Cold Calls Freezing You Out of Sales? Not Anymore.

Who likes making cold calls? Raise your hand. I’ll wait.

*crickets*

Let’s be honest, nobody does. You spend an entire day trying to find leads, and half the time you come up…well, cold. Nobody told you that you’d need grit like a Marine to patiently find leads.

Finally, you have a real conversation. Man, that feels good. You even set up a meeting. Why can’t all cold calls be that easy?

Short answer: They totally can be. Overcome these hurdles and watch your anxiety levels drop.

Common challenges of cold calls and outbound sales:

• Objections
• No Answers
• Consistent Call Flow
• Low Confidence
• Weak opening line

Objections

“Now isn’t a good time” and “send me info” are "no's". They’re just trying to get you off the phone—and you’re left hanging.

So, what can you do?

• Be prepared
• Handle their objections ahead of time
• Control the conversation
• Communicate your value prop

The Upmarket team might reply with, “I get that reading this via email will make things easier for you. I’ll send it right after this call. Just so I know what to include, can you tell me…”

Note the transition. Take ownership of the call. And get specific.

Upmarket comes loaded with several examples you can use to overcome objections with only one click. Not every call has to end in a meeting, but a yes/no is more valuable than a maybe. It’s important to avoid the brush off and learn which leads need and deserve more of your focus.

No Answers

It feels like nobody answers their phone anymore. And is the number you have their office or their cell? Cold calls are less common today and one giant hurdle is the fact that people are picking up less frequently than before. SPAM callers are at an all time high and you need to stand out if you are calling.

What if you get a voicemail? Should you leave a message?

Yes! It’s another touch in your outbound system. Keep it short, or you risk being cut off. Be concise, leave your contact info, and let them know you’re trying to contact them.

"When leaving a message, focus on an aspect of their business that will resonate with them, so they feel compelled to call or email you back"

-Terri Petion, Sales Enablement Manager, Hyperscience

Consistent Call Flow:

It’s easy to get distracted. Between research, calling, emailing, messaging...and more research, you end up distracted over and over. One way to get around that is by organizing a full day of calls, broken down by priority and conversation type. Get your research done all at once and give yourself a clear runway of outreach. Compartmentalize.

One framework used by the Upmarket team is to segment calls into dedicated calling blocks. Setting it up this way means more calls, and calls that you are well prepared for, leading to consistent call flows and higher productivity.

Call flow consistency is a necessary muscle you need to develop to succeed in an Outbound role. I've never seen a successful SDR that does not have some form of call blocking in their day. It can be the difference between generating the next 6-figure deal or reaching someone right after they selected a new solution.

Low Confidence

Confidence comes from preparation. The most common reasons for call reluctance are a lack of preparation or bad data leading to unpredictability.

With preparation & clean data you get:

• Confidence & authority
• The ability to cite relevant, impactful information
• Higher degree of persuasiveness
• Less wasted opportunities

How to address low confidence & prepare for your call blocks:

• Master the fundamentals (scripting & objection handling)
• Become a subject matter expert in your industry
• Learn from mentors and successful team mates
• Be open to coaching from your manager and mentors
• Go into it with a positive mindset (literally smile & dial)
• Use a solution like Upmarket so you have everything you need at your fingertips when you’re prospecting and on a call.

“That’s why positivity and taking a phone call with a smile, while it sounds silly, is SO important! You have to be in the right headspace as an SDR if you want to start cold-calling and plan on being successful.”

-Drake Peaugh, Account Executive, hungr

Weak Opening Line

This one is related to confidence. Saying the “right” words can make all the difference when you get a prospect on the phone. Don’t waste an opportunity to make an impact because you didn't clearly demonstrate value to capture their attention. 

At this point, you've done your research, you've trained with your team, you've run role plays with your coaches, and your toolbox is full. When thinking of how to start the actual call, consider the nuances between prospects and always be on the lookout for what’s working with the rest of your team in the specific demographic you are reaching out to. Try different opening lines and track their success rates. Whatever the data says...go with it. Having that foundation of past success will add to your confidence and compound in to more connections, conversations, and scheduled meetings. Good luck out there.

--

This article was a collaboration between Upmarket and Central Metric, two companies that are exploring new ways to create more streamlined, tech-enabled processes for generating revenue.

Upmarket is a software platform that helps sales teams organize outbound calls around proven content to set more meetings. It makes onboarding new reps simple, and improves the remote experience for sales reps. Visit upmarket.ai to learn more and sign-up for a free trial.

Central Metric is a team of Revenue Operations Consultants that help you increase revenue by through optimized technology and improved processes for your teams. One of the most relevant problems we solve in relation to the SDR function is updating bad data in your CRM & Sales Enablement Tools (Saving Time & Money)… 

“Nothings worse than picking up the phone and getting a wrong number. Wasted time, a dial, and energy prepped for your actual contact. It's 2020, get better data" 

-Chris Flores, Director of Marketing, Bennie 

Reach out for Sales & Operations Advice at Centralmetric.tech or message me on LinkedIn.