How to LOVE cold calling and emailing

Making cold emails and calls feel HOT

To encourage outbound contact, I am generating a training program for my new team and thought that my LinkedIn connections might benefit from this summary (and please add to it in the comments). This company has done a wonderful job of marketing and now need to increase sales productivity to new prospects, to go to the next level. I have always been a huge fan of cold emails and calls and it has served me well. 

It’s all about the mindset of the salesperson. In my experience, the most successful salespeople never feel like they are making a cold call - it seems like they know everyone and build rapport immediately (this is a teachable science, not an art). Meanwhile, the least successful salespeople dread making outbound contact because they feel like it is a waste of time. I truly believe this difference in mentality, specifically around “cold” calls/emails, is the single biggest differentiator between salespeople. 

The most successful salespeople never feel like they are making a cold call - it seems like they know everyone and build rapport immediately (this is teachable)

#1 - Third Party Stories -

The single best way to achieve this mindset I described above is to leverage other clients through a third party story. More specifically, mentioning local and similar clients is the most powerful namedrop possible. Even more powerful than telling a plumbing company president that you work with 1,000 plumbing companies nationwide, for example, would be telling him that you work with John from 123 Plumbing up the street. I love associations as well, and their endorsements are certainly worth the money, but I also think that a local reference carries more weight than being an association or conference sponsor. You do not even need to namedrop a specific client, as just saying “other plumbing companies in Denver” is relevant and intriguing to the buyer.   

Through years and years of being called a “closer,” while wearing the title with pride, I have always replied that the best closers are actually the best prospectors. They aren’t selling more because of some magical line they say at the end of their pitch, they are selling more because they only spend their time on prospects that they truly expect to buy. I would never call or email a prospect without first knowing a name drop or two in their area. I can tell you that this actually results in FEWER requests to talk to a reference before buying, as you have gained credibility with the buyer before they even know what you are selling. And they can tell that I'm prepared. Make the most of your prospect's time, by preparing sufficiently before the call.

In addition to using other local clients as a namedrop or a pre-reference, they also help you gather crucial market intel which will help you gain even more credibility with prospects. As “The Challenger Sale” has taught us, being a market expert is invaluable and it is a part of this same conversation. For example, mentioning a compliance item or a reason that your local client bought you, something that they have in common with this new prospect, carries a lot of weight. 

The last point on third party stories is that it helps you feel confident when facing rejection, and helps you gently educate the prospect when occasionally appropriate. The prospect says, “No, thank you.” You can reply, “No problem! I just wanted to introduce myself, as I know John from 123 up the street needed us to satisfy his insurers for xyz reason. Have you had that conversation with your insurance?”

The best closers are actually the best prospectors. They aren’t selling more because of some magical line in their pitch. They are making the most of their prospects' time by being prepared

#2 - Expecting Help and to Share Knowledge, not a Buyer -

As mentioned, being a market/industry expert is priceless, but don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Aaron Ross would call it the “lost little lamb” approach: feel confident to call in and ask for direction. I’m consistently blown away that salespeople will look at a company’s website for ten plus minutes, trying to decide who to call or looking for something to mention. Market intel comes from previous sales conversations, not the prospect's website. You should already have a reason why you are calling, so just call. Tell the person who answers why you’re calling (besides a nearby client, this could be a new law/compliance, a shift in the prospect's industry that has now made a conversation with you more likely, etc.) “I was calling because I work with other banks in San Francisco, to help with their core processor and disaster recovery; do you know who would handle that?” When done correctly, you sound more like a consultant than just a cold salesperson. I feel like I get pointed in the right direction, or at least they make such an effort, 90% of the time when taking that approach. I’ll mention that even if you have already identified whom you consider to be the key player you need, it never hurts to continue asking the receptionist for their input or help with direction. “Sure I’ll leave her a message but can I ask… I was calling Diane because I work with other banks in the area to help with core processing; is there anyone that works on that with her, maybe?” This helps move a deal or conversation forward surprisingly often. You should have extreme respect and appreciation for receptionists, assistants, etc. as they often know everything and can make or break your chances of talking to the C-Suite. Try to get introduced to as many people as you can before you have your prospect's ear, because you cannot go around them once you have them. 

When you are finally leaving the cold voicemail or email with the prospect that you have found, of course use a quick third party story. Be low pressure. Be consultative. I actually purposely put some “ums” in my voicemail to ensure that it does not sound like I have left that message 20 times already today; I want to sound like I’ve never left a message before! They’re the first person that hasn’t answered! I told the guy up front that I do business with people you know, so I’m confused why you didn't, but I guess take my number and give me a call if you want to see examples of what we’ve done in your city. “Hey there, this is Aaron from Intellect. I was calling because we just finished helping 123 Piping re-do their cubicles and conference rooms last month and I wanted to introduce myself. If this is on your radar in the next year or so, I’d love for you to know about us. Give me a call, thanks!” The email would be similar, of course, perhaps mentioning that I just left a message. If you are requesting a meeting or scheduled call, the email is the place to do that as they are more likely to reply within an email than to call back.

There is zero pressure on you here. The vital piece here is that all you need for them to do is to know of you! To make sure that they would be giving you a call when the time is right. Not to convince them today to buy your product/service. I like asking if what I’m calling about is on their “radar.” This is low pressure and shows the buyer that I have the proper respect for their itinerary and plans. You typically get an honest, thoughtful, and helpful response that will help you understand when the timing may be better if it is not good right now. Again, take the pressure off yourself. It’s not a reflection on you whether they are nice or rude, interested or not. It’s not hard work to do the prospecting; prospecting makes your job easier! Convincing someone to buy, when they are not ready or interested, is hard work! Don’t bang your head on your desk for three months trying to get one prospect to buy. Why keep blowing up the opportunity that already knows what you do and already has your number? You should be reaching out to ten companies like them! One of those ten is actively trying to buy what you are selling and are about to buy from your competitor unless you call them and get in the mix today!

Why keep blowing up the opportunity that already knows what you do? Reach out to ten new prospects like them! One of those ten is about to buy from your competitor

It’s not about convincing people, it’s about finding people interested. When is the last time you had a surprise buyer? Most deals, you can tell from the prospecting call whether it’s a deal or not. My team would often come to me and say, “I need you on this call because he’s inviting his whole team! He said my timing was perfect and that they need something like this for an audit in a month!” If a buyer is interested, the worst salesperson could not mess it up. Likewise, if a buyer has zero interest, not even the company’s top salesperson will be able to make a difference. Stop making it about closing, when it’s all about prospecting (intelligently and with sufficient productivity). 

Now, I know you are tracked on productivity metrics and you might be thinking that you cannot take such a low pressure approach because you need to set meetings to hit your Key Performance Indicators/Metrics. I have coached to such productivity metrics for years, helping my people know exactly how many calls they needed > to set enough meetings > to create the opportunities required > to get the deals desired. Trust me when I say that you will have much more success when you don’t push for the meeting; push for the trust. I have also noticed that I have trouble saying no when people try selling to me in this low-pressure, respectful fashion.  

Sales is not about convincing people, it’s about finding people interested

#3 - Imagine Yourself as the Buyer -

On that note, let’s put it all together and imagine yourself being the prospect. What is the next $500+ purchase you are shopping for? Bed, vacation, lawnmower, boat, house, car? Let’s say you’re thinking about repairing your roof. Now imagine you get solicited directly via phone and email for it. What type of voicemail or email would you reply to? A colorful marketing email with photos of roofs you can click on? Or an email that says “Hi, I’m Aaron with The Roofing Co. I worked with Jesse, up the street, on his roof last year - you might remember. Are roofing repairs/maintenance on your radar coming up? Please let me know if you’d like to grab a coffee and look at what we can do!” You may click on the email with pictures but the second text-only email is much more likely to get an actual response. And does that roofing guy sound like he’s going to be devastated if you don’t need his help? No. He’s being low pressure, he’s mentioning local work that he’s done, and he’s being respectful of your timeframes and plans. He certainly won’t be taking it personally if you don’t want roofing help. 

Conclusion -

Be kind and low pressure to the prospect. But more importantly, be low pressure on yourself! Make the most of both of your time by being prepared. Don't call someone until you have a reason why, like a local third party reference to name drop - this is actually more important for your own mindset and confidence than any other purpose it serves. Put the time in on prospecting and your job is no longer to convince people that aren't planning to buy. Your job has now become to help people buy because you've found the right prospects at the right time.

Note:

Now, I realize that I’ve painted a picture of living on the buyer’s timeframe, taking orders instead of selling, etc. Please understand that you can always improve as a salesperson and the best salesperson will certainly close someone that the worst salesperson perhaps would not have. We are not exclusively at the mercy of finding people already eager to buy, because sometime the prospect is not yet aware of how much your process/service will benefit them. I am a huge fan of the Challenger Sales Model and have used to it re-educate and convince for years. This article is just to help encourage salespeople who are hesitant of reaching out cold. 

More on the "Challenger" approach: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/challenger-sale-50-words-875-aaron-milner/

Thanks for reading, and please let me know your thoughts!

Aaron Milner