1. Map Out a Blueprint of the Sales Call
One of the most important foundations of cold calling is to have the conversation mapped out before picking up the phone.
Map Out a Blueprint of Your Cold Call
Beyond just the line-by-line script you're using, this blueprint will set you on the right path for achieving the higher-level goal of your cold call—whether that's simply qualifying your lead, booking an appointment, or closing a deal.
Here are two resources to help you structure your sales calls:
Successful Call Structure: A 5-Step Process Plan
Call Mapping: 7 Steps to Structure Your Sales Calls Effectively
Pro tip: If you’re using a powerful CRM (like Close) with built-in calling software, you won’t ever need to worry about searching for the next phone number you have to dial in your call list. Cold calling company for windows and doors replacement Watch our on-demand demo to see how Close CRM can help you double the productivity of your sales calling today.
2. Build Your Own Sales Script
A basic fill-in-the-blank sales script is great to get started with your first cold calling campaign. If you think selling is difficult, don't know what to say, or feel overwhelmed by complexity, take refuge in simplicity.
No excuses, just start with a script today and tweak it over time as you learn more about what does (and doesn't) resonate with the prospects you get on the phone over the course of your first few days of cold calling.
Here are some resources to help you create a sales script:
How to Create a Phone Sales Pitch Script [Free Template]
Cold Call Scripts: 7 Steps to Create a Script That Sells
3. Create Talk Tracks to Follow
When a salesperson has more experience, a sales script may start to hinder their unique voice and personality. This is where talk tracks come in: sales teams can use talk tracks to highlight key features of the product they’re selling, overcome common objections, and qualify their leads.
Learn more about creating and using talk tracks here:
How to Build Killer Talk Tracks Your Sales Team Will Use (+ Examples)
4. Turn Your Fear of Cold Calling Into Fearlessness
Entrepreneurs often struggle when they start cold calling. They hate calling people, feeling like they're interrupting their day in order to drum up business, and they're not very good at it either. Their approach is too timid and they give up too soon when they encounter resistance. They don't manage objections well and fail to produce results.
It's not a lack of skills that trip them up, but instead cold calling reluctance and insecurity (which is natural when you're starting out).
To help one sales rep overcome these fears, I challenged him to purposely fail with every call for one day. This completely changed his attitude and helped him realize that, once he did fail, there was nothing really to be afraid of.
Build confidence and overcome fear with these resources:
Afraid of Cold Calling? How to Turn Your Fear of Failure into Fearlessness
11 Ways to Overcome Sales Call Reluctance & Build Iron Confidence
5. Create an Action Plan for Your Daily Cold Calls
Getting out of a sales slump can feel like climbing out of a dark pit, Best lead generation company for Air Duct cleaning and cold calling may feel like the last thing you want to do.
To help you combat discouragement and keep moving forward, create an action plan for today. Structure your time to conserve energy and plan cold calling spurts for the moments you’re feeling most productive during the day.
Learn more about overcoming a sales slump and continuing your cold calling campaigns:
How to Get Out of a Sales Slump: 11 Things You Probably Haven’t Tried Yet
6. Build an Effective Cold Calling Cadence
Powering through a list of new leads can be great, but if you want to work through an omnichannel sales strategy that mixes both phone calls and emails, you should try a sales cadence.
When done correctly, setting up a sales sequence that includes multiple touch points can create delightful customer interactions, decrease churn, and speed up your sales cycle.
Here are some resources for setting up a sales cadence for cold calls and emails:
How to Build a Sales Cadence: Examples, Best Practices, & Top Tools
12 Top Sales Cadence Examples: Inbound, Outbound, SaaS, + More
Pro tip: Ready to create powerful sales sequences that grow revenue? Learn how Close CRM can enable your team with automated Sales Sequence workflows customized to your unique process and style.
Cold Calling Sequence in Close
7. Prepare Your Cold Call Script to Talk to the Gatekeeper
I hate the term ‘gatekeeper’. A salesperson shouldn’t treat executive assistants, office administrators, or interns as nuisances. If you prepare to talk to them (not simply ‘get past’ them), these people can turn into powerful champions who will help you get access to the decision maker. They are highly protective of your prospect’s time, so show them why it’s worth their while to let you through.
Get more cold calling tips to talk effectively with gatekeepers:
3 Strategies for Getting Past Gatekeepers
Shortcut to Success: Appreciate Gatekeepers & Thank the Doorman
8. Eliminate Distractions
Sitting at your desk, cold calling for hours, can turn into a rut. Dialing leads, trying to get to a decision-maker, hearing the same objections again and again... it's tempting to entertain your brain with more interesting distractions while you're facing rejection after rejection.
Learn why you should never give in to distractions, Best lead generation company for home improvement company and how to regain your focus when other tasks begin to drift into focus while you're in the middle of a cold calling campaign.
3 Negative Effects of Multitasking During Sales Calls (and How to Avoid Distraction)
9. Get into the Right State of Mind for Cold Calling
Most sales reps think deals are won or lost when you’ve got the prospect on the phone. They’re wrong.
You win or lose the deal before you even pick up the phone and dial; it’s your state of mind that determines the outcome of your cold calling efforts, more than anything else.
There are several ways to get yourself into the right mindset. I have three questions that I ask myself before every crucial sales call: Why? What? How? Another way to get pumped for sales calls is to review customer stories and remember how you’ve helped other customers reach their goals.