Cold calls, or cold calls, are a very valuable resource for any business and can generate a significant number of new customers if done properly. This process requires a basic strategy that many companies overlook, limiting sales teams to getting a list of prospects to call without any prior validation. This improper process will only lead to a high waste of resources and time to get very few clients.
If you want to have a better performing sales call process, we recommend you follow these steps to improve your strategy:
Contents
1. Prepare A List Of Potential Clients, Not Just A List Of Contacts
The goal of a cold calling campaign is to get new customers and not just count calls; for this it is important that you take your list of contacts and extract the real prospects from there.
Before you call, it’s crucial to research each prospect to gain a better understanding of how to present your offer in a concrete and effective way. You must previously register the contact in your CRM to manage the sales process and record the data of each call, in case you do not use a telephony system such as Aircall that records calls automatically.
A good prospect or potential client must meet at least the following requirements:
- Possible interest in your product or service: You must validate if your business model generates the needs that you cover with your solution, it is very difficult to offer something to a client who may not need it, you can also analyze if you have similar clients or at least if your prospect already uses a product or service similar to yours.
- Financial capacity to pay your prices: You know how much what you offer costs, so you should avoid contacting those who may find your prices too high or who may not have the cash flow for the payments that cover your offer.
- Ability to decide or influence the purchase: You must validate that those you contact have the necessary authority to buy or at least have influence in the purchase decision and can take you to those who can close the deals. If you can only call the reception of the company, you should at least make sure you have the name of someone who has or may have some important participation in your sales process.
2. Choose The Best Day And Time To Call Each Client
You must adjust to your prospect’s schedule to call him, whether it is a person or a company. Some recommend making these calls during business hours first thing in the morning (8 a.m. to 9 a.m. for example) and late in the afternoon (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.) since intermediate hours such as 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. These are difficult hours because they are the most productive and busy for most people. If you make international calls to your prospects, make sure you take into account their time zone and not yours.
3. Prepare A Specific Goal For Each Call
You must define in advance the objective of your call, perhaps you will be able to speak with the decision maker and you can achieve a sale or an important meeting. You may also contact someone who serves as an intermediary or influences the purchase processes with whom you can make an appointment to show your product or service. Do not forget to register the call and the commitments acquired in your CRM.
4. When You Call, Doesn’t Sound Like A Salesperson
You should avoid sounding like a TV host or the over-enthusiasm that characterizes many salespeople. If you have a defined script, you can use it perfectly as this greatly reduces the margin of error and makes the call more specific, but use a calm tone of voice, with good diction and intonation. Never overact your call.
5. Don’t Waste The First 20 Seconds Of The Call
Getting your prospect to answer your call is a huge step forward. Answering a call from an unknown number implies that the person answering has evaluated their availability of time and willingness to attend to someone they do not know. He may even assume that it is a sales offer, but he is still giving you an opportunity that you should take advantage of.
Your prospect may be more willing to answer your calls if they are received from a local number. With virtual telephony, you can easily buy a virtual phone number in your prospects’ countries and use this number to call them.
