Warming up those cold calls
I have been in business as a sole proprietor for a
while but just went full-time last year. While most of my clients come from
networking (thankfully), I need to find more clients. So I figure the next thing
to try is cold calling.
I don't like to sound like a salesperson.
Obviously, when I call these potential clients, I'm looking for their business.
How do I build a conversation without wasting their time with meaningless talk
or sounding like a salesperson?
— Miriam, Owner
Summary of Advice Received
Keeping cold
calls warm — year-round
by Meryl K. Evans, eNJ Editor
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In the U.S., the
weather is warming up, and we wish that could help us warm up to cold calls,
too. Small business owners and employees often do multiple jobs, and sometimes
they get stuck doing something that's not comfortable, like cold calling.
How many stories
have you heard of actors, performers and entertainers dealing with stage fright?
Or talented business people who have a fear of public speaking? With practice
and advice, they overcome those fears and perform well. To address the current
marketing challenge, readers offer strategies for warming up those cold calls.
Write a script so you know what to say
As soon as you figure out a call is a sales call,
what do you do? Everything you can to get off the phone? Hang up? Do you handle
sales calls the same way at home and at work? On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10
representing "hate it," most clients rate cold calling as their least enjoyed
activity, says Karen Myers, president of Time4Me, Inc.
"I have custom written cold-calling scripts for
several different organizations to help small business owners deal with this
very challenge. The good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune hiring
someone like me to write a custom script to apply to your business."
Search online, especially for lead generation
firms, sales coaches and trainers' Web sites. You’ll find products, tips and
sample scripts so you can create your own script that feels comfortable,
recommends Myers.
"There are basic cold-calling script elements that
work for most any industry, which include: (1) the introduction; (2) the relaxer;
(3) the information delivery; and (4) the call to action and/or close. Of
course, psychological elements that will have a bearing on your success rate are
also in play when making cold calls."
Smile before you dial and your voice is more
likely to shine through and break the tension. Also, you get better results when
you have a clear goal or call to action for each call, along with believing in
yourself and your offer, advises Myers.
Test an offer
Have you written a white paper or an ebook? Such
an item would make a nice offer and give you something to talk about. Instead of
calling with a sale in mind, call to give the recipient something for free and
open up a dialogue.
A report and ROI calculator spreadsheet are two
other items you could offer, suggests Edward Yang, partner with Firecracker PR.
Yang recommends testing the offer or trying a two-step process in which you send
direct mail and follow up with a call asking if the person received the mail.
Develop a script and throw in an offer, and you're
on your way to sunny calls.
Meryl K. Evans is the
content maven behind meryl.net,
helping companies get better results through simple words that make a big
impact. Stop by her blog or
contact her anytime.
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