How do you use cold calling metrics to train yourself?

Start with the inputs: - Call made - Pick up rate - Permission to pitch rate - Actual conversation rate (2-3 mins+) The above will tell you what's going on and you can then look at outputs: - Meeting booked - Meeting sat - Revenue generated

For leaders and CEOs reading this, be careful when judging your cold caller on sold leads. Far too often I’ve seen this happen, reviewed the sales call and lead call, and the issue is with the sales person, not in the quality of the lead they were booked by the cold caller. Sales can become lazy and accustomed to those lovely inbound leads. This means little effort goes into the ones they’ve got to work had to close.

I agree with Jodie and that is a great point. It is often the sales reps and their sales tactics. The fastest way to get hung up on is by trying to sell someone on your capabilities and features/benefits without even digging into the prospects PAIN. People buy when they are in PAIN and fed up with their current providers enough to make a change, or sometimes sacrificing better quality products/service for a cheaper product/service. I find most of my success on the phones come when I am curious and asking the right questions, and I am seeing if it makes sense to continue the conversation. In sales, the person selling should be interviewing the prospect just the same to see if what they are looking for fits into your business model.

My favorite is achieving some of the following important activities. In the case of longer sales cycles, a contract is clearly excluded, but advancing metrics include, for example, a partnership proposal, a customer meeting, the next follow-up call, and so on.

I keep a call log focusing on the number of calls I make, people I spoke too, voicemails left, meetings set up, and proposals sent out. All of those steps follow into my sales cycle leading up to the contract phase. Keeping my data everyday allows me to check back months later and view my sales trends and what was most efficient and productive for me. I always ask myself questions like... "How many cold calls do I need to make if I need "X" amount of meetings set, to close 4 more deals in the next 3 months? Well if I have my stats, I would know exactly how many calls I need to get the meetings set to go along with my close rate to get the 4 deals I need. Without numbers I am simple calling blind hoping it works out. Don't hope, DO.

The success of cold calling is largely dependent on two things: data and timing. Data: if you can afford to make the investment, purchase a data platform or service that offers enriched mobile numbers for your prospects. Timing: I usually wait until a cold prospect has shown interaction with at least two cold emails. This can be clicks, opens etc. What I am looking for is data accuracy: is the person I am intending to contact actually there? Step three is making the call to a person most likely in the role at the company and with an enriched mobile number so your connection rates can be higher than normal.

One metric that has helped me and my team is tracking the % of getting through a gatekeeper. Tracking additional stats like # of no's, talk time, and other metrics can help with training.

The success of cold calling is largely dependent on two things: data and timing. Data: if you can afford to make the investment, purchase a data platform or service that offers enriched mobile numbers for your prospects. Timing: I usually wait until a cold prospect has shown interaction with at least two cold emails. This can be clicks, opens etc. What I am looking for is data accuracy: is the person I am intending to contact actually there? Step three is making the call to a person most likely in the role at the company and with an enriched mobile number so your connection rates can be higher than normal.

Thinking back on my SDR days, the best thing I did was surround myself with people on the sales floor who were the top cold calling performers. Befriend them, take them out for lunch, ask for advice, and try to help them anyway you can. Do this with multiple people. Each of them will have their own different styles and approaches. Learn each of them and try to understand why it is working for them. Try to take a piece of what everyone does and incorporate it into your own practice. Over time with trial and error, you will develop your own unique style and will be proficient enough to call anyone out of the blue with a good chance of generating business.