Are there laws for cold calling?  Cold calling and lead generation have always been the front line for obtaining new business and prospects, but why are there failures in cold calling and why has it been stereotyped by many as a waste of time?  People don’t realize that there is much more behind cold calling then just calling.  Cold calling is an art that requires execution and has laws behind it.  There is often a fear of cold calling for businesses mostly because people are scared of failure, but more directly related to the lack of preparation.  If you are prepared then you have no need for a fear of failing while cold calling.  It comes down to how badly you want more business, and if you have to think about that then you shouldn’t be in business.  If you want it like you should, then you will go after it because cold calling is an effective sales tactic if done properly.  In order to successfully execute your cold calling you need to know the laws.  Here are the laws of cold calling:

  1. Be Prepared – If you want your conversation to be considered a good use of time for your potential prospect then you must be prepared before you pick up the phone and dial.  Prospects will be interested and consider what you are saying if you show that you have researched and know a little about them.  It is natural for humans to be more receptive, engaging, interested, pleasant, and so on when the other person shows an interest in them.  Prospects receive plenty of calls from people that aren’t prepared and have no idea who they are actually calling other than the name on the generated list.  Take the extra time to research who you are calling, it will pay off.
  2. Prospects are Busy – You need to be persistent. Calling a prospect twice isn’t enough.  It takes at least three times to reach a prospect, and maybe more depending on if the prospect is in a senior level position or not.  Most senior level executives don’t actually plan on taking a sales call from a prospect and therefore it takes more than a couple calls or an email to reach them and get down to business.  In order to exceed the competition you need to be persistent and call more than 3 times in order to reach your prospects, unless you want to see your competitors snag the business.
  3. Have More Discussions – It is on you as the caller to have more than one discussion.  After the executive takes the call and you have a discussion, he still won’t be the one to call back and follow up in the sales cycle.  A senior level executive has more things to do throughout his day and will rarely take the time to call back for a follow up discussion.  Getting a prospect truly engaged in the content usually takes more than one phone call.
  4. Change How You Engage – Many people at the other end of a cold call already have programmed what they are going to say to shut you down.  You need to change the way you initially engage.  Ask them a specific question that pertains to their needs.  Don’t just say, “I saw you visited our site and I would like to set up a call.” Ask them about a product they were looking at and if they have it now.  Do not think like a stereotypical cold caller or you will sound like one.  Sound genuine and caring when you ask your prospect.

Author: Michael Whartnaby, Prospectr Marketing