If you’re managing a SaaS sales organization, particularly a BDM tele-sales team, you’ve likely questioned the value of cold calling. After all, many of us receive unsolicited calls nearly every day, trying to sell software solutions we don’t need, which makes cold calling feel like a waste of time.
But here’s the secret: successful cold calls aren’t cold. They’re well-prepared and well-executed.
SaaS sales professionals often struggle with low conversion rates from cold calls, bad contact data, and a CRM full of notes with little progress. Too much focus on “activities” rather than actual selling is often to blame. Issues with product-market fit lead to poor ICP profiles and outdated contact lists. Pair that with old-school telesales tools and ineffective call scripts, and it’s no wonder conversion rates are low.
So how do you make your prospect calls successful? It doesn't have to feel like a cold call even if it’s the first time you’re reaching out to someone. The prospect should already have some awareness of your company and what you’re offering, setting the stage for a productive conversation.
Please follow up on successful prospect calling components:
Research and Preparation
- Why it’s important: Before making the call, you should have a solid understanding of the prospect’s business, industry, and potential challenges. Moreover, your prospect should know about your offering through marketing campaign touches.
- How to do it: Use tools like LinkedIn (and LinkedIn Sales Navigator), company websites, 3rd party databases with the prospect company’s org chart and technology footprint, and industry reports to gather relevant information. Know the prospect’s role, company pain points, competitive environment, and how your SaaS product can provide value.
Clear USP and concise?pitch
- Why it’s important: Prospects need to understand quickly what you offer and how it benefits them. Have your best sales pitch ready. Not even an elevator pitch, shorter than that. You have less than a minute on the call to trigger your prospect's interest.
- How to do it: Start the call by introducing your company and briefly explaining what your product does, focusing on the key benefits that are relevant to the prospect’s business. Deliver a concise, 30–60-second pitch that clearly explains what your product does, how it addresses the prospect’s pain points, and why it’s valuable to them.
Strong Opening?Line
- Why it’s important: The first few seconds of the call determine whether the prospect will stay on the line or hang up.
- How to do it: Avoid generic openers like “How are you today?” Instead, use personalized lines that reference the prospect’s business or a common industry challenge, like, “I noticed your team has been growing rapidly, and I think we have a tool that could streamline your operations.” Never ask for permission or apologize for cold calling. The best (proven) way is to clearly state that it is a cold BUT WELL RESEARCHED call, so you can articulate your product offering addressing prospect challenges at the same time.
Focus on Pain?Points
- Why it’s important: Prospects are more likely to engage when you address their specific challenges.
- How to do it: Based on your research and the conversation, identify their pain points and link them to the value your SaaS product can provide. This could be improving efficiency, cutting costs, or solving a problem they currently face.
Handling Objections
- Why it’s important: Most prospects will have objections, whether it’s about price, timing, or the need for your product.
- How to do it: Anticipate common objections and prepare concise, compelling responses. For example, if a prospect says they already use a competitor, you could highlight specific features that differentiate your product or a success story from a similar company that switched to your solution. Again, be ready with short and straight-to-the-point answers.
Confidence and?Energy
- Why it’s important: Prospects can sense when a salesperson is uncertain or lacks confidence, which can reduce trust.
- How to do it: Maintain a positive tone, stay enthusiastic about the product, and speak with authority. Prospects are more likely to engage with someone who believes in what they’re selling. Be open and natural, and use your sense of humor?—?it always sells!
Call to Action?(CTA)
- Why it’s important: Every cold call should have a goal, whether it’s scheduling a demo, setting up a follow-up meeting, or simply gathering more information.
- How to do it: At the end of the call, ask for the next step. Be direct, such as “Would you be open to a 15-minute demo next week to see how this could work for your team?”. Don't just ask for extra time, set expectations from the next call deliverables.
Follow-Up quality
- Why it’s important: Many cold calls won’t result in an immediate conversion, but consistent follow-up can build relationships over time. It's all about timing. Your prospect might be too busy for extra projects at the moment, so keep reminding them about your product and set educational marketing campaign in the meantime.
- How to do it: Send a follow-up email after the call, recapping key points, and offering additional resources or insights. Stay on their radar by periodically checking in with valuable information, even if they aren’t ready to move forward immediately.
Use modern AI-based systems and tools
- Why it's important: You can supercharge your Tele (BDM) team productivity with power-dialer solutions. Modern AI-based auto-dialers can run up to 15 lines at the same time, automate your voice messages, create your dial hit map, and recommend the best call time slots. Your team will spend 100% of their time talking to your prospects instead of just executing dial attempts. All calls are recorded and transcripted in real-time & logged into your CRM.
- How to do it: Try Orum and Kixie for the best experience. These tools allow you to build a tele sales culture, practice calls together with the team, share and learn from the most successful conversations, and add gamification into the sales process.
Key Takeaway:
Cold calling in SaaS sales is not just about selling?—?it’s about building rapport, understanding your prospect’s challenges, and positioning your product as the solution. Well-prepared and well-researched calls can accelerate your pipeline. It takes careful preparation & solid execution.
Following my advice here can increase your chances of success and develop more meaningful relationships with potential customers.
Happy selling and talk soon!
Chief Sales Officer @ Chief Outsiders || Helping CEOs Bring Their Growth Vision to Life | Building High-Performance Sales Teams | Optimizing Sales Process to Drive Revenue ??
10 小时前Yeah, agree. This is a great article. You're right ... cold calling shouldn't be cold at all and perhaps that's why so many struggle with it!
B2B SaaS CEOs with Marketing-Sales Conflicts: Ensuring Great Ideas Succeed
1 个月With all the information available to us, cold calls should never be less than a warm call.
Chief Sales Officer at Chief Outsiders
2 个月You are absolutely correct Yury, cold calling is not dead if done properly. Thank you for this mini playbook!
Business Development | Go-To-Market | Revenue | Partnerships | Alliances | Ecosystems | Scale
2 个月“But here’s the secret: successful cold calls aren’t cold. They’re well-prepared and well-executed.” Yury Larichev ?? nails-it here??
General management, Sales management, Business Development
2 个月Excellent article, Yury! As a seasoned sales professional with years of cold calling experience, I couldn’t agree more with your insights. One thing I’d like to add is the power of leveraging social proof during calls. Mentioning how similar businesses have benefited from our solutions can pique interest and build credibility quickly. Also, incorporating micro-commitments—small asks that lead to bigger ones—can significantly improve engagement rates. Thank you for shedding light on this topic; your expertise is both insightful and inspiring!