5 Annoying Cold Call Mistakes Salespeople Make and What to Do Instead

If you've read "The Four Most Annoying Cold Call Mistakes of all Time" you can revisit this new version of the first four mistakes (including new how-to tips) and learn all about mistake number five (it's a doozy...).

The 1st mistake: Not Researching Before Making the Call

If you call a prospect without knowing what they do, then you're wasting everybody's time. After 300 interviews with corporate decision-makers, I can assure you they find uninformed cold callers highly annoying.

On the flip-side, many decision-makers will give airtime to somebody who has done their homework. So it's a good idea to ask a question during a cold call that incorporates your research. For example: "I read about your company's merger with ABC last month and wondered if...?"

A decision-maker interviewed for "Buyer-Approved Selling" stated "I do not do business with somebody who's not taken the time to learn about my business."

Sales... it's all about earning the right to proceed to the next step.

The 2nd Mistake: Opening the Call with "How Are You?"

Asking "How are you?" when making a cold call is like sending a 30 second advance warning for a nuclear strike. You might think you're being considerate, but all you're doing is alerting the poor prospect to their impending "death by cold call".

How can you sincerely ask a business person "how are you?" when you've never met before? The decision-makers I've interviewed agree: this is an amateur and annoying approach.

Speaking of amateur approaches, it doesn't matter if you've been selling for 20 years. Experience doesn't mean you're doing things right. In fact, many sales people I've met with 20 years experience can be said to have one years experience 20 times over. Practice doesn't make perfect... perfect practice makes perfect.

Our research with corporate decision-makers suggest you do what most sales trainers tell you not to: ask your prospect if they have a quick minute. Believe it or not, common courtesy works. Most prospects will respond in one of three ways:

"Sure, go ahead."

"I am just running out the door and only answered because I thought it was my colleague... can you call me back?"

"What's it about?"

The 3rd Mistake: Technical Jargon and Acronyms

It's easy for salespeople to flaunt industry jargon and buzzwords, but it often alienates and confuses prospects. The decision-makers I've interviewed list the use of acronyms and technical jargon as a common complaint about salespeople.

Einstein said "The essence of brilliance is simplicity." With that in mind, speak in terms of the language of the person you're calling. So unless you're calling an IT director, keep technical terms to a minimum.

The 4th Mistake: The One-Way Conversation

There are three kinds of communicators: the bore: they talk about themselves, the gossip: they talk about others and the brilliant conversationalist... they talk about you.

A common complaint from decision-makers I've interviewed is that 95% of cold callers talk on and on without inviting dialogue... it's a one-sided conversation. Notworking.com!

Prepare a cold call approach that sprinkles questions throughout your conversation. (Note the word conversation... once you have that down you're on the way to making a cold call that could turn into a warm call.)

The 5th Mistake: The Premature Meeting Invitation

Calling a stranger and asking for a face-to-face meeting in the first 30 seconds is like asking somebody on a date right after being introduced. So why do so many cold callers have an opening line like this: "I'm calling from XYZ Company; we specialize in saving companies money on their operating systems while doubling productivity. I'm going to be in your area next Tuesday and wanted to stop by to discuss how we may be of service." Aagghh!!

A better way is to create qualification steps throughout the call. Your final qualification question could go like this: "I know I caught you right out of the blue, but based on what I've told you so far, do you see any potential for us to be of value to you... either now or at some point down the road?"

If somebody is not a good candidate for your product or service... move on!

Bottom Line

Effective cold calling requires an engaging opening statement, a conversational style, good questions and permission to deliver key statements. (Think of it as a permission-based approach).

In order to sound conversational, it's vital you rehearse your calls as frequently as possible. And always look for ways to tweak your approach.

If you can eliminate these five annoying mistakes, then you are on your way to success.

One of the decisions interviewed for my book "Winning Sales Advice" nailed it when she said "If you're annoying, it doesn't matter what you're selling!"

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