{"id":45380,"date":"2021-08-09T07:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T11:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=45380"},"modified":"2021-08-20T10:46:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T14:46:51","slug":"cold-calling-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/cold-calling-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold Calling Tips: Level Up Your Cold Calling Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you struggle when it comes to cold calling? What can you do level up your cold calling game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few sales reps are proficient at or like making cold calls. According to sales expert Mike Weinberg, the key to cold-calling success is to start with the right mindset. Once you adjust your mindset and throw away any preconceptions, your cold calling success rate will improve tremendously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some expert cold calling tips from author and sales veteran Mike Weinberg,<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Start With the Right Mindset<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To set yourself up for success<\/a> when cold calling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Throw out your preconceptions and start fresh<\/strong>: When most salespeople make cold calls, they picture themselves as annoying telemarketers interrupting the prospect to pitch an unwanted product. Because what you believe affects how you act, having this negative image will undermine your sales efforts. Calling strategically selected targets who have problems that you can help them with is the antithesis of telemarketing. You\u2019re a problem-solver. The fact that you have a valuable solution should make you want<\/em> to call prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Adjust your tone of voice and approach:<\/strong> In a few seconds of hearing your voice, a potential client forms an opinion about you. Too often, when making calls, salespeople sound like stereotypical salespeople\u2014they speak in an unnatural \u201csales voice,\u201d which raises a prospect\u2019s resistance. Ask a colleague to listen as you make calls (when you\u2019re unaware of it) to see if you\u2019re speaking unnaturally. If you are, try to break the habit by practicing your pitch in a normal, comfortable voice. It\u2019s better to be a bit informal than to be overly formal or respectful, which makes you come across as subservient. You\u2019re an equal who has something to say that\u2019s worth listening to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3)<\/strong> Stop procrastinating<\/a> by spending unnecessary time re-qualifying prospects<\/strong>: If buyers are on your prospect list, you\u2019ve already selected and vetted them (qualified them) as people who could benefit from your solutions. Focus on your objective, which is getting a meeting with them, not on second-guessing your selection. The key to generating new business is action\u2014getting in front of potential customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try These Cold-Calling Techniques<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the key steps for planning and conducting prospect calls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1) Create a call outline and talking points:<\/strong> You don\u2019t want to use a canned call script like a telemarketer would use\u2014however, you need to know what you want to say and say it in a logical order. Also, having a consistent approach for all prospect calls is important\u2014you can\u2019t tell what\u2019s working and not working if every call is different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2) Focus on the objective:<\/strong> Before making a call, you should know why you\u2019re calling and what outcome you want (your objective). If you don\u2019t know these things, it\u2019s easy to get sidetracked when the prospect raises questions or objections. You need to keep steering the conversation toward your objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your objective is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n