Eight Best Practices For Getting New Leads And Mastering Cold Calling

It should come as no surprise that cold calling is still a successful strategy for gaining access to fresh leads. However, cold calling can be intimidating for some people. Imagine you run out of things to say. What happens if they ignore you or decide they don't want what you're selling? What can you do to improve your chances of winning?

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Success in your profession requires practice, just like many other things. You'll get more proficient at it the more calls you place. Although, at its core, it's a numbers game, you might gain an advantage by manipulating the odds to your advantage. To get the best results, the most important thing to figure out is how to approach cold calling. We asked eight Young Entrepreneur Council professionals what their top recommendations were for cold phoning potential clients. What they had to say was as follows:

1. Be Perceived As An ‘Industry Insider’

Effective cold calling is best described as curiosity calling. I have nothing of value to deliver unless I understand the problem of the prospect. The more I understand the industry that prospect is in, the more I am perceived as an "industry insider." And when I'm an "industry insider," I'm not a salesperson, I am a consultant. And when I can share anecdotes of companies like them or share an experience with working with a similar company, prospects lean in and want to learn more. When I give them something of value, they are much more likely to reciprocate.

2. Prospect And Use Assets To Earn Trust

It all begins with prospecting, and it is critical that you have a strong value proposition to set up a sales presentation. Why should the buyer meet with you? Your job is not to initially sell the offering, but to sell the meeting. The buyer needs to feel they will miss out if they don’t act. Try introducing something unique and truly valuable that would be of interest to them. For example, “We just completed a major study in digital marketing and found that, of the 10 top things companies are doing, only three have an actual effect on conversions. For the next five days we’re setting up free webinars where we will share the data. I thought you might be interested.” Trust is earned, and tools like this can help you to demonstrate unique value they connect with.

3. Don't Diss Your Competitors

It doesn't make you look good to any prospect to talk down your competitors because it takes away from how good your services are. It puts more focus on the competition than on you, and that's a mistake you need to steer away from. You want prospects to think about your business only, so refrain from bad-mouthing other businesses in your industry and instead focus on the positives your business can bring clients.

4. Don't Be Discouraged By Rejection

I spent a summer cold calling for a wealth management firm and was required to dial the phone 500 times a day. While it wasn't a fun experience, it helped me gain a ton of confidence on the phone. Rejections are part of the process, and with that many calls you will get rejected a lot. However, you also learn what works and what doesn't and start to see patterns in how people reaction to different tactics.

5. Use A Mirror

That little mirror at your cubicle is not to see if the supervisor is sneaking up on you. A cold caller's desk mirror is to make sure that they are keeping tabs on their own emotional health so that they'll be ready to connect in real time when they finally get through. A successful cold call means reaching the right person at the right time and in the right state of mind. Only one of these factors is in your control. Reminding yourself that "it's a numbers game" will help you stay as fresh on your 50th call as you are on your first. Staying bright-eyed and eager is key. If a frazzled and frustrated person is staring back from the desk mirror, then it might be time to bust out some jumping jacks or think of something cheeky to nudge the odds back in your favor.

6. Do Not Sound Scripted

In my experience, if you sound like you're reading a script, people lose interest. They know it's a sales pitch. So know your talking points forward and backward. Be prepared for the conversation to go off that script, because it's going to. You should be so confident in what you are after that you don't need your talking points written down in front of you. I used to struggle with cold calls until I learned to get more comfortable with the material. Once I took that step, my numbers began improving. ?

7. Focus On Value Instead Of Selling

Imagine getting a call from a stranger who promises that they have the perfect solution for your problem, which they have spent exactly two minutes listening to. It sounds impossible, right? That's because it is. When you cold call someone, you can't immediately promise a perfect solution because how long have you really spent working on their specific problem? Your solution will never be personalized enough. Rather, in your initial calls, focus on creating value instead of selling a solution. Discuss their problem, create relatability and showcase a potential solution that you will have to spend hours perfecting based on your conversation with them. Build trust and respect, and show care for their problem. Once you connect, slowly transition them toward a sale or pitch for successful conversions. ?

8. Demonstrate You Value Your Prospect's Time

The best way to get supersized results from your cold-calling efforts is to demonstrate you value your prospect's time by doing your homework before you pick up the phone or send that email. Most sales professionals do little to no research before making a call. They use automation tools in the stupidest way possible: "DEAR BEN, I saw you made the Inc. 5000—Congrats!" Terrible. Delete. Businesspeople who buy things, businesspeople with big budgets—CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, etc.—value their time enormously. Demonstrate you'll use it wisely, and you'll stick out like a rose in a cow patch. Do your homework in advance (and I don't mean reference where their company ranked on the Inc. 5000 last year). Clearly articulate how your solution delivers value because of their unique situation. ?

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