How To Cold Call Effectively: What To Say First
How To Cold Call Effectively: What To Say First
This question was asked on Linkedin and below is my public answer:
This is a great question and there are many ways to approach this. Assuming this is a pure cold call and they are not expecting your call, the first thing I would recommend doing is put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to hear? How would you want to be treated? Start there and you might find your own answer…
Here are just some of the ways to approach it below, and the key is finding what works for you! If I were able to learn more about your particular style as well as objectives, we could create something more custom and authentic. That is what will work best for you. I also want to underline that it is important to know why you are calling in the first place. What is the purpose of every call you make?
Be clear on that before you make the call. For example, are you calling to set a meeting such as a phone meeting or an in person meeting? Are you calling to determine if there is a mutual fit? Are you calling to sell something on the spot? Make sure you know what you want to accomplish and your results will increase.
Here are some openings that may help you approach this from a few different perspectives:
1. “I know you were not expecting my call, so I will make this brief…”
2. “Hi John, my name is Sally with ABC Consulting. Did I catch you at a bad time?” (You are using a negative here on purpose. When are you going to catch someone at a good time? How might they respond to this question: “Yes, you did catch me at a bad time, but go ahead, quickly.” or “Yes, please call later.” or “Yes and please don’t call back.” Any of those responses are okay. You respected their time by asking the question.)
3. “Hi Jane, my name is Jim with ABC Consulting. We help businesses get in front of more qualified prospects and close more sales faster. Is that something you want for your business?” (This is a very direct approach on what you do, takes about 10 seconds to deliver, gets to the point, and doesn’t waste their time. Keep it simple.)
4. “Hi George, my name is Sarah with ABC Consulting, I help directors like you who are (struggling with or challenged with…or looking for ways to…etc…) would you like to set up a time to discuss this further to see if there might be a mutual fit/to see if we can help/to explore this further?” (Focus on their needs here, not yours, learn/listen.)
Sales people in general are often trained to simply deliver information, to give it the wow factor, to persuade, and to convince, that is an ‘old school’ approach that is not very effective. Shift your mindset. Focus your energy, listening and attention on to the prospect. All the bells and whistles don’t mean much to them, until they know you understand their challenges first. No one wants to be sold, they (might) want to buy.
You don’t need to persuade or push if you sell the way you would want to be sold to…from a place of authenticity and focus on what the prospect wants and needs. Ask questions and let the client be heard. If you can’t truly listen, you won’t be effective with your solutions, nor will you be effective in developing a relationship or partnership.
Again, these are just a few examples to get you started. There are 100’s of ways to approach this!
How To Cold Call Effectively What To Say First - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Ulmer's Website.
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“When prospecting via phone and the contact picks up, do you ask for their time? Or do you go into your spiel?”
This question was asked on Linkedin and below is my public answer:
This is a great question and there are many ways to approach this. Assuming this is a pure cold call and they are not expecting your call, the first thing I would recommend doing is put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to hear? How would you want to be treated? Start there and you might find your own answer…
Here are just some of the ways to approach it below, and the key is finding what works for you! If I were able to learn more about your particular style as well as objectives, we could create something more custom and authentic. That is what will work best for you. I also want to underline that it is important to know why you are calling in the first place. What is the purpose of every call you make?
Be clear on that before you make the call. For example, are you calling to set a meeting such as a phone meeting or an in person meeting? Are you calling to determine if there is a mutual fit? Are you calling to sell something on the spot? Make sure you know what you want to accomplish and your results will increase.
Here are some openings that may help you approach this from a few different perspectives:
1. “I know you were not expecting my call, so I will make this brief…”
2. “Hi John, my name is Sally with ABC Consulting. Did I catch you at a bad time?” (You are using a negative here on purpose. When are you going to catch someone at a good time? How might they respond to this question: “Yes, you did catch me at a bad time, but go ahead, quickly.” or “Yes, please call later.” or “Yes and please don’t call back.” Any of those responses are okay. You respected their time by asking the question.)
3. “Hi Jane, my name is Jim with ABC Consulting. We help businesses get in front of more qualified prospects and close more sales faster. Is that something you want for your business?” (This is a very direct approach on what you do, takes about 10 seconds to deliver, gets to the point, and doesn’t waste their time. Keep it simple.)
4. “Hi George, my name is Sarah with ABC Consulting, I help directors like you who are (struggling with or challenged with…or looking for ways to…etc…) would you like to set up a time to discuss this further to see if there might be a mutual fit/to see if we can help/to explore this further?” (Focus on their needs here, not yours, learn/listen.)
Sales people in general are often trained to simply deliver information, to give it the wow factor, to persuade, and to convince, that is an ‘old school’ approach that is not very effective. Shift your mindset. Focus your energy, listening and attention on to the prospect. All the bells and whistles don’t mean much to them, until they know you understand their challenges first. No one wants to be sold, they (might) want to buy.
You don’t need to persuade or push if you sell the way you would want to be sold to…from a place of authenticity and focus on what the prospect wants and needs. Ask questions and let the client be heard. If you can’t truly listen, you won’t be effective with your solutions, nor will you be effective in developing a relationship or partnership.
Again, these are just a few examples to get you started. There are 100’s of ways to approach this!
How To Cold Call Effectively What To Say First - To learn more about this author, visit Jeremy Ulmer's Website.
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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