe?a, publica en LinkedIn? Determinar desde el comienzo cuales son sus principales problemas para que tu en la llamada como parte de propuesta de valor le entregues solucion.
Para mantener sus llamadas en frío enfocadas y efectivas, es fundamental prepararse con antelación. Comience investigando a su prospecto para comprender sus necesidades y desafíos específicos. Tenga un guion claro y conciso que incluya una introducción persuasiva, una breve descripción de su oferta y los beneficios para el cliente. Escuche atentamente las respuestas del prospecto y adapte su mensaje en consecuencia. Mantenga un tono amigable y profesional, y sea respetuoso del tiempo del prospecto. Además, establezca objetivos claros para cada llamada y haga un seguimiento diligente después para mantener el impulso y establecer relaciones sólidas con los prospectos.
Antes de hacer la llamada, investigar sobre el prospecto y su empresa. Comprender sus necesidades y desafíos te ayudará a personalizar tu enfoque y ofrecer soluciones relevantes, y sobre todo prepararse para escuchar.
The more you know about your prospect, the better you can tailor your cold call to their needs, interests, and challenges. You should research your prospect's industry, company, role, and online presence before you dial their number. This will help you find common ground, personalize your message, and ask relevant questions. You can use tools like LinkedIn, Google Alerts, or company websites to gather information about your prospect. However, don't overdo it. You don't want to sound creepy or stalkerish. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes of research per prospect.
Researching a prospect enables you to learn details about their current business needs that can enable you to tailor the call to their priorities and hold their attention. And you can also pick up personal details, like how much they love surfing or that they’re huge Red Sox fans, that can enable you to make a personal connection more easily. Check their LinkedIn, company site, your CRM (for possible past engagement), social media, etc.
Buena idea la del Google Alertas, yo recomiendo también activar la campanita en el perfil de Linkedin de tu prospeto, me ayuda a recopilar información a medida que va publicando.
Define el propósito de la llamada y lo que esperas lograr. Esto te ayudará a mantener la conversación enfocada y evitar divagaciones. Ejemplo: en mis llamadas en Frio busco una Reunion para conocernos en persona, y dejar de ser ese correo o esa llamada, y ser una persona fisicamente que puede responder y sabe con quien dirigerse, brindando la confianza y el echo de una atencion personalizada bien merecida, ademas que podemos cerrar una visita a algun restaurante y fortalecer la relacion comercial!
A script is a useful tool to guide your cold call and keep you on track. It should include an introduction, a hook, a value proposition, a qualification question, and a call to action. A script should not be read word for word, but rather used as a reference to help you structure your conversation and remember your key points. You should also practice your script until you feel comfortable and confident with it. However, don't rely on your script too much. You should also be flexible and adaptable to your prospect's responses and objections.
In your cold call script, you should effectively answer these questions: Who are you? Why are you calling me? How do I actually benefit? What are you asking for?
En realidad, lo ideal es dise?ar una estructura, con puntos claros, donde cada paso cumple una función. por ejemplo: Intro: donde generas confianza y pides permiso Más que un texto que lees en medio de llamada es mas como un recordatorio para que tu conversacion tenga una mejor estructuras con esos puntos que tu definiste previamente.
Preparar un guion breve pero estructurado que incluya una introducción sólida, una propuesta de valor clara y preguntas abiertas para fomentar la conversación.
One of the most important skills for cold calling is active listening. Active listening means paying attention to what your prospect is saying, showing interest and empathy, and responding accordingly. Active listening will help you build rapport, uncover pain points, and identify opportunities. You can demonstrate active listening by using verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, affirming, paraphrasing, and summarizing. You should also avoid interrupting, dominating, or distracting your prospect. Remember, a cold call is a dialogue, not a monologue.
ESCUCHAR: es lo primero que pongo como recordatorio en frente de mi, claro para llegar a esto y que el prospecto pueda contarte y hablarte, es gracias a la empatía y confianza que generaste al comienzo.
Objections are inevitable in cold calling. You will encounter prospects who are busy, skeptical, or uninterested in your offer. However, objections are not rejections. They are opportunities to address your prospect's concerns, provide value, and move them forward in the sales process. You should prepare for common objections, such as "I'm not interested", "I don't have time", or "I already have a solution". You should also use the LAER model to handle objections: listen, acknowledge, explore, and respond. This will help you understand the root cause of the objection, show respect, and offer a solution.
é interessante no dia a dia realizar role plays com outros SDRs, BDRs, LDRs ou pré vendedores da sua empresa, simulando liga??es entre si e perdendo o "medo" ou "receio" da obje??o.
En mi equipo realizamos roleplays para así dar con objeciones y poder practicar, para que en casos reales ya sepamos como manejar las objeciones.
The last step of a cold call is to follow up with your prospect . You should always end your cold call with a clear and specific call to action, such as scheduling a meeting, sending an email, or sharing a resource. You should also confirm the next steps, the timeline, and the contact details with your prospect. Then, you should follow up with your prospect as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours. You should also keep track of your follow-up activities and outcomes, and adjust your strategy accordingly. A follow-up is crucial to maintain the momentum, build trust, and close the deal.