Cold Calling Techniques
Cold calling techniques are one of the most popular programs we teach at DEI Ottawa. Setting enough good appointments will make you a successful salesperson, but not having the right number, well…. You get the point. I want to give you a little flavor of our Cold Calling Techniques (Appointment Making) Course now.
There are five basic elements to the initial cold call.
- Get the person’s attention
- Identify yourself and your company
- Give the reason for the call
- Make a qualifying/questioning statement
- Set the appointment
First off, you need to get the person’s attention and identify yourself. Before we go further let me stress that a script is a must. Many salespeople are uncomfortable with using a script at first. They say things like I always know when someone is using script, they sound phony or unprofessional. Well they are if they sound that way. This simply means they have not committed the time to learn it properly, to make it their own. This requires practice and that is exactly what professionals in all fields do. Athletes and actors are two very good examples. When you see a movie you don’t think that the actor is reading from a script. That is because he or she has internalized what has to be said. That is what you must do and it is the first rule of cold calling techniques. When you have the script personalized and sounding natural it frees you up to concentrate on what the person is saying to you. What is the response? Are we creating an atmosphere that will make it easy to make positive responses? Or are the people responding negatively because we asked the wrong questions.
When you give the reason for your call, the first thing you say will set the tone for the following discussion. Remember that people respond in kind. This means they will answer you in the manner and with the same degree of seriousness that you use. Gimmicky questions like “If I could save you a zillion dollars would you be interested?” don’t work. You will get a gimmicky response – just before they hang up. The second rule to cold calling techniques is that if you ask a stupid question you get a stupid response. You must begin by asking a question that gets their interest and will get a positive response leading to a meaningful discussion.
DEI has a multitude of other cold calling techniques to help you make more sales. DEI can help you develop a script, handle objections, and much more. Above all else it helps you set more quality appointments with prospects who are ready to buy from you.
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