Cold Calling

There is probably no task that a salesperson hates more than cold calling. It's usually done by phone, but can also involve showing up in person and knocking on doors. The potential customer for your product or service has most likely not yet expressed any interest, hence the name “cold.”

The main problem with trying to reach the customer is that, with today’s electronics, where calls can be screened, no one even answers the phone. The salesperson has to leave a really good message and then hope the customer calls back (unlikely). For high-level executives, there are gatekeepers who decide if your call is worth connecting to the boss.

There are ways to “warm up” a lead for cold calling. Market research and buying lists of your target market’s age group, education level, income, and geographic location can increase the odds that your product might be of interest. “Air cover” can be provided in the form of advertising, direct mail, and targeted social media, so the customer is familiar with the product or service before you make that cold call.

For a business-to-business cold call, you want to keep it short with the goal of getting a face-to-face meeting. For example, if you do get someone who answers the phone (before you fall over from shock) you might say:

“This is John Warrior from Trade Shows that Wow, Inc. I'm calling to tell you about our trade show design services that are tailored to your specific needs to attract a heavy volume of show attendees. We always get great feedback from our customers, such as IBM and Microsoft. Could I ask you just a couple of quick questions?”

Here you try to uncover their “pain” and describe how you can help. Then ask “Would next Tuesday or Thursday be convenient for a 10-minute meeting?” You can probably expect to make about 100 calls to get 10 meetings, if that. The sales rate for cold calls is typically about 2%, compared to 20% for solid leads and 50% for referrals. So keep on dialing for dollars.