Turn Strangers into Paying Clients - Cold Prospecting

In the world of sales, reps often have to reach out to strangers that they don't know and have had no prior contact with. The biggest challenge they face is getting these people's time and attention from the get-go. So it's important to be strategic, speak their language, and have the tools to get them curious enough to engage in a conversation. By following these six strategic steps, you can effectively engage and communicate with your prospects, get them to listen to what you have to say, and ultimately turn them into potential clients.

1. Speak Their Language

Understanding your prospects begins with speaking their language. This involves creating an Ideal Client Profile (ICP), developing personas, and identifying trigger events. By doing so, you can tailor your communication to resonate with your prospects, making your message more impactful and relatable. For instance, if you’re targeting a tech startup, you need to be familiar with terms like “SaaS,” “API,” “Agile,” and “DevOps.” For example, a company like Atlassian, initially targeted software development teams within larger organizations. Their ICP was teams that needed to track and manage their work in a collaborative environment.

2. Build a Targeted List

The next step is to build a list with the contact details of the companies and decision-makers you want to target. This list serves as your roadmap, guiding you to the right people who may be interested in your offerings. Be very specific in who you want to reach out to, and don't just focus on the direct decision-makers, but also include internal influencers who can give you insights and refer you to the right person. A company like ZoomInfo provides a great example of building targeted lists. They offer a platform that allows businesses to access a comprehensive database of contact information for potential leads in various industries.

3. Craft a Compelling Opener

Your opener should be compelling and concise, no longer than 20 seconds. It should convey what you know about the prospect and how you can help them with a specific issue based on their ICP, Client Persona (CP), and Trigger Events (TE). This personalized approach shows that you understand their needs and have a solution to their problems. For example, say you’re a building material salesperson selling to an architect, your 20-second opener might look like this, ‘’Hi, It’s Alex from SteelStrong. The reason for my call is I’ve admired your recent projects, particularly the innovative use of materials in the Skyline Tower. Our specialty is providing high-quality, sustainable steel. Given your firm’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, I believe our steel products could be an excellent fit for your future projects.’’

4. Ask the Right Questions

Asking questions is a powerful way to engage your prospects. It allows you to gauge their needs and qualify them as potential clients. The right questions can uncover pain points, aspirations, and opportunities, providing valuable insights for your sales strategy. Salesforce, a leading CRM company, excels at this. Their sales reps might ask a prospect, “How are you currently managing your customer relationships at the moment?'' '' How are you finding this process?”

5. Establish Next Steps

Once you’ve identified a need or qualified the prospect, it’s crucial to establish the next steps. This could be closing on a meeting, setting up a product demo, or agreeing on a follow-up call. Establishing micro-commitments keeps the conversation moving forward and maintains the prospect’s interest. For example, a sales rep from HubSpot might suggest a follow-up call to give a detailed demo of their product after an initial conversation with a prospect.

6. Implement a Follow-Up Cadence

A cold call is not just a one-time event but part of a sequence of follow-up activities. A sales Cadence is a sequence of activities to increase the probability of contact and qualification with the decision maker. Having a strategic follow up cadence ensures that you stay on top of your prospects’ minds, nurturing the relationship until they’re ready to make a decision. Let’s consider a sales representative from a B2B software company, TechSoft. Their cold call sales cadence might look something like this:

Day 1: Call 1: The sales rep makes the first cold call. If the prospect doesn’t answer, they will leave a voicemail and then send an email.

Day 3: Call 2: The sales rep tries to call again, as a result, the call dials out to voicemail. Sales rep sends an email with some insights, education and value.

Day 6: Call 3: The sales rep calls again and gets through to the decision-maker. The sales rep gives a quick intro and qualifies the prospect. The prospect who is the decision maker seems in a rush and asks to send more info before she hangs up. The sales rep sends a follow-up email recapping the call, and providing more information.

Day 7: Social Media Touchpoint - The sales rep connects with the prospect on LinkedIn, sharing a relevant article or industry news.

Day 10: The sales rep makes a follow-up call to discuss the information sent in the email, answer any questions, and gauge the prospect’s interest. Prospect asks to call again in about a month, as they are in the middle of restructuring.

Day 20: Social Media Touchpoint - The sales rep comments on or likes a post by the prospect or their company on LinkedIn.

Day 37: As per the prospect’s request, the sales rep makes a call after a month. They discuss any changes in the prospect’s situation and manage to book a 30-minute discovery call for the following week.

By following these steps, you can effectively capture your cold prospects’ attention, turning cold calls into warm conversations and potential business opportunities. Remember, the key to successful prospecting lies in understanding your prospects, personalising your approach, and maintaining consistent communication.

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